She takes a breath in. "Looking forward to meeting him." She is. Tasha's even willing to give him the benefit of Lal's good judgement.

That's when she starts questioning her own. Why am I this protective of her anyway? She's gnawing on her lip. Distantly, she wonders if Jean-Luc gets this way about Wesley.

Finally, she settles on a reason - dead, simple one. Lal - at this stage of her life - just...simply needs protecting. No other motives involved.

As that realization settles, a small smile plays across her lips.