[He's taken aback just enough to stagger too, slightly, baffled expression persisting until it becomes more or less a frown of acceptance for the current situation at hand.]
[...] I see.
[As a reflex, that sudden shift in the space of their little prison made his hand raise between them as though he could push for more distance like normal. Seeing the inevitability of it properly here... he drops it.]
Alright. Seeing as there's no negotiating these terms... So be it. I'd rather not find out how much worse it gets.