She can talk, that's how I got your number, but she doesn't volunteer information and I didn't think of it while we were at her apartment getting her changes of clothes. I can probably get her to walk me through picking up and administering the HRT though. She might not need that either, though, I think trans espers usually don't? I'll have to look it up.

Cara, not volunteering information? Oh, that's so unlike her... the poor girl.

Thank you so much for looking after her - I'm sure she'll appreciate it when she can. 

If that's all, I'll call in about 90 minutes, but don't hesitate to reach out sooner if you need to! 

Thumbs up emoji. He looks up trans espers; looks like he was right and she won't need the hormones, so that saves a trip.

"Your Aunt Rachel says you're cuddly, is that right?"

Confused headtilt.

"...She would know?" 

"Do you... remember being cuddly, in the past."

"Oh, yes." (fidget)

...okay in that case he's going to take off his shirt and scootch right up to her and hug her. She reacted shockingly little to touching him in the first place but she's sort of - generally insensate to things that only affect her, or something? - so he doesn't think that means she's not actually getting any guiding out of it.

She doesn't react to this, but yeah wow that sure is a compatible very backlashed esper he's touching!

He's a professional and he does this all the time with someone who acknowledges his presence even less. Maybe he'll start hovering a bit once he's got Rachel on the phone. He texts Ren, meanwhile.

And after about 80 or so minutes of guiding a stationary Cara...

Where is - what is - 

hurts

she lets out a whimper, and weakly attempts to cling to Haru.

- guiding is not supposed to make it worse! But she's - approaching not avoiding, so - maybe it isn't and she just couldn't act upset before?? He can hug her more thoroughly now that she's helping with that. "Cara?"

Wait - who -

Oh right, she... vaguely remembers - this is - 

"T-Traceless?" she manages to say, after a pause.

(The hugging is good, she's leaning into it as best she can, the only positive sensation in a terrifying sea of-)

"Yes, that's me, can you tell me what's wrong? I know you're really backlashed but I don't know how."

She - really tries to think about it - whimpers again -

"I, I, I don't think I can, i'm sorry, it hurts and I can tell now that I can't think right, sorry, sorry," 

(she's hyperventilating, a bit)

"It's okay, you'll get through it, I've got you. Did it hurt before, would it be better to go back to how you were before I hugged you -"

"H-hurt more, before." But she gets ready to let go of him, since maybe that's what's he wants.

(She's shaking pretty badly).

"Okay, then you can keep hugging me. If you want to, you can take off your shirt, I won't be weird about it."

Oh! She can keep hugging him! She will keep hugging him.

If [¿?], she can take off her shirt... [¿?]? What... what does that mean... 

"...I don't think I understand the second thing you said, sorry", she mumbles, after a pause.

"...yeah. Uh. I recommend taking off your shirt." He would really rather not just straight up order her to the way he was willing to with the yogurt.

Oh! He wants her to take off her shirt! He should have just said that the first time?

She briefly unhugs him to wiggle out of the shirt, and then reclings. Oh, that feels nice...

"Does it hurt physically or is it just - upsetting -"

Hmmm. What's going on... 

"...B-both. I think? It's.. hard to tell." 

"Okay. I've got you. This week is going to suck but then it'll go away - you're awakening as an esper, did you catch that -"