"If anything, your exhaustion is permission and encouragement for me to rest, which I should do more of anyway." Xander is so sweet, he has the deep urge to kiss him on the cheek. He abstains, but does lean into his side a little, placing his free hand over top of their intertwined fingers.

"My schooling..." He looks out the window, thoughtful. "I never really had any friends. As a child, my disability alienated me from my peers. Once I was old enough, I snuck into the academy in the rich part of town, and pretended to be a student until the Dean noticed me and took me on as an apprentice. Then, I was alienated for being from the Undercity, not having a patron or a last name that held any weight. In fact, I have no last name at all. But," he shrugs. "As you said, some of it was simply me prioritizing my work over socializing. In the end, I met Jayce, and that was enough for me."