He's heard of mabari, though his understanding is limited to 'they're war dogs who can really fuck you up and Fereldans are crazy about them.' The notion that they can understand speech seems far-fetched, and yet...

"Can they really?" Or--well, if it's true, she wouldn't be the one to ask. He turns to Garahel. "Can you?"

Either way, it's somewhat disarming to know he's not the only one who's had trouble with the tall shelves. Not very, because with Vandelin nothing ever really is, but a little. "I do hope they take your advice sooner rather than later, then. If I weren't in the middle of a project, I'd wait until they do, but you know how research goes."