"I'll have to look into that. Thanks," William said appreciatively. Traitor or not, William wasn't opposed to taking helpful advice from Asher. Given that the former spy had no reason to suspect William was a double agent as well, it was safe to assume he wouldn't suggest anything out of line. In Asher's mind, he was trying to be helpful.
"There's got to be a way to make it safe for you to leave campus, just for short trips. All the crazy mutations people have? I can't believe there's not one who could protect you...or you could just protect yourself. Unlike me, you actually have some powers that are useful for that sort of thing." William's powers were seen as lame by many, unless water happened to be involved.