Varian sure knew that wasn't a given. He'd done pretty well for himself- he and Quirin had plenty of problems, but nothing they hadn't been working on. But for every Quirin in the world, there's a Gothel. The sort of people who just should never be parents.

"Yeah, knowing you as I do at this point? I can see why being pushed down into the deep and not being able to learn anything would have killed you."

Maybe not literally, but on the inside? absolutely. It's one of the things that draws him close to Luca in the first place, that thirst for knowledge. To learn about everything and anything. To understand the world as well as just live in it. The thought of him being ripped away from any of that is...worrying.

"I'm glad they let you live your life on the surface, and you got to go to school, that's...that's the best place for you, I think," except now he's stuck here. "I'm sorry you don't get to be with him here."