[ There's a light laugh, then a small shrug. ] Well, that was sort of a problem that I ran into. Learning about people's fortitude started to make me doubt a lot of my original views. I cannot confidently answer what true fortitude is, but rather, I know it's something needed for situations like this. It's a strange place to be in, right? But I've met many people who were confronted with their options-- calmly accept one's demise, or struggle to live on at any cost. When making the choice at their leisure, people who often say they'd choose the latter, as it's "simply" a matter of survival. Yet those who are forced to swallow the contents of those choices, in the heat of the moment...

[ He picks up his hand and twists it around to play with one of his side bangs idly as he kicks his feet in his chair, like he's talking to Clarke about something mundane or just talking about his day. ]

They've proven that instinct alone cannot give rise to true fortitude. They are easily crushed, or easily destroyed, or easily lose themselves.

[ He lulls once more, and... just starts to look tired. ]

... I don't know what it means to have it. I would like to see someone show it to me, though. And I think we need it desperately on this ship.