Well, she definitely got straight to the point, Sascha had to give her that...but considering he was right in the line of fire, her questioning was that much more unnerving. Where had all this come from? Had he really been that transparent?

Sascha had tucked a pencil behind one ear a little earlier in the day to help him keep track of the book inventory, and he distractedly tapped the eraser end against the countertop as he tried to come up with some kind of satisfactory answer for the woman. "How often are people really honest about all of their intentions upfront, Missus Kitano?" he said with a hint of a smile, making sure to emphasize the courtesy title. "I get the feeling I'm being accused of something more specific, but you haven't really told me what that something might be. What exactly have you heard? Did Zach say something to you?"

Sascha didn't bear any ill will toward Lucinda, although he did recall hearing about her confrontation with Emily and hadn't been terribly thrilled to learn how upsetting it had been for his friend. Still, being overly evasive with his answers wouldn't help his case much, and he sighed a little resignedly. "Zach's an interesting kid, but I'll be the first to admit how little I really know about him- and vice versa." He returned her look evenly, still tapping the pencil against the wood in a mindless staccato rhythm. "He reminds me of someone I knew when I was a kid."