[ Without asking for permission, Armand reaches across to take Gale's hand in his own, arranging the placement of the chopsticks with gentle fussiness. He then demonstrates by picking up his own, holding them for Gale to observe as he picks up a slice of sashimi and deposits it on Gale's plate. He assumes Gale will be a quick study when it comes to matters of hand-eye coordination.

As for the observation, a wry smile appears on his face. Softer than it ought to be. He's tempted to retreat into melodrama, to explain that what happened is far from the worst thing he's ever experienced, that every vampire is born into a life of trauma and pain from their very first moment. Instead, he finds himself wanting to be honest. So he avoids Gale's eyes as he sets the chopsticks back down and picks up his glass of artificially warmed blood -- O neg, from a sweet young donor who had recently been given a quantity of alcohol, so it carries a trace of intoxicants. ]

I was allowed to feel.. emotions, sensations, that I haven't felt for five hundred years. I tasted wine and bread again. It has awakened.. [ He frowns faintly, rubs his thumb idly up and down the side of his glass. How to express the complexities of joy and grief of being given a glimpse of life again, after so long? ]

I had forgotten how to miss it. That is, perhaps, a gift.

[ Another tiny smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes as he glances up at Gale. ]

It's going to take some getting used to. But I will endure. If nothing else, I am built to endure.