"I don't know what you were thinking." There's no edge to the words. Not even any particular coldness to them. More than anything, he sounds tired. "I understand you were acting on my behalf. You wanted him to stop hurting me."

He lets that sink in, so Magpie knows that on some level, he does appreciate it.

"But you took it too far. You attacked and attacked. He asked a question, and your response was to tell him to go home and die. But it wasn't just that. Those comments about putting a bullet in his head, suggesting he'd be better off committing suicide..."

He takes a deep breath, in, then out.

"It was months ago. I don't hate you. Everything Raven said applies to me as well. But it's because of that that I need to know why you took that approach."