She is going to - 

"...nnnnhm..."

She is going to have to - 

"...ahhhhhhh..." 

she is going to have to ask him afterwards if this was sufficiently social for his backlash.

"hhnnnnnmmmmmm..."

This is really, really nice.

She tries her best to pay attention to the phone call.

"Hey doc! I hope this isn't a bad time?... Yeah, so, I've got an awakener on my hands! Pretty sure she got underway last night, sheerest luck I bumped into her... is that essential?... well no wonder, seriously..."

is what essential? she wonders, and tries to keep the noises she's making low-volume.

Haru's phone volume is set with the expectation that an esper uses it and might use it around other espers, so she does not get to find out at this time. "I can ask after we hang up. Can you text me that number? Is this evening likely to - okay, can you text me that too, I can't write it down at the moment - yeah. Flying practice! Win-win."

"hhhmmmhmmmmghm"

...oh, wait, this is maybe worth interrupting....

she reaches back to gently touch his massaging hand, and turns to look at him, waiting for a chance to say something.

"One sec, doc - yes?"

"Ah, just - I could write stuff down, if that'd be easier than getting it texted to you?" and also she wants to have more of her brain to listen in on the phone calls, she's curious... can she just say that? ...probably? no harm in trying.

"...also I think I would enjoy being here for the phone call and being massaged more as separate activities, if you don't have a strong preference for both-at-once."

"Getting numbers texted to me is good because then I can just poke the number to make the call," Haru explains. "But sure." He pets her instead. "I'm back, doc... No kidding! Congrats to her. Yeah, I absolutely need to remember to do that..."

awww, no secretary work for her. 

This is really nice, though. She curls herself around him, sighing happily, and listens.

Haru exhorts "doc" to send him a few more leads and then: "I'm gonna let you go, but thanks for the numbers, tell Lupe I said hi - talk to you later!" And then he hangs up.

Snuggly Cara. "So what'd he want you to ask me? And what was the thing you said you had to remember to do?" 

"He knows a study but they won't take you if you don't disclose your backlash. And I have to remember to update the graph of all the espers in the world and our public compatibility."

"...oh." clingy. "I - I don't..." she trails off. 

"I don't think your backlash is a great idea to disclose!"

Okaygoodheagrees. She nods fervently.

"I assume they have some reason why they need it... what's the study about?" 

"How fast awakening backlash pulls up compared to a later test of power-use backlash. They want the disclosure so they can design bespoke tests for how high the backlash is to corroborate reports from other espers."

"Aww, man, that seems like such a neat study, too." she sighs and shrugs. "I suppose other awakening espers with easier-to-disclose backlashes will have to take up the mantle in my place."

nuzzlenuzzle.

"Did you want to call some of those other leads, or update the compatibility graph?" Both sound interesting to her, in different ways, which should be clear on her face.

"The graph involves data entry so it'll have to wait - even if it didn't, it'd have to wait, you don't have an esper identity yet and probably don't want to pick a codename till you know your powers - and doc didn't think anybody else would answer till tomorrow morning."

"So... neither!" She wriggles herself around him until she ends up in his lap, her arms around his neck. "Lucky for us there's other things to do while backlashed." 

She kisses him on the nose.

"You want me to finish that massage? You have enough tension in your back to string a guitar."

"...Huh! Well, my posture isn't amazing even in the best of times, and I'm sure it wasn't last night."

Should she - no, he already knows what she's like when being massaged, now, and if his backlash disagrees with the situation he'll say something. She gives him a quick kiss and flops down on her stomach. "Massage sounds nice."

Massage resumes. "You should get a better computer chair probably."

"mnmnhknghmnhkjmn...." she replies eloquently. 

"And maybe read, like, a book on posture, or something, a lot of it is about getting in the habit of using specific muscles that people let atrophy, and you're about to get a reset on all your muscle atrophy."

"mmmmhhhhmmmmmmnhmmm..." she's a scintillating conversationalist, ask anyone,