[Ah, stop, he's still not used to it. He huffs, a little amused and a little embarrassed, like he does literally every time the whole House Dad thing comes up. This family...]

He'll appreciate being asked. This is all assuming I get myself ensnared in some mean-looking literature.

[Which. ...He might. And that's just fact, so moving on.]

Balance is a good theory, but that still raises the question of against what? Corruption-versus-nothing-in-particular doesn't quite stack up. I'm not about to be the one suggesting that corruption has an all-parts-equal opposite, like thanergy and thalergy, because of the fluctuations— but then, what's really going on? Hold on, I'm writing this down.

[And there is a sound of papers shuffling and pen scratching, while Viktor talks about the shielding idea. Hm hm hm-]

You can make me another ring. [haha gay] To try it out. After the stones are tested for a more or less predictable saturation point.