“I like what I like.” Was his response, partnered with a half shrug as he adjusted the basket, swapping it from one hand to the other so he could lean against the shelf behind him better while he waited in line. This statement was probably more true of the cantankerous bookshop owner than himself, but also not entirely dishonest. “There are things about progress I’ve appreciated and others that have proved terribly disappointing, but as a general rule I prefer to form my own opinions and pick and choose what I want to test on my own. I think I’ve lived long enough to have earned that honor.” Not as long as some but longer than others, and while he might not wear his scars visibly like Briar, he had enough of his own to be leery of anyone presuming to tell him what’s what. “As for risk, it’s a very temporary high. Especially when you lose.”