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It seemed like Hector would have to be the one to revive the conversation, so he tried his best to think of something. Maybe he should’ve called Garovel over or just consulted him, but...

Hmm.

For some reason, he didn’t want to. For some reason, that seemed like it would be somehow inappropriate. Or disrespectful to Selena, perhaps.

What a weird feeling.

“...Is it something that you’re worried about?” tried Hector. “Or maybe something that you think I could help you with? Or... uh...?”

It took her few more moments, but she found her response. “I wanted your opinion.”

Well, that was a start. “Okay. About what?”

“About... ah...” She was hesitating so much that Hector became worried that she wasn’t going to finish her sentence again.

Man, was this what it had been like talking to him, not so long ago?

Wow.

She did manage to get the rest out, though. “About... your meal. The steak that you’re eating. What do you think of it?”

The steak? That had not been what he was expecting. Though, he supposed he didn’t even know what he’d been expecting. “Uh... why are you asking about that?” Then it clicked, and he blinked. “Did you cook this?”

Her eyes went a little wide, and then she nodded, meekly at first and then more vigorously. “Is it any good?”

Oh shit. He wasn’t exactly a food connoisseur. In fact, he’d only recently acquired a taste for steak, so he didn’t really have much to compare it against.

That didn’t seem like a good answer to give, though. In fact, it seemed like it might’ve been among the worst ones.

“Er, um. Yeah. It’s quite good, actually. I thought Lluis had cooked it, like the last few times.”

A smile arrived on her face briefly before disappearing into a look of abrupt skepticism. “Are you telling the truth? Or are you just saying that to spare my feelings?”

“No, I--”

“I won’t improve if you don’t give me honest criticism, Lord. Then every steak I make for you in the future will taste like shit, and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself, you know.”

It was his turn to go a bit wide-eyed, and he couldn’t help laughing. She certainly seemed to have a way of catching him off guard. “I am being honest,” he said, still snickering.

Her eyes lit up again, but then she squinted at him. “Really? I don’t know if I believe you. You seem like the ‘too nice’ type.”