The joker in that deck was Lyra. While she'd given him plenty of latitude—possibly more than he deserved—it didn't take very much mental acuity to remember just how she'd gotten him here, and flattened Kate in the hospital. She might very well have a long fuse, but he'd be a fool to light it. It was obvious what would happen; he'd be laid out on the ground, and the ponies might choose to see if Kate proved to be more compliant.