[ it's funny. the lives they've lived are about as far apart as they could possibly be. one locked up inside for his protection, one locked out and struggling to survive. one desperately lonely, one part of an inseparable duo. one who loves the world and dreams of experiencing it for himself, one who once hated it enough to want to burn it all down.

...but for all those differences, they came to the same end. pushing a precious person they trusted to make a better world out of harm's way and taking the fatal blow for them with no regrets about it.

on paper, taair is the sort of sheltered royal fidelio has always hated, safe and comfortable in their ivory tower while the common people are dying in the street. someone with experiences worlds apart from his own that he could never hope to relate to. but he isn't. he doesn't hide from the truth or cherry pick which parts of it to reveal; he wants to learn it and share it with all its ugly imperfections. he's optimistic without being naive about the way the world works. he's one of the kindest and most sincere people he's ever met — the kind who would make the world a better place by helping anybody in need. ]

...That fella weren't wrong, you know. You really are pretty amazing, though the book's hardly got anything to do with it.