( wow, if that isn't the most dishonest coping mechanism of a smile she's ever seen. )

Mizuki —

( equal parts an address, and a warning. slathered with the same tone disapproving dog owners use when their dog starts to gnaw on the furniture. clarke's never had a dog, but if she did and it continually offered to bite dangerous strangers for her...

well, what was the line between praise and rebuke? )

I'm not asking that of you. Can't it be enough that I promise I'll tell you if I need help? And that I know I could trust you to follow through if I asked?