Ouroboros Spine quick and dirty

“I love my family,” he clarified, “but I’ve never been in love.” Of course, a lie. Winder had been deeply in love twice before. Each time, he had ruined it, and each time, he had told himself he would not allow it to happen again. Being in love meant settling down, having children, being grounded. Those were not things that were in Sidewinder's lifestyle vocabulary, no matter how hard he lied and pretended. And a life could not be built upon lies. Only facades that were easily broken by a single misstep.

“Does this mean it’s your turn?” he asked, “You know, to spill a secret to me.” If there was one thing Sidewinder loved, it was getting others to reveal information about this or that. It was a bit of a game for him, as he'd been taught from an early age. His father had been a trader of sorts, and while Winder had picked up on that, he lacked the leadership and family skills to be anything like Aventine.