mensah never would have stopped secunit from leaving
shes the only one who has understood that it may leave the entire time.
she offered for it to stay
then when it looked at her in horror she reaffirmed to it that it didn't have to. Not if it didn't want to. The door was open but it could leave and so it left.
she asked it to stay
it tried to leave after its rogue status was revealed and she asked it to stay - and she explicitly acknowledge that it didnt feel safe around them. attempted to reassure it that she would help it (it didnt believe her but that she said it matters)
she told the others it has good reason to leave
presaux talked about being scared of it staying and she talked about how she was worried that it would leave and outlined why - that it is a slave, it has been abused, it has been forced to take part in violence. is it no wonder it might just up and abandon them when they keep pushing it away? she knows it feels unsafe amongst them. she knows it will let them hurt it (she had just cut open its back to save her life). She warned them it could leave.
she let it leave so it could feel safe
gurathin used that info and its vulnerabilities to attack it at its emotional core, ripped away the last of its privacy to reveal secrets it didnt even understand yet. he actively tried to drive it off despite how often mensah had said they needed it.
And she saw the distress in its eyes, the confusion. Knows that it needs to be safe and that in her team at that moment it is not safe. And she let it go, let it flee them with no expectation of forcing it to be where it is unsafe and unwelcome
(and then it came back to them, for her)
she let it leave to sacrifice itself for them and then brought it back
It separated itself from them and there was the risk it would betray them but she trusted it, she listened, she followed its plan even though at any moment it could become its real plan. And then when the plan went too far, didnt involve it leaving but involved it dying - THEN she personally intervened to bring it back
she told it that it can do whatever it wants
she saved it. she bribed enemies and begged friends and subjected herself to journalists. she bought it out and told it than it can do whatever it wants then left it alone. she didnt pester it with future plans on presaux, she didnt tell it about her labs, she didnt claim to know it and understand it.
She backed off, she knows she can influence it to do things, so she gave it space to make choices, told it that it can do whatever it wants and backed off it doesnt have to ask her or beg her because she knows and
she gave it the space to learn to leave
mensah woke up and she knew instantly that it was gone. she didnt run after it. she didnt wake the others. she cried happy tears because she knew this would happen but it had to be of its own choice and agency and she was so happy for it
