That got a laugh out of him. Small, but genuine and not just polite. It was an easy sentiment to understand. "I will let you know if he dies," Ravi assured him. And thank goodness that was all he wanted to know, because Ravi wasn't willing to admit to much else of the book's content.

That genuine amusement turned a bit stiff, however, when Julien spoke without using his mouth. Ventriloquism was...a thing, sure. But Ravi was pretty sure Julien was not a very skilled hobby ventriloquist. "Ah--right," he said, a bit distant, a bit distracted.

Hadn't Julien insisted upon always being considered human, no matter how inhuman his Echoes might make him? Ravi found it strange that he kept doing such obviously inhuman things. But he was the kind of person who hated calling attention to anything he wanted people to ignore.