[Surprisingly, he smiles, although it's small and a bit rueful. A little apologetic... or at least, it's trying to be.]

Right. It was new enough that I could still fight around it. But it didn't stop me from doing... something.

[He lets out another breath. Shaky - a gentle dip in his composure.]

Before I showed up here, the curse slot was... well, it had been there for a while. Enough that it was incredibly difficult to fight off. Almost impossible. And...

...

I didn't just hit you this time.