You may not be the easiest man to get along with, but everyone has their reasons to present themselves as they do. Yourself included. And Reaper is— [ she almost says Gabriel, almost says was ] —an intelligent man. Trained to find the chinks in one's armor, pry them open and observe them. Learn their patterns.

You need to be careful, whether you've come out the other end 'okay' or not. [ And because he's absolutely correct, and she'll use the chance to call him on it— ] Your leg hasn't been healing well, after the weeks. You're not approaching him at full strength. Please, 76, I won't tell you what to do either way, but I will ask that you please be careful. If for any reason you're within close quarters and you can manage without injury, I would appreciate tissue samples. But only if.