Hastily, Albali pulled her hood back over her head, shadowing her eyes, along with the pale, night-colored skin, and the feather-like markings she'd made on it. She'd been brimming with comebacks and rejoinders and arguments only a moment ago, but now they'd fled her thoughts. She wanted to flee, too. If she blushed any more, she'd be human-colored! She was NOT jealous. That was absurd. It was beyond absurd! She had perfectly good reasons for berating him, having to do with the mission, and safety, and proper comportment, and, and... And she couldn't get any of that out. She just stood there, quivering a bit, staring after him, still feeling the brush of his fingertips against her cheek when he threw back her hood (and a good thing they were indoors!), still feeling his touch under her narrow chin like contact with another person that wasn't healing or selling or eating would be a prominent feature in her annual log.  She was older than all of them put together! She was beyond jealous - and he wasn't even an elf!<br/><br/>Ain looked at her, speechless himself as his snide comments were lost in disbelief. He was watching the carefully-constructed, time-weathered battlement of Albali crack, and all he could was breathe through and open beak and blink orange eyes at her.<br/><br/>Realizing she was still holding the wand - indeed, she was touching it to her lips - the witch roughly shoved it under her robes, into the satchel tucked under her arm, and wheeled toward the door facing the last buildings, where she hid any need to respond or argue or let anyone else get the better of her in concentrating on casting detect magic. It didn't matter if they took an hour getting ready. She was going to stand there, facing away from the rest of them, not letting any of them see her eyes, casting detect magic until the age of the earth turned, if necessary.<br/><br/>The first sound to come out of Ain's mouth was hastily retracted at a glare from her; the crow flapped his wings and sought refuge -away-, at the nearest table.