"There are worse things to be," he answered, speaking more seriously now. "As long as you're happy, what does it matter what they say? Let them talk." It was easier said than done, but at a certain point, you just learned to tune everyone else out. Life was much easier when you weren't constantly worrying about trying to please everyone else or dwelling on what people were saying about you.
He turned slightly, glancing over at her. "No, what changed your mind?" He was genuinely curious about what prompted that change. He had little knowledge of her, to be honest. He didn't even know much about her involvement in the war. He just knew of her reputation and of the crowd she kept, but that didn't necessarily say a great deal about who she really was and what she really thought.