There was the real problem right there. Not only was Tao a virtual stranger, he was a virtual with whom Wolfram had done indescribably intimate things, notably sharing the worst moments of his life and the most secret fears he had.
Wolfram had never told anyone about his time displaced from his own body before. He had never spoken of the day he became Anann after Madeleine's death. There were quite a few who knew about how difficult his first change had been, how his body had not been allowed to follow through with it, but he did not share that he had almost died right there. No one really knew, and suddenly, in a matter of minutes, a vampire he had never spoken with before last night was aware of all of those facts. He didn't understand any of it, but then again, Wolfram didn't know all the details of Tao's sister's demise, either, or the torture he had suffered at the hands of those white-clothed figures.
All of that only meant that as unexpected as it was, misunderstandings were bound to happen. He couldn't seem to stop misinterpreting what Tao said to him.
"I'm sorry. I'm not very sure how to treat you - our circumstances are... complicated. I did mean what I said, however." Precisely because he was quite aware of how exposing Tao now would only spell his own undoing. He cast another look at the plate of food, and even though he wasn't hungry in the least, Wolfram indulged the vampire and ate a bit. He shook his head thoughtfully before replying, "To my knowledge, no one in the murder has experienced the void before." He laughed softly, and it was sardonic laughter at his own carelessness and gross lack experience, "But no, Siegfried does not share the ability to see the Otherworld and the lost souls here. In fact, I am relatively sure he only has age and experience on his side." Odd, for the Ard Ri. Not for the first time, Wolfram wondered how Siegfried had managed to keep his position for so long. "I used to think that he had some sort of agreement with you and your kind that kept him in power. I think the Badh and Nemain of my murder are more powerful than he is in regards of sheer power. We're relatively, however, especially our Badh." Wolfram turned partially to regard Tao, then shook his head. "We're not like the other shapechangers or lycanthropes. There are official challenges, but if I cannot protect myself from Siegfried outside of them, then it is a sign of weakness as well." A quick smile, "Of course, his hurting me outside of challenges is also a sign of weakness. He's afraid that I will do something to him in the third challenge."