[ He swallows and gives a nod. He doesn't laugh at the levity of her remark, even though it could easily come as a joke. He can't laugh at it. He can't feel anything but disgust and frustration for it. It didn't mean judging Shadowkind when he met them -- just when it was tied back to him.

He follows after her as she starts for the door. ]

How long have you been with the knighthood? You seem pretty comfortable, and I'm taking a wild guess in saying you were once one of those who came through the Veil yourself. [ It doesn't seem like a big leap -- most Shadowkind did, except those who had been grandfathered into this world, who Ethan was realizing were becoming more and more common as time wore on. But, given the kind of interaction that the Knighthood had with people who had just come through the Veil ... it made sense that most of the Shadowkind who were a part of it would be first generation. ]