you didn't have to offer your hand

SAMUEL stretch out my life & pick the seams out Sam froze as the harsher-than-expected words left Zeph's mouth, the intensity of his guilt about reading the letter certainly making his reaction more dramatic than it had to be. Silently he nodded his understanding, though he was now wondering if it was worth trying to sneak up there again at some point to organise things how they had been before the case had fallen; probably not for a while at least. The thought would plague him for weeks, he was sure. He was thankful to have Zeph's eyes off him as the man moved to go downstairs; Sam finished walking down the ladder and turned to push it up into the hatch, still reaching with his arms up as he paused to look over and answer the question. "Oh, um n-no, but..." Another pause as he hopped up (not tall enough to do it on his toes) to finish returning the ladder and close the door. "...d...don't be too long. I'm go..going t-to need to wash your eye ag..again. It looks s..sssore." {FIN} take what you like, but close my ears and eyes, watch me stumble over and over.