"Moral tethers."
The three women had different reactions to Arthur's words.
"Huh? What's that?" Layla asked, her expression visibly confused.
Esna raised an eyebrow in question, seeking an explanation, but Nicole silently frowned, as she was the first of the three to immediately understand exactly what Arthur meant by that answer.
Lowering his gaze, Arthur sighed once more and explained.
"The reason you're all looking for is simple. I want you three to be my moral tethers. The ones who stop me before I'm too far gone into the deep end, so I don't lose my…"
Arthur paused to think about what word would best fit, before finally adding, "Principles? I guess."
He lowered his head onto the table, facing downward as he said, "I'm not unaware of the fact that I've changed over the past few decades. I'm not unaware of the fact that I'll change as time goes on. But there are certain things that I don't want to end up doing, certain lines that I don't want to cross."
