Without letting so much as a hint of his real smile into Nate's habitually sheepish one, Jason says as mildly as possibly, "Yeah, it has a lot of practical applications," and leaves it at that. He nods when Stephanie says she's new. Nate has lived here longer, so it gives him more confidence.

What he says next starts out mock solemn but ends up a bit more bitter than Nate intended. "Oh, well, welcome to Baedal, o fellow chosen one. How fortunate we are to have been ripped away from our lives so we can be stomped on by secret police."