in this castle of glass

LOREN

Yes. Your attitude problem. Feathers flickered in Loren's hair as his teeth grew sharper. You have been rude and dismissive of me since the day we met. And yes, I fucked up a few times, but I apologized for that. Waving an angry hand over the kettle, filling it with hot water with his magic, he threw the leaves in to steep.

Meeting Korbin's gaze directly, the healer pressed his lips together. Seriously, what is your problem? You are the only Halovian I've met whose been actively hostile to me. Even though the others dislike me for being an outsider, they're at least willing to be open-minded about it. He spread his hands a bit. I've been wracking my brain for where I went wrong. Because I am more than willing to be your friend.

Then he took a deep breath. You took the job I offered, though. And here, in my infirmary of all places, yes, you do owe me respect. If you can't handle that tiny amount of responsibility, the door is right behind you. If the hunter wanted rejection, if he wanted to be alone, so be it. The Launceleyn was tired of holding out a hand and having the other man complain about it every step of the way.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness