Jesse nodded to Ashley. "Herrera, sorry." Their gaze flicked to her, softening by degrees, as did their tone. "Don't take it personally. It's my job to solve problems, and my best tool is information. Frankly, I'd be neglecting my duties if I hadn't spent some time... following up." As they leaned forward and put their glass down on the table, their eyes flicked over to Luka. "And as much as I hate to call you a liar, I know that you did not, in fact, leave the diner as soon with everyone else." They regarded Luka coolly for a beat, then let out a long breath.

"Luka, look. You're the boss. You say you need tickets, I say 'Broadway or baseball?'. You bring down the roof with one of your parties, I'm on the phone with the contractor putting it back on." They frowned, fingers folded. "But I need to know what's going on to do my job, and I think it's about time you let me in on whatever's going on."