After the initial, reflexive tensing, he leans into her.

She ruffles his hair and leaves him to watch.

Which he does. Very contently.

The sky fades to indigo, eventually.

"I need to meditate," Pradnakt says, quietly. "You can stay if you'd like."

"-If I won't disturb you?"

"You won't, it's fine."

She settles in for it.

Nova settles some as well, and after a moment, starts thinking about all the things that made him happy today.

She grins a little, when she eventually notices.

He'll probably finish before she does, though.

He is. But he doesn't mind sitting quietly while he waits for her to be done.

And eventually she is.

"Ready for bed, or do you want to do something else first?"

He thinks for a moment. "I- bed. I think?"

"All right. Do you feel up to trying to sleep in your house tonight?"

He thinks for a moment, and even though the idea does seem to unnerved him a little, he nods. "Yeah, okay."

"All right. You can always come back over if it doesn't work out, don't worry about waking me up."

He nods again. "I- okay. Thank you."

"I'll see you in the morning, then." She gives him another little squeeze.

He leans into the touch. And doesn't seem entirely sure how to move.

She doesn't shoo him.

"C'mon, let's go in," she says after a minute, and gets to her feet, bringing him along.

He smiles and follows.

She has to let go of him to go down the ladder, but she waits for him at the bottom and puts her arm around his shoulders again when he joins her there, and leads him back into her house. (Nine has gotten back from whatever he was off doing over dinnertime, and is sitting at the table reading.)

"You can have the first shower, go ahead."

He nods. "Thank you."

And goes and does that quickly.

There's another of her shirts waiting for him when he gets out, and she heads in for her own shower.

He changes into it, and then goes to sit with Nine.

He gets a hug here, too. "Hello."

He leans into it. "Hello."