[ Alan chuckles. His breathing is getting back to normal. ]

"A mite difficult, but spirited." I'll have to remember that one.

[ Like many artists, he never quite knows how to take a compliment. "Easy on the eyes" is sufficiently casual to let him keep the momentum up, at least, and tease in return. ]

You made it look easy on the rest of you, too. [ Alan drops a hand to run the backs of his fingers down Baptiste's throat illustratively. ] You're good at that. No wonder you get in trouble. [ His voice drops lower -- not a rumble, just rough, laced with amusement. ] If this is what you do to get out of it, you must get in trouble a lot.