Okay, they were going to play games. Remus figured this was going to be the case, but some naive part of him had hoped Severus would cooperate.
"Maybe I am asking you to pity me," he said. "It's certainly not what I normally ask for, but in this situation I'm confessing to you that, yes, this is a part of my life that is difficult and rather disadvantageous when it comes to maintaining any sort of normalcy. And, I know that you are aware of what it's like to be judged for something you're not and to be labeled evil even when you try to do good."
Remus stood and buttoned his coat.
"I had hoped, perhaps a little foolishly, that you would understand this and accept a deal, but I don't have anything to offer you unless there is something you can think of that I could provide. So, thank you for your time and I'll explore other options. I just thought I'd give you a chance before I tried to talk Lily into convincing you or talking to Dumbledore about other contacts he might have."
With a curt nod, he pushed in his chair and moved towards the door.
"Good night, then, Severus," he said. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."
He paused a moment, his hand on the door knob, hoping (as he never gave up hope easily) that the other man would say something.