His graciousness is noted, folded between her own records like a flower pressed between pages. Equally comforting is the seriousness with which he takes her. Yes, he could have gloated, and anyone else might have and been right to do so. But not him. Not for the first time, she appreciates the breadth of space that he gives her to exist in without threat or challenge.

So when he voices his own uncertainty about what role she expects him to play, she can't help but offer him the same.

"You're here to ask what you like. I have some expectations, but you've defied those before. It is one of the qualities I like about you." For better or for worse, though her presence here at this table implies it's been mostly for the better.

"I will admit that Why is the easier question to answer, though. Simple as it may be: This was the face I arrived with. If I were to remove it... Somehow I doubt I need to explain that discrepancy invites further scrutiny, or that scrutiny can be unwelcome when one is accustomed to blending in."