Azaria's smile stayed plastered to her face as she looked into Theon's eyes, waiting patiently for the punchline she was convinced had to be coming. Surely now he would laugh and surely he'd admit to her what was actually going on. She watched him carefully, expecting the corners of his mouth to twitch or for his composure to crack beneath the absurdity of the situation. Instead, he simply looked back at her, but he wasn't smiling or laughing. He didn't even seem remotely amused.
The cold winter air drifted between them, carrying with it the scent of pine and woodsmoke from the cabin chimney. Somewhere in the distance, a bird called out and it followed by others before calming again, but neither of them paid it any attention.
