[Emmrich listens to her voice carefully as he drops napkins one by one onto the floor and moves them with a boot. Wiping a skeleton off by hand is one thing. Wiping a tavern floor by hand is quite another.]

Learning from books and research can be quite different from some of the lessons life seeks to teach us.

[Going by his tone he might be discussing the latest bookclub choice or the weather in Nevarra this time of year. Manfred is nodding along and Emmrich wonders yet again how much his apprentice comprehends of the world around them. There's been a few signs that he's underestimated Manfred before; it's fully possible that his words are being followed.

But Manfred is not the one Emmrich worries about currently.

As soon as the spill is dried and the napkins are gathered up (still by foot) into a semi-tidy little pile, Emmrich looks back over at Rook.]

Academics also hold discussions with each other when a particular theory or line of inquiry trouble them.

[He knows she knows what he's saying. This is nothing new. But sometimes reminders can be helpful, especially when the task ahead of them approaches mythological levels.]