"You know," Ghost chimed in, breaking the awkward moment up with an even more awkward segue. "In ancient civilizations, like Japan and Rome, carrying another man's weapons often implied an intimate relationship between the two. There had to be a sincere bond of trust between the two, since one protected the other, and the one carrying the weapons was responsible for their safety in the sense that failing to provide those weapons risked their lives. It's good that you two are forming such powerful bonds of trust."

It was easy to see a smile in the construct's tone, and Aoba - more adept at reading people than Declan was - might have heard a slightly sly sound to the words. Hard to tell from a floating ball's one-eyed expressions, though.

Declan blinked a few times, staring wide-eyed from behind the half-curtain of white hair. Lips pursed, puckered in attempt to form a word, fell short, and eventually he looked to Aoba, momentarily speechless before clearing his throat.

"I...I can carry them if you'd rather not. I can switch my gear out to carry more..." He fretted visibly, not wanting to burden Aoba with the weight of the guns or his affections.