I've reached out to Sancho and have addressed all of the errors identified so far in the 0.8a script. I'll let that marinate a few more days to see if any other issues shake out before posting 0.8a.
This will be the final Ren'Py version update before the end of the game, barring some pressing reason to change course.
The most notable differences in 0.8a will be that the Erica relationship state is better-defined, and the conditions for receiving her text chat will be less draconian. This should make obtaining the extra two Mal/Jaye trust points in that scene more forgiving.
Duplicate variables will be eliminated as well.
High CPU utilization during the Jaye animations has also been mitigated.