[ Despite the way that the three of them are woven together, Aegis cannot help but wonder sometimes at what is truly happening behind the All-Seer's eyes. It feels as if he looks past even the planes that the gods walk upon, processing so much information about various possibilities all at once that it's truly no wonder that he ends up lost in it so often.

Which is all the more reason why he needs the two of them to anchor him, as far as Aegis concerned.

Books are always interesting, Stephen insists, and Aegis finds his lips twitching away from their normal neutral position in a half-smile as he shakes his head. ]

I believe you might be biased.

[ But yes, they are here to drag him away. It's not the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last. That is a constant too. ]

An echo came through for us, from a mortal who wishes to find a way through the ice wall. [ There's a pause, and just in case he needs to clarify, he stares Stephen down with white-bright eyes. ] From Thorne.

[ This mortal wants change; that is Stráedelaith's realm. They want to alter their state and escape chaos; that is the All-Seer's. And, of course, they want protection; that is his.

He isn't leaving any opening for Stephen to refuse, as he holds down his hand to him to help him up from his seat. A golden ring rotates in a slow circle around his wrist, matching the ornaments on his opposite hand and ankles. ]