[ there's a suspended moment here where she listens to him with a level head. he can maybe sense that her deeper emotions really are a secondary thing, kept carefully under wraps.

but there is a small bloom of gratitude, without most of her usual wariness. there's also something else there too, barely noticeable. something like distant regret. ]

Thanks, Buzen. [ she holds his hand loosely. ] Don't admire me too much, okay? I might be a bad influence on someone like you.

[ spoken with a wry smile. ]

...I think of you as a friend, too. I feel like I could tell you anything, if we weren't in this game.

[ maybe it's because he's not entirely a human, that she feels safe enough around him to let down her guard a bit. ]