[Iris watches him sideways; his elegant, half-grown-cat legginess and unfinished, skittish beauty, and she pulls calm down over herself like a cloak of night sky.]

I thought you might get that. Cassel, I can be pushy. I like to get close to people. I like to know 'em. I'm more careful than I look, though.

[That's not an apology either.]

...Lua got your powers in that flood, I heard.