So he had an advantage over Hopeless, in that regard. That was good; it meant Amberdrake wasn't at risk of losing his sense of self.

"I'm under a contract with my magic," Anton said simply. "It's taken my most negative emotions--my hatred and my rage--and turned them into a physical being called a gist. Most of the time, it's contained with me and cannot interact with the rest of the world, though it dearly wishes it could. Hopeless could sense it, but it isn't precisely a being of thought. It may be more defined for you."

So, after a fashion, Amberdrake was right--Anton's evenness was an act, in that it concealed something greater behind it. But it was also what Anton wanted to be, so after a fashion it was the truer face than what it hid.