[His expressions are just as stiff and sharp as the rest of him. He does not care to be called Mike. He wouldn't care to be called cutie pie, either, though she might get him to agree that Adam is cute in the way small animals often are.

The compliment that follows is enough of a balm to his ego that he merely frowns instead of glaring. She reminds him a touch of Gabriel, bouncing between veiled insults and cheer.]

If I wanted to blow off steam, I wouldn't need an excuse. I'd have a reason.

[Even if that reason were simply 'because I want to'. That's more than adequate justification for an archangel. Other people need to work a little bit harder to come up with good explanations.]

So you're proposing to finance my afternoon in the market. Offers like that are rarely given freely. What's the catch?

[How is he expected to humor her in return? There must be more to it than providing company.]