"Could be worse," Sorrel soothes him, trying for humor because if Adasse's coping with a grin, he can humor him, "Imagine being a mage!"

It's a joke, you see. Some jokes are funny because they're ridiculous; others, they're funny because they're a little too true. But then, he sobers.

"This whole tower is full of people. They're all in the same state we are, and even if you could hide from it, there aren't enough beds, or enough Cocos, to go around. You're really good at calming me down, when I panic. Do you think maybe, you can give some of that, to someone else too?"