“After my modest victory I played patience (the card game, not the virtue, never that) in the lounge, something I had not done since my ill-starred Tintagel honeymoon with Madame X.”

“I believe it's after the honeymoon ends that true love begins. It's in the hard times that the greater virtues of love reveal themselves, like tolerance and patience and kindness.”

“Patience's design flaw became obvious for the first time in my life: the outcome is decided not during the course of play but when the cards are shuffled, before the game even begins. How pointless is that?”

“Since when do we even play games?”“Since when don’t we play games? Games of life, games of death. Games of love, of hope, of chance, of despair, and of all the myriad wonders in between.”I rolled my eyes at the newcomer. “Hello, Carter.”

“Coyote never loses. Because I change the rules of the games my enemies play. What are the rules of your game?”

“Victory to the spider. Patience wins the day. And today my patience ends. (Apollymi)”