Had Roman revealed DaVinci's near walk out, Lord El-Melloi II would have admitted that such a move would have his full support. Hell, he nearly did the same walk out upon arrival. It was impossible to not see DaVinci's actions as clear headed and made based on morals, and that spoke to the kind of person she was. But as it was, Lord El-Melloi II could only nod in agreement. "It's...it's a reasonable corporate structure, for lack of any better words. Director, then you and DaVinci, as you both seem to make up for each other's occassional weaknesses." DaVinci's airheadedness, Roman's inability to read a room. "Maybe Leonardo's jealous?" Nah, that couldn't be. She had to have better taste in men than Roman.

The lightness doesn't remain for very long. Instead, the demeanor that takes over Lord El-Melloi II is the same sort of exhaustion he rewards his students with. His unruly pain in the ass students.

"It was late at night when I summoned him and he refused to wait," he said, and in that exhaustion, there was a note of real fondness. Love, maybe. "The oaf. I could have returned it but..."

Yeah, no. He absolutely didn't.