Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never see, never experience, never know. The risk of pain and loss was a part of living.

She studied my face for a long minute. "Are you going to help my mom?" It was a simple question. But how do you tell a child that things just aren't that simple, that some questions don't have simple answers--or any answer at all?

This is what it look like when it WORKS?

In the action business, when you don't want to say you ran like a mouse, you call it 'taking cover.' It's more heroic.

...the Stone Table [was] a place that served as the OK Corral for the Faerie Courts when they decided to engage in diplomacy by means of murdering anyone on the other team.

Seedy wasn't a fair description for the place, because seeds imply eventual regrowth and renewal.

And thrice do I say to thee...bite me.