[Right, of course. Because Zahliya, someone who doesn't know much about other worlds, whose experience with deities is only that he was made to kill one of them — and he can't even do that much right — was meant to know how to handle the phoenix. That makes sense, yes, of course.

Callan would call him a child for how he responds to this. "Can't even put up a fight, Little Goat?" He'd say, if he were here to witness the way the hurt flits across Zahliya's features. Of course, the thing that links him closer to humanity is how deeply he feels things, and how much that comment gouges him.

Yes, of course. He's always had issues with his confidence, too, and it apparently takes very little to destabilize it. Had he truly done that badly? Yes, he had, apparently. Was he supposed to know better? Probably, it seems like.

The bursts of green flame die down, and he takes a step back, shaking his head. If he just carefully shuts the emotions off, maybe he can speak as coldly as he wants to, without his voice wavering?]

Right.

Well, since your affections for me were apparently based on my usefulness to you and nothing more, you can consider this clearly one-sided fling over.

[It's wrong of him to pivot on his hooves and take to the sky to leave Luca to deal with the forest himself, but...

Apparently, Zahliya is the most selfish person on the planet. Therefore, he's opting to be selfish, headed back to the Grove to go sulk.]