[ It would be so easy to say of course she does!, but he remembers being where Knives is. He remembers that feeling of betrayal, of doubt, that dark place where it had seemed like nobody in the entire universe could be trusted. What's a word, to that feeling? ]

Every day, she wakes up, and she thinks about you. She's happiest when you're happy, when you're sad she comforts you, and when you're hurt she feels it too. Just seeing you makes her smile, and when you're not there she... [ His voice catches, but he takes a deep breath and continues. ] When you're not there she misses you.

[ The sand crunches under his boots. The breath is cool in his lungs, and the suns beat down hot on his face. One step at a time, holding tight to all the love he's lost, he keeps going. In a moment, perhaps, he'll notice Knives chewing on himself, but right now he can't see a thing -- his vision's too blurred. ]

She wants to watch you grow, wants to see the man you'll become. And she wants that man to be a good one so she guides you, tells you the lessons she's learned in her life so you can avoid her mistakes and borrow her strength. That sounds like love to me, don't you think?