"He is too. He wished I let the king kill him, last year -"

"I can see why."

"The unicorn stopped him." She shakes her head. "And I love them, and - and I love them."

"Seems like it'd be easier on you if you didn't."

"If anyone has to look at me like that at least it's them," she murmurs.

"Yeah," he says, "but if you didn't love 'em couldn't you just have let him kill himself?"

"I. I don't - think - we could have Bonded if we weren't going to love each other." She picks her way through this sentence like molasses, looking at her dragon drawing.

"Too bad for all of you, I guess."

"Mine's Brilliance," says Brilliance. "And my you is Bella."

"I'm Isibel."

He nods.

Isibel traces the lines of her dragon drawing with one finger gently, idly.

Brilliance watches.

Isibel has done more thinking in the last ten minutes than she usually does in a week. She closes her eyes and hums vacantly.

He doesn't really want to stay here, but he doesn't really want to leave her alone, either. He's sure this place would be fascinating if he didn't have something more important on his mind.

"G'night," he sighs.

Isibel picks up his hand, and presses her cheek to it, and sighs, and then lets him go and pauses for a moment before remembering to pick up her book and pen. She goes to the door, and opens it, and goes out.