[Hayame smiles so rarely that when she smiles for him, even small and uncertain as it is, Liem can’t help but smile back, warmly pleased. Has he helped her all that much today? Perhaps not, in any big, concrete ways, but he’s helped her enough for her to feel like smiling, and that must be significant.]

I would be happy to teach you again, once you’ve mastered moving on two feet.

[The dances he knows are all meant for two-legged people, of course—and those who aren’t seven feet tall besides. He imagines it would be delightful to try dancing with Hayame again, when she’s not at a natural disadvantage in trying to learn the steps.

For now, he rises in response to the growing whistle of the kettle he’d left on the stove.]

But for now… we break for tea, and then we can see how your legs treat you.