[Xiaolung takes a moment to compose himself - the tension leaving his posture as he shoves the panic reaction into a little mental box for later is visible, and he sounds much calmer when he speaks.]

Yes, that is, in fact, a snowball. The last thing about that size and weight thrown at me from ambush was not, is the thing. It was a ball of goo crawling with nanoviruses designed to turn me into a goo-hurling slime monster like what used to be my friend, before he'd gotten hit by a goo ball.