"And you understand so much about emotion?" Hopeless asked with a gentle, if prodding smile. "Most humans have emotions. I've met people without emotion before, and they ... they're not the same. They aren't any more effective for not having them. Anton is better at love than most because of the gist--because he understands the sacrifices, and he understands when the challenges can't be let to get in the way."

Hopeless reached for the teapot and poured another cup without minding that a cat had just been using it. "You should be concerned," he said, "because he is having trouble. But he's had trouble before. Don't let your concern help you mistake Anton for not being good at what he is. He's been it for over five hundred years, after all."