... and he's gone. It is, in fact, the first time anyone here has so much as mentioned Palaces to him, and he's entirely out. His eyes unfocus; his lips part; he remains standing, but goes limp. He doesn't blink; he barely breathes.

In the background, unknown to either of them, some of those silk threads in his mental tapestry are hastily darning themselves, creating a thicker weave.