He is trying to imagine, gazing at that portrait, what it would have been like if they had the chance to keep raising Elias together, in a world that wasn't broken. Avalir was one of the safest places to do that, at least when it came to physical danger, but how long would it have taken for their son to start taking risks every time the city stopped, and he could experience the rest of the world?

Laerryn didn't really consider herself his mother - he was Evandrin's son, and then Zerxus's as well - but oh, she'd have whipped up a marvel of arcane ingenuity just to alert them the moment his breath so much as hitched, and if he was ever in real danger -

"We would probably have driven him insane." His voice is rough, and he swallows hard before tearing his eyes away from the past and heading towards the sofa, which Tempus is already lounging in front of. "Ah - you can sit anywhere, obviously. And let me know if you want - tea, or water, or - "

It is painfully obvious that entertaining guests is not a skill he's had to keep honed.