"That's the spirit!" Rory replied with a chuckle. If anyone could shrug off rudeness, it was clearly going to be Rae. Granted, Rory still wasn't about to walk right into her apartment, but still. It never hurt knowing your friend would forgive you for a lack of social etiquette.
The hug itself had been enough to remind Rory exactly what she'd jeopardized, as if she wasn't already aware. She had been through something horrible, sure, but she let it consume her, and friends like Rae had been caught in the crosshairs. Seeing Rae smile at her like that made it all seem better, though. Knowing or not, the smile was a warm, pleasant sight. "You're a sight for sore eyes yourself," Rory replied, though her smile was appreciative, grateful.
Once inside, Rory felt a bit more like they were really doing this. Getting back into the swing of their friendship, their thing. Talking about everything, and sometimes nothing, simply because they enjoyed the present company. It was nice. Even without replying, it was nice, but she did owe Rae a few words at that point. "People have been a lot more understanding than I would've been, so that's...surprising. Surprising in a good way. And Dennis...he's definitely an even bigger surprise. I feel protective, even though he's the older brother. It's kind of...weird, actually."
She shrugged, smiling softly. "So you're going to moonlight as a travel agent when you aren't already busy being a culinary genius? Staying busy, are we?"