[ A nod. ] I'm glad that you get to, [ and then softly, because it makes him think of things back in America, ] Never did understand why people had to do that.

But anyway, [ lifting his glass to his lips ] Thank you for being patient with me and my questions about Keys. I'm trying to learn as much as I can and as quickly as possible.

[ It wasn't secret, and he didn't think it should be. He didn't like the current Taskforce Valkyrie, had been ready to cut them some slack after the conversation with Brig and later, when he and his blademates had been told that they'd mobilized during the incident involving Dark-Hour-that-wasn't, only to settle back into utter dislike when Alistair Mordechai had come back limping, bandaged and bearing ill-news. ]