[ the thing balthier loves about teenagers is that, no matter the circumstance, they can find something to be cheery about. alina reminds him a big of penelo -- she's a lot smarter and more tactful than vaan.

he wonders how those two are doing with the strahl. has it only been a weak there, too? they probably think he's dead. or maybe they don't -- he's a pirate after all. he's disappeared before. ]

Well, lucky for you, I'm an excellent actor with formal training at Archades premier preparatory academy. They turn out world famous performers.

Your Grisha power doesn't sound so different from Mist. With the right training, I could have learned to call fire or water or a number of other elements -- anyone could, really. I chose different specialities, but I think like does call to like. My Quickenings -- they're combat magic, I guess is the best way to put it -- are more unique to my affinities. The Mist is harder to reach here, but I can reach most of what I need. [ he's hoping the recovery time is similar. ]