Kismet—Chapter Fourteen

by taitofan

Rated R for yaoi, sexual content, hits of yuri, and some language

Disclaimer: I don’t own Majora’s Mask, Minish Cap, or anything else Legend of Zelda related. Trust me; I’m sure that many people are happy about that.

Author’s notes: This is the part where I beg for your forgiveness for making you wait so long. I’m so sorry! I do hope I can make up for it and not take nearly as long with the next chapter. There‘s a lot of info and hinting at the “big secret” in this one. Some of you have had some great guesses as to what it is! …Well, onto notes I suppose. I can hear some of you now—but the humans called them Picori and they call themselves the Minish! Well, in the manga there was none of this Minish stuff. And besides, I’ve always thought it sounded backwards. So I changed it. This is a more manga based fic anyway. I hope I was able to describe the space-time continuum in a way that makes sense too. Maybe I’ve been watching too much sci-fi…

Flames do nothing but make me laugh, although I'll listen to any CC you have. Please read, review, and enjoy! Finished 09-15-08

The Minish Woods was a peaceful place when megalomaniacal sorcerers weren’t cursing the land; alas, the last time Vaati had been there at a height above a few inches tall, that’s exactly what he’d been doing. But now…being older, more mature, happier, and even taller… His old home looked beautiful.

“Is…this your world?” Vaati nodded, smiling as he looked around and saw all of the features he’d once known so well. Everything looked so small…especially considering a pebble was usually a large obstacle to his race.

“Yes, this is what the humans call the Minish Woods. We’re to the southeast of Hyrule Town, where I was born. This is where I lived with Master Ezlo though. We’re lucky this is where the portal opened.” He paused and ran his hand over the wall of rock they’d emerged from. “I certainly won’t forget this place. We’re even near the portal closest to town.”

“Portal…? Town…?” Vaati rather liked the fact that their roles had been reversed. Instead of Kafei telling him all about Clock Town and Termina, now it was his turn to be the guide for both Hyrule and the world of the Picori.

“The humans call them Minish portals. Due to a misunderstanding hundreds of years ago, the humans think we’re called the Minish instead of the Picori, so if you hear Minish, they’re talking about us.” He paused a moment and allowed Kafei to take it all in before he continued. “The portals are magically infused stumps like the one I used in your world, which shrink humans down to Picori size. We’ll need one to enter Picori Village where Master Ezlo lives...but they only work once every hundred years, and that’s already passed… I think that it will still work for me though, since I’m still technically a Picori.” He looked Kafei over thoughtfully for a moment, a small frown on his face. “I’m not really sure about you. I guess if I try taking you with me and it doesn’t work, I can find Master Ezlo and see if he can help…”

Vaati didn’t look very happy at that idea however. Kafei could already guess why—his lover didn’t want to go all alone back to a place where the majority of the villagers hated him. Plus, Vaati lost his sorcerer powers in his Picori form… Kafei didn’t want him to have to go by himself either.

“Well, hopefully it’ll work then. But…are you sure you can do this without us both ending up naked?” The question was just silly enough to break Vaati away from his melancholy thoughts and make him laugh. Kafei smiled at the pleasant sound—he hated seeing Vaati upset after all.

“I think I know where I messed up before, so yeah. We should be fine...” Both had their reservations though. What if the portal didn’t work? What if something went wrong? …What if it did work? Kafei had never been that small before. And then there was the village… But they also both knew that nothing would happen if they merely stood around worrying. Vaati cocked his head towards a large stump and held his hand out. “Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be I suppose,” he replied softly, taking his lover’s hand and being led to the stump. It was a tight fit getting both men up there, but there was just enough room if they pressed together. Vaati wrapped his arms tightly around Kafei’s waist, making sure he had a good grip so the spell would work on them both. He took a deep breath to calm himself, then opened his mouth…

The chanting was like an exotic song to Kafei’s ears. The magic coming from the melody was almost tangible. It was as if it were wrapping itself around him, consuming his very being… Then he felt it. He was…changing. He could feel his body—his bones, muscles, skin, everything—shrinking at a rapid pace. The arms around his waist were getting smaller too, until they could barely keep their grip. And then, suddenly, there was nothing but air beneath his feet. He was falling! But those tiny arms did their best to stay attached, even as they plummeted through the stump and landed with a soft thud on a large mushroom which bounced them down into a patch of soft moss.

When Kafei got his wits about him and opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Vaati laying on top of him, a large grin on his long Picori face. Oh, so that’s what that weight had been… Luckily, Vaati was even lighter as a Picori that he was as a human.

The last time he’d seen his lover in his original form, he’d been smaller than his thumb, and he’d thought he looked a bit strange. But now that they were the same size… He was awfully cute. He decided to keep that to himself though. Vaati might not be able to use his powers to torture him in this state, but he still had the sword that had shrunk along with them attached to his hip, and Kafei preferred not to have it stuck in uncomfortable places.

“K-Kaafei,” he heard his lover struggle to say his name in his native tongue. “Ooui didu itu!” It took a few moments to register that he’d just tried to say ‘We did it,’ but when it clicked, he smiled up at the petit Picori.

“We did. It’ll be…difficult to communicate if you can barely speak to me anymore though.” Vaati frowned as he nodded. Until they could get to the village and get a Jabber Nut, yes, it would be difficult. Sure, he could speak the language if he really tried, but it was so tricky to form most of the sounds… He wanted to tell Kafei about the nut, but it would be so much effort…he’d see once they got there.

He got off his lover and stood up, reaching down and helping Kafei to his feet. Deciding to rely on nonverbal communication for the majority of the trip to the village, he kept their hands linked and gently tugged him towards a crack in the stump. Kafei followed without a word, amazed by the long fingers entwined with his own. It would take some getting used to this new body…but he fully looked forward to it.

Kafei only knew one Picori, but he had a deep respect for them already. Killer raindrops, fear of drowning in a killer puddle, killer pebbles, killer insects…everything was out to get them! As they trudged hand and hand on a dirt path littered with leaves and acorns that were also potential death hazards, he cold only hope that they were close… He didn’t like being so tiny. At all.

While crossing a puddle on a lily pad, he managed to get a look at his reflection. He looked just the same as always, only smaller. It seemed that the magic merely shrank humans and their possessions. Meanwhile, Vaati’s sorcerer outfit had morphed into some sort of robe this time…which was good, because he didn’t fancy them waltzing into Vaati’s old village to meet his mentor in the nude.

As they went further down the path, the hand within his tightened more and more. Finally, out of the blue, Vaati stopped and turned to him, a nervous look on his face. He hadn’t said a word since inside the stump, but now it looked like he was trying to decide the easiest way to say something very important.

“…Sukaado.” He pointed to himself as he said it, and Kafei immediately knew what he was trying to say. He untangled their fingers to instead draw the tiny creature into his arms. Even in these forms, he was taller than Vaati. And now, more than ever, could he imagine how such a little, fragile looking Picori could fear for his life and want instant power to change it. He looked so small and defenseless… And Kafei knew that he wouldn’t let any harm come to his lover while they were there. He’d keep him safe, just as Vaati had promised to keep him from harm before.

“I know you’re scared, but it won’t be long. We’ll hurry to Ezlo’s house and you’ll be safe and sound. I won’t let them hurt you, I promise. You said you’d keep me safe back in my world, and while you’re like this, I’ll do the same for you. So don’t worry.” The murmured words did their job and calmed the frightened Picori down. Of course, Kafei could keep him safe… True, he had a sword and he wasn’t too bad with it, but he didn’t want to hurt anyone here…he didn’t know if his past memories would allow him to.

…Unless they hurt Kafei at least. Then there’d be hell to pay.

After a few more moments, they pulled away and once again linked their hands as they resumed their journey. It didn’t take long before Kafei could see a patch of thistle flowers ahead. Soon, the pathway was decorated with clovers that had been weaved together to make welcoming arches into the village. Then the houses came into view. Mushroom cap roofs, one made from a broke vase, a large building made from half a barrel… The Picori were certainly creative.

There wasn’t anyone around the entrance to Picori Village, but Kafei could still feel his lover’s hands trembling. He squeezed the pale appendage reassuringly, and Vaati offered him a small smile in return. Of course, he then wasted no time in leading the way to Ezlo’s house. He wished—oh, please Goddesses!—that he could just get there before anyone saw him. It wasn’t far, and if they hurried, maybe they could—

“Jochii! Nanmi! Ikauyo!” The cries seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly, little Picori had popped out of their homes, looked out windows, were pointing and screaming in fear or anger… It was overwhelming for the both of them. Kafei, because he had no idea what they were saying, but he knew that it couldn’t be positive judging by the way Vaati had latched onto his arm and buried his face in his shoulder, looking like he was seconds away from tears. Vaati, on the other hand, knew exactly what they were saying about him. The demon is back. That’s what they’d called him ever since he returned to the village after taking over Hyrule. He found that he couldn’t quite disagree with them. And right now, he couldn’t even look at them.

“Isananmego,” he whimpered again, barely being heard by Kafei and certainly by no one else. “Isananmego, isananmego, isananmego…”

As Kafei stood there wondering what to do—Vaati was frozen and he certainly didn’t know the way to Ezlo’s house—it happened. Looking back, neither would think it had been that big of a deal, and it certainly hadn’t been life threatening, but when one of the Picori picked up a small pebble and threw it at Vaati’s head… Well, Kafei hadn’t just got done saying he wouldn’t let anyone harm Vaati for nothing.

He wasn’t even sure what happened. All he knew was that he was so angry with these people. Vaati hadn’t done or said a thing before they started harassing him! That anger, that frustration, it all built up…

Vaati lifted his head hesitantly, despite himself. That feeling… That feeling of raw magical power… Where was it coming from? It was like nothing else he’d ever sensed; it certainly was nothing a Picori was capable of… That’s when he noticed Kafei. His lover went from scowling at the Picori to completely dazed. His eyes glazed over and the power grew stronger… Then a Picori screamed. And another, and another still.

His eyes widened as he saw the flames licking their feet. Fire? Where…? Then it hit him and he turned back to Kafei. He wasn’t sure if this new discovery had come at an opportune time or not, but regardless… He couldn’t let the whole village burn down.

“Kaafei, s-stoppu!” The voice of his lover, combined with the frantic tugging at his arm, was enough to snap Kafei out of his daze. His eyes cleared at the same time the flames died down. It was still long enough for the bewildered man to see the frightened Picori running back to their houses, their robes singed. He looked down to Vaati for an answer, but the Picori had neither the words nor the time to explain right then. With no one blocking the path, he grabbed Kafei’s hand and ran the rest of the way.

The first thing Vaati did upon flinging open the door, pushing Kafei inside, and locking it behind himself was to catch his very surprised mentor in a hug and excitedly say his greetings. Then he pulled away and practically begged for a Jabber Nut. Ezlo was already surprised enough to see Vaati again so soon, but when he looked over to the person he’d brought with him, his eyebrows shot up and his jaw hung. Was that…? Was it really…? Not wanting to be left in suspense any longer, he sent Vaati—who was far younger and much faster—off to his study to find the nut.

Kafei, meanwhile, wondered what Vaati had just said to the old Picori man, who he could only assume was Ezlo. And where had he run off to? He didn’t have to wait long though, as half a minute later Vaati returned holding a strange red nut that looked like it had lips. He was hesitant to take it when Vaati thrust it at him, but the excited Picori chatter that he still couldn’t understand made him decide that whatever it was, it wouldn’t hurt to eat it.

“…So, can you understand me now?” Kafei could have been more surprised by that, but…the nut did have lips after all. He did note that Vaati’s voice was even higher pitched than usual in this form…though he decided not to mention it.

“Yes thank you… by the way, what was that?” Vaati looked relieved that he no longer had to twist his tongue to speak the human language.

“It’s called a Jabber Nut. Anyone who eats one can understand Picorian. We can all understand you anyway, so now we won’t have to play charades just to go through a tunnel anymore.” They both chuckled at the joke that only they understood, but Ezlo was far too amazed by the newcomer to be upset by them ignoring him. Vaati seemed so at ease with this man and had brought him all this way… If this really was who he thought it was, then perhaps…

“Don’t you think you should introduce your guest Vaati?” The old, wise voice snapped the young men from their laughter, and Vaati chuckled nervously, not unlike a child being reminded to say thank you after receiving a present.

“Of course Master Ezlo, forgive my rudeness. This is my…friend, Kafei.” The pause between my and friend was slight, but hardly subtle enough for Ezlo to not be suspicious. Vaati flushed under his mentor’s intense gaze and turned to Kafei. “Kafei, this is my old teacher Ezlo, as I’m sure you guessed.”

“Yes,” Kafei replied with a nod, “you’ve told me quite a bit about him in the past few months.”

“Has he now…” At this point, Ezlo was mentally deciding the best course of action to get the answers he wanted. This young man, Kafei, he looked so much like her… Was it possible that he was the one? Could Vaati’s luck with the wishing hat really have been so perfect?

…He supposed that the direct route was the best.

“Kafei… How is Kakoli doing?” Both men were silent at the question, but Kafei in particular felt his chest tighten. So it was true then…his father really had known Ezlo.

“She…my mother is dead. I don’t remember her, and I didn’t even know she existed until a short time ago. But how do you…?” Ezlo frowned at the news, having feared that would be the answer.

“Then Dotour never found a cure… That’s an awful shame. Kakoli was a wonderful woman. Strong, brave, intelligent, exquisite… My condolences for your loss. Though I’m not surprised you have no recollection of her. You were quite young when she became ill.” Kafei gave a quiet thanks. It seemed his mother was a popular person…he wish he’d gotten to know her.

“My father said she brought me to other worlds. Was this one of them?”

“No,” Ezlo replied, his eyes darting back and forth between Kafei and his former pupil. “She did come to this world quite a bit after she left her world though. Her magic allowed her to use the portals without the aid of a Picori. I know she brought you to her home world a few times, but she was waiting to bring you here once you were older. Time does not flow the same in this world as it does in yours you see.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Vaati cut in, something that his lover had been wondering as well.

“Well, you see, your mother was present when Vaati was born, yet she had just become pregnant with you. And yet, though Vaati was born over half a year before you, you are older than he is now. That is due to the different time streams. You age slightly quicker than the people of this world do, since the time in your world go by faster.”

It was a hard concept to understand…so they both just decided to go with it. It wasn’t like it was that strange after all they’d been through.

“So does that mean that in all the time I’ve been gone, it doesn’t seem long at all for you?” A nod was his answer. “This is all so confusing… So why was Kakoli here when I was born?”

“Your parents and I were friends, as you know, and your mother wanted me there at your birth. Kakoli was visiting me that day to discuss something, and thus she accompanied me when your mother began labor. While the delivery was taking place, Kakoli decided to…enhance you.”

“Enhance…?” Vaati thought back to what they’d read about the Sheikah being the only race to have the same color eyes as he did. So what exactly did that mean?

“I know you’ve often wondered why you look to different from all other Picori. In fact, you looked just the same as any other newborn, for a short while at least. Brown hair, brown eyes, normally pigmented skin… It wasn’t until Kakoli infused you with her power that you received the characteristics that you have today.”

Both men’s minds were reeling at this point. So Kafei’s mother was the reason that Vaati looked the way he did? And she’d been planning to bring Kafei back once he was born and older? But why? So many questions, so many answers they both desperately needed…

“I believe that’s enough for today.” He mentally counted. Three, two, one…

“What?!” Right on cue, the two voices spoke in perfect, disbelieving harmony.

“I’m sorry boys, but I cannot tell you anymore today. Not until I’m sure of something.” Vaati opened his mouth to protest, but Ezlo didn’t give him the chance. “No, no more right now. Once I am sure you are both ready to hear it, I shall tell you everything. For now, you should show Kafei up to your old room. I have things I still need to finish today, and you both have a lot to discuss, I‘m sure.” Vaati knew better than to argue with the elder Picori; he instead grabbed Kafei’s hand and lead him through a nearby hallway in a huff without another word.

Ezlo couldn’t help by smile as he watched them go. Vaati looked so much more alive than he did in the past few years… He had a feeling that they were indeed ready to hear the full truth already, but he’d promised Kakoli that he’d be sure…

“Your son and Vaati are doing just as you foresaw Kakoli,” he said quietly to himself, his smile becoming bittersweet. “If only you could see them now… I just know you’d be proud.”

With a sigh, he set off towards his study, needing time to think all of the day’s surprising events through.

“—always doing this! Why can’t he ever just say what’s going on instead of making me play guessing games? That man is so—”

“Vaati.” The sound of his name immediately stopped the Picori’s rant, causing him to spin on his heel and turn his grumpy gaze towards Kafei.

“Oh, don’t tell me he didn’t make you mad too. I saw how you got when your father wouldn’t tell you everything. This is no different.” No, Kafei supposed it wasn’t. And surely, the way Vaati felt he was blowing things out of proportion then must have been similar to how Kafei was feeling now. …But that didn’t mean he had to admit it.

“Let’s just calm down now, alright? He’s not going to tell us any sooner than he wants too after all. Now, you dragged me down a hall, up a flight of stairs, down another hall, and more or less flung me into this room without a word before you started your tirade. Might you be so kind as to at least show me around your room?” Vaati suddenly felt a bit foolish. Right, Kafei had no idea what half the things in his room were, considering Picori furniture and inventions weren’t in Termina.

“Um, alright. Well, as you can see, my bed there is made of an old wooden matchbox, and that chair is a spool, and…” Vaati went around his room, showing which things in his room had once come from humans, which ones were crafted from things in nature, and how a variety of them worked. Kafei was again amazed by the ingenuity of the Picori, but he was downright baffled when Vaati came to one thing in particular.

“How do the Picori get photographs? Isn’t the technology for that far too advanced to come in such a small size?” Vaati smiled as he picked up a frame which held a photo of three Picori—two typical looking adults with dark hair and dark eyes and their purple and red baby.

“You’d be amazed what the town Picori pick up on. When Ezlo moved me out here, I made sure to bring this. It’s still a hard feat to take a picture, even if it is possible with a lot of work, so it’s the only one I have of them. Unfortunately, it’s so tiny that a human could never see it, so I had to leave it here whenever I’ve become human.” He smiled, albeit sadly, and placed the frame back down.

In a way, both envied each other. Vaati had been old enough to remember both of his parents, yet he only had one picture to remind himself of what his memory forgot with age. Kafei couldn’t remember his mother at all, though his father was still alive, even if they weren’t close, and he had many pictures of the woman he’d lost so long ago. Neither was sure who should feel more grateful.

“I wish I could show you around the village, but, well, you’ve seen why I can’t. I doubt it would be any better in Hyrule Town as a Picori or a human. Though maybe since I look older as a human than I did before, I might be able to show you around safely there…”

“That reminds me,” Kafei spoke up, “what were the other Picori saying to you before?” For a moment, he was afraid he’d offended his lover, considering Vaati’s eyes took on a stormy gaze. Unbeknownst to him, the Picori was merely remembering some of the more nasty things the villagers had said…things that didn’t even have to do with him. The demon’s concubine indeed. If he hadn’t been scared out of his wits and actually processed what’d they’d been saying at the time, he probably would have let Kafei burn them. …Which was another thing he noted they still needed to discuss.

“Oh, nothing new. The demon is back. Haven’t you caused enough trouble? Go back to where you came from. You know, the usual. Nothing I haven’t heard before.” He left out the concubine part though. Hopefully no one who saw them before they left would be idiotic enough to repeat it either now that Kafei would be able to understand them.

Kafei had a feeling it had been something along those lines, but that didn’t mean he liked it. Throwing around such insults before Vaati had done or said a thing… Hadn’t all the time he’d been in the village after returning from his first bout as a sorcerer meant anything to them? Had what Vaati done really been so bad that only one Picori in the entire village and possibly all of the others could forgive him?

“I see… I suppose we should talk about something different.” The Picori nodded gratefully.

“Yes. Actually, I wanted to talk about—”

“Vaati, bring Kafei downstairs! I have dinner ready!” Vaati was a bit irritated that he’d have to wait for his answers, but they hadn’t eaten all day…

“Well, you heard him… Don’t worry, he’s a pretty good cook. Come on, I’ll lead the way.” Kafei was just as curious to hear what Vaati wanted to talk about as Vaati was to bring it up, but being equally hungry himself, he said nothing and allowed himself to be led back downstairs and through a variety of hallways. Soon, they came to a small kitchen with a table set for three. Vaati sat down at the round table—this appeared to be hand-made Kafei noted—while his lover sat beside him. Ezlo set some sort of stew Kafei was unfamiliar with on the table and took the remaining seat, a warm smile on his face.

“Shall we begin?”

Dinner was very pleasant, both in company and in cuisine. As it turned out, vegetables tasted just as good when you were the size of a thumb as they did when you were six feet tall. There was small talk in between eating, mostly consisting of Ezlo asking Kafei about Termina and his father. Throughout it, Vaati got more and more antsy though…

“Kafei, how did you control fire back in the village?” The question was met with two stares, one confused and one surprised.

“Fire…?” Vaati nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed for blurting out the question, but horribly curious all the same.

“Yes, earlier, when someone threw that rock at me head. You conjured flames out of nowhere and scared them away. You looked like you were in a trance though… Don’t you remember?”

The look on his face was enough to say that no, no he didn’t.

“I remember being angry…then the next thing I recall was you telling me to stop and dragging me the rest of the way here.”

“Interesting…” The two turned to Ezlo, who looked rather excited at the thought that Kafei almost burnt a crowd of Picori. “Fire you say… That makes sense. It was Kakoli’s specialty after all.”

“My mother could control fire?” came the shocked question. How many things could he learn about this woman in one day?

“Oh yes, as a trained Sheikah warrior, Kakoli was skilled at controlling all four of the major elements, though fire was her forte. As you are only half-Sheikah, it may be the only power you inherit, though it should prove to be powerful with training.”

The concept seemed strange to Kafei, which was saying a lot considering what he’d gone through in the past years. How was he supposed to train something that he couldn’t even remember invoking? And how did one safely train fire? It wasn’t as if it were just something he could use on the slightest whim, like Vaati’s power over the wind.

Sensing his inner distress, the two Picori turned the conversation back to small talk, and no more was said on the matter.

When nighttime came, the lovers had no problems calling it a day and heading off to Vaati’s room to sleep. It had been a long, rather stressful day after all. However, though Vaati fell asleep in his old, familiar bed easily, Kafei just couldn’t get all the thoughts floating through his mind to quiet down long enough for him to drift off.

After about an hour of trying, he carefully slipped out of Vaati’s embrace and quietly left the room. In the hallway, he went the only way he’d learned—downstairs. Though he wasn’t sure where he was going or what he’d do once he got there, he just needed to do something to clear his head…

“Kafei, is something bothering you?” Said man turned around guilty, having hoped that Ezlo would be asleep by that point and no one would know of his insomnia. He saw no point in lying though…

“Lots of things are. But most involve my mother, which you don’t seem to be willing to discuss yet.” He paused, wondering if maybe there was something else he could hear from the older man instead… “Would you be willing to answer a question about Vaati?”

“That depends on the question. You may ask, though I can’t guarantee an answer.” Fair enough, Kafei thought. Maybe hearing something from a different source could give him a better view of his lover’s plight. …He just hoped Ezlo would help.

“Vaati told me some of what went on when he first stole the original wishing hat. What I’ve heard hardly justifies how much everyone in this world seems to hate him, or the grief he carries. Perhaps if you told me what you know of that time, I might have a better understanding of it all.”

Ezlo wasn’t too surprised at the question. It wasn’t that he expected Vaati to lie or tone down his past, but rather, Vaati didn’t even know everything that happened. The young Picori could only guess…though Ezlo wasn’t sure if that guess would be overestimating or underestimating the damage.

“I shall tell you what I know… Surely, Vaati told you that he took over Hyrule by turning Princess Zelda into stone and possessing the king, correct?”

“Yes,” Kafei affirmed. “And that he released monsters into Hyrule and turned you into a talking hat.”

“Yes… That was an interesting time… Well, that’s beside the point. Yes, he did all that. The monsters did more than terrify the humans though. Due to their size and destructive nature, many Picori over the land of Hyrule were lost in attacks. Quite a few human casualties accumulated as well, not to mention other native creatures. True, Vaati never killed anyone by his down hand… But in his quest for power, lives were lost. A few from this very village in fact. So you can’t exactly blame them for not trusting him.”

Kafei had guessed that people had died, but…he never actually stopped to think about the losses of these people he’d never known. Of course Vaati was terrified of them! Who knew which of the very Picori they’d faced that very day had lost their parents, child, sibling, lover, or friend because of Vaati…

“Does this knowledge change your opinion of him?” Kafei thought about it for a moment, but only a moment. After all, the answer was very clear.

“No, not at all. He’s not the same person he was back then, and he’s trying hard to atone for his sins. I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life… There is nothing I could learn about him that could ever change that.” Ezlo smiled at those words.

“I’m glad to hear that… Your mother would be proud of that decision. She certainly made the right choice all those years ago.” Sensing this had something to do with the conversation earlier that day, Kafei kept silent, knowing questions would get him nowhere. Not until Ezlo wanted to tell him.

“I see… Well, good night then.”

“Good night Kafei.”

As Kafei walked back upstairs, the elder Picori couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride himself. All was going just as Kakoli had predicted it would…

It wasn’t until Kafei was back in bed that he realized he’d just told Ezlo he loved Vaati, and the old Picori hadn’t seemed surprised at all.