[ It might look like Claude is focusing on just about anything else ahead of them in the room besides looking at Sylvain, but in reality, he's observing the other from the corner of his eye. Just in case. There's something being pieced together there, and Claude's not unaware of where it'll lead to should that train of thought reach its end.

And yet. For some reason - words he would've kept to himself, and has been successfully for a few months now, seem a lot more difficult to avoid saying. Claude doesn't want to think too long about why. ]

Yes. [ No point in denying it when he himself basically already confirmed as much. ] It was... nightmares, basically. Only not just your own, because that would've been bad enough, but you could've ended up in someone else's and lived that on top of it. Something I did both ways. Can't say I recommend it, really.

[ That's not even covering the entities, whatever they were, or the task the Free Cities gave them to help. Will they even bother with something this time? (The joke recommendation falls flat.) Claude stops talking to let go of his drink and drag that hand down his face, or means to but stops at his brow to absently rub it with his eyes closed, all the better to continue not making direct eye contact with Sylvain as he adds, ] None of it was pleasant, to say the least.