Snags of laughter still escape him, hunched over himself as he manages wobbly half-breaths that stutter in his ribcage. His neck and ears still feel warm from the ensuing blush, and Esteban forces deep, slow breaths in to make sure he's settled, straightening against the wall.
Right. He'd been cheeky again, and his smile grows a little more pointed, a little slanted as mischief sneaks back into his gaze.
"I'mma half-elf," he mentions easily enough, tapping at the point of his ears. "On my father's side--" A surprisingly polite term, coming from him. "-- means y' almost scared half of me straight outta me." The snicker scrunches his nose, his eyes glowing bright as a summer sky; he is most definitely having fun. "Isn't it a nifty 'xpression?"
Steady now, he finally manages to approach the stacks of suitcases and luggage he'd deserted before, checking them again for any sign of a wobble or a risk. He checks all of the bags that crowd around the prettily arranged train, just to make sure, and when he's satisfied none of them pose a risk, he finally turns around to his companion to answer his first question.
"It's just that I didn't 'xpect it!" He'd been so relaxed-- so calm, that the shriek had jarred him almost straight to his feet. There wasn't anything more to it-- though he had been afraid his accidental knee-jerk would have endangered the gingerbread.
He would have felt horrible if he'd managed to smash the bread-snack train apart; a moment of clumsiness that would have ruined it for all of the team. He didn't dare stay close to it anymore, returning to the wall to give himself a safe distance from the pretty confection, just in case. But the worse had not come to pass, so he was satisfied enough to linger anyways, a smile curving up on his lips regardless.
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Right. He'd been cheeky again, and his smile grows a little more pointed, a little slanted as mischief sneaks back into his gaze.
"I'mma half-elf," he mentions easily enough, tapping at the point of his ears. "On my father's side--" A surprisingly polite term, coming from him. "-- means y' almost scared half of me straight outta me." The snicker scrunches his nose, his eyes glowing bright as a summer sky; he is most definitely having fun. "Isn't it a nifty 'xpression?"
Steady now, he finally manages to approach the stacks of suitcases and luggage he'd deserted before, checking them again for any sign of a wobble or a risk. He checks all of the bags that crowd around the prettily arranged train, just to make sure, and when he's satisfied none of them pose a risk, he finally turns around to his companion to answer his first question.
"It's just that I didn't 'xpect it!" He'd been so relaxed-- so calm, that the shriek had jarred him almost straight to his feet. There wasn't anything more to it-- though he had been afraid his accidental knee-jerk would have endangered the gingerbread.
He would have felt horrible if he'd managed to smash the bread-snack train apart; a moment of clumsiness that would have ruined it for all of the team. He didn't dare stay close to it anymore, returning to the wall to give himself a safe distance from the pretty confection, just in case. But the worse had not come to pass, so he was satisfied enough to linger anyways, a smile curving up on his lips regardless.