Lucius turns to reheat the kettle, but his laugh is just the very barest his shaky. "I assure you, this is far from usual. Though I hate to think how I'd have taken this a few months ago." Much worse, presumably.

He doesn't turn back right away, busying himself with the tea. "How long have you been here?" He means here in Baedal - he presumes he'd have known if his older self had been in the house before.