Ava let out a delighted little peal of laughter when he screamed, sounding eerily similar to what one would hear on any children's playground - except the warmth in her laughter didn't reach her eyes. "I have no time for useless self-recrimination," she informed him, laughter cutting off abruptly. "It doesn't matter that he doesn't want to be what he is - there is no cure. If he truly doesn't want to be a vampire, he has one option - death. It's merely quicker to do it now on his own terms than to wait for him to break a rule and have someone from the Family come for him."
"You don't seem to understand that," she continued, cold eyes constantly on his face to gauge his reactions. She was playing on his guilt now, on his obvious care for his friend. "Break a rule and they will come for you. He's already breaking a rule. They could be visiting with him right now. If you want him to keep living, you must convince him to get the education he requires." She let her eyes soften as if the bitchiness was just an act, as if she truly cared. "I can meet with him on neutral ground," she said, "and I have a human assistant who can attend as well if it makes you both feel any better." She paused a moment, big eyes growing doe-like and sad as she gestured at her child's body. "Do you think I chose this?" she asked him. "Almost no one in Gabriel House does. The important thing is to accept oneself and find joy where it's offered. Anything else is no life at all. If you're truly his friend, you'll help him realize that."