Only a hint of a smile curled his lips, lowering his hands to lean on them, still watching the other man quite intently.<br/><br/>"You pick up stress in others quite well, Louis..."<br/>As he, himself, did as well.<br/>A hand lowered to rummage through the papers on the desk, gaze dropping too. Though it was neatly kept, Ryan did keep a few documents to simply lay there and make the desk seem slightly cluttered. It was his believe client felt more at ease if a desk wasn't too tidy.<br/><br/>"I wasn't in need of your distraction though..," he said, lower.<br/><em>Though I'm not certain what I <strong>am</strong> in need of.</em><br/>"Thank you for your attempt," he said instead, gaze flicking back to Atticus, smile hesitantly growing, actually showing something of his state of being.. what? Torn? Yes.. that could be it.<br/><br/>A polite knock on the door saved him and he stood in one fluent motion to answer it.<br/>Mary, with that bloody shirt.<br/>"Don't forget to start that bath for Atticus," he said with a grin, Mary answering with a short laugh and a polite nod before wandering in and laying the shirt on the desk that was getting quite crowded by now.<br/>A slight frown to her forehead and she turned to Ryan.<br/><br/>"You're not eating, Lord Valentine..?" she asked, almost accusing.<br/>"I don't feel hungry, Mary," he replied, matter-of-fact.<br/>She sighed and nodded, once and quite polite.<br/><br/>The interaction was so close to one between two people of the same stature it was almost odd. But Ryan didn't seem to mind and Mary certainly didn't shy away.<br/><br/>"Ah, well, I better get that bath started, then," she said, all smiles, beams of sunlight and sweetness before she almost bounced off to Ryan's bathroom, the running water even hearable in the office not too long after.<br/><br/>Ryan but grinned and shook his head, attention returning to Atticus once again.<br/>"She hides so well she'd have choice words to say if I weren't her employer..."