[It's the touch of Ren's hand that has Alisaie stopping short - freezing up. Staring, even. It's that which has her abruptly re-thinking her new plan (and it was a good plan) of running for the doors and finding somewhere to hide and not coming out until - well, until she was absolutely sure that none of this was going to get back to Alphinaud.
[She registers that more than the words, and then the words register.]
It's okay?
[How can that be okay? the part of her that remembers being at home wants to know.
[The part of Alisaie that is firmly and terminally right here tells it to shut up. There's not enough people, there's the problem. Scarce a hundred souls, and half of them disagreeable or infuriating or too old or entirely beyond the pale by virtue of being Alphinaud. Of the other half, how many can she really claim to want to like like that, like this? Can't be that scrupulous. Can't be at all surprised that if you like someone, three other people probably had the same idea first.]
/2
[Wait.
[It's the touch of Ren's hand that has Alisaie stopping short - freezing up. Staring, even. It's that which has her abruptly re-thinking her new plan (and it was a good plan) of running for the doors and finding somewhere to hide and not coming out until - well, until she was absolutely sure that none of this was going to get back to Alphinaud.
[She registers that more than the words, and then the words register.]
It's okay?
[How can that be okay? the part of her that remembers being at home wants to know.
[The part of Alisaie that is firmly and terminally right here tells it to shut up. There's not enough people, there's the problem. Scarce a hundred souls, and half of them disagreeable or infuriating or too old or entirely beyond the pale by virtue of being Alphinaud. Of the other half, how many can she really claim to want to like like that, like this? Can't be that scrupulous. Can't be at all surprised that if you like someone, three other people probably had the same idea first.]