[She only barely turns her eyeroll into a mere aside glance midway; swagger and pomp indeed. There's certainly little need for him to act to distance when it comes most naturally.
Taking a long draw of her cooling tea, she considers the answer to that in silence before replying, low and thoughtful. Honestly, it's difficult to really recall the exact moment of their meeting, but one point is at least close and important enough to mention]
...Something like that. I knew Allen-- a boy Cross had mentored, taught-- when he was here. I had had a teacher like that, too... but for all her strictness, she had always treated me like my own person, not a servant, so I was appalled by Cross' behavior to him.
Allen seemed to care for him still, though, but I didn't start really wondering why until later.
[Or rather, she did but merely shrugged it off until she came across him in the dome below the last one... and there was really no ignoring the questions anymore]