"If I ever change my mind, I'll let you know," Stephen said politely. It sounded much better than 'when hell freezes over'. "Of course, you'd still need his consent, and it's unlikely to happen." More like 'when pigs learned to fly', he mentally added.
Stephen looked at Adrian. "Do you want to go home?" he asked, because he might be in charge here, but coming and going was almost a way to shed their roles. "I want cake when we get home." He had a few ideas about how to eat said cake, but that could wait for ater.