[That does happen to be a bit of a touchy subject with Tommy, though not for him. He's not the least bit ashamed of his heritage even if his connection with it waxes and wanes. But it does tend to be a problem for others.]
No, [he repeats,] but I am from Birmingham. Small Heath, to be exact.
[Tommy doesn't expect that a child would necessarily start hurling slurs at him, but that doesn't mean she would keep the information to herself necessarily. It would likely only be a matter of time before that information would reach someone who would take it upon themselves to try and weaponize it against Tommy. And that's really the bottom line. He's not interested in making friends, but he's equally not interested in working with someone who makes it their mission to make things more difficult for him.]
no subject
[Tommy glances away.]
[That does happen to be a bit of a touchy subject with Tommy, though not for him. He's not the least bit ashamed of his heritage even if his connection with it waxes and wanes. But it does tend to be a problem for others.]
No, [he repeats,] but I am from Birmingham. Small Heath, to be exact.
[Tommy doesn't expect that a child would necessarily start hurling slurs at him, but that doesn't mean she would keep the information to herself necessarily. It would likely only be a matter of time before that information would reach someone who would take it upon themselves to try and weaponize it against Tommy. And that's really the bottom line. He's not interested in making friends, but he's equally not interested in working with someone who makes it their mission to make things more difficult for him.]