[He draws in a breath and collects himself, a vague wave of his hand being all it takes for a bit of prestidigitation to clean up any of the wine that may have landed elsewhere. He covers his mouth long enough to clear his throat and ensure he's recovered before answering, watching her sip at her wine with interest.]

I do find the storytelling approach to be rather engaging. It's not the only book I've seen of its like, but the style has been used to great effect. Is there—

[Hm.]

Any particular reason for this choice? It's a classic where you come from, I take it; the name came up when I was looking into significant literature titles from your world.

[He's just going to casually start on his dinner, but his eyes are definitely still on her.]