That look makes him want to provoke a smile that is unsmothered. Gregor has not the first idea how he would go about doing that-- he's never even wanted to try before. He wonders if getting wine together for tonight would be... too much, too fast. He wishes this more straight-forward and not predicated on a falsehood; Simon himself is intimidating enough to make this difficult on its own.

He gives his own half-formed look of sincere amusement, some of the lingering tension fading with it. It's almost a loss to see it go, but it's a relief, too. "That joke is almost too apt," he tells him, dry. "But I shouldn't hold you up forever."

He wonders if they could have a more personal debriefing later, a much more friendly how was your day sort of exchange, all the internal, emotional details left vacant from their official exchanges. That seems a reasonable step, but monumental enough on its own.