[It still takes a few more seconds following Willock's question until Joshua snaps out of that tensed-up stance, and when he finally does, his immediate reaction is swatting the doctor's hand away and putting two steps worth of distance between them.
He doesn't look toward either of the other two, nor at Leonhardt, though should one of them manage to get a look at the boy's eyes, they somehow seem... blanker than usual, oddly enough. In a way, it's almost a bit unsettling. When he finally speaks up, his right hand unconsciously brushes over his left upper arm, and he continues to avert his gaze from both Willock and Estelle.]
... Don't... lay a hand on me. [Though far more audible than just a little while ago, his words sound... awfully forced this time. The tone he speaks with doesn't help, either; rather than being flat, it sounds cold - and Estelle may recognize it as being reminiscent of, if not quite the same as the way he addressed Dalmore briefly, back in Ruan.
The question goes unanswered, much like Estelle's question earlier. He heard it, but frankly, it's not one he wants to answer... not that he could. He may have known Leonhardt for a long time, but his last name is one thing he honestly doesn't know, so it's impossible for him to give a truthful answer to that question. And right now, he isn't willing to admit they're not actually related, even if that fact is fairly obvious just by looking at them - and he's not sure if he's going to be able to manage a convincing lie at the moment.]
2/2
He doesn't look toward either of the other two, nor at Leonhardt, though should one of them manage to get a look at the boy's eyes, they somehow seem... blanker than usual, oddly enough. In a way, it's almost a bit unsettling. When he finally speaks up, his right hand unconsciously brushes over his left upper arm, and he continues to avert his gaze from both Willock and Estelle.]
... Don't... lay a hand on me. [Though far more audible than just a little while ago, his words sound... awfully forced this time. The tone he speaks with doesn't help, either; rather than being flat, it sounds cold - and Estelle may recognize it as being reminiscent of, if not quite the same as the way he addressed Dalmore briefly, back in Ruan.
The question goes unanswered, much like Estelle's question earlier. He heard it, but frankly, it's not one he wants to answer... not that he could. He may have known Leonhardt for a long time, but his last name is one thing he honestly doesn't know, so it's impossible for him to give a truthful answer to that question. And right now, he isn't willing to admit they're not actually related, even if that fact is fairly obvious just by looking at them - and he's not sure if he's going to be able to manage a convincing lie at the moment.]