Max nodded a thank-you as Rose laid out some bread, and he started to pick at it.

”Sounds rather interesting really. I’m sure you can find much of that here in Venice alone to get yourself out there.”

He bit a small piece of bread and took a sip of coffee.

”What happened to your husband-to-be? Did you leave him stranded down the aisle? Hitch up the wedding dress and run out of there?”

A little laugh escaped him as he ate some more.

@Rose Ambre Cartier

The joke he made was kind of... well... Her expression kind of froze and she stared at him. Rose pressed her lips together for a moment, then said very softly, "He is dead too. Would you like to joke about it some more? Or do you wish to keep hearing about how terribly tragic everything is?" With that, she dropped her food on her plate, stood up, and grabbed the nearest thing she could to throw, an iron candlestick... But after a moment of deliberation, she put the thing down and whirled on him, "That was in poor taste, Monsieur. I can forgive you not knowing... But that was quite mean." After a minute, she said down. Oh man, it looked like she could be more than just sad... There was a start.

@Maxim Gautier

He noticed her face drop, and her outburst forced him to stop eating, holding the bread in his mouth.

The floor never swallowed you up when you wanted it to, and warmth of embarrassment flushed him. When Rose slammed down her food to get up, Max rose, and brought his arm up to counter her projectile….but nothing came of it.

”Miss, I had no idea. You know that. I am sorry….I would never jest about such things. I am sorry.”

Taming a wild animal, raging and possibly going to strike again, he kept his arm out, hand forward.

”Thank you for your hospitality, but I think I will be leaving now. Once again, my apologies for your loss.”

Max nodded, and edged around towards the door, keeping his eyes on her. First a candlestick, then next, what, a knife?

@Rose Ambre Cartier

"You don't have to leave," she said, flatly, sitting back down with a flop almost. She stared down at the table and idly ran her fingers over the grains in the wood. "I am sorry for my anger... Just... Everything is still fresh. Everything is gone. I can't even go back to France if somehow they come to a peace agreement because everything is gone. Somehow it just doesn't seem fair. But you're right to tell me to try and move on. I am trying. Every day..." Tears she hadn't even cried kind of came dribbling out without heed, but not in that ugly cry kind of way... She shook her head and took a deep breath, quickly dashing the damn saline away. "Please stay. You didn't mean anything by what you said." There was nothing to be afraid of... The candlestick would have been thrown at the wall, not him, in any case... Just out of sheer frustration.

The girl was going through such a change, and she was human. Max at least understood that much in these times.

"It's fine. It's not easy, I know."

When she started to cry, he felt a little awkward. Ok, maybe she didn't have an intent to kill,but she was still having trouble adjusting. He took a few steps back in, pulled over the stool beside the table and sat, resting his arms on his knees.

"Maybe you should try talking to let it ouy. Bottling up this emotion will not help you, or save face. It'll feel worse and you will feel much more alone. The only way you can move forward is to accept what has happened, process it, and see the future."

He gave a small, sympathetic smile.

@Rose Ambre Cartier

The girl was going through such a change, and she was human. Max at least understood that much in these times.

"It's fine. It's not easy, I know."

When she started to cry, he felt a little awkward. Ok, maybe she didn't have an intent to kill,but she was still having trouble adjusting. He took a few steps back in, pulled over the stool beside the table and sat, resting his arms on his knees.

"Maybe you should try talking to let it ouy. Bottling up this emotion will not help you, or save face. It'll feel worse and you will feel much more alone. The only way you can move forward is to accept what has happened, process it, and see the future."

He gave a small, sympathetic smile.

@Rose Ambre Cartier

"I don't know..." she lifted her palms . "It's only been a short time. Sometimes I am alright, but other times, when I see someone who I think I know even though I might not, like today, and... And I am sorry that I approached you. I didn't mean to make your day worse just because I am going through something." She swiped at a few, stray droplets and gave a sigh. "I miss home. I miss my family, my friends,
I miss everyone..."

She managed to get a hold of herself. Her eyes met his and she was truly not angry at him, just had been momentarily so at his harsh joke even if he didn't mean any harm.

@Maxim Gautier

Max smiled and raised a hand to stop the apologies, the tears and the regret.

"All forgotten."

He sighed and linked his hands.

"Well you know me now, so that's one. It's just up to you now to get out there and make a few more friends, even try to find work. Plenty to do out there. You have ties with France, and there are many French nobles here. You can cook, so that's one thing. Maybe you should see what you can get?"

Only Rose could be the one to pull herself up, and Max at least knew how it felt to have nothing.

@Rose Ambre Cartier

"It seems like every time I make a friend, they get taken away." She shrugged softly, having calmed down by that point. There. There it was. It was everything in one little sentence. It wasn't the work, she had plenty of that and was doing fine there. It was the whole, feeling like she was alone that bothered her. It would hopefully make sense to Maxim, though she wasn't sure what to think at this point.

She went quiet after that, staring down at the bread she had been picking at the whole time she had been sitting there with him. Her teeth nibbled at her bottom lip for a moment. When she looked up, it was to make eye contact.

@Maxim Gautier

The girl was feeling too sorry for herself. That wasn’t going to help. Max sighed a little and forced a smile when she looked up at him.

”Look, how about you get some food down you first, that’ll make you feel better. After that, how about a walk? Show me around, show me what you know of this place. I’ve only been here a few days.”

He stood and walked to the stove, looking at the fish stew. Hiding the wince, he made sure the fire was enough to heat it, and took the spoon to stir.

”See? What fool wouldn’t want this...treat,” he said with a playful grimace.

@Rose Ambre Cartier