"I don't think he's nice despite it. I think he's nice because of it." Cuthbert shrugged, but he was smiling rather fondly. "Although it's amazing that he's managed to be the only one of us who isn't entirely mad." That wasn't even him being self-deprecating, exactly. Even if he might be exaggerating a little, there was no denying that Alain was the only one of their ka-tet to be really grounded, or to have any kind of emotional stability. Bert hid everything he felt behind jokes and sharpness, Jamie was angry all the time, and Roland... well, the less said about Roland's emotional state, the better. With that in mind, Bert had always had to admire Alain's quiet connectedness, even if he also mocked him mercilessly for the emotional openness that came with it.