Chimera Fields Roast Mutton

He just kind of stood there like a doofus.  Didn't sound mean to me.  So why would you apologize over nothing?  Which was probably part of Mal's problem -- that divide between polite and rude was all kinds of warped to in some places include different pieces on the wrong side of the line in weird ways.  Definitely unpredictable.  And he probably hadn't apologized for anything in his life.

Now whether or not he'd actually learn to be not a jerk, who knows if that was even possible.  But as long as something couldn't be interpreted as outright attacking him, stuff seemed safe.  Ish.