“[color=gray]Oh no…[/color]” Besca saw the shift instantly, in the look on Quinn’s face, and how her hands clenched frightfully, and her voice quivered as she stumbled over her words. She’d been worried about this—god, why hadn’t she [i]said[/i] anything to Mona beforehand? It would have been so easy to pull her aside and ask politely that she not mention Quinn’s homelife. Sure, it would have tipped the woman off that something was amiss, but she trusted Mona at least more than she trusted most other hosts. This was a mistake, and while she normally would have relished the chance to throw the Board’s own detached idiocy back in their face, the whole world did [i]not[/i] need to see Quinn break down. She stepped forward and the crew around her all shot her looks of shock, like the idea that she might even [i]consider[/i] intervening was inconceivable. Someone moved like they might have tried to bar her way—and she would have wished them good luck with that—but before she could step into the camera, Quinn… Well, she didn’t do anything, really. She didn’t curl up, she didn’t stutter herself quiet, and she didn’t cry. In fact, what she [i]did[/i] do was pivot expertly, even if there was still a shakiness to her voice. Besca blinked, pride held back by that same implacable uneasiness from before. She stood stone-still as Quinn talked about training with Deelie, and how pointless it was even in sims, and the sparring, and she did it in a way that probably seemed easy but that Besca knew was taking a toll on the girl. “[color=ffe63d]...It's like having a whole new family, you know?[/color]” The hesitant barrier crumbled, and Besca was filled with warm joy. She nodded to herself, smiling, and felt herself relax. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and a brief glance showed it was R&D back on the station. She declined the call—she’d made it clear that nothing short of an emergency would warrant interrupting this, and this wasn’t from the urgent line. Once again, Mona dodged whatever uncomfortableness might have been apparent, nodding along and humming appreciatively as she continued to eat. Leaning in, there was an amused gleam in her eyes. “You know, honey, I gotta tell you—and don’t take this the wrong way,” she began, one hand up in mock-surrender. “But when I first heard those audio leaks from the duel, I thought you were gonna be a little [i]firecracker[/i], if you get what I mean. I woke up this morning a little bit afraid you were gonna come in here and run me over! But you know what? You are really just the sweetest thing in the world—really, you remind me so much of lil’ Dahlia when she was on. You’re so polite!” She took another long sip from her glass and set it down. “But—okay, I’m so sorry, I gotta ask. Everyone, and I mean [i]everyone[/i], is dying to know about your duel in Casoban against Roaki Tormont. Honey, I was on the edge of my seat the [i]whole[/i] time, I just could not believe how well you did! You were so calm, so in control. Usually you’re used to seeing people panic. I mean, that happened in the duels just before yours, and it cost two Casobani pilots their lives—god rest their souls, ‘course. But you came in there and it was like you were reading off a script it was so clean! Really, Quinnlash, so much respect for how well you did. “But what I’m dying to know—and I’m sure I’m not alone in all this. What was the deal with how you chose to…you know, finish things up? What made you wanna walk away at the end, there? Not judging, mind you—far be it from me to throw stones at pilot—but I’m [i]so[/i] curious. And then, we’ve been seeing some videos going around that she’s still up there? What’s the deal with that?”