[ The unexpectedness of that answer gets a laugh that has one foot in deadened territory, but on the other hand, it is also genuinely entertained. Not something he meant to do, but Fabian startled it out of him before he could put something more appropriate together. ]

Oh, maybe I do have the techniques.

[ He drinks again, easy about it, then sets about detaching bite-sized portions from the piece he took. ]

I'm going to pretend it's something actually endearing, as opposed to what endearments always end up being, something bizarre.