Aidou was, for all intents and purposes, wearing the untouchable frost of nobility on his face--a useful mask to have, if ever he remembered to stop throwing the latest tantrum. The urge to snort was strong, but he refrained, chin still nonchalantly resting in his palm. Sasuke's reaction had shot wide of Aidou's own temper.

"If you want to have an episode, go right ahead, but don't expect me to oblige you," Aidou responded calmly. "I suggest taking your aggression out on something that can be helped, rather than refusing to accept the fact that you now do, indeed, have deficiencies that need to be worked around. I can't apologize for the obvious, you understand."

Deciding he really didn't like the cheap banana nut muffins offered here, he reached for a blueberry one instead and swept the rest aside. It was hard to get blueberry wrong, even for an idiot commoner in a grocery store. "Mark, you seem to have a competent mind at the very least--I'm sure I've seen you around, but do you mind if I ask how long you've really been here?"