"Of course, duck," Marcus answers and then, when they move in the direction of the door, he takes the lead, sweeping his way through the crowd with the confidence he's always had. He may not enjoy the small talk of such events, but only because he finds it pointless and shallow, not because he isn't good at it. Even now, years away from having been a priest, Marcus can make his presence large and well known, and people tend to move out of his way when he seems to be on a mission.

Once they're through the crowd and out the door, Marcus risks a glance back, then says, "She was rather bearing down on you like a hurricane, wasn't she? You would hope one might learn to read the room before laughing an attack of such a nature."