The devout belief that the world is explainable is both a terrible vulnerability and a stout shield.

I don't break; I bounce.

Yes,” I told him. “I think the guy playing the Pirate King was awesome.” He stopped where he was. “What?” I asked, frowning at the big smile on his face. “I didn’t say I liked the Pirate King,” he told me. “Oh.” I closed my eyes—and there he was. A warm, edgy presence right on the edge of my perception. When I opened my eyes, he was standing right in front of me. “Cool,” I told him. “You’re back.” He kissed me leisurely. When he was finished, I was more than ready to head home. Fast. “You make me laugh,” he told me seriously.

Such a small thing to cause so much trouble.

Now, I'm not very vain. If I'd ever been, making my living covered in various grease and dirt mixtures would have cured me quickly. Still, I wasn't up to facing two sexy men when I had one eye swollen mostly shut and half of my face black and blue.

My will broke at the sound of his voice, and my head turned with as much inevitability as a sunflower turning its face to the sun.

The Elders were closer to the Maker of All Things and should be deferred to whenever they made their will known.