Ford flinched at the noise, but let Verity move to clean it. She'd sprung into action to tell the rest of the house she was taking care of it, and he was hesitant to get in her way when she had this much angry energy built up. When she eventually spoke, though, his brow furrowed.

"Quiet from who?" he asked. "Who's opinion do you think I care about?"

He cared about hers, but knew better than to offer this as protest. She wouldn't believe him, and he couldn't blame her. None of his actions lately seemed to indicate that he did. Ford didn't get to prioritize the things he cared about very often... but Verity didn't understand that, by design.

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