[ It was sincerely meant, not a real attempt at manipulation beyond gently prodding to see if Gorgug would be open to Harold checking on his well-being. As a result, Harold is too kind and too gracious to take advantage of the resulting attempts to be helpful where before he'd been reluctant and skeptical. ]

Yes, I've recently arrived, and somewhat at wit's end without my usual set up, [ he admits with a sigh. ] Scrambling to find some amount of purchase, as it were.

[ He certainly does talk like he participates in fancy ass business meetings, and probably critiques art on the side. (He does.) But the content of Harold's words are self-effacing, not so attached to his own ego that he has to insist on a strong outward persona. It's a little calculated, but only in that he's calculated it's advantageous to be genuine, rather than putting on more of a front. ]

Harold Finch, [ he repeats courteously. ] Which matches my username. [ It's simply finch. ] But please don't put yourself out on my account. I'm sure I'll manage. My friend, John Reese, is the one in search of ammunition. I'll tell him to follow up if you're amenable to the request.

[ Business aside, he's hardly missed that purple glowing crystal, and he's staring at it with unabashed interest. Something to follow up on when things are less delicate... he'd even be thrilled to have a look at those books... ]