"Good", she answered, her smile small and fleeting, but genuine. For once, a little of the weight on her shoulders lifted. For once, she didn't feel like she had to say the expected and accepted things. For once, she felt that maybe it was alright to be herself ... a little at a time.

"Good. We should eat if we don't want our food to go cold."

[ooc: Yes, go ahead! I think dinner was a success.]