She raises her eyebrows in mild surprise. That's what she's been thinking from the start. Some of the tension melts away: He's sympathizing with her, and it doesn't really feel like anyone did that until now. Sure, her mentor tried to help, but it was out of the joy of seeing her struggle with her broken emotions. Her boss just did what that mentor suggested, she's an honored retiree, after all. She throws away as much of her pride as she needs to hug him, and he hugs her back. Even though she never chose to have a hunting partner, it feels nice to have someone on her side, forced or not, for once. Maybe if she'd had a partner from the start all of this wouldn't have happened, so at the bottom of it, she could blame herself. Not him.
