[ The two of them shift around, minute adjustments to find the most comfortable position for them both. After they settle, her arm comes to loop around his shoulders, both weighted and not. Her hand is warm where it loosely splays along his shoulder blade, the slow rise and fall of her chest the sweetest white noise he could ask for.

Despite his aversion to sudden touch—an instinctive flinch, borne from the military and living a paranoid life—he is, at his core, an incredibly tactile person. Habitually, he holds himself away from making contact with people, well aware of personal boundaries. Beyond that, he avoids touch unless absolutely necessary when running jobs, preferring to come across as nothing but aloof and professional.

Getting to indulge right now, after a horrendous few weeks, an equally horrible evening, and then the drain of experiencing that heart stopping nightmare—it floods him with a gratefulness it's nearly overwhelming. Kalmiya isn't worn, familiar embrace of his sister or Mal, but maybe this is the start. Maybe one day, she will be.

At her faux-annoyed prod, he shifts a bit, shoulders shaking in a quiet laugh. ]

Okay, okay. But, you have to admit they're useful. Besides, you gotta put roots down sometime, yeah?

[ Arthur tilts his chin, glancing up towards her. ] Impermanence can get tiring, after a while.