Neal takes another slow breath, freshly irritated, actually using a ten-count to soothe himself before he tries to say anything this time.
"I think it's more that she's in her own information-gathering stage. It looks different than yours with Kikimora, but again, that doesn't mean it's necessarily wrong. She hasn't decided how to proceed and until she has the data she needs, she won't be able to give anyone a definitive timeline. I don't know Will well enough to say, but if this kind of... preemptive self-defense was one of his issues before the Barge, it could be what she's trying to address."
He loosens his hold on Malcolm experimentally to see how the man reacts, and if it's not bad, Neal will start making them both tea. "I also don't think she's worried about your influence on Will as much as she might be concerned about his influence on you. She has minimal respect for you and minimal respect for my estimations of your character. But it might be that until she's satisfied Will won't try to manipulate people into believing his actions were without fault, she doesn't want to give him the chance. Which is... unfortunate, but between them until it becomes an issue of Will's personal health. Speculation on my part, but it makes sense to me."
no subject
"I think it's more that she's in her own information-gathering stage. It looks different than yours with Kikimora, but again, that doesn't mean it's necessarily wrong. She hasn't decided how to proceed and until she has the data she needs, she won't be able to give anyone a definitive timeline. I don't know Will well enough to say, but if this kind of... preemptive self-defense was one of his issues before the Barge, it could be what she's trying to address."
He loosens his hold on Malcolm experimentally to see how the man reacts, and if it's not bad, Neal will start making them both tea. "I also don't think she's worried about your influence on Will as much as she might be concerned about his influence on you. She has minimal respect for you and minimal respect for my estimations of your character. But it might be that until she's satisfied Will won't try to manipulate people into believing his actions were without fault, she doesn't want to give him the chance. Which is... unfortunate, but between them until it becomes an issue of Will's personal health. Speculation on my part, but it makes sense to me."