I think it "said" works well. Punctuation and gestures tell you everything you need to know about someone's state of mind. But different things work for different people and I enjoy your fic regardless. Honestly, I think everything you've written is perfect as is. Epithets are hard to get a handle on. Sometimes they work and other times . . . well, they throw me for a loop. I can't pinpoint exactly why some don't work.