[ Archer leans back in his chair, and there’s a brief shadow that crosses over his face. ]

I’m sure you recall from my file that I spent a great deal of my life…trying to do good things for others. A great personal expense. And for my trouble, I was not repaid in kind.

[ Being used and betrayed and then used and re-traumatized ad infinitum left a great deal of scarring. He’s self—aware enough to know that. ]

But even before that…I did not have much luck with relationships. The first one I had was a mess, and the next one…I don’t even remember it, really. Who the person was, what they looked like.

All I know with certainty is that I walked away from it.

Things are different here with the partner I have now, but…there was a significant learning curve. And…a significant amount of hurt, at one point. Which I actually felt the need to remove myself from the Barge over lest some of it…spill over and cause collateral damage of some kind.

It has been resolved since then, but I am not…graceful. About things like this.