“One is either packed or unpacked. There is no middle ground.”

“Either you're growing or you're decaying; there's no middle ground. If you're standing still, you're decaying.”

“I have packed myself into silence so deeply and for so long that I can never unpack myself using words. When I speak, I only pack myself a little differently.”

“But, the thing about guilt is, no one can take away for you; you have to unpack it yourself.”

“Okay, you're telling the truth. By the way, Nick, you have the most screwed-up life. You're either boring as all get out, or you're about to die. There's no middle ground with you. You might want to work on that.”

“Why does it have to be so cut-and-dried? In your view, I either have to hate them or be in league with them. There’s a middle ground, you know. I can still be loyal to the Alchemists and on friendly terms with vampires and dhampirs.”