"Ah, well. I did not, for what it is worth," John replies, with an easy shrug.

Lord John accepts one of the appetizers himself, thanking the woman with the tray graciously as he takes one of the giant purple shrimp skewers for himself as well. It's all... Decidedly odd, he will give it that, but then he's spent time in the army and like Wilhelm, has subjected himself to far worse fare than he's certain whatever this is.

"Might I ask," he says, as delicately as he can, "what that little trick of yours actually was all about?"