The dog pushing into her hands got Andy's attention, and she curled her fingers tight into the soft, dense fur before getting half the dog in her lap. It surprised her and she made a soft noise, but the heavy weight and warm pressure made her muscles relax almost involuntarily, bending forward over Gioia's head. As she bent a tiny pendant spilled out of her shirt, a blue and sparkling bead that looked like a diamond-studded galaxy.

She curled her hands tightly against Gioia's fur, finally relaxing all at once with a huff of a sigh, noise sudden and unexpected even to her, and a soft tumble of words from her mouth.