"I'll just need a few moments," he says. There's only so many Cold War factoids one can stuff in their skull before before their brain shortcircuits, and while he isn't eager to be bossed around by Franziska, it provides an excuse to leave without admitting to petty weaknesses like exhaustion. "Let me put away these reference materials and check these books out, and we can..."

His voice trails off and his face pales as he recalls the side effects of his powers. Eurgh, the last thing he needs is for her to find out! But changing his mind now would be suspicious... He straightens up his pile again, pretending that he was only momentarily distracted by his books.

"...get something to eat."