O'Brien was dealing with the duties of a landlord-in other words he had to see to a lease signing, and was running late because of it. He walked into the apartment with a thoughtful scowl on his face and went straight for the cupboards in the kitchen to get down a glass and have a drink of water. He gave a nod to Winston as he walked by, a slight smile. He was entirely more relaxed in a way that he had never seemed before, not when he was working under Big Brother. Now he was free and it was showing in his face, in how he carried himself.