He sniffs mightily, and manages to keep it to that instead of actually bursting into tears. This time.

"I dunno what I'm gonna do here," he says, "but they say there's all kinds of work -- like not just to pass the time, work that needs doing, yeah? There's gotta be something I can do. Wash dishes, even."

(Did he ever tell Max about how he washed dishes at the cafe that the other Max ran, back in the fairy town? He must have done, one of those days in the Serena Eterna's kitchen.)