( the reaction isn't something he doesn't anticipate. isn't in the realm of impossibilities, and yet... there was still something about it that he found unsatisfying? disappointing? still, this isn't precisely displayed on his features. instead, he seems more pensive. as if he was analyzing or scrutinizing something about their current predicament, and he shows this in the way he eyes her carefully. his gaze fixed, that is, until he purposely ends it by closing his eyes. he remains like this for just a second, however, as he easily rewires himself. actually, if he had to say...

he's more impressed that she hadn't fled yet. so, in reverence to that courage, he opts for a different course of action. ) .... a different way. ( he repeats her words. that is, before his lips quirk upwards. ) Hm, what should I do? Despite helping you out, it seems you're pretty demanding.

( but, at that he places a hand on her head. ) How about you rack that brain of yours.

Something better than a kiss. ( he starts off with an incomplete sentence. then, as if dramatizing it: )

If it's something better than a kiss, I'll accept.