“What judgment?!” Ghent blurted, standing his ground even as Elayra leaned closer. He fumed in silence, mentally responding to each question she hurled at him. No, he didn’t trust her judgment. No, he didn’t think she knew what she was doing. He thought Drust was crazy, and she was crazy for defending him.
	Before Ghent could get a word in edgewise, Drust put an end to what might have become their biggest argument. Ghent shot Elayra a quick, accusatory glare. He waited for Drust to go into a tirade of his own against him, but he never did. 
	Ghent blinked. It almost sounded like Drust was siding with him. He looked to the man quizzically, surprised by the admittance of his word meaning nothing. There went that idea.
	As Drust opened up about the Curse, Ghent's eyes were drawn to the ebony lines marking the man's skin. He had a vague idea of what the Curse was, but much about the disease remained a mystery to him. 
	Near the end of his explanation, Drust sounded like he hated himself. Or at least he hated what the Curse was turning him into. It was a cruel fate; he had lost so much and now he was losing himself.
	Ghent's heart weighed heavier with the knowledge. Without his anger to fuel him, he felt tired in more ways than he thought possible. He couldn't admit it out loud, but maybe Elayra was right to give Drust another chance. 
	As the conversation returned to the present, Ghent was amazed that his interference be referred to as admirable. 'Admirable' was certainly better than being likened to a mother hen. He almost flashed Elayra a smug, 'see?' smirk, but he sobered, focusing on his sneakers as the Knight repeated the sworn oath.
	The words touched something inside of Ghent. Aside from his adoptive parents, he couldn't think of a single person who would be willing to protect him. It was kind of nice to have someone dedicated to his personal safety. Even if that someone wasn't always dependable.
	"No...that's good enough for me," Ghent lifted his head, feeling differently after the conversation. "I mean, you're obviously not angry enough to hurt us now. And, uh..." the words trailed off into an awkward lull. He kind of wanted to apologize for being a pain, but he didn't want to admit his faults. Especially not in front of Elayra. 
	"Well? What are you waiting for, Blondie?" Ghent stepped aside, eager to change the subject. "Hurry up and untie him. Your knot looks terrible, by the way."