"The very last time he sat and spoke at dinner like that was when I was exactly seventeen years old. He was desperately trying to explain a complex nuance about Iron Root that I was stubbornly failing to find. He sat there, carefully deciding whether my thick skull was actually worth the immense energetic investment of explaining it clearly." Kaito picked up his steaming cup. "I magically found Iron Root the very next morning."
Ashe frowned. "Because he finally explained it clearly."
"No," Kaito said, his dark eyes locking onto Vane. "Because I suddenly fully understood that the massive investment had just been made, and I was absolutely terrified to waste it."
Kaito took a slow sip. "That is exactly what just happened here."
Vane sat perfectly still, letting the crushing weight of that expectation settle onto his shoulders.
