"Yes, I heard from your victim firsthand. About the serpent below the belt thing, I mean." Which brings them full circle, doesn't it?

He starts the final pour, with one eye on the scale; delicate, slow little spirals. "Futaba asked us to change her heart. She was aware of what was going on, part of the process. In the end, she faced her Shadow right there in her Palace and awakened. I don't believe we could have done it without her, which... may be instructive. I'm not sure.

"I've seen a little of Ren's distortion from the inside. I'm not sure if it would be constructive or not to tell him. Whether we could even protect him, when he inevitably insisted on joining the party."