"Oh, gods no." He scoffs sharply, almost recoiling from the notion and nearly spilling his glass in the process— only just recovering it at the very last second.

"But much as I hate to admit it, the irritating creature does remarkably decent research, and the truth is...."

He stops there, frowning across the lip of his glass, letting the sentiment fester for a beat. "I don't really know what I am anymore since stepping through the Fade: its alterations might have more consequences than the ones I've already discovered— and much as I love surprises, I don't love the ones that could easily get me killed, or sickened— or worse."

Val Chevin had been proof enough in its own way, of precisely how dangerous the unexpected could be.