Kenzie blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. But she smiled a bit and settled down again, somewhat.

Bucky relaxed a little when Kenzie settled down. The world was a bit more right, now. Even if he wasn't sure how, he knew it was.

After a little while longer, Kenzie glanced at him.

"Coffee?" she asked, because she could tell this was kind of going to be a thing with them.

"Is it alright for you to leave?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow. Because Gemma hadn't come back to look after the store again, as far as he was aware.

"If we leave, I'll let her know," Kenzie said. And she'd bring something back for Gemma, of course.

Bucky considered that, and then nodded.

"Coffee sounds good," he said.

"Alright." Kenzie stood. "Just give me a few moments." She headed up the stairs after Gemma, looking around.

Gemma was in the kitchen, making herself a pot of tea. She had a few different kinds out and was putting together a sort of comfort blend for herself. She already assumed Kenzie's attention would be elsewhere for a while, maybe even for the evening.

"Gemma?" Kenzie moved up next to her. "I'm going to go get some coffee, figured I'd tell you before I abandoned the shop." She sniffed carefully, taking in the teas that were out, and guessed that she was hand-blending again.

"Alright," Gemma said, grabbing down a mug. "I'll be down in a minute to take over."

"No rush." Kenzie glanced at the teas to see what she was getting low on before heading downstairs again. Without looking, she plucked one of the crystals off a shelf and started playing with it.

Gemma poured the tea as soon as it was ready and then headed down to the shop. She didn't even blink when she still saw Barnes there.

"Alright, here I am," she said. She set her mug on the counter.

Kenzie nodded. "Enjoy your tea," she said, placing a quick kiss on the top of Gemma's head. Which wasn't unusual for her; she tended to be affectionate when she wanted to.

Gemma nodded and settled down on the stool behind the counter.

"Have fun," she said.

Bucky just stood off to the side, not interrupting.

Kenzie nodded and headed out of the shop, making sure Bucky was with her before she started walking. More like meandering, really.

Bucky could definitely tell she didn't have a firm destination as they walked.

"You're still bothered," he observed as he walked with her.

"Some," Kenzie admitted after a moment. "Not used to seeing Gemma upset, except because of the occasional douchebag who learns never to step foot in her store again."

"I... have no experience with that kind of thing," Bucky admitted, looking at her. "I'm not good with people yet." He wasn't sure he ever would be, to be honest, but at least he knew he wasn't comfortable with it.

"People I don't get," Kenzie admitted. "Humans are confusing. It took me a little while to learn Gemma, I try to take time to learn all the important people so I know." She shrugged. "Guess I'm still learning."

"You have an excuse," Bucky said. "You're a dragon." He didn't add that he didn't have an excuse, that being broken wasn't the same.

Kenzie shrugged. "I play human most of the time," she said softly. "Besides, an excuse isn't always necessary, just pleasant."

"Still," Bucky said. "You're not human, nobody can expect you to understand humans perfectly." He shrugged. It made sense to him.

Kenzie smiled a bit, but it was rather sad. "I'm afraid people constantly have expectations," she said quietly.

Bucky's eyes narrowed a bit.

"Who is it that expects so much from you?" he asked. There was another, unspoken question underneath that: do I need to quietly remove them?

Kenzie blinked at that, oddly touched, because she knew what he was implying. She actually stopped walking to look at him.

"I don't think anyone's ever offered to defend me before," she said, starting to smile.