She didn't flinch, this time, but she did blink, stunned by the sharp little pang of hurt that she felt. It seemed absurd for her to be stung by it, and yet she was, for reasons she couldn't quite reason through.

"It's fine," she assured him, a little less than convincingly. "I can hardly be offended by the truth, and the truth is that you were friends with a different Illyria."

She regarded him almost warily.

"Perhaps I ought to go. This seems... difficult, and I am certain you will locate the object in question in due time."