Clad in a blue suit, black overcoat and gray silk, Thomas was completely a part of his environment. He separated from it like a carving in the shape of a man as he took a step to one side, separating himself from the background. The deli was a safe place for Thomas, too, but for different reasons than smell or temperature. Here he was surrounded by trusted supporters (in their various forms as extremely ordinary people) and beneath the floorboards there were symbols formed with iron paint made from old green ingots, chunks of metal dug out from under the bones of the Forbidden City. They were securing symbols, and erasing symbols. They shivered on the skin.
He came closer to her, but not too close, and was struck by yet another stab of guilt. "Hello." A short pause. "I am not sure if I should introduce myself again." He didn't even try to smile, because Thomas' attempts at smiling always came out fake, and he knew it. He just gave her a bright, expectant look with his rain-gray eyes, and waited for her reaction to her surroundings.