Well, if it's for the mystique... As long as it isn't hex again. Teach me some useful phrases sometime.

[What counts as a useful phrase is up to Viktor. Maybe teach him how to say "mammals becoming flushed," that one's very mysterious. Palamedes leans his elbow on the table, nudging his tiny bread plate out of the way - the one singular bite he took of fancy bread was delicious, to be sure - and considers. What if, instead of waiting around for the fish... no, he's focused.

If his monster glow seems to dim a little, it's because of how focused he is on the task at hand and nothing else, particularly not getting lost.

But, like,] When you let me keep my glasses on. Usually. [He glances down briefly at Viktor's green-tinted hands, hm,] I'm working on another hypothesis I can tell you about later. After this.

[Variables, and so on. Later, for sure.]