"Our time together in awareness of each other is limited before we must return to the Cycle. No one should be too busy for those they have been given the privilege of calling family." Ezre spoke softly without thinking of the esoteric nature of his opinions, dark eyes narrowing for a moment at how easily Madeleine made excuses for Angelique, for perhaps other members of her family as well. Perhaps she missed them. The Hoxian missed his relatives, too, but when he was home, he never lacked for their company or contact.
The boy didn't think much on the weight of his judgment nor the forcefulness of his method of getting to the point of conversation. He was not one to overstuff his interactions or skirt around particular issues, and while it seemed as those Miss Gosselin didn't quite catch on to his accusation about her sister or at least refused to believe it, perhaps it was for the best.
She asked how he felt about his time here as a student and he actually paused, thoughtful for a moment, dark eyes distant and then coming into focus on her face again, meeting her gaze,
"Brunnhold's unrivaled academic status among the Six Kingdoms is well-founded and I find their meticulous historical collections both here and in the Crypts beneath the Church of the Moon to be very impressive. Am I entirely enjoying myself being so far from home? No. Not always. But it is not as unpleasant as that admission sounds." Ezre was honest, and his answer to her perhaps hopefully innocuous question was met with a reply that seemed to aptly summarize both his excitement and his disappointment all at once. He chose not to discuss his opinions on Anaxi as a people, on Brunnhold students and the weaknesses in character he perceived, nor on the political state of the Kingdom itself.
"Frekstat is much smaller and perhaps more humble by comparison, though I would dispute the claim that its academics are at all inferior. It felt much more intimate and close-knit, but I believe that my culture has a different sense of community than in Anaxas." The Hoxian added with a warm hint of pride in the otherwise unemotional tone of their voice, "And I will agree that the thought of Mugroba's heat intimidates me as well, which is why I chose to spend the next few years here first, acclimating. Hox is a very cold Kingdom."
They both talked as they climbed the stairs to the second floor of the Library, Ezre glancing over the railing at the tall stacks and smattering of students below, so many of their heads ginger. The tall windows let in very warm, gorgeous light, and he appreciated the very different style of Anaxi architecture. The lilt of his accent was strong for a Hoxian, often emphasizing the consonants far more than most of his foreign peers and softening H-sounds and F-sounds, "My homeland is known for Static Conversation, but I appreciate those who are willing to understand the way Vita works in order to become better Physical sorcerers. Even if that has never been an interest of mine."
He stepped aside in time to allow another student to pass by them both, burdened by very impressively large tomes, pausing at the top of the stairs when Madeleine pointed out the direction of the nine hundreds stacks,
"Frekstat also requires students to declare their focus, though I feel as though the foundation classes here are a little less—how do I say it?—rigorous. I would say that Hox has a much more open-ended last few years of study, while Anaxas seems very strict about shoving students into a career focus." Whether that was a better method of organization or study, Ezre couldn't necessarily pass his judgment. He hovered, unsure of how to dismiss himself or whether he needed to at all.
He nodded in the direction of her book, deciding to make more small talk because he wasn't entirely in a hurry to no longer have conversational company. Ezre was homesick, after all, which meant companionship of any kind was far better than sitting alone in silence, even if Madeleine wasn't Hoxian and probably couldn't entirely understand him anyway,
"Where I come from in Hox—Kzecka—the knowledge of those who came before us is considered valuable and given the utmost respect, even when new discoveries are made afterward, no one can deny honor to those who laid the foundations for such progress. Sometimes, there is still insight in their different methods of thinking." His mother was, of course, proof of that, as were other raen. Older ones, anyway. New beings like Tom did not have the stores of wisdom that a century brought to the mind, and yet the boy hadn't hesitated to offer what he could,
"This Kingdom seems too keen for progress, but only because there is little guilt about stepping on the backs of others to reach higher—anyway, I—" He paused again, obviously considering his words for longer than most would have thought really necessary, attempting to find the correct approach to the invitation he made in order to not sound awkward or desperate, in order to make a simple offer instead,
"—I will probably remain up here as it is less crowded than the lower floor of the library—"
His words could have been misconstrued as dismissive given the lack of any specific emotion behind them, but Ezre's delicate features warmed into a smile even as he tilted his head in the direction of his decimal system destination,
"—if you do not want to sit at a table alone, that is."