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[deaddrop]

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[hypoxic]

[His jaw tightens when she mentions the possibility of being compromised.]

Something of a dead man's switch, then.

[deaddrop]

Hopefully not that dire, but something to that effect.

[hypoxic]

[ it needs to be subtle. Something he won't be able to glean, that already fits seamlessly into his normal routine. ]

Come by for tea more often. I take four sugars.

[ it's enough of a non sequitur that it must be leading somewhere. ]

[deaddrop]

[Natasha can take a hint. She nods slightly.]

I could make room for that in my social calendar.

[hypoxic]

I'm fairly particular about it. I'd imagine that I wouldn't change how much sugar is there unless something went wrong.

[ regular check ins and a fairly innocuous way to signal potential distress without leaving a paper trail? ]

[deaddrop]

[Natasha takes the message easily, nodding. She plays along, signaling she might accept this as an offer for the time being.]

If you didn't, I might assume you were out of sorts. Start looking into ways to make you feel better.

[hypoxic]

The mark of a good friend, I'd think.

[ he sits back and adjusts his towel. It's still sticky and terrible in here. Ugh. ]

[deaddrop]

Maybe not a good friend, but a good friend to have.

[Natasha pulls her towel closer around her body, then finishes her water off and stands. She's satisfied with this for the moment.]

There's a difference.

[hypoxic]

Not a noncommutative one. They're hyponyms at worst.

[Good friends are good to have, even though not all good friends are healthy. He can still consider Natasha both.]

[deaddrop]

Maybe.

[She won't try to convince him otherwise, at least. With a little smile, she says.]

Now that that's settled, I think I'll let you finish your steam in peace.

[hypoxic]

Of course. Looking forward to our next talk.

[ he leans back, making an attempt at looking casual. ]