Altair managed a small, extra nod of greeting toward Eli- despite his nervousness, he wouldn't be rude, especially when he'd gone out of his way to speak to him. Having those open emotions to focus on allowed him to relax a little, though Thrawn's shielded mind, the familiarity of it, was the reason why he managed to keep himself together as well as he did.

Despite the fact that he couldn't sense anything from the unfamiliar female Chiss, her mind still felt different than Thrawn's.

The conversation in Cheuhn was... Difficult to follow. His head tilted here and there as he picked up on familiar words, though it was quite different to listen to the words exchanged between native speakers, and the patience in which Thrawn taught him. The little he could speak was still stilted, awkward, and he started to feel less and less like a Chiss the more he listened, arms crossed, fingers curled and gripping onto the silky material of his shirt. Not understanding this was quite different from when he hadn't understood what it was to be Sith.

Being Sith was- sort of- a choice. Being Chiss was not.

Having the point driven home made him want to withdraw entirely and toss himself into his writings.

When Thrawn turned back to him he snapped back to attention though, nodding his head as he accepted his lightsaber pike back, slinging it over his shoulder, "Understood."