[Meanwhile, Break is not exactly a damsel in distress, here. He's rooted to the spot for safety reasons, certainly, but a huff and his omen's name is all it takes to send Baltus scurrying out of the room on an important errand. His irritation at being trapped anywhere even for a moment is thoroughly disrupted by Qrow moving to help, however, and he fixes the other man with a long, unpleasantly thoughtful look as he starts to clean up.
Perhaps unbeknownst to Qrow, Break is also an observant person, and there is a certain puzzle he has been quietly putting together in the background lately. Now, in apologizing, Qrow may as well have knelt down and presented him with the piece that brings the picture into clarity at last on a silver platter. After all, Qrow was definitely close enough to that glass to have knocked it over manually, and Break was preoccupied with his own potatoes when it fell. But he is Xerxes Break and he should have noticed Qrow moving, even when relaxed and off his guard, even if only subconsciously. Instead it was like that awful moment in the party at home when he didn't realize someone had been beheaded nearby until he heard their head hit the stairs in front of him, because the sound of the actual strike had not been clear.
Break heard the glass shatter across the floor. He did not hear Qrow hit the glass, and Qrow wears rings.
It's not the last puzzle piece, certainly. But it's enough.
No matter how he thinks of it, he can't get past his suspicion. Break isn't about to call him on it when Qrow is handling broken glass bare-handed, though. And anyway Baltus runs back in just as Break is considering how to handle the matter, carrying Break's favorite slippers in his mouth -- they are purple nonsense with nice embroidery on them, but they have proper soles, and they'll let him move around the kitchen safely. Break elects to use Qrow's shoulder for balance as he puts them on instead of the countertop he's standing right next to, a touch intended to be reassuring, and then fetches a small broom and dustpan so he can help with all the smaller bits.
He doesn't offer them to Qrow, on a hunch that he'd probably rather that Break not be handling glass bare-handed. Anyway, he doesn't have to. Baltus trots around to nose Qrow's hands away so that he can pick up the bigger pieces himself. Being made of smoke and shadow, Baltus can't be cut or bleed.]
Don't worry about it. It's only a glass.
[This is a calculated comment. Break is curious to know whether Qrow will notice that Break is not calling it an innocent accident as he might have before, or if he's too caught up in his own head to notice.]
cw: somehow talk of somebody getting beheaded has gotten in here now, you know how it is
Perhaps unbeknownst to Qrow, Break is also an observant person, and there is a certain puzzle he has been quietly putting together in the background lately. Now, in apologizing, Qrow may as well have knelt down and presented him with the piece that brings the picture into clarity at last on a silver platter. After all, Qrow was definitely close enough to that glass to have knocked it over manually, and Break was preoccupied with his own potatoes when it fell. But he is Xerxes Break and he should have noticed Qrow moving, even when relaxed and off his guard, even if only subconsciously. Instead it was like that awful moment in the party at home when he didn't realize someone had been beheaded nearby until he heard their head hit the stairs in front of him, because the sound of the actual strike had not been clear.
Break heard the glass shatter across the floor. He did not hear Qrow hit the glass, and Qrow wears rings.
It's not the last puzzle piece, certainly. But it's enough.
No matter how he thinks of it, he can't get past his suspicion. Break isn't about to call him on it when Qrow is handling broken glass bare-handed, though. And anyway Baltus runs back in just as Break is considering how to handle the matter, carrying Break's favorite slippers in his mouth -- they are purple nonsense with nice embroidery on them, but they have proper soles, and they'll let him move around the kitchen safely. Break elects to use Qrow's shoulder for balance as he puts them on instead of the countertop he's standing right next to, a touch intended to be reassuring, and then fetches a small broom and dustpan so he can help with all the smaller bits.
He doesn't offer them to Qrow, on a hunch that he'd probably rather that Break not be handling glass bare-handed. Anyway, he doesn't have to. Baltus trots around to nose Qrow's hands away so that he can pick up the bigger pieces himself. Being made of smoke and shadow, Baltus can't be cut or bleed.]
Don't worry about it. It's only a glass.
[This is a calculated comment. Break is curious to know whether Qrow will notice that Break is not calling it an innocent accident as he might have before, or if he's too caught up in his own head to notice.]