Ione found a wounded bird, when she was very young.  She hid it from her parents, and tried to nurse it back to health.  She hadn't even had it a full day before her brother found it, and killed it in front of her, slowly, by tearing off bits of it at a time.

It's the only instance Ione can recall of still having a heart to break, because afterwards it was very clear to her that anything she ever cared for would just become a weapon that somebody else could use to hurt her.

"Is it too late to pretend that I love my brother dearly?" Ione says, not quite believing that she's joking with him.  "And deal."

Ione found a wounded bird, when she was very young.  She hid it from her parents, and tried to nurse it back to health.  She hadn't even had it a full day before her brother found it, and killed it in front of her, slowly, by tearing off bits of it at a time.

It's the last instance Ione can recall of still having a heart to break, because afterwards it was very clear to her that anything she ever cared for would just become a weapon that somebody else could use to hurt her.

"Is it too late to pretend that I love my brother dearly?" Ione says, not quite believing that she's joking with him.  "And deal."

Ione found a wounded bird, when she was very young.  She hid it from her parents, and tried to nurse it back to health.  She hadn't even had it a full day before her brother found it, and killed it in front of her, slowly, by tearing off bits of it at a time.  It's the last instance Ione can recall of still having a heart to break, because afterwards it was very clear to her that anything she ever cared for would just become a weapon that somebody else could use to hurt her.

"Is it too late to pretend that I love my brother dearly?" Ione says, not quite believing that she's joking with him.  "And deal."