“Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever.”

“Sieges weathered.”

“A little present from my run-in with a sword. Or should I say from when the sword had a run-in with me?” His eyes lit up.“Want to see the scar? It’s cool.” He started pulling his shirt out of his pants.“Janco,” Ari warned. “We’re not supposed to be fraternizing with the Sitians.”“But she’s not Sitian. Right, Yelena? You haven’t gone south on us, have you?” Janco’s voice held mock horror.“Because if you have I can’t give you your present.”I took my switchblade out, showing the inscription to Janco. “What about ‘Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever’? Does that change if I become an official southerner?”Janco rubbed the hair on his chin, considering. “No,” Ari said. “You could change into a goat and it would still apply.”

“Reviewing our fight, I asked Janco, “Why do you rhyme when you fight?”

“At first, it feels as if she has vanished forever, and all traces are destroyed. But later, when the pain of loss doesn't overwhelm all your other feelings, every time you think of her, or hear her voice in your head, or remember a happy time together, you realize she's still a part of you and will never be totally gone.”

“It's a dirty way to fight, but I'm late for lunch."- Valek to Yelena”

“One, and two, and three, four, five. Keep fighting like this and you will die," Janco sang.”