Gift, he said, when her people never thought of the blood running through their veins as anything but. It's a burden, rather a curse, when each person is born with a ticking timebomb that doesn't explode but rots you from the inside out. The Rauthas had offered a way to take away that burden, while her friends showed her how to make the most of it, and this man-- She still doesn't know what drives his interest aside from idle curiosity.

Shuyi nods in agreement when he calls it frightening, forcing an apologetic smile to make up for it.

"The stronger the material, the easier," and there lies the paradox. "Diamonds burn so bright and fast, but air is impossible to destroy."