Everyone leaves, but Rude remains, still and impassive as a stone wall. Tseng can already feel his patience wearing thin because this only ever means one thing when it comes from Rude: he is going to ask questions that Tseng does not want to answer.

He keeps himself busy until they are alone. There are his comprehensive reports on the various movements of persons of interest, Reno's photographs and accompanying data sheets, all of which need to be meticulously sorted and archived and he really doesn't have time for any questions. Too bad for him. Everyone in this room knows that Rude will not be going anywhere until he says his piece.

A wane smile drifts across his face when he hears what it is that is so pressing that Rude needs to stick around. Concern. Right. People do that.

"Your partner was very recently stabbed in the back, and I am only freshly recovered from a similar fate. Sleep will not come easily for some time, I am afraid." He shouldn't tease Rude like this. It's likely that he is still fragile from recent events. The last thing he wants to do is break a valuable asset of his team.

But he is actually very exhausted, which has always made him a little loopy. Maybe not in the way that normal people get loopy, but then Tseng has never quite been normal, has he?