I have been thinking, writing 'the hain equivalent of a smile' is a bit cumbersome. I tried thinking of some examples of quick body language that would work for the hain in my slough week post, but it wasn't exactly thorough. I reckon I'll give it a better shot this time.

So...what are we missing from human faces?
- Lips
- Eyebrow
- Nose bridge

What has been carried over?
- Eyes
- Jaw and mouth with teeth
- A head that can angle itself
- Hands and arms (this is not so subtle, but might make up for missing features)

[hider=A simple system]
I know that there are more subtle expressions than the seven basic human faces, I'll just go with them for now as a starting point. Anyone can expand on these expressions for the sake of nuance when describing hain. Keep in mind that hain view things from the side of their heads, like birds, so make sure that you imagine the default position of their heads is side-on to the other party.

[b]Anger:[/b]
- Eyes narrowed.
- Mouth open with teeth displayed.
- Head tends to stay still and focussed.
- Clenched fists, slightly bent elbows.

[b]Fear:[/b]
- Eyes wide.
- Mouth closed, teeth audibly chatter, even if adrenaline has not been released. [Side note: Chattering teeth while idle and out of danger is a sign of long term stress and anxiety in a hain]
- Beak front turned slightly towards the subject, tends to flit from side to side to switch eye pairs more quickly and frequently.
- Slightly bent elbows, but fists not clenched by default.

[b]Disgust:[/b]
- Eyes narrowed.
- Mouth closed and still.
- Head angled back slightly from subject.
- Hands neutral.

[b]Contempt:[/b]
- Head angled back slightly from subject.
- Other features neutral.

[b]Joy:[/b]
- One or both palms upturned and open.
- Beak angled upwards slightly.
- Other features neutral.

[b]Sadness:[/b]
- Eyes narrowed or closed. Hain have tears like humans.
- Jaw generally clenched, but extreme sadness has the mouth held slightly open.
- Beak front angled downwards.
- One or both hands generally held against the side of the head.

[b]Surprise:[/b]
- Eyes wide.
- Mouth clenched.
- Beak front angled towards subject slightly.
- Elbows bent to roughly right angles.
- Palms bared directly to subject.
[/hider]

What does everyone think about this? I know it's oversimplified and I am kind of tired but it might be a start.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I am very open to suggestions here. I'm not a body linguist by any means.