And that wasn't condescending at all. Zoe raised her brows, considering whether to point out she was, as far as she could tell, older than he was, and plenty experienced. She didn't need some purple-haired young man to tell her just how dangerous this place was.

"Well," she said after a beat, expression bland, "until my brain figures out how to trust it, I got my own. Didn't exactly come here unprotected. And in the meantime, I practice, an' see what I can make of it."