"Most people understand the need to censor themselves. Not everyone deals well with brutal honesty and what they might perceive as cruel." He'd ignore the comment about the book.
He was right. This was getting ugly. He wondered how long it'd take him to wish he didn't have this conversation. Again. But he knew that eventually they'd have this conversation, so now was as good a time as any.
"I've noticed. I'll have a conversation with him as well. But I'm not going over there right now while he's threatening to hit me with a fish." Which was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard of.
He was so being misunderstood. "I wasn't comparing you to a dog! It's just a saying. One I'm sure you've heard before. Your words can be quite painful and I know you know it. I'm just asking you to be aware of that and perhaps think about how the other person would feel."