"Thank you," she said with her own smile, stepping out of her near filthy jeans, adding them to the rest of her pile of things that she would put into the closet later. She had other things she could change into before they were clean. "It was a clever explanation, though I'd expect nothing less from you."

She set her hands on his and turned her head slightly to look back at him over her shoulder. "Thank you for protecting me down there," she told him softly. "Saying the things you did."