quotes from the ballad of songbirds and snakes - Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray

Part 1 

Coriolanus felt himself blush a little at her teasing... Her flirtation left Coriolanus tongued-tied. - pg 74

Coriolanus didn't like being called that. Livia had taunted him about his parentless state when he was small, making him feel alone and unwanted when he was neither. Still, there was that emptiness that most other kids didn't really understand. But Lucy Gray did, being an orphan herself. - pg 76

Lucy Gray seemed in better spirits; there had been no more tears. As they'd shared their stories, a sense of familiarity had begun to grow between them... she tucked his handkerchief neatly back into the pocket of his book bag and gave his forearm a squeeze of thanks. - pg 77

It didn't look too humble to offer to Lucy Gray. Presentation mattered to her. - pg 80

"Like how?" It was a dangerous line of questioning, but he couldn't help himself. "Oh, like you came to one of my shows and heard me sing," she said. "And afterward you came up to chat, and maybe we had a drink and a dance or two." He could imagine it, her singing somewhere like Pluribus's nightclub, him catching her eye, connecting before they'd ever even met. "And I'd come back the next night." - pg 83

Coriolanus had a terrible image of her lying dead under a swarm of rats. It wiped away the last few shreds of resistance he had, and despair engulfed him. For her. For himself. For the both of them. "Oh, Lucy Gray, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry about all of this." "It's not your fault," she said. "You must hate me. You should. I would hate me." - pg 101

"You do matter," he said... "You matter to me," he insisted. The Capitol may not value her, but he did. Hadn't he just poured his heart out to her? ... "Hey!" she said with a certain urgency. He turned back. "Hey, I want you to know I don't really believe you're here for grades or glory. You're a rare bird, Coriolanus." "You too," he said. She dipped her head in agreement and headed back to Jessup, her chains leaving a trail in the dirty straw and rat droppings. - pg 103