Leon kept his expression calm while asking her his questions.
Underneath that calm, he was still genuinely frightened. Not in the way that produced panic—he'd had enough experience with things that could kill him to know the difference between fear that needed action and fear that needed management. This was the second kind.
She didn't seem to want to hurt him, but standing this close to something that felt as vast and ancient as she did was not a comfortable experience, regardless of her intentions. And since leaving wasn't an option, talking was the only path forward.
She grumbled internally for a moment—he could read it in the slight shift of her expression, the quality of her reluctance—before she chose to answer.
