He considers what she's saying, scooping up the last of the slaw dressing with the biscuit.

"I think it is the upbringing." He agrees - being part of a universe with so many utterly diverse cultures helps a bit in sorting out why one does things. It's easier to self-evaluate when you have to check your culture against another's fairly constantly. "Call it the parts worth preserving out of the old South - my grandpappy would preach them all the live-long day. And he had no problem tanning my hide if I stepped out of line." Little Crissy McGallister - he'd tweaked her braids once and made her cry, long ways back as a boy, but he never forgot her name thanks to the punishment dealt out afterward.

And, as an adult, he will freely admit that extra bit of kindness, as old-fashioned as it seems to some, comes in helpful, especially when things all go to hell.