“You are welcome.” Well... he had accepted the offering, so that was good, wasn’t it? Of course, maybe it was just politeness, maybe he wouldn’t eat it at all, or maybe he preferred not to eat with other people - read: squires - in the room. Fortunately for him, and less so for her, she felt quite spun up and out of sorts, and she did not intend to stay long. In fact, she would have left altogether if not for his questioning.
But of course it would be rude to escape when he had clearly set aside his work to speak to her, so she sat across from him, knees pressed together, hands clasped over them. “Very well,” she responded. “Unfailingly... educational.” She did not think explaining his kindness would help - no one ever seemed to understand it when she tried, not even Theo himself - so she simply added, “It is one of the reasons I am thanking you,” and let him make his own conclusions.
For his second question, however, she allowed herself to relax, and a smile bloomed across her face, washing away a great deal of the anxiety her expression had no doubt displayed earlier. “I would be honored if you were willing to take the time to spar with me again.” She was growing stronger - it was not her imagination - and, she thought, just a little taller. Her training clothes seemed a bit short at the cuffs.
It never occurred to her that it was the food more than the training that was accomplishing both. Between Theo and her own efforts, she was eating much better now than she had been even a month previous.