[laughing] "Still teaching about fasting bands? I thought they'd nixed that from the curriculum centuries ago."

"Well, I'm sure you have plenty of time to spend one-on-one with your pupils. A blessing from the old sea gods, for sure! I've got my claws completely full now that my class is absolutely brimming with students. Only sixty-two protectorate positions are open this year, and twenty-four of mine are sure bets—masters of empathy, courage, and observation. But now that I've gotten a good look at the competition, I'm thinking I can place all of them."

"Maybe next year we can team up; tend our clutches together. We can assure we're sending the best and brightest out to be our ocean's protectors." [More conciliatory, happy to work with his former rival]