[The brief gesture is enough to touch him; frankly, if he can provide her a little camaraderie and solace in this mess, he's grateful for the chance. After all, it seems to him, they have similar aims - to do the least harm, even if it means walking an unpopular path, but she's playing the game better than he is. She's a much more resolute person than he is altogether; he's always been good at playing the part of the pariah when he needs to, but poor at maintaining true emotional distance. He doesn't need a shoulder to cry on, but he's needed someone to understand, and she's been that for him, consistently.

It doesn't need to be expressed, though. Just a light smile, moving on to less fraught topics.]

Oh, someone will. You know, when I suggested we all ought to sacrifice ourselves, I meant, rather - there is no chance the souvlaki will allow this ship to be purged. [He doesn't want them to actually sacrifice the ship, just try to in order to force a souvlaki kill.] If none of us kill for the motive this week, it may be our chance to draw them out sooner than they intended. I'd much rather a souvlaki die to save the ship than one of our own.

Then again - I wonder whether Alice means what she says. From what Bull said of the Kampff, we have never had a choice to have a week without killing. What a joke it would be, if she forced our hand by making one of them kill this week.