[He nods slowly, and makes himself watch. He can almost pretend it's simple sleight-of-hand, especially given the flash of light and other fanfare that any stage magician would properly use to misdirect from the workings of the illusion, except that there is no illusion, because it's just — magic.

He exhales slowly.]

I suppose it goes without saying that I don't...have a particularly positive relationship with the notion of magic. It must sound ridiculous, living in a place like this for as long as I have. I know the plants wilt when I isolate myself and they flourish when you...kiss me...and. To say nothing of the things I've...turned into, but...

[He pauses. Reaches for the kukri, carefully, and runs his fingers along the handle in a similar gesture to the way he'd touched Nyx's face.]

It was always just easier to categorically deny it. But the truth is, there's one instance of magic that I needed to convince myself wasn't true. And the easiest way to do that was simply to...reject the whole idea of it, outright.

[He presses his lips together.]

But this is important to you. Part of you. Meaningful to you and your king. So I refuse to deny it. I won't deny this...thing of significance to you.