[ her expression softens slightly, as he talks, and something warm stirs inside her at they wouldn't have deserved you. it's . . . sweet, to say the least. but she says nothing, as he keeps talking, understanding what he means without going into detail. ]

I don't really like people touching me, either.

[ which seems like a fairly obvious statement, given what she's escaped from, but hugs can feel restrictive. like she wants to disappear, rather than being touched one more moment. especially by men. but she feels safe, around jesper and wylan and kaz. matthias is a work in progress, though inej is half convinced matthias is afraid of her, for whatever reason. and nina, of course, is allowed to hug inej whenever she likes. ]

Have you thought about getting help for it? The touching.

[ she doesn't ask why he hates it; inej, even drunk, knows some questions just aren't to be asked. if kaz wants to tell her, he will. ]

There are people who can help with that. Doctors. I see one every week; it helps.