[ who? trying to word it differently just comes off, so he goes with the naked truth, hands on his knees and regarding abel. ]

It’s . . . History, I guess. Eldians did a lot of horrible things to Marleyans in the past. They’re the only people who can turn into monsters, uh, [ gesture, ] giants. It’s what we all learn.

[ even if he didn’t agree, it wasn’t as if he could just ignore it. the world was so full of shades and he could see them all the way they are. beyond them, even. it sounded almost silly now, asking for that sort of reassurance, so he ducks his head. ]

I just, [ he lifts both hands and drops his fingers on his kneecaps again in a light fwup. ] wanted to make sure.