Lirael didn't answer either question. She just looked at him, waiting for him to talk. He met her gaze at first, then faltered and looked away. There was something unnerving about her eyes. A toughness he had never seen in the young women he knew from the debutante parties in Corvere. It was partly this that made him talk, and partly a desire to impress her with his knowledge and intelligence.
Lirael did not respond to either of his questions, choosing instead to observe him silently and wait for him to speak. His initial confidence waned as he looked into her intense eyes, which held a toughness unfamiliar to him from his experiences with the young women at debutante parties in Corvere. This unfamiliarity unsettled him, causing him to falter in his stance and look away.
Feeling the need to impress her and showcase his intelligence, he began to speak, partly driven by his desire to impress and partly by an instinct to fill the uncomfortable silence. Her piercing gaze seemed to challenge him, hinting at a strength and resolve he had not anticipated, making him eager to prove himself in her eyes.
