"I suppose so. But you don’t need to start seeing it as a quid pro quo thing. I like spending money on my friends."

It was an easy way to express affection without being out of his depth, after all.

"For what purpose? You don’t owe me anything," Miles replied matter-of-factly, handing the money over.

Miles went ahead up to the stand. They had a few variations and levels of spiciness. He opted for the classic option at medium heat, taking out his wallet.

"Pick what you want, I‘m paying."

"A lot of damage was done with the whole 'ends justifying the means' thing. I just want to be sure. But there are some future graduates I have my eye on."

Miles looked around as well. "How about… The Korean chicken one?"

Miles chuckled softly. "I suppose you‘re not wrong. But trust me, they have plenty to do, they won’t get bored quick. We‘re still at least two prosecutors short at the moment."

"That‘s good to hear indeed. Both of that," Miles hummed. "Cases rarely reach my desk anymore unless one of the prosecutors needs advice, but I hear good things about your protégés, too. They certainly keep this lot on their toes."

— up in /too/ crazy cases recently. Have you?"

"That‘s very generous of you. Business must be going alright, then." That was good to hear. It was hard to wrangle Wright into accepting help, so not having to worry about his finances was a good thing.

"Though I haven’t seen you on the front page for a while, so it seems you‘ve not been wrapped —

"She gets away with far too much due to that cute face." Miles can't help but smile a bit. "Knows what buttons to push, that's for sure."

"I didn't use to, but they have upped their quality significantly over the past few years. And it usually goes faster than finding a sit-down place," Miles explained. "I am always on the run, unfortunately."

He went ahead, out of the building and to the right, Pess trotting ever loyal by his side.

Miles ignored that, at least outwardly.

"There are a couple of foodtrucks on the block that offer a lof of variety. I usually go there when the cafeteria fails to impress."

And he doesn’t skip lunch altogether.

"Naturally. Carry on then, I‘m sure you still have plenty to do before the day ends."

"I‘d prefer it if she kept the excitement at knee-level, at least… Someone /could/ easily get hurt like this, after all. But I‘m glad you didn’t."

Miles let Pess get her pets now, she had been scolded enough.

"You‘re not grating to me, Wright." Stated perfectly matter-of-factly.

"I was just about to figure out lunch, if you‘d care to join me. Unless you are here for work-related reasons?"

"That‘s the hope. Very well. I‘ll let you know when I find something suitable."

— benefit his career. So it takes a lot of convincing to bring change."

"I wish it was boring. It’s more grating, really. I do not enjoy dealing with politicians."

Pess nudged his hand, and he started to pet her head absentmindedly. "The Attorney General is difficult to deal with, too. Unfortunately he makes decisions pretty much entirely based on whether they‘ll —

"I’m glad to hear that. Would you mind if I assign you two to the same case some time? It might help his nervousness if he gets to know people around here better."

"Work, mostly." He sighed deeply. "I just had an appointment with the Attorney General. You would not believe how much politics is involved in this business."

"He‘s a bit nervous in general, I fear. I can’t blame him. But he’ll find his footing eventually."

"No ganging up on me again. Your back doesn’t need any more issues," Miles pointed out. "It‘s fine if she wants to greet you, but I can’t have her knocking people over in excitement. She is a big dog, it‘s dangerous."

Soft sigh.

"So long as you all get along enough to remain professional…"

"Of course. The first time I take her along in a while, and she immediately goes rogue..." He sighed. "I suppose I need to invest in a little more training."

"Well, if they worry about being perceived, they may not focus on their work."

Miles rolled eyes, though with evident fondness to it. He extended his hand, then. "Let me help you up."

"Mmh, understandable. Do try not to scare them with too accurate observations."

"She is a large dog and she knocked you over." He harrumphs at the double attack. "…I will let it slide this time. But if you do that again, you may lose your accompanying me to work privileges, young lady."

"Do you watch all your colleagues with such a sharp eye, Prosecutor Blackquill?"

Mx. Sahdmadhi left me their notes for the case they were working on. They‘re incredibly detailed and extensive, but… They‘re entirely in Khura‘inese.

I may need to find someone to translate these for me.

"Neither was I, she‘s usually very well behaved…" He sighed a bit exasperated, putting the leash back on Pess. "She usually only greets people she knows and loves like this."