When Vex's arms closed around him, Kash stiffened briefly at the unexpected, uninvited touch. No amount of time with Zahra would ever erase the memories that made him so averse, but he had been with her long enough to recognize the feel of true, safe affection with no threat in it. More to the point, he'd been with her long enough to miss it, desperately.

His arms found their way around Vex in return and for just that moment, he lowered his face to the curve of her shoulder. The scent of her hair was wrong, and they fit against each other differently, but knowing that Z would trust Vex with him was enough to make it right anyway.

After a long moment, he answered her, "I'm good. You've done enough for today," then hugged her more tightly and released her to step away.