The women around her all leaned forward urgently, as if choreographed, their pencils poised.

The captain looked up, pencil poised.

The pencil poised above the scrawled sheet.

Kivrin had looked up, her pencil poised above the paper.

'Everything is good,' she said, her pencil poised above her pad.

Her pencil poised above the pad.

The political correspondents from the English-speaking press were all there, pencils poised eagerly.

Producing two sheets of paper, and two pencils, each hand poised as though ready to write.

Rosie marched over, pad and pencil poised, her manner withdrawn.

Her red pencil poised over the paper.