Trahearne was certainly surprised at first, lifting his hands in a placating gesture to try to slow Leo down. "Wait a moment! I didn't mean for it to be an accusation. It's more that, ah - you can understand why I might be worried when I hear about man-eating plants." Or perhaps Leo wouldn't understand, but Trahearne wasn't inclined to elaborate any further.

He lowered his hands slowly as he added, "I'm not sure what 'Beyondian' is, but - who in the world would want hostile plants in their garden?"