Carlisle rubs at his chest -- though the scars from the demonic invasion of Hadriel have long healed over, he remembers that night they faced a possessed Emily, the demon turning what magic he taught her against them, far too well. Glacius' missing mandible serves as a constant reminder of it... and yet, that particular scar has become so much more to both of them, a visible sign of what they mean to one another, of what ways they can provide in this relationship. Glacius gained that scar protecting the clergyman, and Carlisle, in turn, helped him recover from it.

Glacius protects others though, so stalwart and brave. Carlisle could never hope to do the same, but perhaps he can serve people, his goddess -- and ultimately, himself -- in other ways.

"I have spoken to her at length," he explains. "She even inquired about my plants once, and I was... not particularly kind to her. She came across me in my garden weeks ago, when I was having one of um. A bit of a fit."

One of those fits.

"And yet, she remained kind to me when she had no reason to. Had she wanted to hurt me then, she'd have had no trouble, given my state."