[ Kate's steeled herself for Johanna's response enough not to flinch at the touch, but this wasn't at all what she'd anticipated, even further from what she'd feared.
She doesn't move right away, waiting a moment the way Johanna did. Not quite as long, but she wouldn't want to seem too eager. (That isn't all it is, this isn't a time or an offering that deserves that level of skeptical gamesmanship, but it crosses her mind.) It's such an unexpected gesture, beyond rare, that she wants to give it the weight it deserves even if it's something they're probably never going to acknowledge happening now or later.
So it's a heartbeat or two of stillness, and then Kate sets her palm atop Johanna's and curls her fingers between hers, grip firm. ]
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She doesn't move right away, waiting a moment the way Johanna did. Not quite as long, but she wouldn't want to seem too eager. (That isn't all it is, this isn't a time or an offering that deserves that level of skeptical gamesmanship, but it crosses her mind.) It's such an unexpected gesture, beyond rare, that she wants to give it the weight it deserves even if it's something they're probably never going to acknowledge happening now or later.
So it's a heartbeat or two of stillness, and then Kate sets her palm atop Johanna's and curls her fingers between hers, grip firm. ]