“Annika had tangled herself in his thoughts, wrapped herself around his soul, and slid right in next to his heart.”

“Hesia was right. The real test of person is whether they can see past the names and labels." His gaze was steady."I've seen you. You laugh, you fear, you cry, you love. You're as human as me, Na'Chi”

“Say it again, Na’Chi.”“I love you, Light Blade,”

“As much as I like you in my shirt, I'd rather see it on the floor.”

“She's made herself so artificial; it's okay to wear next to nothing because we aren't real people any longer.”

“There’s an old joke about a man who buys a cookbook for his wife and a negligee for his mistress. Somehow, though, the two parcels get mixed up and he fears that all will be lost. But on the contrary both women are delighted: the wife thrilled to be viewed in a sexual manner after years of domestic tedium, the mistress overjoyed that her lover considers her as more than just a body. I imagined the scenario as I trudged my way through Myer and David Jones. Should I look for lingerie for Cress, reassure her that despite all the hiccups of the past few months I still loved and wanted her? I thought I did, but a leopard-print G-string didn’t seem the right way to express that.”

“It was as though all the angels of heaven and all the demons of hell danced together in his soul.”