Fear and pain was not often something you exposed on the ship, that wasn’t how you built a reputation and trust with your crew, or within the crew, there couldn’t be trust in that kind of perceived weakness. Rhea knew that, she’d locked her fear and pain away a long time ago, deep down, Joseph knew her story, of sorts, he’d been a part of it. 

Joseph found some comfort in what Elissa had to say, but friends, allies, came and went, some of them long expired from this earth, there was no certainty in life and this kind of life in particular, Joseph therefore made no promises, no commitments - he couldn’t, and Rhea kept a distance, some kind of coldness or void, a rift.

As Joseph allowed, forced Elissa to inflict fear was to transfer to her some measure of power, he believed she needed to feel that, in a place where she perhaps felt she had none. He glanced to her as she knelt and she kissed him, he was taken by surprise and he felt his heart beat harder in his chest, his tense shoulders sank and he loosened his grip on her hands. Kissing deeply was a relief from fear, like that first breath after drowning. He felt like he could crumple to the floor, like she could push him down, he’d not fight it, he couldn’t.