Gareth nodded. "It's a mixed bag. Some people like the idea of fate because it means there's a plan for them, but to others it seems more like they're trapped and have no choice in the matter." The magician shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Honestly, it's something I try not to think about too much. Doesn't seem to me too much like things will change if I do or if I don't, so why bother?"

A moment of silence passed, broken by an honest laugh from Gareth's lips.
"Hits things with sticks. And I suppose by that logic all Zelly does is wave a twig around," he affirmed, but his expression was hardly judgmental. "I guess nothing sounds that impressive when you boil it down." In the past he had shrunk away from her touch or at least frozen solid when she reached out to him, but there was almost the sense he leaned into it now, when she rested her hand on his shoulder for the briefest second.
"But you do a lot more than call to the Fey for aid," he uttered softly. "Zelly brought us all together, but I think more than anyone you're what's keeping us, Winter." Gareth looked deep into her eyes, turning so he was facing her directly. Standing close.
"Without you, we might have stuck together with a sense of common interest or greed, but with you here--we're a family."
"And that's something that's incredibly important, especially to me."