Right to it, huh? [ He quirks a wry smile again, but it doesn't reach his eyes. ] But here we're just getting to know each other. Not sure I'm ready for that kind of commitment.

How's this: [ And here he draws just a little closer, the smile dropped from his voice. ] I'm not popular in town because I fought the Pthumerians and got more than I bargained for. You don't have to do much digging to find that out. But I'll tell you why I did it, even knowing it might shake out the way it did.

[ To the deeply observant, it's clear: he's tired. What he's saying is at least partly true, but the conviction behind it is starting to degrade. ]

I have a war to get back to.