He no longer walked the streets of New Orleans.
Wherever he was now had a certain sense of antiquity about it: buildings and architecture and outfits he had not seen since the18th century, at best. His mind swam with questions -- the how and why he was here; the question of where he wandered about now, as the city was less than familiar to him.
It was those distractions that contributed to the near-collision at hand; Elijah nearly walking into the girl that walked towards him, having taken so much care to look at his surroundings, and so little to watch where he was headed.
He'd stopped his movement, just in time; managing to avoid an altercation completely, leaving only a foot or two of space between them. It is only then that hazel hues come to rest upon the one he'd avoided contact with: a pinkette, a human, one far shorter than himself, and younger to boot.
"A close encounter, and through no fault of your own. I fear I may have allowed my gaze to drift elsewhere as I walked." Expression still neutral, despite the nature of his words.
"-- You have my sincerest apologies."