[He chuckles softly; there's a hollow, mirthless quality to it as he looks down to his glass and is reminded that it is, unfortunately, empty. Probably for the best— though it says a great deal that talking about Ariel always drives him to want to drink. He really ought to find a better way of dealing with all that resentment.]

Believe me, I was tempted. Instead, I took some time off— disappeared from view, for awhile. My own mother didn't see much of me while I sorted things out. If not for Tara, I might have done far worse than sulk for a few months.

[Thankfully, Tara had helped him through the worst of it, kept him from letting himself become mired deep within his own misery for too long, from self-destructing yet further.

Now, in the presence, Amelia's reassurance reaches him. It is, somehow, just the thing he needs to hear, and he musters another small smile, this one more genuine than the last, his appreciation for her worn quite plainly on his face.]

Thank you for reminding me of what's important. I— don't know if I believe that I'm managing quite as well as you say, but if that's what you see, then I can only be as grateful as I am flattered. For all that she was involved in foundation of my career, I've earned my place here on my own, without anyone else's aid or influence. I don't intend to let her or anyone else undermine what I've done here— what I hope to continue to do.