"Comfortable?" the blonde man asked, the faint smile playing on his face. It was awfully difficult to read his expression when his eyes were closed. Alain always looked so relaxed, but then Qual had never seen him outside the shop either... He thought, with some wry and unhappy amusement, that Alain wouldn't have to. In light of this encounter, it was perfectly clear that Alain could simply take the shop with him as he pleased, even if it was an inconvenient location such as a rain-sodden swamp.
"I don't suppose you've ever had to balance this thing on a mountain-top?" Qual asked, meaning the cafe and hoping to buy himself a little more time with a deflective question. Luckily, Alain seemed willing to humor him, or even genuinely thoughtful; his eyes opened, and he furrowed his brows, as if trying to recall.