[ It's probably telling of whatever odd friendship they have as much as whatever just serves to reinforce his own inadequacies about his position that allow him to act like this in front of her. He wouldn't do this in front of Foxtrot, or even Whiskey. He might shutter his expression - they might see that something was different - but he effectively just all but shut down for a few moments there. He shouldn't have done that.

But out of all the callsigns... He supposes that means that she is doing her job, and he wipes at his face - not because it's necessarily necessary, but just because the act itself is helpful. Her response might be laughable, if he were the sort of person to do that sort of thing, but as it is.

He just takes a deep breath and lets it back out. He's been Athos for a little while, but he needs to be Alpha for the moment. He was supposed to shed one title for the other but it's just too difficult to do it all the time, and occasionally he's caught too much by surprise at the wrong angle, apparently. The Immune don't tend to do this to him, but still. He needs to shape up. ]

It's not - [ god. ] If she's been alive this whole time, I need to know what she's been doing. It's not just morbid curiosity or self-flagellation.