Snippet #2441893

Barada's fingers very slowly curled in towards her palms, and, one by one, they cracked. Her fingers went limp again, and she twiddled them to loosen the joints. It wasn't a tough-girl act; it was to release some frustration.

"Ah." Despite the earlier gesture, the woman's smile remained from the time she first gave it to the two men. "I see. Well." She cleared her throat, then nodded. Her hands braced onto the table, fingernails tapped onto its surface. An unreadable emotion- some weird mix that could have been anger and self restraint, despair and regret- washed across her face. She nodded again, smaller this time. One of her hands vanished into her pockets, and she got up to disappear inside the pub.

"You've got the right idea. I'll be right back, if you don't mind further company."