[Maria pouts, still not entirely convinced, but...she does also sometimes tease Shadow, too. He can push her buttons, as all brothers do, but it still feels a little mean to her to be calling someone that is supposedly your friend an idiot. Or, uh...reinforcing those negative thoughts/self-deprecation.]

Shouldn't you then be telling them otherwise? If they're you're friends, and you know them so well, wouldn't you want to make them feel better about themselves? I'm sorry...but I don't really understand this.

[Is this some...Earth thing?? There's no way, right? It just doesn't make sense to treat people so rudely. But then again, Maria's never had anyone as close to her as Shadow, and that relationship is in its own wheelhouse.]