His voice softened as he changed direction… he smiled and glanced over at a framed photo on her side table - her with a group from the Institute standing by a decorated fern. His voice softened as he changed direction. “You’re adorable, you know that? You always do this thing in pictures…” He gestured to her stance in the photo, where her legs were crossed at the ankles. “Just like when I took that photo of you and Sophia at the festival.” He pulled out his device to show her that picture too. “See? Same pose.”

Juniper glanced down at herself, suddenly aware of her position. Heat bloomed in her stomach as she realized he’d been paying attention to these little details about her, noticing things she hadn’t even recognized in herself. He’d been paying attention… to things she hadn’t even noticed in herself. Her pulse ruptured beneath her skin.. Her cheeks warmed as she met his gaze, finding something there that made her planar fracture from its hot spring.

“I like that,” he said softly, his eyes following the movement. “Like you’re trying to contain all that fire inside you.”

Her eyes widened. “I didn’t even realize I did that.” She watched his gaze track every subtle shift of her position.

Juniper let out a small laugh, even as her body swayed slightly towards him. “And here I thought you couldn’t stand to be around me,” she teased, her tone now willing to alleviate the very distance she’d once leaned her facilities into maintaining. “Like in the basement archives - I was convinced I must smell terrible or something.” She wrinkled her nose playfully, but her eyes held a question.