( Aventurine intertwines his figures with Ratio's, though he spends more time staring at their hands than Ratio until Veritas speaks, and his gaze snaps up to the other man's, narrowed in confusion. )

What-- oh. ( A small, wry smile steals across Aventurine's face. ) Come now, Veritas. It isn't anything that could have been helped.

( Which is to say: he doesn't need to apologize, because there's nothing that needs apologizing for in the first place. Though his grin becomes sharper in an attempt to distract Ratio from his own needless guilt. )

I like hearing you say my name over and over again, at increasing volume.