"He is not pretending, he is attempting to pay for his life with affection and feels you an appropriate merchant for that coin. They have tried and failed much the same with me already, hence the rule. Were it mere playful teasing and friendly kissing? We would not be having this conversation. But it is not so simple as that, Beleth." For a Crow? It never would be. Unlearning this is just as vital as unlearning that they were worth noting.

Teaching that is...difficult, but he is managing. Day by day. Explaining it may help him all the more even if he does not quite enjoy it.

"What would you say the worth of a life is? Most would argue it to be priceless or impossible to put a value to. Every Crow, knows precisely how much they are worth. They paid three sovereigns for me. Settimo? Two and ten silver. You learn this when you are young, in the Crows, so you know what you owe them. It does things to a person to know how much coin they are worth, Beleth. Then to be told in their training they are worth even less than that? That they are expendable? He is desperate to remain, to have this chance at freedom. He knows he cannot find my favor in such a way as I know the game and am trying to discourage it. By finding yours he can, perhaps, cement his place here as you have my favor. Vita has tried much the same with Alistair." It is adorable and more than a little mortifying for the Warden.