There is nothing that is quite so reassuring in an awkward situation as knowing that one is well turned-out, and while I hope I am not so fainthearted as to require such stratagems, I am not so foolish as to overlook their value.

That is certainly one way to look at the matter. There are others.

Brant's an idealist, and he's competent. There are few more dangerous combinations in this world... Heroes are even more dangerous than idealists.

In short, if we wish to see anything sensible done about the situation, we will clearly have to do it ourselves.

You can't force folks to have good sense, even if they're family. Maybe especially then.

Kim was more than a little inclined to snarl at him, but in the past few days she had learned that snarling at Mairelon did little good. He simply smiled and corrected her grammar.

Tell the story you want to tell, and let it be as long as it needs to be. Worry about marketing it later.