Belduhr seemed oblivious to the nerves that he had unintentionally stirred by speaking of his sudden bravery. In the silence that permeated the air briefly, his thoughts had wandered to just what the hidden city held in it's wall.
The thoughts were banished quickly however when Raigryn asked how long he had known
Fife was a lass.
Very suddenly a mix of anxiety and worry filled his thoughts.
He had learned, rather embarrassingly albeit, how Fife was a lass the last time they had come together seeking a goal. Having attempted to save who had previously been perceived as a lad by picking them up about the chest and finding a rather telling detail about her physique.
And shortly thereafter receiving a very clear glare about telling anyone had sealed his lips to broaching the matter. Like the golems they had come across, the gears in his head began to turn and construct a hopefully well convincing lie to cover himself from admitting to the misstep on his part.
"Well, when ya' have a wee baby sister of yer' own you tend to just have a sense of it. I'd felt rather protective of Fife the last time we had met, and it's just the little things that give a lass away." He mentally lashed himself at the wording, hoping Fife didn't take the unintentional jab to heart.
"I do no' know if ye've had any experience yourself with the matter, but having to deal with my sister for so many years has heightened my senses. Noticing small idiosyncrasies that we men tend to not have in common. Attention to detail, a heightened awareness of their surroundin's, those kinds of things. All of which could be mistaken given you two's choice of profession." Belduhr began to explain, hands waving about as the tool swished through the air.
His pipe came back to his mouth as he struggled to light it with the hammer in hand, finally completing his goal after holding it between elbow and chest for a brief time.
"
Monster hunters and wanderer's such as yerselves tend to have those established characteristics about yer character because of the line of work that you partake in. However, given the young age of your charge, I had guessed he was instead, a she. You don't 'ave that kind of acuity typically in someone so young, and especially so for a lad." He laughed, trying desperately to ground himself in fact rather than completely blowing metaphorical smoke as he puffed on the pipe.
"That, and bein' a bit wise beyond my years. As oi've said, having a wee lass fer a siblin' tends to help with noticing things. They try to hide things from ya', an you've got ta' notice those things before something bad comes of it. Being a dwarf also helps a touch, given you lot 'ave a tougher time finding our ladies in a crowded bar. Not surprised ya' could no' see it plain as day." He finished with a slight chuckle. He felt rather pleased with himself, having felt like he had successfully thrown Raigryn off his trail.