"I never place any favorability between any of you," John said, his voice looking neutral despite the internal gears of his mind spinning.
He didn't quite get what she was aiming at, but he felt the need to be clear about how fair he was. "If you provided something of value, I'll stand by your side and totally support it. The same goes for others as well."
"I know," Cissel's voice trailed off. She looked down at her legs as they nervously swayed. Her mind seemed to be drifting through a sea of memories, few of them involving John, but even more stretching back into a past he knew nothing about.
"Still, I was never met with such support in my life… My life… It was a weird mixture of misfortunes and ill treatment. To have someone actually look at my opinions and value them, rather than just using me as a tool or a target… It's different… It's priceless."
