Matt continued to poke at his dinner with disinterest. He had flipped the chunk of potato onto just about every side possible, but could not seem to make it appetizing. He swirled it around in some of the juices from the meat, turning it a light brown, but still found himself unable to lift it to his mouth.

Beside him, Amiti sat with his hands in his lap, not even bothering to feign interest in the meal. He stared fixedly down at the plate, his cheeks still tinged red. He had not looked up in several minutes, instead slowly shrinking down into his chair.

Even Karis had fallen silent from the other side of the table, despite playing no part in the conversation. The only words that left her mouth were directed towards baby Alba, who bounced endlessly on her knee, paying no attention to the conversation.

Isaac sat next to her, completing the quartet of silence, his hands folded in front of his face. Every so often, he would glance over at Alba, then resume staring at the center of the table.

After a painfully long time, during which Matt wondering if he could pass the whole thing off as a poor joke, then actually considering it, his father finally stood up, pushing the chair back beneath the table. All three looked up at him as he walked to the other side of the kitchen, stopping at the window and staring out across the empty plateau.

Behind the renewed silence, Matt could hear the steady dripping of water from somewhere, his mind focusing in on it in an effort to distract himself from the conversation, or at least the lack of. He ran through every possible source of water in the house in his head, trying to determine which one could be-

"She's beautiful, Matt. I'm sorry, I wasn't..."

Thoughts of dripping water vanished from his mind as he glanced up to find his father shaking his head. "I didn't mean for it to come across that way. I'm thrilled to have a granddaughter, I really am." He sighed, then walked over to Karis, taking Alba into his arms. "It's just..."

"It caught you a bit off-guard?" Karis supplied.

Isaac nodded. "I...think 'a bit' is an understatement. But yes."

"I understand," Matt said quietly. "This isn't exactly how I ever imagined this conversation going, either. Before all this, at least."

Isaac shifted Alba onto a hip and rubbed his nose against hers briefly. "Well, I just want to make sure you know that I'll support you, regardless of what you do, Matt. I love you, and Alba, and you should never forget that."

Matt set down his fork, leaning back in his chair and smiling slightly. "Thanks, dad. I've...been a bit worried about how you would take this."

"You shouldn't have been," Isaac said, then turned to the young man beside him. "What about you, Amiti? You've been quiet this entire time. How are you handling this?"

Though Matt had not thought it possible, the Ayuthayan slid further down into his chair, his chin now level with the table. His lips moved slightly as he mumbled something inaudible.

"Wha- ouch! Sorry, I couldn't hear you," Isaac said, gently prying the little girl's hand out of his beard.

"I feel a bit used," he said slightly louder, but refused to sit up any further.

Matt grinned and reached over, ruffling his hair playfully. Amiti's hands flew up in a loose flail, halfheartedly attempting to defend himself, but quickly fell away when Matt drew his hand back. "You don't have to sound so dejected about it."

Amiti sighed, finally pushing himself back into a sitting position. "I apologize. I thought I had finally gotten used to everything, but this conversation has...well, been a bit embarrassing."

"I can't imagine it being any more awkward, honestly," Karis said dryly, standing up as she began to pile the dishes together. "If this had happened to my father, he probably wouldn't have lasted three minutes into the conversation."

"I just..." Isaac began, then shook his head. "How did this even happen?"

Matt swallowed thickly. "It's a bit of a long story. Are you...sure you really want to hear the details?"

Isaac nodded firmly. "The shock will wear off eventually. I'll be fine."

Matt's eyes dropped to his new daughter, clinging tightly to her grandfather's shoulder. Her curious blue eyes matched Isaac's perfectly, darting around the room without focusing on anything. When they fell on Matt, however, Alba's face lit up in recognition as the girl smiled brightly, cooing at him.

He walked over and took her from Isaac, gently brushing her bright, blue hair back. "Okay. I guess the place to start is about a year ago, then."