"...yeah. I guess the corpse one would have been obvious if I had thought about it, I just — try not to think about seeing your corpse." 

Leo kisses his forehead. 

"I love you because you're the sort of person who learns about 'beg' and goes 'oh, it's a button I can press that makes this person really easy to make happy.'"

He ducks his head and quietly thanks God for Sunnydale syndrome. "It makes you really really happy to get a thing that is easy and pleasant to give you! It's the obvious thing to think of!" 

"Lilith would learn about it and go 'now I can get this person to promise me anything.'"

"...I generally reach for a higher bar than 'not Lilith' but I see your point." 

"I'm really glad you're not Lilith!"

"I am too! — seriously, though, when the world's cutest puppy is loudly demanding snuggles at the top of his tiny lungs, it would be harder not to give them." 

He bounces. "I'm the world's cutest puppy!"

"Well, I've never seen a cuter one." 

"But why does rice need water, though?"

"I don't know, but we can find out!" 

When sixth period ends and school is out, he takes Leo and goes to Sonja's classroom to meet her. 

Sonja is outside the classroom crying again. 

"Hey. I usually meet Marlo by the bike rack, we can walk with you to your car or the bus stop or wherever it is you walk to." 

"Okay," she says, sniffling. "Why am I the one that's sad, I broke up with her."

"Because breakups are hard and you're worried that everyone hates you now? You have plenty of reasons to be sad." 

"I guess. --I should just get back with her, it'd be easier."

"Maybe in terms of the next week, but you broke up with her for a reason. And I'm not actually sure I've ever heard her go for five minutes at a time without being cruel to someone." 

"I guess I was an idiot for ever liking her but-- she can be great, when she wants to be."

"I get it. Just — most of the time, to most people, she doesn't want to be." 

"And when she does want to be it's usually because she wants something from you." Sonja sighs. "A promise."

"That's not being great. That's being fake." 

"I know I was stupid, you don't have to rub it in."

"Sorry, I'm just — trying really hard to convince you that it would not in fact be easier to try to go back. I can stop." 

"It's just. I betrayed her, you know? I made a promise and then I didn't keep it. And she cares a lot about promises."

Leo is pretty sure he's figured out what Lilith's set of laws is!