Humour is quite the versatile tool: the most effective at cutting the tension from an unexpected reunion, or deflecting serious inquiries away from one's secrets. Tuo has used it for both purposes, although with friends, always with care and tenderness. If he must lie to them (and he must), then he will do so gently if he has a choice.

He laughs, all lightness and whimsy, and remarks, "You've developed a rebel's spirit since I last saw you. An intriguing quality, for a priest." The homespun robes speak for themselves, nearly as much as the fabric that is folded carefully across Vervain's eyes. "Is that why you've so far from 'Thwaite, to this little corner of Maireglenne?"