It's a bit odd, a piece of a story that Phillip is still missing, that Gustavain opens so easily to the touch of his aether. It's not something that's usually comfortable immediately, even before considering what someone like Phillip's aether likely feels like. It's usually a bit like trying to climb into a very hot bath-- you can make yourself hold still until the water feels good, but it takes effort to not hiss a little about it. There's no effort. Phillip brushes against his soul and Gustavain just comes unspooled in his arms without even a flinch.

And while it does take several more minutes for him to quiet, he does quiet, finally. And then he starts to tell the story-- the real story, not the parts he'd given Feo Ul. About the light aether and about Emet-Selch and Amaurot, all of it.

There's a clear, strange affection there in the telling for Emet-Selch, something he doesn't try to hide. It doesn't particularly sound like they were lovers, exactly, and that's not something Gustavain would be likely to hide, if they had been. But it's markedly different than how he's talked about the other Ascians, a strange, soft vulnerability about it. Perhaps it is as simple as Emet-Selch being the only one (aside from Phillip) to try to talk to him. Knowing how Gustavain's mind works, it's liable to be something else.

Still, the anger and hurt that comes towards the end of the tale tells the ending before Gustavain does, gives more credence to an incredible story of the last few weeks of his time on the First.

"There was so much to do, in the wake of it all," he says, finally, "There is still so much to do. But I came as soon as I could."