Ethan Herd instantly behaved himself, like a comfortable canine being petted, only stopping short of rubbing against Scarlett Glenn's body.
Deano Zell's face turned pale, but somehow, in an instant, as if a weight had been lifted from his mind, like the clarity in Buddhism – "clear and trouble-free, all worries gone."
Perhaps it was the continuous blows, strike after strike, accumulating, negative multiplied by negative equaling positive, just like that, once hit hard enough, everything became clear all at once.
Deano Zell smiled, "Actually, you two don't have to pretend in front of me. If I were that easily discouraged, I would have given up long ago. If I really wanted to fight for her, I would have started long ago."
Ethan Herd snorted, "Heh, you have a thick skin. Can't you see that we can't help ourselves?"
