[Her first impulse is to shout at him, immediately on the defensive; her hands become still on his neck as though Iris is carefully counting all the ways she could incapacitate him without getting out of breath.

She is doing exactly that, but she's doing it as a calming technique: she visualises all the nerve clusters and the balance points where one can break a bone with its own physics, and then she moves again, exquisitely gentle.]

Which is exactly the problem I've come to you with, Dr Cambridge. It's an 'abit I know I need to break, at least with them two. I were 'oping you might 'ave some suggestions.

[Her voice is sweet and light, and has razor blades in it.]