[Tear nods once, but the look on her face says there's more to it than that. Colonel had had reasons to be protective of her and Ion from the moment they got him.]
"He is almost always by my side these days." [It takes her a few moments to write that, still getting used to this method.]
[action]
"He is almost always by my side these days." [It takes her a few moments to write that, still getting used to this method.]