[Erk reddens a little at the compliment, indirect though it may be, and glances down as though the cats at his feet have suddenly become very interesting.]

...I'll have to take your word for it.

[His gaze snaps back to the woman when she offers him a seat, though, and he hurriedly shakes his head.]

Ah--that's really not necessary. I'm quite all right standing.

[If she insists, he'll sit--it would probably be rude not to--but he knows he's likely to wind up with a cat in his own lap if he does so, and then he'll be stuck here, pinned beneath an attention-seeking bundle of fur and claws. ...Not that he thinks it would be some sort of horrible fate to be stuck sitting next to this woman. She seems nice enough. But he's perfectly capable of engaging in conversation from where he is.

So of course the cat next to Ayumu chooses that precise moment to stand, stretch, and vacate the seat, hopping down to the floor and wandering off to do whatever it is cats do. Erk shoots it an unimpressed look as it strolls past, and sighs.]

Then again, never mind.