"She didn't take her eyes off him, and that expression on her scowling face demanded an answer. He cast about desperately in his mind and then hit on a way out. He shrugged, trying to look casual as well as impressed. "You managed such a great illusion, looking slim earlier, it was hard to remember it was an illusion." There. A compliment. He hadn't stepped into the mud and sunk--yet. She was still looking at him, hands on her hips, waiting for more. He was beginning to sweat. Hell."