LOREN
All kinds of perception were subjective. None more so than self-perception: if Phoebe wanted to continue to think of herself as a nobody, there was little Loren could do but reassure her that she was a somebody. ”Well, I still think you being Dean and Founder of the Caido Medical College is a pretty big deal, and I’ll say that to anyone who asks.” Gratefully he handed off his box to her, along with the two from his golem, which he banished with a sigh of relief; it had taken a lot of magic to maintain the spell, so he slumped against a convenient wall and watched her pack away the latest set of supplies (even though he felt she already had too much). He would’ve helped her if his arms hadn’t burned from the exertion of carrying the surprisingly heavy box that distance. ”But acting on unproven hypotheses can often lead to more harm than inaction.” At the mention that his apology was a poor one, he grinned. ”Point taken. I apologize sincerely then. Chalk it up to my noble heritage?” If she could play that card, so could he.”Well, you’ve got me beat there. I can’t swim at all.” At her admission that the blight had made her bold, Loren smiled at her. ”That wasn’t all blight. And even if it was, you stuck to your convictions in your conversation with me.” Surely that couldn’t all be laid at the foot of a disease: it brought out people’s darker instincts, sure, but that meant it was still a version of them.
It would hurt less if they weren’t themselves at all.
”You and me both. And please do hold it against me. He doesn’t remember, but I do, and I don’t ever want to hurt him ever again, and he seems insistent on spending time with me.” It was only a matter of time before Loren slipped up, did or said something that distressed the (admittedly easily upset) alchemist. If the other man’s friends kept an eye on him, maybe they’d intervene before it was too late. Like when he jumped into a Fae pit to have a silly conversation with Loren. However, her characterization that the Launceleyn had been some foppish noble leading Remi on was completely off-base. Unfortunately, the summoner had no way to prove that.
Why anyone would only want children and a family out of life—especially someone who had so much going for her—and why someone thought kids were the only kind of legacy were worth having was beyond his comprehension. ”No. It doesn’t. But we can’t let others perceptions of us matter too much, right?” Still, when she brought up her last days, he just gave her a sympathetic look. Everyone seemed convinced there was no hope for the blighted, and he didn’t seem capable of getting them to have hope. So he’d just have to be hopeful for them.
A beggar's book
outworths
a noble's blood
