In truth he hadn't found that place between himself and 'nice' yet. It had never been needed. But maybe that was the problem. Marian thought it was at least, perhaps thats never why he'd quite managed to be the kind of man she could love. And god help him, if it meant he had to ask Hood of all people for advice then he'd have to grit his teeth and deal with it.
"How?" he asked before quickly taking a drink. "How do you find that balance then? Because some of them really just don't seem to care enough to perfect the things I'm showing them to the point I don't know if they bother to practice at all. I learned because I worked hard at it. I didn't just have everything handed to me on a silver platter like...like some people did."
There was no sense in antagonising the man further. Entertaining and more to the point, true as it was, it wasn't going to do him any favours.
"I had to do some things that she didn't agree were in her best interests. My dear sister took offense and took the opportunity to get revenge. And I can't deny that she did. But she did things even I found cruel. She crossed lines I do not believe I ever would have. Or could have."
Or perhaps he'd just changed by then. If he'd known Meg a year or two before he did, would he have just had her killed for helping someone escape.
Perhaps. But frankly he wasn't going to think about it. "Is this civil then?" he asked.