His expression turns into a smile for a few moments before the mention of directly reporting to Cassandra make that fade away.

"Would I be the right people, or the wrong people?" He knows Cassandra's opinion of him. She'd made it quite clear. All the same, there isn't a barb to the question. It's neutral enough, because Malcolm has come over to talk with him directly. Reed deserves calm conversation.

"And if you're feeling a bit seasick, would helping with that ease me closer to the better side of the scale?"