Ah, there it was. He had relaxed enough to let out one of those happy raven noises. And look at that, no one cared that he was making funny bird sounds. No one even blinked an eye - not that Rook would notice with his eyes closed. Ash hummed with amusement at MacKenzie, arching an eyebrow, "I do feel like the demonstration you suggest is not one that I would... get the most out of." His eyes pointedly dipped down to Rook and he shrugged a shoulder in apology.
Ash laughed at the idea of confessing his sins. That would be an incredibly long confessional but the same could be said about Joseph. "Mm," he started, smothering a smile, "I would say he was worse - but I might be misremembering. I am terribly old." Alright, he wasn't as old as some but he was getting up there.
But he brought the conversation around to Rook to make sure he was continuously included and kept petting him to keep him calm. "Oh, let her. My popularity is hardly important," and, as he understood it, Mab was a force to be reckoned with but he was planning on... not as much as possible. "Though my love undersells himself. His hand is steady and his skill is considerable," in more ways than one but he decided not to embarrass Rook any more than he was already likely doing.