"No, I'd been doing that as much as I could for years before. My mother hated it. The piece of paper and a sympathetic, bribed, healer just made it look like there was nothing beside it."

Krem had no problems talking about that part of himself. What was there to hide? Especially now, with the slow evolution of his face, his body, his very voice. It was a dream he'd had once and that had never been possible, but was here in Darrow. There was no escaping what he was.

"I don't," he said, shaking his head and comparing his stitches to the original embroidery. He looked up at Biffy and offered a candid smile. "Our paths were very different, I think. Much like mine and Dorian's. Though, over the months, I've come to realize that mine and Dorian's had more in common than I care to enjoy. Tevinter was not a kind place to anyone, I think, though I miss it terribly."