It feels a little like neither of them are really listening to the other still, but it's a kind of stubborn refusal to listen that doesn't feel dangerous this time. She knows her truth and she knows how she plans to fix what she's done, so arguing with him over who is more to blame here will get them nowhere.

"I just want us to hold onto our time together here, Nines. I want to see you smile and buy a t-shirt with you." She says, a little softer now as she settles into this new attempt at being open with him. There's still so much he can never know but at least her feelings, how deeply she feels them, can be revealed to him.

Slowly, of course, because it's easy to give her body to a human for their pleasure but another thing entirely to let them have a part of her heart the way 9S does.

She thinks sometimes that might be because he has most of it already.

"I'll do better from now on. I promise."