Thiele should have been casting sour glances at the atrocity that was human architecture. Thiele should have been casting superior glances between Eithne and Eragos. Thiele should have been prodding at the bulge in Tanist's pocket, which was a pear - but could have been an apple - but was probably a pear. At the very least, Thiele should have been fidgeting, twitching, or drumming her bare feet on the marble floor. She was doing none of these things. The elf sat very quietly and very still in her borrowed human clothing, hands in her lap, mouth straight and thin, face expressionless. But her shoulders, her back, the way her knees and ankles pressed tightly together - all these things in her posture spoke of a terrible tension. For those who knew her well enough to know her rare moods, they would have seen the signposts of her discontent. No, worse than that. She felt her skin was ready to burst from all the pent-up feelings inside her. How was she to recount what had happened to her people? She didn't want to speak about it, ever.
And she had to -- she knew she had to -- she'd known she'd need to -- she'd always known, since that second night after Hatharida, sitting on the log with Eragos. But it was a fight not to crumble into tears or screams or both. A fight to retain her dignity through this. Everything else had faded into the background around her; she could see nothing but her own thoughts
So when Tanist took her hand, she started. She'd not expected it. But he didn't let go, and the result was as effective as if someone had tugged her straight into their arms. Some of the tension in her bled out between the connection of their touch. She finally turned grateful eyes toward her protector. They were deep and stormy gray today.
He was speaking. She had to focus a little on him to hear the things he said, and when she did, she nodded automatically....
Until he got to the 'boots' part. Immediately, her face squashed into a grimace. "I feel like an ox in them," she said, and at last she started kicking her feet - as if she wanted to free them from the very thought of boots.