[ That's what she'd thought up until he made offering compliments sound like a criticism of her. (To be fair, now, in retrospect, she recognizes that may have been entirely her perception and none of his tone.)

Still. Hearing him say it out loud, Rey feels her chest simultaneously tighten and loosen. She gets it, Finn. She does. Nauseous excitement and nervousness and all the paradoxical feelings that went along with it. Achievement unlocked: admitting you want to be in each other's company for the sake of it. ]

Alright.

[ Nailed it. Unfortunately that leaves Rey to parse how flattery had gone wrong and what comes after 'yes, I would like to be in your present beyond necessity.' Someone help these idiots. ]

I wasn't being insincere. [ Her defense is less, this time. ] Everything I said was true. You're good enough with customs and politics that you got by even though our approach wasn't how you'd have handled it on your own.

Me, I was just … [ She gives a gesture of disappointment. Perhaps a nosedive. Then, soberly, ] It was humiliating. The whole thing. [ She'd talked to Thrawn about it. She can't talk to him about it now. ] I'd never felt ashamed of what I am until we were in Hanabira.

[ Which is all to say she agrees, of course, that she can't wait for a mission that's better suited to their skills. Just … she thinks his skills are a little different than hers. He has a refinement that she doesn't. They may both be impulsive, but she's rough around the edges. Straight outta Jakku.

Anyway, she figures this is welcome given his open distaste for Hanabira. He might be surprised to hear how visceral her discomfort was as well. ]