Well, well. It seemed that the universe still had surprises in store for Qilby. He pretended not to notice Demona's skeptical brow, effortlessly maintaining his characteristic serene expression. In his aeons of experience, he'd navigated far-murkier diplomatic waters dealing with his siblings on the council-- but at least back then, he didn't have to worry about getting a knife in his back... Or a claw, as things were.

Still. It was a game he'd played for ages, and he knew well enough that the whole truth rarely served his ends. Looked like Barricade felt the same way.

"A petty reward for our efforts, to be sure," he said unhelpfully, leaving the robot to answer for himself and instead taking a sudden, intense interest in a weed at his feet. Barricade didn't need to know about the reasons for his reluctance in giving the kishin egg souls over, nor did Demona need to know that he was unable to keep the things. Especially not after getting on her case about it a few days ago.