Selma Payne's POV:
Sociologists often compared the differences in behavior between children and adults; they all believed that young people were always braver than older people.
In fact, this was not necessarily courage. The aggressiveness of young people might come from the fearlessness born from ignorance, and the cowardice of older people might be the caution condensed from experience. Being overly fearless made one stupid, and being overly cautious would make one appear timid.
I believed I'd misunderstood Rhode. He was not running away. On the contrary, because of his experience as Beta, he was more careful about the impact of the election on all parties. A compromise was always the most impressive lesson in politics. It was hard to say whether his subconscious decision to quit was because unspoken rules bound him.
In response, my anger dissipated, leaving only deep helplessness and heartache.
