[ Even with her face in profile and her head ducked low, Alayne catches that shift in Tommy's expression — from disgruntled to sad to disgruntled again, all the while couched in an air of discomfort (an uneasiness that Alayne associates with Tommy just as readily as the broadness of his shoulders, the rough manner in which he speaks.) ]

I've no worry for my father's safety, [ she says quietly, moving to brush the hair from her shoulders, baring them. ] He is a wise man and bright and knows how best to keep safe. [ It is my own safety I worry for. I know not where to step without his caution. ] I— [ She pauses in her work as she spoons out a modest portion of food into one bowl and then the next. ] —I would feel better, were I to have his counsel.

He would know what to do.