Ilyna does not seem to relax much, her breathing still trembling, but she shows no signs of wanting to break the hug either. The day has taken a great emotional toll on her, she cannot hold back her tears. The question does make her stop for a moment in surprise. "Hm?" she says, her voice low and heavy. "They don't have... commandoes ready to strike at any moment..., I think." She does not make it clear whether she's
#IlynaApartment – June 1, 2021
Halisi pauses for a moment, processing Ilyna's words before a quiet, almost nervous laugh slips out. "I think we're safe..." she whispers quietly, tightening the hug briefly before loosening her grip and pulling back a little - her right arm remains wrapped around Ilyna, keeping her close, but she shifts back to look at her face. Her left hand reaches over to her purse on the coffee table, pulling out a tissue and offering it to her
Ilyna gives a weak, but affirmative hum at her whisper, and she let Halisi pull back without much resistance. She retracts her right hand to take the tissue and begins wiping under her eyes and chins; though new tears are still coming. She still doesn't really feel the fear that she should feel about it, even if her comment brought the potential trouble with the asari authorities to the forefront of her mind.
"Thanks," she whispers. "I... I'm... I'm not sad, it's just..., you know... too much at once," she adds between sobs.
Halisi offers a few small nods. "I understand." she assures, flashing another faint smile. "It's a lot to process... a lot to... figure out, for both of us." she says softly, her smile growing steadier as she continues to study Ilyna. "But we will." she promises, giving her a squeeze with the arm still wrapped around her. She sounds confident about that, and once the tissue has run out of usefulness she reaches up with her left hand to
cup Ilyna's cheek, brushing her thumb across the latest tears to escape. She might be holding it together much more than Ilyna, but there's nothing but affection and a patient sympathy in her face.
Ilyna lets the tissue drop to the couch when Halisi cups her cheek, and she gives off a sad smile. The asari is making an effort to calm herself now, starting to feel self-concious about not keeping herself together as well as Halisi. Despite the understanding she sees in Halisi's eyes. She moves her left hand from her back to her shoulder, and tentatively reaches out with her right to touch Halisi's face. "We will,"
Halisi smiles a little and presses a quick, soft kiss against Ilyna's lips. "We're in agreement then." she says, as if it was a decision and not an affirmation of hope, a bit of playfulness in the way her smile shifts as she pulls back. Her gaze shifts towards the screen in front of them, which has started idling after the documentary ended. "...would you like to watch something? Together? Take our minds off everything for a while?"
Ilyna does find the courage to place her hand on Halisi's cheek when she closes in for a kiss, and she returns it. She is reluctant to pull back when Halisi does, but she does, and follows her glance to the screen. "That... is a good idea," she says. "It is getting late, though, but you... you are welcome to stay the night after if you'd like." Her voice is still heavy, but she has managed to reign in her tears.
Halisi 's smile widens. "I'd like that." she agrees with a nod. Partly because she's already stayed later than she intended and she doesn't want to bother Jasper at this hour, and partly because, well... with everything that's transpired she's far from eager to leave Ilyna's side right now. She lets go of Ilyna as she shifts to get comfortable in her corner of the couch and grabs a blanket for the two of them. Her right arm soon
extends in an unspoken offer to join her. "It occurs to me that I don't know a great deal about your taste in vids... do you have any favorites you'd like to share?"
Ilyna gives a small smile at her accepting the offer, but she leaves figuring out the details for later. She is a bit slow to pick up on the offer, but she does take it and she moves closer and gently pulls the blanket over them. "I... I... really like sappy, romantic movies," she reluctantly admits. "I... even enjoyed the Tanner vids I saw years before meeting him, but... them being weaponized against me has really
soured them for me." Meeting him in person also probably didn't help, but this is the easiest explanation. She lets out a weak chuckle, knowing well how ridiculous that is.
Halisi 's arm wraps around Ilyna once more once she joins her, and they get cozy under the blanket. The admission makes her smile - it's not smug really, just... fond, and a warm laugh follows at her words about Tanner. She reaches for the remote and opens up the browsing interface. "Let's see if we can't find something Tanner-free then." she says as she navigates towards the romance section.
Ilyna shifts a little bit to get comfortable, leaning on Halisi and wrapping an arm over her shoulders. The laugh does make her blush. "I trust you with that," she says, "just know that I recognize more Tanner vids than you think." There's not much energy behind that warning, her voice sounding more tired than anything now that she has composed herself.