[ The answer to "what does Matt know" may come through in his rueful smile. He can't say how accurate the visions in Venera were--memory is such a malleable thing, especially when you're young--but he's confident at least that Howl knows why somebody might want to talk to a demon. ]

Honestly ... mostly to see if I could. [ Matt heaves a sheepish sigh. ] I think I've mentioned I taught myself everything I know, and I'd just ... never met a limit that had stayed a limit, at that point. So I got curious, and I just went for it.

[ Though from what he recalls of Howl's motivations, they seem far more altruistic than his own. Sweet, even. It's rare to have the capacity to care about something you've been taught to see as a monster. ]