Elise's hand shot up before Allen finished asking, and she rose with her other fingers pressed flat against her tunic.
"I'll go first," she blurted, smoothing the cloth above her restored waist strap, "before I find another excuse to keep checking my signature."
Hajin raised his cup as she passed the sofa, keeping his wrapped right hand well clear of its rim.
'Scared of the answer and charging straight at it anyway, which beats sitting comfortable and never knowing a damn thing.'
Allen rotated the apparatus toward her approach while its four needles tracked the filament's slow rise.
"Palm on the sphere," he said, indicating the clear surface without touching the needles, "ordinary circulation, and no dragon reserve added"
"Don't force it either, let the comparison find your real density instead of trying to impress it with a bigger flash."
Elise drew a breath and set her gloved palm on the orb, keeping her elbow loose against her waist.
