"He can be really weird, you know," Tye's voice caught the three of them off guard and they swirled around, watching as their friend walked towards them and took a seat next to Asami, eyes glued to the press conference unfolding on the flat screen, "Like how he can't decide what snack he wants. He's been doing that since we were kids, you know? The only consistent thing was cookies that were made by his mom. He always wanted those."
"Tye, you don't have to - " Virgil tried to intervene, but Tye carried on, his hands wound tight around his knees.
"He's really good at all things science," despite his shaking legs, he smiled, seemingly recalling memories of their school days together, "Biology, especially. He just gets it, like riding a bike. I would get a little jealous sometimes, but then he would always ask me for help when it came to history. For the life of him, he had such a problem with remembering dates and what document did this and who invented what…it's just the way our brains work, I guess.
"I never realized how much we complimented each other, really. I'm this angry trainwreck 95% of the time and he's always so chill. I mean, he could get flustered, especially when talking to a cute girl, but he always knew how to relax and it really helped me out…"
And as Tye rambled on and on about his friend, understanding soon dawned on the other three. Their friend was coping. To them, it had seemed like this Jaime had been leading them to slaughter, that he was a traitor, an advocate for the Reach. But to Tye, it was a friend slipping into darkness, being consumed by something he probably tried so hard to control. To him, his friend could still be saved, reminding himself of everything that Jaime once was. Of everything he could still be.
So, they let him continue onward, huddling close with reassuring shoulder squeezes and nods of approval. By the end of the night, they too considered Jaime a friend and someone they had the means to save.