"Not really," Re-l says, shrugging. She dislikes looking up at people, but she can't find a reason to stand up, so she shifts slightly back and forth, keeping her eyes steadily on her customer.

"Can I help you with anything?" Her voice is dry and cold.

As she speaks she watches him carefully. He's polite to a confusing degree - she normally sees politeness as a flaw, signalling either conformity or wheedling, but this man registers as neither. Everything is strange here, and it makes her tense.