The way she's going out of her way not to mention Emet-Selch irritates him, but he already knows there's no use pouting or even flat-out telling her to go away. The wizard heaves a loud, cathartic, dramatic sigh and looks away — in the opposite direction that Emet-Selch had walked off to.

"I doubt there's any way you can help by this point," Howl says gloomily. "I don't want to talk to him anymore. He lied to me. Over and over."

But with how moody Howl is, that clearly isn't the entire story.