He onboards this information with a nod. "I thought that might be what that meant. Not a problem - better a hazard you know about in advance." He holds up a hand in a kind of on my honour gesture and adds: "You're the guide, though. If you decide somewhere is off limits, we won't go."

The sting of upsetting them is still raw in his mind, and he feels compelled to set that rule.

"Don't think I've forgotten you're always running off on your own mystery errands, either. If you'd find it convenient to make detours, make them. S'not like I'm on a schedule."