[ It's like her breath was stolen from her. She feels as if she's floating away if not for Nico's hold onto her. The gentleness the girl offers – how could anyone think she was cold, cruel, and just sad? There was such warmth to her that even an embodiment of light felt burned by the touch. ]

You help me be the person I want to be. [ Even if she feels tears tug at her eyes, she steels onward. ] It's not some fairy tale, you know? Not some ... knight or princess. It's bumpy, it's unsure – but never with you. I don't think our story is. It's... it's kind of the realest thing in Cali for me, you know?