Virmad gives Remi his best steely Rahal stare, then turns to Teo. “I wish —” he starts to say, but checks himself. No need to make himself look even more absurdly unprofessional than he already has. Instead, sighing inwardly, he says, “Thank you for your assistance, Lieutenant.”

He bows slightly, which is more deference than the situation would normally call for, but not beyond plausibility for an inquisitor acknowledging an enforcement officer’s job well done. It’s the only appropriate thing he can think of that can come close to expressing this — stupid, he thinks, a little harshly — tangle of emotions.

[edit: sorry!!! I’ve been doing basically nothing but read the last two weeks and hadn’t thought about this at all.]