That sounds so. Clinical.

[She hated it. Not him, never him. The anchor around his neck that she couldn't see, that continued to be the thing he carried around. The thing he accepted without letting the feeling consume him, like he was biding time, waiting. Keeping the parts of himself at bay.

It was like Eda, but worse, because whatever it was, he'd gotten good at hiding it. It showed in his eyes, sure, but what it was seemed to stay his secret. Aubrey might know a little more, or at least share more of him (obviously), but she guessed he kept that part of him at length too.

Before the war in that version of Somnius, she might have been content at leaving those things be. Somehow, Eren then seemed to be able to let himself be a little more vulnerable then. Now, something felt different, shut in.

And that bothered her].

You're here now. So. If you need to keep yourself tucked away, I get it. I know what it means to do that now, to a point.

But I AM going to be happy you're here. And I have no intention of letting you be miserable, no matter how stupid and naive it makes me look.