Alpine Lake i'm just looking for something to soften the blow

Her question was as good as his, but he had no answer to pull up from the depth. A couple of instances certainly did not define the baseline and the truth of it all may have been that leaders were only as composed as those behind them. Dirge was no philosopher; he rolled his shoulders into a shrug. What did it matter?

"I suppose it's their prerogative," was the best he could come up with. "But I certainly don't care to answer to someone nosing in my business constantly." He could thank his grandfather for that trait, on a more sour note. It had been the long scrutiny of every action or inaction that had shaped his thinking, among other things.