<strong>"Part of being human is the choice. Part of being human is feeling unexpected emotions. I never said you were inefficient by the way,"</strong>Jude replied smoothly. He lifted a hand and idly drummed his fingertips against his chest, slightly above where his heart would be, towards the center, but beneath the collar bone. He kept doing this as he talked.<br/><br/><strong>"I'm choosing not to act. Do I feel for him? Certainly. He signed up for this job and knows the risks, and he has the power to speak out and try to help his situation, if he so chooses. I chose to focus on you. I chose to be here with you because I still want to."<br/><br/>The fingers were still lightly drumming on his chest. "Now... Going back to what I said about efficiency, no. We are not alike. You are by far more efficient and effective. You are right that emotions are sometimes a hindrance, if one lets them overwhelm them or take hold."</strong>The drumming abruptly stopped.<br/><br/><strong>"So, tell me,"</strong>Graham continued, lifting both of his hands in the air as if questioning. If she chose to read his heart rate to try and calibrate some sense of anxiety, she would see that it had dissipated.<strong>"What do <em>you</em> wish to talk about since you don't want to answer my questions."</strong>As he lowered his arms back down onto the top of his chair, allowing his arms to crisscross, fingers dangling in the air, he tilted his head. He did not get his notebook back out. He only looked at her, the slightest smile hinting at one corner of his lips. His almost obsidian eyes were curious, friendly almost, as he watched her.