I am sorry your mother suffered so. My— parents were well-liked within the Alienage, but both had their struggles. My mother was a herbalist, and did much to serve the community. I think that dedicated service did much to... to allow people to look beyond their reticence, from necessity if nothing else.

( Her mother was a human child born to an elven woman, the circumstances never discussed. Her father, a man with good humour, from a family that seemed to produce too many mages. Both were difficult for the Hahren to match, a pair put together to make things easier moreso than because of pre-existing affection. They were good people, it seemed to be generally agreed, but neither were the sort you'd want to be bound to by blood.

All if this feels relevant, and all of it is raw and difficult to say. She is silent long moments, and holds her tongue. )

You speak truly, though. It is not easy, yet— that does not mean I should allow myself to be ungracious.