At the other side of the table, Valerion seemed somewhat surprised for a moment; then he smiled, then he smiled as well, his head tilted in gentle agreement. "Adrien", he replied, "Thank you. I greatly appreciate your words. You are absolutely right, and I'll try to keep that in mind. You should do the same, too".

"I know, I know", Adrien chuckled, "I don't practice what I preach, but --".

"It's alright", Valerion smiled, "Neither do I, as you can see. And I really should. Thank you". He took a sip of water, then he continued: "This is the first time that I teach, outside of conferences and the like; I only have two weeks of teaching experience, so I... I worry. I hope I can be a good teacher, but --".

"You've been doing just fine!", Adrien exclaimed, leaning forward. "I have met bad teachers, and really, you -- you're not one of them. If I -- if I can tell you a bit of a story...".

"Please, do".