For a moment it looked like she would smile at him, then she went cold and very upright. He did not expect how viscerally uncomfortable that felt to him. It was like someone drew the muscles of his thighs too tight to stand without discomfort. He shifted his weight slightly from one leg to the other, trying to shake off the sensation.
His hand, holding on to a folder, tensed.
Samuel suddenly learned that Themis was the one dictating the emotional climate between them; she had, it seemed, always been the one to rule that domain. Usually he basked in her airy light and warmth. Now he froze under her gaze.
"Will you walk with me for a short while?" he finally asked, aware that this was a place where anyone could listen to their conversations, obscured by the shelves and stacks of documents. "If it suits you, Professor Lyra. I could use some air and light," he added politely.
His hand, holding on to a folder, tensed.
Samuel suddenly learned that Themis was the one dictating the emotional climate between them; she had, it seemed, always been the one to rule that domain. Usually he basked in her airy light and warmth. Now he froze under her gaze.
"Will you walk with me for a short while?" he finally asked, aware that this was a place where anyone could listen to their conversations, obscured by the shelves and stacks of documents. "If it suits you, Professor Lyra. I could use some air and light," he added politely.
