He might not have noticed her happiness at his innocent compliment, but he caught her unexpected smile when he put his Goggles in place and his own lips twitched, caught between a rueful grin and a self-conscious scowl.
In the end the grin won out, if barely, and he looked up at the server with his goggle eyes and made a small gesture towards Alys. "An' whatever she orders, on my tab," he let the man know. The waiter blinked and put a hand over his mouth to bite back his reaction, and struggled to put a politely neutral expression on his face as he turned to Alys to take her order.
The appearance of the cardinal drew a moment's surprise from him, but Abandoned were common enough in Halo that he shook it off and ignored the little illusion, waiting until she told him what she wanted to eat before he headed off. Tal, meanwhile peered with as much interest at the cardinal as the little faux bird had for his bread. He lifted his Goggles up to squint at the cute creation before looking through them at it again. "Okay, that's pretty neat," he admitted, reaching out a finger to poke at the bird and looking a little disappointed when he didn't feel anything. "How far away can y'make 'em go?"
In the end the grin won out, if barely, and he looked up at the server with his goggle eyes and made a small gesture towards Alys. "An' whatever she orders, on my tab," he let the man know. The waiter blinked and put a hand over his mouth to bite back his reaction, and struggled to put a politely neutral expression on his face as he turned to Alys to take her order.
The appearance of the cardinal drew a moment's surprise from him, but Abandoned were common enough in Halo that he shook it off and ignored the little illusion, waiting until she told him what she wanted to eat before he headed off. Tal, meanwhile peered with as much interest at the cardinal as the little faux bird had for his bread. He lifted his Goggles up to squint at the cute creation before looking through them at it again. "Okay, that's pretty neat," he admitted, reaching out a finger to poke at the bird and looking a little disappointed when he didn't feel anything. "How far away can y'make 'em go?"
