Hanzo had made you an extraordinarily American breakfast, packed full with enough sugar to make sure you made it through until around lunch, at least. You'd still have to snack on plenty of things later on during the day to keep your sugar levels up, maybe Hana could bring you some of those wafers she'd introduced you to a couple days earlier. It was already a bit difficult to keep your sugars up at the moment, you didn't want to think about how much you were going to have to eat just to keep yourself in the air once your wings hardened.

The dragons stuck around while you munched on the syrup-coated pancakes, trying to steal bits and pieces of your food. When Hanzo wasn't looking, you'd give one of them a tiny bit of your pancake or a few muffin bits.

You felt much better once you'd eaten and stabilised your sugars. A little guilt still remained from going off on Hanzo like that, episode or not, it wasn't nice. Leaning against him, you sighed and looked down at your hands, fidgeting. "Sorry about all the stuff I said earlier. Some of it was from the episode, yeah, but I really was upset. I… I hate knowing that I'm a danger to the people I love… I've done so much this past week to make sure I'm not, and to hear one of those dumbasses actually came here, where they know they could get hurt?"

Hanzo hummed softly, reaching up to gently massage the back of your neck. He was reading something on the tablet, his eyes leaving the words for just a second to glance up at you. "I understand. He was not here for long, however. Only long enough to drop off your garments for tonight. Everyone else was busy helping to set up."

You blinked a couple times, confused, then frowned. "Helping to set up what? Is there a new op I'm not aware of? It'd have to be pretty fucking big and important if it requires everyone, and I'm gonna be pissed if Winston isn't keeping me in the loop."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, it's not an op, Hachi. There will be a party tonight. They are helping to set up the decorations and everything. It looks a lot better if some of the higher-level agents help out every now and then. The dress and mask Jesse delivered this morning are for the party."

Your frown deepened and you felt a little stung. "Oh, is it? Well I suppose they're just going to end up shoved into the back of my closet since-"

"It's a masquerade," he said, taking a sip of his tea. "We figured if Genji's mask worked, so would others. After all, your programming relies on you seeing their face, correct?"

You squinted at him, not liking how all too pleased of himself he looked. "Are you gonna tell me this was done for me?"

"The party? No, that is mostly political, but the masquerade? We might have tweaked a few things," he said, grinning down at you, smug. "When you got drunk with Hana and Genji a few days ago, they got your new measurements and sent them off to Eugene. He was able to put together a dress for you, keeping your wings in mind, of course."

"What's my theme?" you asked, suspicious.

"Well, wanting this to be a pleasant surprise," he emphasised the word pleasant as he set down the tablet to look at you, "we were unable to consult with you about your theme, so we played off of the features you already have, Hachi."

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. "Of course," you grumbled, instinctively leaning in as he cupped your cheek and kissed you, making you smile just a bit. "And if this doesn't work?"

"Reinhardt is on hand to hold you back. You should go try on your dress, Eugene has assured me you will look ravishing in it." He laughed softly as you stuck your tongue out at him and pulled away, brushing Raijin off your lap as you did so.

"You just want an excuse to get me out of my clothes," you sighed, shaking your head as Raijin squeaked indignantly, winding his way up to your shoulders as you stood.

"A mere concomitant, Hachi, but not an unwelcome one." His smile was just a bit too smug as he watched you walk away.

The dress itself was beautiful; a pretty little sleeveless, floor-length satin dress with an a-line fit and an open back left plenty of space for you to breathe and your wings to sit unconstrained. Its nice golden colour glowed under the bathroom lights and matched perfectly with the mask given to accompany it. The mask was a nice deep gold with a rose on the side and a few tiny bee figures stuck to the edges. Your theme was "honey", as it turned out, and you certainly looked it, what with your honey-brown eyes and dirty blonde hair. Whoever's idea it was to have this as your theme, you were going to smack them.

You were finishing up your makeup when Winston called, making sure to use some lighter warm colours to keep with the theme of your outfit. "Winston! How great to finally hear from you," you said as you answered the call. "I was hoping I wouldn't go into this political mess without some kind of direction. What's this I hear about Overwatch going legit again?"

You could hear the cringe and the awkward chuckle that followed afterward. "Yes, well, I meant to get to you sooner, but they mentioned this was supposed to be some kind of surprise for you?"

"Mmn, yes, apparently my friends have an interesting definition of pleasant surprise. Here I was expecting a puppy or something, but instead I have to maneuver a political minefield while my boss is out of town!" The grin you flashed was far from friendly, and you felt it. You weren't used to being a political figurehead, and with Winston out of the picture, that's exactly what you'd have to be. "Thank the gods Ana and Reinhardt are going to be there, otherwise I might have just lost my mind."

Winston sighed. "I know. It's going to be tough, but I know you can get through this, Miss Marsh. Angela, Ana, and Reinhardt are going to be fielding as many of the political questions as they can to help keep the heat off of you, but it is going to be difficult. I know you've done enough research into us to answer some of the simple questions without too much issue. You've read up on the most recent operations, yes?"

You nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "I should be all caught up on the ones that went into the archive. Is that my excuse if they ask me questions I can't answer? "Oh, I'm afraid I can't answer that, sir. I only work in the archives"," you mimicked a high-society british accent, applying a light layer of mascara as you did so.

The gorilla chuckled. "If need be, yes. But answer any questions you can. I've got to go, they're about to start the second half of the expo. Thank you, Briallen."

You sighed and rolled your eyes. "You owe me when you come back. Maybe a nice case of cham cham."

"Will do. Have fun tonight, don't forget to let Angela know if something goes wrong, and make sure to keep your sugar levels up."

You actually chuckled at that. "Alright, bye mom." Shaking your head, you ended the call and left the bathroom, tucking your lipstick into your clutch for later use.

Reinhardt was waiting at the door for you, all dressed up in a nice white suit and was that a rabbit mask? He still looked intimidating, but that big smile he wore was anything but. He was absolutely gigantic next to you, standing well over two feet taller than yourself. He made you feel, for the first time in a very long time, like a child, especially since you only came up to his elbow.

"Ah, the lady of the hour! It has been too long, kleine frau!" he laughed, sweeping you up in a rib-creaking hug, smashing your wings against your back.

"Ah! Wings! Wings! Careful of the wings, please!" you groaned, chuckling awkwardly when he quickly set you down. Your wings twitched behind you, readjusting themselves back into place. "Sorry, Rein, I know how much you like hugs, they're just still hardening." You explained, hoping they hadn't bent in any way.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head. "The apology is mine, I sometimes still forget my own strength. You look absolutely stunning, Miss Marsh," he said, beaming down at you as he extended his hand for you to take. "It will be an honour to escort you."

You smiled and took his hand, giving your wings an experimental flutter. They were fine, thankfully. Now, if that was the only negative interaction with them tonight, that would be amazing. "No more flattery, you know how I get. I turn all splotchy and that won't look good for our backers. Talk shop with me, what am I heading into?"

"Nothing bad, only a few politicians tonight. Ana, Angela, and I should be taking the brunt of it, we will be your shields so to speak." His blue eye twinkled down at you with amusement, his large smile never fading as he led you to the party. "The bartender has been made aware of your, erm, state, and there should be some sugar water available should you need it. We don't want you to crash out on the dance floor tonight."

"Oh, no dancing for me," you said quickly, shaking your head. "Though I appreciate the thought."

"No dancing? A pretty woman like you? I do not believe it for a second!" he bellowed, grinning as he patted your hand. "After all, I heard young McCree is looking forward to a certain dancing partner tonight." The look the old man gave you was too cunning and knowing to be innocent, and you sighed. How many people were in on this plot?

Still, if it was Jesse, you might dance. Might. "We'll see," you conceded, ignoring the fact that your cheeks took on a slight blush. "But for now, I-" your voice petered out as you stopped in the doorway, looking around at all the people. Even now after having worked here for months and knowing a good portion of them, the thought of having to go out there and put on a political performance made you nervous. "For now I think I'll go get that glass of sugar water, maybe even some champagne while I'm at it," you said, clearing your throat. You offered Reinhardt a weary smile before you pulled away to head to the bar.

The bartender looked up at you in surprise when you approached, flaring your wings a bit before you got too close. You weren't sure if it was an instinctual dominance move, or a kind warning of the customer he was about to have. To his credit, he swallowed his surprise and shot you a pretty smile. "How can I help you miss?"

"Just a glass of sugar water, please," you said, giving him an easy smile in return. You could do this, being nice wasn't that hard. It was the upcoming working around of politics that you were worried about.

He nodded and looked behind you. "And for you sir?"

"A shot of whiskey, if you wouldn't mind." The southern drawl was accompanied by a smile and a warm hand on your lower back, drawing you closer. "Now, if I didn't know any better, darlin', I'd say you're avoidin' me."

You chuckled, leaning into Jesse's side with a sigh. It felt nice to actually be in his presence again, a sort of heavy weight lifted off your chest. "Sorry, Jess. Just nervous. Tonight might be all fun and games for you, but this is work for me. Got a couple big shot politicians here tonight, looking to see if it's worth reinstating Overwach as an official power, and I've got to be here in Winston's place." You looked up, your chest warming as you were finally able to look up into those warm brown eyes without wanting to rip his head off. An easy smile split your lips, even as you remembered his antics this morning. "You, sir, are in a heap of trouble."

He cocked his head, the black finish of his domino mask absorbing the light. "Is that right?"

Reaching up, you cupped his cheek as he bent over a little, kissing the meat of your palm. "Mmhmm. You came down to my quarters where you weren't supposed to be, caused an episode, if I might add. I could have hurt you, Jesse, hell, might have even killed you if I got the chance," you muttered, your smile fading just a bit at the thought. "And don't even start on that "we were careful" bullshit. I already went off on Hanzo about it. Careful or not, I still scented you, and who knows what would have happened after that if you had stuck around any longer."

He sighed and gently laid his hand over yours, giving you those stupidly affective puppy-dog eyes, his smile lopsided. "Yeah, but nothin' did happen, Bri, that's gotta count for something..."

"Only because you are one very lucky cowboy." You slid your hand back a bit to squish his cheeks, much to his amusement. "Now, if I ever smell you near my room again, I will sic Angela on you, you hear me?"

There was a dash of fear in his eyes as he nodded. "I hear ya pumpkin," he managed, trying to smile through the smooshing of his cheeks.

His saving grace came in the form of your drinks. The bartender gave the two of you a wary smile, as if only now sensing the danger you might have posed, and slid your drinks toward you. "One sugar water and one whiskey."

You smiled, letting go of Jesse's face to pick up your glass of water; it had been served to you in a tulip glass, with only a few cubes of ice. "Thank you so much for your accommodations. It's very thoughtful."

You turned to Jesse, finally taking in his entire ensemble; it wasn't much, just a nice black suit and a simple felt domino mask, but it suited him well. "You look nice in a suit," you noted, taking a sip of your drink. It was as sweet as you expected and surprisingly smooth on your tongue. Someone had known to boil the water first before putting the sugar in and cooling it again. "You should wear them more often."

"If it gets you to look at me like that, then I will definitely make note of it," he chuckled, flashing you a cheeky grin before he knocked back his shot of whiskey. "Missed you, sweetpea. More than I could say." He reached out, twirling a stray piece of your hair in his fingers, his eyes solemn.

You gave him a sad half-smile, listing your head. "I missed you too, Jesse. But it shouldn't be long now. The specialist says we're getting close to a breakthrough. Anywhere from a week or two, I should be back to normal. Then I can move back into my old room and you can have me all to yourself for a little while."

"All to myself, huh?" he asked, drawing closer so that he hovered over you. You could see the thoughts in his eyes, typical thoughts that you expected him to have. "Gotta say, doll, that sounds like a mighty fun time."

"Within reason, Jess," you chuckled, shaking your head, reaching up to play with his tie. "I'll still have work to do, and Han might want to join in, but I can always come visit yours after office hours."

He kissed you then, nearly knocking your water into your chest, but you didn't mind. It was nice, slightly rough, and about goddamn time. You weren't going to let it go on too long, not with all the big shots out here waiting to see what trouble they could stir up, but you let him go for a couple seconds before you pulled away, smiling up at him. He had a small flash of lipstick stuck to his lips, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Why didn't you tell me how much you missed me?" you teased, reaching up with a napkin to wipe the lipstick off of his lips.

"Oh, darlin', if only I could show you," he groaned, chuckling as he trapped your hand in his, pressing a kiss against your knuckles. "All the ways I could show you."

Your eyes widened and your wings twitched, your cheeks catching a soft blush. "Jesse McCree!" you hissed at the same time a voice behind him grumbled "Goddamn, Overwatch and it's abundance of freaks. Vodka, if you would please. Straight."

You froze, watching as the mirth in Jesse's eyes iced over into iron. Peeking around his shoulder, you spotted a young man, easily around your age, but a lot more sophisticatedly dressed. It was all too easy to remember who this man was; Arthur Baxter, Petras' successor. More importantly, the man you desperately needed to impress to keep your job. You didn't think Baxter had seen you yet, or else he wouldn't have said that so loudly. At least you hoped, if the new possible director already publicly had it out for Overwatch, you were doomed.

Giving Jesse just the barest of head shakes, you gently swept around him, putting on the biggest, most convincing fake smile you'd ever had. "Mr. Baxter! How lovely to see you! I didn't expect to see you here tonight," you said, setting your glass down and offering a hand. "Briallen Marsh from the tech department. I'm Winston's assistant." Your wings flared again, which caught his attention for just a moment before his eyes drifted elsewhere… You tried to ignore it.

Baxter's smile was wide, his eyes gleefully taking in your dress as he reached out to shake your hand. "So you're the winged wonder I've heard about. You must be a very important agent for them to have traded two high ranking Talon officers for you." There was a hint of steel to his voice, a challenge.

You fought against the natural fall of your smile, sweeping your sugar water back up and taking a drink. You were going to need the boost. "Well, I like to think I am. I do work in the archives, after all, which means I have intimate knowledge of agent profiles, medical history, past operations, and the like. I also handle the budget for the tech department, manage field agents under Winston's supervision when he isn't available, and field tech requests. I compile the dossiers before operation breakdowns. In short, I know a lot of valuable information that would be bad in the wrong hands."

"Quite the workload for someone so small. My word of advice to you, Miss Marsh? Don't talk so much. There is a fine line between a pretty woman and a woman who is excessively verbose," he said, quickly downing his vodka when it arrived.

You drew in a quick breath, taken aback, before you nodded, still smiling somehow. "I- Yes, of course, sir."

His smile widened, turning just a bit sly as he held out his arm. "Walk with me, Miss Marsh."