"All right," he said, fidgeting a bit with his hands before correcting that by reaching for the water glass again. He gave poor Kate an errant thought before forcing himself to stop worrying.

"I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, having a talent in that area," he said idly. "I don't think anyone likes to clean up messes but it's good to know for when it does. Preparation is important, I suppose?"