Alistair turns easily. He's used to being manhandled and very accommodating about it. He's used to shoulder nudges and grabs, to arms being slung about or heads dragged into playful chokeholds. Hugging, on the other hand, happens more rarely. The only person who hugs him with any frequency is Pel, and she still usually gets a moment of stiffness and uncertain arms.

For Teren, he freezes. Head to toe. Is she going to kill him? No, that's ridiculous. Is she shielding him from someone else who is going to kill him? More plausible, but scanning the area beyond her shoulder shows no such threat—

Maybe she's dying.

"Hello," he says after a moment, and lifts a cautious hand to the back of her shoulder.