Corwin, on the other hand, has a particular talent for dealing with people--he just chooses to pretend that he hates them all most of the time. When he needs to, he can be as charming as the next person--more so, really, when he puts his mind to it--but it's far more fun to be irascible.

That particular address, though, was just bad. He could tell what the man wanted it to do, but it fell far short of that. Too much bluntness and not enough hints. Shadows and evasions were helpful just as often as they were harmful.

He almost couldn't resist responding. It was something to do, anyway, that wasn't pushing against immovable barriers. Maybe this was what happened when the unstoppabe force encountered the immovable object. Both of them just stayed there, and one got progressively frustrated.

"And that's supposed to calm the masses?"