Though the barrier dissipated, Rey doesn't move, and so Elleru doesn't either, wanting her companion to decide when they should part -- giving her that agency should make her feel better, she reasons. Rey's hand is warm against her elbow; her lips are a little coarse, but it's expected when she is a soldier, someone who takes greater care of those on the battlefield than she ever does of herself. They haven't been living in the same space for very long, but Elleru has already picked up on the little things Rey does differently to her -- or doesn't do rather -- and taking care of her upright body is one of them.

But that's okay: the dryness of her lips, the heat of her body, and the trails of scars that line her face are traits that make Rey unique among the uprights of Anchor. They are telling of who she is in the same way that some of Elleru's kaulahren characteristics reveal what she is beneath the skin: they are their natures, plain and simple, and they are not so easily changed.

Elleru presses just a little harder against Rey before finally pulling herself away, thinking that, perhaps, she should take the initiative after all. She doesn't go far though, just a few inches from Rey's face, her hands still on her friend in case she needs her support.

"Is that better?"