[ even if she's not actually threatening him, bradbury's hackles raise, hair prickly gently. not in fear, exactly, but wariness. the kind of sense that tells you that you better watch the ground you're walking on, because you might just step on a bomb. he takes his time answering, because he's getting out his own pack of cigarettes, tapping one out into his palm as he speaks. his stuff's still in his new outfit, thankfully. ]

'Scuse me for sayin' so, but the way I see it is, it doesn't matter if you like it or not.

[ a shrug, cupping a hand around the cigarette's tip so he can light it. ] Whatever Ward wants to be, or wants to do, that's up to him. Not you, and not me. I think he's smart enough to make up his own damn mind.

[ he exhales, smoke curling out of his mouth. ] And if what he wants is an hour, or a day, to act like he's normal? I can give it to him, so sure, why not? Sometimes you wanna take a walk on the other side, just to see what it's like. Doesn't mean you plan on givin' up what you've got.

But hey, what do I know? I'm just the security guy.