Gareth nodded slowly. It was the answer he'd hoped for, and yet he found it didn't quite satisfy him. Why was that? He puzzled over it for a moment, then pushed it aside for later examination. She was still talking, after all, and he was interested in listening. "I think you're right," he sighed. "People have the capacity to be endlessly kind, or cruel, and some end up one way while others end up the other."

He met her eyes as she turned back, captivated by her cool yellow gaze. And he felt warmth from deep in his chest spread as she smiled at him. "So have I," he answered easily. "You've taught me more than just about dragons... you've shared a great deal with me about all sorts of things I never got the chance to figure out on my own. And it's been a pleasure to learn with you."

He looked deep into her eyes, forgetting almost everything but her. She was beautiful, almost unscathed from her tussle with the priest of the sun god--and still there was that naivete in her that he found so endearing. "I--" he might have been about to say, but just then he noticed her parents had started eavesdropping on their little conversation. Zagan was frowning and Eira... her expression was unreadable to him at least.