Not pity. Pity was something you felt for a dog. It had meant a lot to him to make it right because that was what Fell deserved. Fell's gratitude was expected and the ebullience of it expected too, but awkward. He still felt like he'd done something stupid or wrong or desperate or all of the above.

"Beh. Point is, stick around long enough and they'll absorb you into the fold with only one or two catty remarks thirty years down the line. They'll never let you forget. But they'll forgive." He put a hand briefly on Fell's shoulder.

"I don't know if I should say 'welcome' but now that you're here, you're here."

And if he ever broke Anthony's heart he would have to run as far from here as he could get. But that was for later.