"Oh," Soft, almost inaudible, there couldn't have been a moment prior to in which his expression was so clearly written and open. Relief, excitement, trepidation, all mixed together to mold into a thought--that he was fortunate to have met her then and there and just as unfortunate to realize he was at his absolute worst. It was the bastard child of misfortune, rearing its head to call for him.

"I can't, for the life of me, understand why not," Only, he couldn't pursue the thought further once she led him further. He stilled, walking stiffly with every effort to hide the holes in his shirt and the flop of his broken shoe as if he were late to a job interview he'd fought and bled for. The firm had tough ones, hadn't they?

Finding his nerve wiggle away from him again, Sam cracked a smile without a lick of confidence as he failed to key in on Caoimhe's flush and hesitance at every turn.

"I--I can wait for now. Er, I feel I should ask--is there anything I ought to know when I speak to your Elder?"