"Perhaps... I may lie, or shade the truth," he says slowly. "I may not know that it is your jaunt. Mystery shrouds all that you do, and yet, so it does for other subtle members of your kin. I know not what I shall do until the moment."

He leans forward against the edge of the couch, resting his head upon his arms near her knee. "...Will you be terribly upset with me?" he asks, muted, nerves charged with tension and uncertainty.