True, it would. Even though I've told her the surface is way better, she won't leave her king now. Short of another coronation, Rica's probably not going to visit the surface again.

[Aren shrugs, as Barkspawn eagerly nuzzles against that hand.]

Yeah, I think that's the plan. She's a lot more closed-off than I remember, but maybe she just needs to get used to me. If nothing else, I'll try to get Barkspawn to loosen her up. She didn't have anything against mabari before.