Niil gathered his thoughts for a few moments, then said with a faint grin, "Look . . . I hope you know I'm not intentionally trying to push your buttons, Ch'lana. If I knew that you didn't like me calling you 'master', I would've stopped right away. I guess it's just old habits from Alderaan and my short time with Master Dhoresh. I just meant the honorific as a sign of respect."
Niil held up a hand. "And I'm not trying to make this about me, either; I wasn't offended at all, just . . . well, concerned. If that wasn't the real issue here, though, then you have my apologies. Is this about your concern over the Dark Side trying to lay the whammy down on Collan and me because we're training with you?" Niil opened his hands. "The door can work both ways, sir. If there's something any of us can do to help, then hell, by all means, ask or tell, and we'll do what we can. We're all comrades, teachers and students, and hope you didn't get the impression that the only reason Collan and I came with you was to exploit you for your wisdom and knowledge. And I'm not saying any of this to be condescending or come across as pitying; I'm being sincere here."
