Altair was grateful that Ari didn't intend to pry. It saved him from having to lie outright. He'd had one prepared, of course, but he preferred truths whenever possible. He accepted Ari's change of subject with a shake of his head.
"I had the misfortune of attending a party with him last summer," he said. "The wine was flowing a bit too freely, and Lord Faolan treated us to a ... recitation." He couldn't suppress a sneer at the memory. "He said, 'People tell me I should've been a bard,' and I nearly choked. He claimed not to remember that night when it came up a few months later, but can you imagine? Master Lukas would have laughed himself to death." Still shaking his head, he took another sip of coffee.