Welcome to Gaia! ::

Silence was understandable, given everything Eve had just said. She looked down at their hands together, quiet herself for a minute. Then one of her shoulders drooped downwards, and it took a long breath for them to align again, as if she'd sprung a leak and had to re-inflate herself. "I didn't need to put all that on you, Ezra," she said. "I shouldn't have. That was selfish of me. I won't do it again... I'm sorry."

"You're right," said Eve, affectionate amusement cutting through some of the glumness. "And you've been very kind. I'm glad you were here." She couldn't manage the image of gladness, unfortunately.

"Don't remind me." There was a dark undertone to that -- this place was supposed to be part of Eve's livelihood, after all -- but the corner of her mouth quirked up enough to indicate she wasn't being too serious.

Her grip was loose enough on Ezra's hands that he could easily free them, but until then she was giving the gentle idle thumb strokes that often accompanied familiar contact. "I meant it though. You really are like Leila, sometimes." Eve looked up at him, giving a tiny but genuine smile. "You can stay and work some past close if you want. I wouldn't turn down the company."