He couldn't keep his eyes from returning to Arya, his smile from dissipating a little. Even if he tried to hide things from her, she still knew somehow. And he was learning that hiding only worried her more.

"It's...just a bit of bruising. Nothing serious." How he was going to explain how he got the bruising, he really didn't know. So he delayed, hoping she wouldn't ask, though he was fairly certain she would.

"Bruising?" He was just...forever getting injured, wasn't he? She bit her bottom lip and chewed on it gently. "How bad is it?" Was it worse that the... whatever he received on his arm? Did she even want to know how he received these bruises?

"It's..." Terrible? Extensive? Covering him like a bad quilt pattern? "Managable." He really wasn't helping the situation was he?

Forcing a small smile, he scooted closer to her and took her hands in his. "Honestly, Arya. I'm alright."

"Manageable like your arm?" Was he going to continue dancing around or was he going to give an actual response? She slipped her fingers in between his, and gave his hand a little squeeze. "Will you at least tell me what happened?"

Oh and there was the killer question. And that statement, he didn't like it. There was a lot of guilt that came with it.

Dropping his eyes, he watched her fingers slip between his. What was he supposed to say? On the one hand it was somewhat of a private matter between Lexi and him, and on the other, he couldn't lie to Arya. He couldn't keep secrets from her.

"I..." Biting his bottom lip, he glanced off to the side, keeping his eyes on the ground. "Please understand...try to understand..." What? Him? Lexi? Was he asking her not to be judgmental? Because that was exactly what Lexi had told him not to be.

Frowning deeply, he felt his fingers twitch in Arya's hands. "Lexi and I...got in a fight." If that was even the correct description for it. ]"It...wasn't her fault. I...said she could take it out on me if it made her feel better. I wasn't...fully expecting her to, but she's in a state and she needed to let things out I suppose. She's going through a lot." He was making Lexi sound like a terrible person. "She felt terrible for it after..." But he had said she could. He had given her permission.

Arya's eyes went wide with a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and shock at his whole statement. Lexi hit him...physically caused him harm while they were FIGHTING?? Weren't they supposed to be friends? The young girl frowned, this just made not sense to her. "Why were you fighting?"

And the more important question. "Why did you GIVE her permission?" That was the most confusing. And even though he gave Lexi permission, she was obviously disturbed by the this and visibly upset at Lexi for bruising Sabel. "Her feeling terrible doesn't justify what she did." At all.

He couldn't bring himself to look up at her. "The usual. She...said something and I wasn't all bouncing roses about it and was apparently rude and judgmental." He didn't see how. He really didn't. A slight shrug rolled off his shoulders. "I was just concerned and I guess...I don't know it came out the wrong way?" He had tried to be careful with his tone, but it really didn't seem to matter anymore with Lexi.

"I...I thought maybe she would snap out of it. I can't seem to say anything right around her, so I thought actions might show her that I actually care." Letting one of her hands go, he scrubbed it down his face. "And when she started I just...I didn't have the heart to stop her. Words don't work for anyone when you're in that situation. I know. And she needed to get it out." A pillow would have been better, but she probably would have needed a new pillow after that.

His not looking at her was probably more frustrating now than it was any other time. "Wha- what do you mean 'the usual'? You two fight all the time?" Again, nothing he was saying was making much sense to her. Up until now, she'd thought the pair good friends. Obviously she was wrong. Obviously.

"Don't let her hit you again." She sighed. "Or offer it to her again. If she wants something to hit, she can use something else." Like a punching bag. They had those in the defense room if she was really that irate. When he released one of her hands, she let it rub against her leg. "She's a fool if she doesn't know you care, and your one for not stopping her from hitting you." They were both foolish Griffindors. And his defending her was just...irritating. "And for defending her."

Arya didn't like being so frustrated and upset with Sabel, she's never really been this way with him, but it was all she could seem to be with him at the moment, not matter how much she tried.

He sat dead silent, listening to her admonishment. Part of him knew he deserved every bit of it, part of him felt insanely guilty for breaking the secrecy of what had happened in the common room, and the other part of him understood and accepted everything that had happened between him and Lexi.

"We don't...fight all the time. We used to argue a lot and then we worked things out." Worked out and put their feelings behind them. "And this just...it came out of the blue in all honesty." He didn't think he deserved being snapped at how he had been, but he hadn't bothered to defend himself. It was the same dance and it was becoming tiresome. But he understood what Lexi was going through and that it had been a contributing factor to her anger to him. Deserved or not.

"I...I'm not going to let her. I told her that." His self esteem wasn't that low. "She's...just going through a lot right now." And there he was, defending her again. What else was he supposed to say?

Surely this had to be a Griffindor thing. Or maybe just a Sabel and Lexi thing. Whatever it was, she gave up on trying to understand their relationship or inquiring further about it. So long as she wasn't hitting him all the time. A small part of her felt SO bad for admonishing him, knew that it wasn't his completely his fault that Lexi had hit him or acted this way. And that part did its best to show above her irritation, but his attempts to justify what she'd done was just fueling her fire.

"I really wish you'd stop defending her. I don't CARE what she's going through, Sabel. That doesn't give her any right to hit you hard enough to leave bruises." It didn't give her any right to hit him AT ALL. Her eyes narrowed as she truly considered his expression for the first time, her own softening a bit, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I only care about you..." Not Lexi. Not anymore.

It probably wasn't a good idea to tell her that she had hit him with a book, was it? So it wasn't direct, but he wasn't sure if it would have been less damaging to be hit with her fists; probably given the book had a lot of weight to it.

It was her last words that had his throat clenching, a hard swallow constricting his voice. "Arya....."

It wasn't til now that her anger really began to dissipate. Her sorrow for him starting to show just a bit. The only anger she really held now was towards Lexi, and she highly doubted that would ever go away.

When he spoke her name, her eyes went up to him expectantly. Waiting for the completion of the sentence she knew was to come. "Yes..?"

He didn't know why he felt so lost. Why things suddenly made so much less sense than they had before. It was her care for him however, that had him at an inability to speak. Her deep care that he hadn't felt from anyone but his family before.

Instead of saying anything, he gathering her hands gently and rested his forehead against the back of them, closing his eyes. He didn't know what else to do, what to say to her. And he was afraid if he did speak, that the overwhelming conflict of emotion that was turning within him would be conveyed.

She was more exhausted now than she had been when she'd entered the great hall. More full of emotion than she'd been in the longest time. Arya wanted more than anything to express them all, but this wasn't about her right now, and her crying would not help him one bit. Would only have him comforting her and not vice verse.

There was no rush for him to speak, she would wait all morning if he needed it. Slowly turning her palms towards him, she moved one to gently cup his cheek, thumb stroking his cheek. Her other hand stayed where he layed it, offering his head support.

He didn't say anything. Especially not when Arya's hand cupped his cheek, drawing tears to his eyes and his head to lean into her hand. He had no idea why he was so emotional, it was almost annoying and more than embarrassing. But all of a sudden he felt like he was carrying a great weight, a weight that only Arya allowed him to recognize and express truthfully and honestly. And for it, he was extremely grateful.

She was going to cry, of that she was certain. If she kept looking at him while he was so emotional, she was going to burst into tears. But she COULDN'T cry while he needed her. And so to keep from crying and to comfort him, she shifted on the bench and ran her hand through his hair, arm resting around his neck. The other stayed on his cheek and continued stroking it with her thumb. Blinking back her own forming tears, she cradled his head against her, and would continue to do so for as long as he needed.

How did it come to be like this? Wasn't he supposed to be the one comforting her? He had upset her to begin with. Shouldn't he be rectifying that? Not breaking down himself?

But he couldn't do much more than lean into her when she hugged him. Rest against her as he tried to sort out the emotions that prevented him from occupying any clear thoughts. With her, it didn't seem to matter what he said, how he said it or what emotions he carried; somehow, she understood him, somehow she accepted all that and let him be simply him. There really was no one like her. And the sudden need to let her know that, to try and somehow convey that, had him wrapping his free arm around her, holding her as close as he could manage in their strange embrace.

She just held him against her as best she could. It was....different, doing the comforting, but it was necessary. And so she continued to hold him against her, stroking his cheek with her thumb in silence. When ever he was ready to talk, she would listen.

It was a long time before he collected himself to slowly draw back. An equally slow sigh left him as he glanced at the food and then at Arya. He was suddenly very tired. Tired and ashamed for ruining the morning.

A weak smile pressed itself onto his lips, somewhat sheepish in its expression. "Can I re-give you the gift? I think I did things backwards. Gifts are supposed to come after fights, right?" It was a joke to try and lighten the mood; he knew he couldn't take back anything, rewrite any of what had been said or done. They would just have to move forward, one step at a time.

She had lost track of time by the time he finally pulled away from her, and she was almost a bit hesitant to release him enough so they could glance at each other's faces, but she needed to check up on him, she how he was holding up. Letting her arms drop to his shoulders, he loosely clasped her hands behind his neck, tired eyes settled on him.

Slowly shaking her head, she let a faint smile twitch onto her lips. "Only when the person who's receiving the gift is upset with the gift giver." She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I'm not upset with you anymore." It was as simple as that. Arya wanted to ask how he was fairing with whatever it was that had him so quiet, but decided to give him a chance to tell her without inquiry.

The smile was back to a silent, gentle expression, his eyes bearing the same emotion that had brought him silent before. "How...is it that you are so good to me?" She needed to know how truly wonderful she was. How amazing and beautiful. How there was no one that compared to her kindness. There was one way to say it, but the last time he had spoken those words, things had turned momentarily awkward between them, and that was the last thing he wanted right now.

Arya tilted her head to the side, a curious expression lacing her features. "Haven't I always been this way?" Or did she change when given the title of his girlfriend? The teenage badger was a bit confused. Only a bit though. "You've always been good to me, its only right that I return the favor." And then there was the other obvious reason, that she cared about him more than anything.

"No..." A slight cough came from him as he shook his head. "No I didn't mean it like that." Resting his hands on her knees, he gave her a weak smile. "You have always been good to me. But...you don't have to return the favor, any favor, that you don't want to."

"But I do want to," she insisted with a small smile. "I love returning any favor for you. You have always been good to me, its rare when I get to return the favor." Which was why she always jumped at the chance when it presented itself.

Chuckling, Sabel shook his head. "You are strange Miss Lovegoods." Resting his forehead against hers, he brushed his nose lightly against hers. "You have no idea how good to me you are, do you?"