"Yes ma'am." He starts to salute again, but if she looks at him it will definitely become an innocent forehead scratch.

The silence between them feels comfortable enough. Poe lets it last, for as long as it takes to get his thoughts in order.

It takes a little longer than normal.

"I'm sorry. For disappearing like I did." Doesn't matter that he didn't know that's what would happen. (It doesn't matter what they did to him, how much he can't remember.)