"Don't be surprised when I don't complain," he said, smiling faintly. He wondered when talk would start. It was something he considered inevitable in the long run.

"Many leave the order before it gets...unmanageable. Some are able to remain guards for a while. You can point them in the right direction, and they can still smite somebody as well as they did ten years prior. The majority just make sure they eventually get into something they can't get out of." The Maker didn't approve of outright suicide. Going down fighting the good fight was a perfectly acceptable alternative. He believed in the end, that was what Emeric was after, above and beyond helping the women.

"It's hard hating someone who's dead. It's like having a one way conversation with the worst possible partner, and you can't shut up even when you're sick of it and want to." He wasn't arrogant enough to compare his experiences to hers, but it had been that way for him with Uldred.

He touched her again, less tentative this time, a circle of fingers over mid-back. "I'm always willing to listen. This is supposed to be a chance for us to get to know each other better. I think it's working out rather well, if you ask me."