Neal finally, finally starts to relax. Not just from the release of tension in this conversation. Relax from all of it. The anxiety going into the meeting, the meeting itself, after. He'll remember soon that he wants to talk to Eiffel and that he's going to the meeting with Malcolm and both things have heavy potential to blow up in his face.
Right now, though, he focuses on playing with his cat's ears gently.
"Thank you," he says again, and means it. "You are a good warden."
Good warden, good person. Neal thinks about saying a couple of things, doesn't, considers again. He makes soft sounds that seem like the start of I don't and I've never but he doesn't put enough force in the words to get them really into the air.
"People don't compliment me unless there's an addendum." He laughs a little, an aborted sound, trying to make it a joke and not getting far. "Whenever you say something nice, I keep waiting for the other half. What you're putting up with, or what I did to make it a good thing I am whatever compliment you used. Or a question about why I am where I am, with as smart as I'm supposed to be."
no subject
Right now, though, he focuses on playing with his cat's ears gently.
"Thank you," he says again, and means it. "You are a good warden."
Good warden, good person. Neal thinks about saying a couple of things, doesn't, considers again. He makes soft sounds that seem like the start of I don't and I've never but he doesn't put enough force in the words to get them really into the air.
"People don't compliment me unless there's an addendum." He laughs a little, an aborted sound, trying to make it a joke and not getting far. "Whenever you say something nice, I keep waiting for the other half. What you're putting up with, or what I did to make it a good thing I am whatever compliment you used. Or a question about why I am where I am, with as smart as I'm supposed to be."