Eventually Epione manages to take a deep breath on purpose, and then a couple of them in a row.

Kani mirrors this, only half-consciously at first (she could use some intentional breathing herself, honestly) and then fully intentionally, hoping to provide an anchor for poor Epione. (She thinks again of frightened wildlife, how intentional and calm and safe you have to be when approaching them, the lessons she'd picked up from Papa when she was much younger...)

With a few false starts, Epione manages to rise, get back into her chair, think better of it, and shuffle into the bathroom to down a couple ibuprofen. Then she comes out and psychs herself up with more handholding before she resumes eating her food.

Kani continues to make herself available for handholding for that entire process! Maybe she's not going to get a bad grade after all? Unclear...

"I bit my tongue," Epione eventually croaks, having interrupted dinner to go blow her nose again.

Phew, ok, it wasnt anything she did not the important thing right now!

"Oh, I hate it when that happens," she says softly, and gives Epione's hand a very gentle squeeze. 

...apparently that wasn't a great thing to say because Epione starts crying again.

Oh no - waitdontfreezeupshe'llnotice -

Kani, with an absurd amount of effort, doesn't move or let her breathing cycle change noticably. She is a perfectly normal and calm source of guiding who no longer is going to make the mistake of saying words out loud unprompted for the rest of the evening. 

(Inside her head it's much worse, obviously, but that's fine.)

Epione doesn't end up eating her ice cream sandwich. She just goes to bed without saying anything to cry a little into her pillow and, presumably, be snuggled.

Kani quickly changes into her new (better for guiding!) bedclothes and is there to be snuggled as penance for her crimes is literally her job. 

(In her inner turmoil, she forgets to use the bathroom or get her phone in reach before settling into bed.)

Then it's good that Epione doesn't take all that long to go to sleep and is not a particularly unsound sleeper on this little backlash.

Yep!

...once Kani is sure based on the change and breathing patterns that apone is asleep, she'll let herself cry, silently, as the emergency-terror removes its chokehold on her brain. (she has to keep breathing intentionally. she'd be hyperventilating otherwise. but that's not important, that happens to her a lot, ever since -)

Eventually, the breathing becomes repetitive enough to lull her to sleep. 

In the morning Epione is fine, and apologetic. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She is making a big smoothie with yogurt and strawberries and a banana and frozen blueberries.

"It's okay!" (she smiles. It doesn't quite reach her eyes.)

"...in the future, should I not say anything?" 

"Probably." Sigh. "It's really, really hard to hit a note that doesn't have any way I could possibly take it wrong, and if I can, I'm gonna. Kevin can do it sometimes but he still doesn't usually try."

Oh. That does make her feel better (though it also makes something inside her shrivel up a bit??) - she didn't fail something obvious, it was just really hard.

 She'll do better next time. She nods. "Got it."

Handholding?

Yup. She doesn't need both hands to pulse the blender till the smoothie is smooth.

Okay! Yay.

(...Kani seems to be a bit quieter this morning, if Epione is tracking these things.)

Valid to be quiet, but. "If you do have anything to say I can handle it now, you're zeroing me out overnight."

Kani opens her mouth, shrugs, and then closes it, clearly thinking hard.

"...the relevant thing seems like a lot to just dump on you?" she manages to venture, after a long pause. "Sometimes I get reminded of" what it felt like to fail my best friend so badly she killed herself "the worst week of my life, and then the rest of the day is bad. It's not a big deal." She takes in a shaky deep breath. Her grip on Epione's hand is tighter than usual, though not painfully so.

"Okay. It's your business."

She shrugs helplessly, not really sure how to say I think I would prefer you knowing but I don't know how to tell you in a way that won't be kinda terrible? and so opting not to say it at all. (She can always say it later! Maybe when things feel less fraught?) 

Handholding! Handholding is nice and safe and simple and feels really good.

Epione pours a smoothie for Kani too.

!! Smoothie !! She grins and drinks up, getting a bit on her face. "This is really good!"

"Thanks! I'm not much of a cook but I experiment a little when I have the leeway."