"Why not?" Elektra shot back, which wasn't an answer. She leaned back against the counter, arms folded across her chest. Whether it was the conversation that made her defensive or the cup in Xianniang's hands, she wasn't entirely certain.
She could have quelled the impulse to show the other woman exactly how ill at ease she felt, but she didn't. Why bother? Xian had worn her like a new coat. Elektra wasn't entirely certain of how much she'd seen of her thoughts, but she knew it wasn't nothing.
"When you're raised for a purpose, a normal life and a mundane job hold all kinds of appeal." She wasn't going to tell Xian that she'd dreamed of being a schoolteacher when she'd been very, very young, or that after meeting Matthew she'd actually entertained the thought that they might get married and settle down. As regular people did.
Elektra still had her pride.
"Are you going to drink that?" she asked. "Or do you enjoy prolonging my torment?"