we tried so hard and got so far
[Calliope feels a flood of relief at that. It would be one thing if this man could convincingly argue that her brother is broken, somehow, or just unable to cope with the realities of coexisting with others.]
[Her relief is incredibly naive in the grand scheme of things, but she holds onto it.]
Ohhh!
It's never too late to decide to be a better person, love. Even if it takes extra effort to overcome certain, um, aspects of the self.