Over a year ago Julien's voicebox changed, and he speaks like a bird now, not dependent on lips and tongue. He does know the sound of it, of trying to figure out how to speak with a syrinx, though his own early attempts had been more warbly and ragged.

He raises his dyed eyebrows and blinks a couple times, transparent inner bird-eyelids flashing under his human ones, and ventures another question. "Did you used to be human?"