Oh no. That came across the wrong way. "No...! No, it's... it's not too much, I just... it's a habit, you know?" They really hope he'll understand, even as they move to sit right next to him, to show that they really don't mind the closeness.

Habit they've had for years is hard to drop, at least this suddenly, and they hope they didn't offend Gyre, or that he'll understand. With their lifestyle, they've learned to keep distance between themselves and practically everyone else. For roughly ten years. Yeah, this habit would be hard to drop.