"Romantic," he says, smile softening. "It will be a pleasure to meet him nonetheless. Do you think you'll combine your intellects seeking a way out? Or will you be able to relax for a while?" It's what he hopes. What so many here hope for Tress, he knows -- one day, he still wants to experience Tress's world, to sail the spore seas with her. But perhaps with her young man here, the search will lose some of its urgency and become a pleasant past-time.