I think I can manage being collateral damage
Everest casts her a quick, sidelong look at the comment about feeling in bloom, and for a moment his expression stutters—like a skipped frame in a projection reel—before smoothing into something quietly touched. "That’s...noted," he says, voice low with a trace of warmth he doesn’t try to hide. He adjusts his satchel again, more to give his fingers something to do, which won't derail their afternoon completely, than from discomfort.
The mention of driftwood earns a soft hum of consideration. "That’s actually...very intriguing," he admits, shifting the notebook slightly so he can jot driftwood into the margin. "It’s already been stress-tested by water and time. Could be useful to study structural fatigue patterns, or how grain density holds after long exposure." He glances her way again, then down to her sandals as they avoid a knot of stones in the path. "And I can't deny that a part of me," he doesn't necessarily say which part, "likes the idea quite a bit."
Her firm dismissal of the letter scale makes his mouth twitch in approval. "Agreed. Letter scales lack nuance and create arbitrary thresholds. A nine-point spread with a median option gives us stronger data integrity." A pause. "I may have made laminated scoring cards." He doesn’t offer to show them. Yet.
Instead, he turns slightly, offering his elbow in a way that’s both polite and slightly tentative. "Shall we start with the Torchline hardwoods?"
The mention of driftwood earns a soft hum of consideration. "That’s actually...very intriguing," he admits, shifting the notebook slightly so he can jot driftwood into the margin. "It’s already been stress-tested by water and time. Could be useful to study structural fatigue patterns, or how grain density holds after long exposure." He glances her way again, then down to her sandals as they avoid a knot of stones in the path. "And I can't deny that a part of me," he doesn't necessarily say which part, "likes the idea quite a bit."
Her firm dismissal of the letter scale makes his mouth twitch in approval. "Agreed. Letter scales lack nuance and create arbitrary thresholds. A nine-point spread with a median option gives us stronger data integrity." A pause. "I may have made laminated scoring cards." He doesn’t offer to show them. Yet.
Instead, he turns slightly, offering his elbow in a way that’s both polite and slightly tentative. "Shall we start with the Torchline hardwoods?"
.
