Drop the spinner. The oxblood _ from the splash becomes the thinking indicator — the same mark that types her words, now forming a thought. Thinking is a sanctioned red use, so this stays on-rule. Which behaviour feels most “she’s working on it”?
The bar shifts shape in place: underscore → caret → dot → back. “Forming a thought.” Limited movement, lots of character.
The cursor steps rightward as if drafting unseen words, then resets. Literally “writing the reply.”
Holds the underscore, fades and returns. Calmest — but closest to a pulse.
No oxblood sitting on it (red is for action/thinking). Finish comes from substance, not colour. Tap each — red blooms on contact, the action moment, then fades.
B1 · Soft-filled — a quiet raised surface + bold white. Tactile, clearly a button.
B2 · Substantial outline — faint fill + a brighter border. Lighter, still finished.
Pick a thinking cursor (morph pre-selected) and a button finish (soft-filled pre-selected). Then B is fully locked — the cursor becomes Mallory’s signature across splash, thinking and speaking — and we move to C · settings & native consistency.