*lifts one finger in protest, his expression (unconvincingly) stern* Ah—the official party line still says the Fountain does not comment on its lord's personal life. *breaks into an ear-to-ear grin* Of course, nobody could really fault you for being helpfully informative.
*heads next door again, quite cheerful as he sits down to start wading through the pile of papers in his inbox, most of which require only a skim and a signature or initial or are even just FYI copies, the originals of which have moved along to their various destinations by now*
*as the morning progresses and he is immersed deeper in the paperwork, however, finds that his upbeat mood is also evaporating, little by little, as frustration, unease, and even alarm start to set in*