It doesn't look etiolated at all, just older, with a trunk. Woody entities usually lose the foliage on the older growth where the trunk has lignified. Prune often if you only want to see foliage, with no bare trunks, so stems never have a chance to lignify.
Your idea to put a short companion in the pot would be cute too. Something like this could work well, if you're envisioning another upright entity:
I call it the world's tiniest shrub, and have it at the base of a lot of my taller plants.
