"Decidedly not," Ivona agreed with a delicate snort. "What was the man even thinking? But then, if he wasn't, and his control has slipped that much, then perhaps it was for the best, hm? Given the gossip mill I've heard since coming home, I'm surprise it took Clive and Katya this long." But then, they'd never really seemed to have had much of a leash on Julien; David had managed it, barely.

"One would think the Spades have been blunted over time, perhaps. If the Ace cannot be our sharpest, what does that speak for the rest of us, then?" She shrugged a shoulder, musing. "But I am glad he's not let his circumstance goad him into doing something rash. Promising, at least."