The silence was ripe with tension, but she couldn't make Kurogane break it until he wanted to. Still, she wasn't quite expecting his feelings to pour out quite like that.

The sudden noise made her jump more than anything. And then there was food spilling everywhere, and the sound of the tray clattering ineffectually against the hard floor. In an instant, she was on her feet, rushing around to the other side of the table to start cleaning up the mess. She didn't have to look to know the staff would be watching, would be getting ready to swoop in and intervene. Kurogane didn't need that right at that moment.

"I-I'll clean it up, it's okay..."