Startled out of his reverie, Zelnick looked up suddenly, and a bit blankly-- it took him a moment to process what Kenren had said.

When he did, he laughed sheepishly. "It shows? Yeah, it's... an old friend showed up," he explained. "Old and loyal and a surprisingly good subordinate. But..."

At a loss for words, he gestured with his fork at the room-- and by implication, Landel's Institute. "This place," he sighed, hoping that would be enough for Kenren to get the idea, and ate a bite of mashed potatoes.