She presses her tongue against the back of her teeth as he recites, afraid to make a sound and interrupt. The story is captivating. Though there are those in the crowd who seem unhappy with the subject matter, Anna doesn't mind—she read Aesop's originals as they were written, after all, and those of the brothers Grimm, and she doesn't care much about whitewashing one way or another.

(If anything worries her, it's his tone.)

She wanders up as he steps down, her long black coat brushing the backs of her knees. "Hi," she says, and pairs it with a smile. "That was an interesting story, thank you for that."