Bragi blinked in surprise, having assumed she’d accepted a friendship as quickly as he had, but, embarrassingly, he was wrong. ”Oh. Right”, he said rather lamely, accepting the rejection with as much grace as he could muster. ”Well, it was pleasant to meet you Miss Russell”, he said with a brief, obliging dip of the head.

One of the passing women glanced back, approving of the young girl having heard and reacted to her scorn. Bragi felt all the worse for it.

-end? :]