It wasn't a replacement that she was used to; pods had been their back-and-forth, easier stressed and drawn out in banter. For that alone, her reaction was only a momentary, milimetric narrowing of her visible eye, rather than the more deliberate squint it could have been.

Ah whale.

"Then let me rephrase. You're here for a reason. And don't pretend it's only because you want to play doctor. So. Why? Because the sooner we get it over with, the fewer circles we have to run."