finding a story for her second edition was proving harder than she thought possible. the reception to the paper had been good, mostly - a few people had scoffed, but most had been excited about the premise of a monthly paper. something to look forward to. and she’d had more submissions come through for fiction pieces, fluff pieces about the importance of family, a few more art submissions, but the actual point of the paper - hard hitting journalism - well, that was harder to come by. 

which meant it was past time to bug her favorite councilman - not that she’d ever tell him that. sure, the others were fine in their own ways, and she’d certainly built a rapport with a few of them, but jesse was always the easiest to get a rise out of, to keep her amused. 

and, quite frankly, she’d been kind of avoiding him. it was easier to do than most people would assume, but this thing blossoming between her and victor was precarious as it was - avoiding the others she had ( complicated, unreciprocated, complex ) feelings for was probably for the best. 

but she could only amuse herself for so long. 

“i need some gossip,” she demanded, sliding herself onto his desk in the council’s office with her notebook in hand. “something good i can look up and research. i’m bored, the town is bored, and i can’t have my follow up issue flop after such a successful debut. whatchya got for me?” 

stella had tried to keep her visits to friendly check ins, making sure those who needed the recovery were stress free and relaxed. she wanted to be a friendly face - the council’s trusted member, even if she was one of the most viscous behind closed doors. sometimes you had to sacrifice the few for the greater good. 

but she wanted to do something for those who they had lost - it had been a member of the town who had requested it, but it was a good idea. and of all the council members, she knew jesse would be the most inclined to help her. if only to get him out of the clinic, if only to get himself back to work. they all were workaholics, unable to step back and take a look at their own lives, and she figured he’d be helpful enough, even while still in a bed. 

“glad to see you back, sergeant,” she teased gently, brushing hair off his face and smiling at him warmly. she’d always had a soft spot for him - he was tough but fair, and took the brunt of the public’s anger despite there being six others with him on the council. “you scared us a little, you know? i don’t think that brother of yours left his spot on the curb for days. i left him some food at one point when he passed out, but if i’d been strong enough, i might have carried him back to your place just so he could sleep.”