Because nothing says flattery like a gun to the head.

I brought the Beetle to life with a roar. Well. Not really a roar. A Volkswagen Bug doesn't roar. But it sort of growled.

Isana felt her throat tighten. "We failed." Serai lifted her chin and patted Isana's arm firmly. "We have not yet succeeded. There is a difference.

If you shoot, I will kill her before I die." Yes," Kitai said in a patient tone. "Which is why I have not shot you. Yet.

There is the world that should be and the world that is. We live in one and must create the other.

There's always, always a choice. My options might really, truly suck, but that doesn't mean there isn't a choice.

Heroism doesn't pay very well. I try to be cold-blooded and money-oriented, but I keep screwing it up.