"Our father insisted we have a proper Elvish education, like if he pretended we weren't othlir, everybody else would too, and he wouldn't have to admit he was ashamed of us." It was an old hurt, one that would probably never heal, and Vex couldn't keep the bitterness entirely out of her voice.

It was a hurt Vex knew how to cope with, though, and she delivered the punchline in a deadpan that would've made Scanlan proud (if Scanlan weren't a shit who'd fucked off), "So you see, our father's not just an asshole; he's an idiot too."