"Are you a righty?" Eliot asked. Now that he had the pins in his possession, he situated them in his hands, two in his left, one in the right. He shifted his hands, testing the weight. "For one thing, these are way too heavy to start. You need balls, or beanbags, first. Something small and easy to throw and catch."
Eliot had a keen eye, and he had studied people for years. He could easily see that she was upset, but she was also proud. While he seemed to be ignoring the emotions that played on her face and into her body language, he was acutely aware of her teetering on the edge of a break down. He had the thought to walk away and leave her to it, but he couldn't do that. He hoped that staying, and forging ahead as if nothing was amiss would give her some reassurance, and allow her to pull herself together without having a break down.
He also hoped to show without calling attention to it that he would offer her a shoulder to cry on, if she needed it. They were strangers, and she was new to the carnival, and the time. He suspected she was from the early 21st century, as he was. He knew suddenly arriving in 1935 was disorienting, and then to be told you were expected to perform in a carnival...it was an adjustment. Eliot had already been through the adjustment phase and hoped he could help Lily through it now, too.
"Do you have a wallet? It's not ideal, but maybe we can start there?" Eliot set the pins down and drew his wallet out of his pocket. He tossed it up and caught it easily with his other hand. That's really all juggling was, at the base, and with the right equipment, he was certain he could teach Lily in no time.