“Regrets are the most useless form of guilt. They always arrive too late to do any good.”

“Guilt always makes the other feelings worse.”

“We always want to fix things for the people who matter. Can’t, mostly, but we want to.”

“Uh - do you want to do it outside?"Frequently. Oh, you meant the wedding. That, too.”

“Do you need me? Always, but not immediately.”

“I need to check your ankle.” “Ask.” “If you object, I—” “Giving me a chance to object is not the same as asking permission. You’re used to telling people what to do. That works with those guards you’re in charge of. You aren’t in charge of me. You have to ask.” One corner of his mouth turned up. “It’s more efficient my way.” “If your primary goal in life is efficiency, you should just die.” That startled him. His head actually jerked back. “What?” “The most efficient way to live a life is to die a couple seconds after you’re born. Pfft. Done.” She dusted her hands to demonstrate that. “It’s too late for you to achieve optimal efficiency, but you could still . . .”

“Living is very serious, very real. It is also always a game. If we are wise, it is very real, very terrible, and very lovely, and a good deal of fun.”