Felix Caelus

"And will again, I've no doubt..." It's not pointed, despite the context. Felix hasn't the will or the high ground to start with barbs now. Even less when he's already truly grateful for his husband's attentions.

If something like this had happened to him just a few years ago, would he have had anywhere to go for help? When he was just an adventuring conjurer, would he have made it out with his life, let alone the promise of recovering his hands?

He's staring at Jim and pondering how lucky he is when that glance and quiet remark interrupt his thoughts. Felix swallows. Well, can't put it off forever. Though he sits back on the pillows, tipping his head back toward the ceiling for a minute. He's... not sure he can look at Jim's face while he talks about this.

"Well... after the Runeblades, uh..." His mouth goes dry, Felix losing the thread of his words for a moment, "began... influencing me. I did a lot of things I shouldn't have. They had me- no, I mean, I needed research materials. For what I was trying to do. So at one point I... got my friend Mathieu from the College of Whispers to help me get into their restricted library. I'm not a member, you see, and if anyone had really valuable tomes on the higher uses of necromancy... or. Well. Any of the magic I thought I wanted to study."

He draws a long breath and ploughs onward. "Anyway, the problem is, I made off with an armful of those books before I was done with them. I took them back for further study. To... Rielle. Where I was holing up."