The way Sadie answers that exchange draws his attention back to her, and he nervously smiles as she does her best to pull at the knot holding his feet. He hesitates a second, processing with a delay, “Right. Sorry, you’re right.” Worry lingers despite his intention, concern that his strength may have made the contact seem far more careless. More dangerous.

Benjiro looks down with a flicker of regret, but he then looks back to Sadie to disengage from the situation as a means to settle the new twist of his stomach, “…maybe now would be a good time to get a drink. Do you want anything?”