"That's not really how it... Hold up. Let me just put on my Vannay face." He cleared his throat and proceeded to do just that, putting on an expression of exaggerated seriousness and stroking an imaginary beard. His voice rose a little in pitch, becoming cracked and wavering. Although she had no way of knowing it, his impression of his old teacher was remarkably good, having been perfected over many years. "Ka picks us all up along the way, and carries us along, for we are all one in its path. Enemies and friends, brothers and sons, all those along your path are part of your ka. Ka binds us together, and only ka separates us. And so on and so forth," he added, with a laugh, dropping both the voice and the rest of the impression. "Point is, you and Nariko are an-tet. You just don't know it. And she's a part of his ka, now, for good or ill. And so of mine, I guess, and Alain's and Jamie's too. It's not as simple as you make it out to be."