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Dante's heart went out to the boy, it really did. He felt something of a kinship with him, that much was true. But if he let one student visit excessivly, they all would. And then he'd never get any work done at all.

"Let's see. Gelnuir--the one with the red ribbon, who's sitting in your lap right now--likes pretty much anything. Particularly bread crumbs soaked in either honey or some form of wine, though I'm not sure if you can get your hands on the latter. Glornuir particularly likes pieces of fruit and berries like raspberries and blueberries for you to hold up to him. That's him, in the blue ribbon. Gilnuir--he's difficult, but you shouldn't have to deal with him often. His particular favorite is cubes of meat--raw, preferebly, or medium rare."

Dante let out a little chuckle, waving an arm. "Really, they'll eat anything if they're hungry enough. I'm just an old..."backlore" as you humans call it--someone single?--so these are my babies and I spoil them," he said. Glornuir landed on his desk. The man reached over and scratched his skull affectionately despite the fact that he grumbled something about scratching the desk. "If you really want to, you can just go ask the cooks. Or Javelin keeps some kind of birdseed for them. Use that as a last resort, though."

He paused at the boy's suggestion. "...I would like that." His sister enjoyed cooking and he thought of his family back at Iliodean, about how much he missed them. "I could teach you how to make some Elven delicacies, too."

Dante chuckled with a shake of his head. "I keep finding myself more on par with my students each and every day," he said quietly, fingering the satin bow tied around Glornuir's neck. "Yes. You had a place you once called home, didn't you?" Dante asked. "A place where you grew up. I think...I think that we all think about the place where we grew up when we're away from it, even if it's bad...because there's also good memories that you had there."

He chuckled again. "Listen to me, a senile old Elf rambling on about some nonsense...."

"Don't ever call yourself a disgrace in my presence again, even if it's just in reference to what someone else called you. You are hardly a disgrace." I am, though, he said silently to himself, and the thought twisted his stomach in a knot before he could push it away.

"And I'm certain that you'll want to go home someday...if not because you want to, then to find out all the answers to your 'why' questions."

He paused and looked up. "Are you tired?"

"Indeed. Just remember that people's hearts CAN change. Mine did." A hand idly reached out to stroke Glornuir. "I'm not saying that it will, but if it does than do not try to find it--remember that things happen for a reason."

He turned to the papers on his desk. "You can remain here or go back and get some rest." He did not offer help. The boy could say if he needed it.

Dante frowned thoughtfully at Rylenn's expression. Animosity towards someone? A grudge? THAT wasn't good. He wanted for a fleeting moment to open his mouth and tell him that grudges were no good....then thought better of it and bit back what he wanted to say by looking away and taking a quill. "If you say so," he said candidly, almost tartly as he wrote some Elven words in his book. Let the boy believe what he wished, he supposed; he was in no place to change his heart. He'd find the answer on his own.

"I hope to see you soon as well, Rylenn." And I hope you'll trust me enough to start opening up before I have to tell you things I'd rather not. "Remember that I'm going to start a study group on Elven once you all are more advanced with languages."

"Rylenn, wait." Dante stood, reaching out for the boy, then paused. "It's not that I'm...agghh, I'm not angry with you. I'm simply...frustrated."

He took a seat and sighed, stroking the crow's feathers. "I don't know how to give you advice in a way that you won't take as offensive. What I wanted to tell you was that grudges do no good for either party. I wasn't certain how you'd react to that, and so I got frustrated."

It has nothing to do with you, he tried to say. Perhaps it's just me.

"People often make stupid decisions or say things on the fly," Dante said as neutrally as possible. "Please do not think I'm trying to discount what you are saying--if I am wrong, then time will prove me so. But from what I have learned from my experience with--"

He stopped, blinked, and shook his head.

"I have learned from my experiences that often rash decisions made on the spot are not ones that are meant," Dante said. "It may never be, it may be far later, or it might be now, where you have no idea. But there may come a time where your father asks for forgiveness, should you find one another again...all I ask is that you remember what I have told you."