The fox stiffly shook his head now, a nervous laugh coming out choked out of his throat as he replied shakily,”N-No no I’m fine! Really I was just kind of half lost in thought about my project anyway and I just was biting my thumb as a nervous habit as well… I really am totally fine!”

Curiouser and curiouser… thought Arya, as she smiled and shook her head in amusement at his nervousness. He seems to be pretty intent on being left alone these days… In fact I’m surprised I hadn’t noticed it earlier… But what on earth could this total twig of a fox be hiding?

Out of the corner of her eye that following week she had caught him suckling his thumb several times, but decided not to approach him directly about it again.