[The delay is longer this time. The fact is, he thought he hid it well enough (he always smiles like that, okay), and to learn otherwise is a little disconcerting to him. That, and irritation anger dislike flare whitehot, both at having it laid out so plainly and the unsubtle reminder that his hands are metaphorically tied. He can't easily kill Jack without being put down himself, and that complicates things. That, and his conditioning is just too strong.
So there's a pause where he thinks about brushing it off or not answering at all, but perhaps the distance created by text makes him bolder ultimately, because eventually he responds with--]
no subject
So there's a pause where he thinks about brushing it off or not answering at all, but perhaps the distance created by text makes him bolder ultimately, because eventually he responds with--]
Heine.