[His already ruddy face turns a blotchy red as he folds in on himself a little, clutching the books to his chest.]

Sorry. [And he does sound a little remorseful, immediately less tetchy.] Everything's just happened all at once and it's... you know, a-a lot.

[He's not great at change.

But he takes a deep breath and stands up straighter: he does recognise the elf, a little. Saw him enough to know his face, but he never got a name.]

I think most of his interests can be summed up as chaos and violence. He's bored out of his skull here trying to behave. [Which, he won't deny, was amusing in the same way it was worrying.] I, um. I offered to stay with him, actually, which is probably why he's not bothering you so much. He's already got a willing target.

[There's a sort of resigned, grim cheer to the way he says that.]