Talcott blinks, startled by the vehemence in that response. So, he does care. And that simultaneously confirms and contradicts so much.

"Alright, I'm sorry." And somehow it's that that finally makes him slide his knife back into it's holster. Because letting it be so clear that it bothers him certainly doesn't scream political mastermind.

"A long time...?" He sighs, slowly moving away from the crumbled wall. Closer to Ardyn but into much more stable territory. "Do I want to know how complicated that story's going to be?"