[He feels a fresh spike of anger when his hand finds the collar. How dare-- he wants to track this Prince down, to tell him to his face that Julien isn't some kind of animal, to be caged.

He breathes out a short laugh, equal parts frustrated and bemused, his forehead pressed back to Julien's.]

I don't need you to act like me. I'd rather you acted like yourself.

[He rebels in every fiber of his being against this sense of finality, against the idea of a last goodbye. He tightens his grip slightly on the back of Julien's neck.]

You've given up. How can you give up? I've seen what you're capable of doing, when the chips are down-- I've seen you fly in the face of defeat and just-- sweep it aside.

[He's not the world's best speaker, but it comes from the gut.]

I couldn't do what you've done before. And now, now you're calling it quits--?