[His eyebrows arch up just slightly, but he retracts his hand again and nods, the expression notably less pointed this time.]
That's alright.
[The tone is minutely softer too – not too much, he doesn't want to sound pitying or anything (god knows he would hate that) – but the aloof edge of dealing with a stranger drops off a bit.
But he leaves it at that. He's still a stranger, mutual kidnapping and forced labor be damned, so it's probably not his place to comment on this guy's issues. So he just nods again and peeks inside the bin the water bottles had come from.]
Speaking of food, did they see fit to leave us anything to eat? Near-death experiences make me hungry.
[This is usually the point of the missing where they're just getting home and Queenie has a batch of cookies waiting, and Brand lets him snack a bit without complaint for once–
No. Bad idea. No thinking about things that will wreck him until they're 100% safe and he can find a bit of privacy.]
no subject
That's alright.
[The tone is minutely softer too – not too much, he doesn't want to sound pitying or anything (god knows he would hate that) – but the aloof edge of dealing with a stranger drops off a bit.
But he leaves it at that. He's still a stranger, mutual kidnapping and forced labor be damned, so it's probably not his place to comment on this guy's issues. So he just nods again and peeks inside the bin the water bottles had come from.]
Speaking of food, did they see fit to leave us anything to eat? Near-death experiences make me hungry.
[This is usually the point of the missing where they're just getting home and Queenie has a batch of cookies waiting, and Brand lets him snack a bit without complaint for once–
No. Bad idea. No thinking about things that will wreck him until they're 100% safe and he can find a bit of privacy.]