"Better to feel like a betrayal than to mourn his passing." That compassion for other people -and animals, apparently- was a commendable trait. Blaine's compassion was a fickle thing, and when he didn't have it he faked it. Sometimes he wasn't sure if he genuinely felt the pity and understanding he portrayed or not. He hadn't ever had a hard life. His life was dangerous, but it wasn't hard like a menial labor job was hard. It wasn't a salary-slave working 60 hours a week kind of hard. He would sweat, bleed, and run, but that was fun. That wasn't hard.

So when he smiled at her in agreement it wasn't just an acknowledgement that two was better than one. It was that he had been given permission to be a cold-hearted, logically driven, asshole as a balance to her. There wasn't anyone in the Initiative that would soften him, at least not yet. He had the people he liked, but the people he loved weren't there. Blaine didn't doubt that Elissa had made many hard decisions. He may even have to be the one to show compassion, he just wasn't all that sure. Either way, they were going to have the proper measure of one another by the end.

The smile that graced his face was playful as he sat forward, putting his forearms on the table so he could lean in. "You may have to do more balancing me than the other way around, but I'll make sure it's fun for all involved." Because he was going to enjoy this romp and woe to anyone else stuck on the ride with him.