"No," he brushes her off brusquely, shoulders rising as she rubs salt into his open wounds. "M'not stupid."

And yet, that scowl probably betrays his words as he thinks back about all the stupid shit he's done, all the mistakes. Magic is a mistake. He just- He just needs to know when to stop, and with any luck manage to do the stopping as well. There's a few things he needs to stop. It's just- hasn't been that simple for him.

"Sometimes there isn't a choice."