[ Maybe he should have expected this. He doesn't, in no small part because that truly wasn't the motivation behind his question.

Not that his actual motivation was far from it.

Claude blinks, raising his hands palms forward, that defensive stay. ]

Whoa, that's quite an accusation!

[ One that might be generally well-founded, if not specifically now. ]

If it's such a secret, then by all means, keep it to yourself. I simply assumed you'd been passing through, rather than looking for me here.

[ He shrugs, dropping his hand, and only just avoiding the flitting spiral of a firefly. After a glance to confirm the space, he edges left. ]

I wouldn't keep you. That's all.

[ And he would then proceed to the bedroom he'd taken (not his own), to settle in for firefly theatre. That truly his intention in this instance. Generally, however... isn't it easier for both of them? It isn't as though he peeks around every corner for a glimpse of pink before advancing. But if she's often coordinating in the dining hall, he hasn't much reason to be there.

That, too, is all, except insofar as it isn't. It really, really isn't. ]