Tristan wouldn't enlighten Lyra as to the parka-clad, knee-deep-in-snow, humiliatingly clumsy nature of his first attempts at using an axe. As far as he knew, there was no reason at all for anyone else to be embarrassed about them. "I had to," he admitted, "or I'd have frozen all winter." Or been sacked, more likely, from the lodge he was working for at the time. But freezing sounded a little more impressive.
It was his turn to blush when Stephen offered his input. This was probably not the best thing to have come up on a first ... a first visit to the tea shop? Whatever this was. But Lyra didn't seem at all phased. "Cautious is - accurate enough," he said with a weak laugh. He couldn't really confirm the others. They sounded all right, but ... not to say out loud. "May I see?"
He reached over to take her hand, lifting it a little, the better to inspect her palm. "This one?" He tapped at the line he thought she had been looking at, glancing up at her for her answer. "I'll bet I'm rubbish at this."