The position Syreni shifted into told volumes. She was wrapping herself up in order to protect herself from the bad feelings. She was uncomfortable with her life prior to the regiment and unhappy now that she was being reigned in after the incident in the dorms.
"Was Alaska pretty?" Happier memories would make it easier to have a conversation. "I've always wanted to go, but we never had time before my husband passed." That was one of her own regrets. She and Marcus could've made a life travelling, but she wanted to do more work. These things didn't make her miserable anymore, but it was always useful to share some of her own pain when dealing with her patients. It made her seem more like a real person than a doctor.