Tension was so thick you couldn’t cut it with a broadsword but as each word that was emphasized the slayer’s disposition became alarmingly clear. The fear that had taken control of her was nothing more than a vague whisper at the back of her mind and a weight on her shoulders was lifted. Her brows furrowed apologetically at the statement that followed and she made a note to do that from this point on, no matter how much she was spazzing over it. She needed to be more open but at the same time she didn’t want to smother the young woman. There had to be a balance, one she hoped to find eventually. Admitting she didn’t know how to handle Kel was met with a piercing stare that held its share of confusion and pain. She didn’t need her powers to recognize those emotions and she swallowed hard. Further explanation felt necessary as she sucked in a breath, eyes studying the table when the final statement was uttered. “Kel. . .” as the waiter wandered by she offered him brief eye contact and he kept on moving with a knowing nod. “It’s not like I don’t understand you at all, I just. . .can’t seem to do anything right. And there’s a part of you I’ve only ever seen once, a side I haven’t been able to examine well enough to know anything about. I understand a lot of things but just because I get where an emotion is coming from or how it feels doesn’t mean I know how to deal with it. I. . .I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, condescending and inconsiderate. I just want to help. But I don’t hear things the way you do and am unaware it sounds like that unless you tell me. I’ve been a terrible girlfriend. Miss Read Your Mind and Emotions who can’t even manage to make the one person that means the most in her life happy.” A hand moved over her face as if she were hiding, jaw clenching as she willed her nerves to settle. “Since you locked me out, I’ve been searching blindly for anything I could do to make it alright again because I fucked it up in the first place but I’m wondering if there’s even an answer.”