[ She leaves and he's convinced that she believes him. She will, hopefully, leave him alone from here on out. Vanitas lowers his hand – though he still, notably, is holding onto Noé's – and he answers the vampire's question with ease. ]

Haha! Quite convincing, wasn't I? [ He pauses, and only then does it dawn on him that they are, still, holding hands. There's a moment where it seems like he's going to keep holding it, and there is a notable moment of hesitation before he lets go. His tone turns gentle (but that is, surprisingly, not such a rarity around Noé these days). ] I just wanted her to get off of my back, Noé. Don't worry about it.

[ That same hand moves to pat Noé on the shoulder. It's a way to keep him grounded after that, because he feels a little unsettled and can't quite figure out why. Vanitas has never been great at deciding how he feels when it comes to matters of the heart, nor does he want to think about why those feelings happen, so the thought of actually dating Noé is quickly tucked away somewhere. Time to change the subject. ]

We should start considering dinner. It's gotten a little late.