"Then you will know," is very crisp. "The recorded observations that have been made of rifters who have lost their anchors, and their response to both lyrium and to certain telling environments such as the Crossroads. And you will of course have drawn the same perfectly reasonable conclusion that I have. Which is that when a rifter loses her anchor, who then appears as an ordinary Thedosian might and reacts to the use of certain substances in an identical fashion to the same whereas other rifters who retain their anchors demonstrate largely contrary responses—"

She will say, If it looks and sounds and acts as a bird then surely it is a bird, and the point will be made. Nevermind that the Provost has backed the research (which would be easy to say). No, she will make the point by being very logical. She will be very reasonable. Everyone should be so very pleased with her.

"She was afraid of this, you know. Madame de Cedoux. That you might view this thing that could very well save her as a detraction."