[ it has always been in the word, alhaitham knows. there is a trick. set fire to a storehouse, and the mother will run to its child, the banker to his money, and the thief to his spoils. alhaitham does not believe that instinct will always show one's true character, only what one values at the time of the instinct taking hold. a banker would run to his money, but perhaps for the sake of his child in need. you cannot judge the totality of a life based on the singularity of its actions lest you discount crucial evidence that speaks to a more holistic picture. however, the choice of words when one is unaware that another is listening for it can offer clues that fit into a wider context.

'i doubt i would be worth the risk', kaveh says. alhaitham, who has weathered the contentious debate of prince, man and slave, merely looks. ]

You doubt, or Tighnari is not the type of man to do so? [ is what he asks. the question follows: ] Are you basing your assertion off of your own judgment of your self-worth, or are you judging it from the perspective of a doctor of the Avidya?

[ and then, because it is alhaitham, the words can only ever find its way to their logical conclusion: ]

Do you perhaps imply that the Vissudha will wish to capture Tighnari of the Avidya for herself?