Noticing that Adam's accent had come back, Alec wanted to ask if everyone Adam knew sounded like that or if it was something else that made him special. But Adam hadn't acknowledged what he's said about that and he seemed to be getting frustrated with him again.

When he was mortal, Alec would have walked away from the situation, letting Izzy smooth things over while he tried to figure out what he'd done wrong. Or he would have slipped into his role as a Lightwood and been coldly polite to whoever he was speaking to. Now he couldn't use any of those defenses. Maybe he shouldn't try to use them. Maybe he should use some of the advice that Izzy had told him long ago when they'd thought Alec would have a normal life.

"I don't know how to talk to people. Even before... I didn't know. I tried." His parents had always lectured him about that no matter how much he'd struggled to be the ideal son. "It was never good enough and I haven't had a chance to practice since I was brought here." It was a poor attempt at a joke, but Alec needed to say something to stop thinking about Maryse. "Emily's conversation skills are worse than mine."