Evan recovered enough to thank her, though he kept his gaze on her hands. Most hearing signers hesitated between gestures; Lena didn’t. She moved like someone raised inside silence. When he asked where she learned to sign, she hesitated and said, “I had a deaf friend, learned it for them.” It didn’t convince him.
He pressed a little, not aggressively, just curious. People so fluent in Sign Language usually had personal reasons, like a deaf family, a partner, or years of volunteering. But Lena redirected the conversation with polite ease, keeping the focus entirely on Margot. It felt intentional, like she did not want to be pried into.