II

Makuta announced his presence by opening the door widely, striding inside the way a ship's captain would when on deck.

Ekimu looked up at him, surprised. "I thought you were coming home later," he said.

"Hello to you, too," Makuta replied dryly. Putting down the bag he was holding, he took a glance outside. "What was going on with Flammik?" he asked. "He's supposed to be guarding the gate, isn't he?"

Ekimu shook his head. "I… don't want you getting involved in this."

"Are you saying I'm not mature enough to comprehend the matter?" Makuta shot back. "Despite what you may think, brother, I can understand serious matters. Though I may be younger than you, I'm not six anymore; and it's not like I have brain damage or something."

"Er—of course not," Ekimu said cautiously. "But even so, this isn't too important."

Makuta folded his arms, giving Ekimu an unconvinced expression. "Anything involving a protector running out of the forge and crying back to his mother doesn't sound that inconsequential, does it?"

Ekimu sighed. "I suppose you're right. You see, Flammik had broken a part of the Protector Code, and a part of the Mask Maker Code as well—namely, powering his bow with Crystals of Fire. I couldn't let him keep doing this, so I removed him of his rank… forever." Sighing again, he sat down. "I wish I didn't have to do that," he said quietly. "But I had to all the same."

"As long as you don't make a production of it, I'm fine," Makuta said.

"I guess…" Ekimu stared through the table.

"Come on, lighten up." Makuta sat next to his brother. "I'm certain the new protector will be at least better than Flammik. And besides, you can't feel depressed. That's my job."

"Don't say that," Ekimu said, with a small, almost pitying smile.

"But it's true," Makuta urged in a mock-dramatic voice. "I look at the time and say, 'oh look, it's I-hate-myself o'clock!'"

At that Ekimu snorted in laughter, but tried to cover it up with his hand. "You stop that," he chuckled.

"Oh, so you don't want me to continue," said Makuta in the same mock-emotional tone. "I guess I'll stand in a corner and feel sorry for inconveniencing you with my very existence."

Ekimu stopped and stared at Makuta. "Do you… really feel that way?" he asked.

"Come on, I've been joking this entire time!" Makuta laughed. "I'm trying to cheer you up, not get you down. Or if you'd prefer, I can turn my self-deprecating humor over to your side…"

"I would prefer it if that didn't happen, thank you very much," Ekimu smirked. "But still, I'm glad you don't feel that way."

I'm sure you are, Makuta thought. He turned away. "Soooooo," he said at length, to fill the awkward silence. "Ekimu. Has anything else been happening?"

Ekimu shrugged. "Other than giving away some masks, not much."

"Hold on." Makuta turned to Ekimu. "How much is 'some' to you?"

"Four or five. I'm not sure exactly how many I gave away, but I'm fairly certain it was more than three."

"It takes at least an hour to make just one mask, and I was gone for what—around two hours, at longest. How can you make so many in so little time?"

"This, of course!" Ekimu chuckled, pointing at his mask. "Mask of Creation, remember?"

"Oh. Naturally." Makuta suppressed a sigh. "Anyway, I went to the bakery since it was close by and got some bread. Figured it's been a while since we've eaten at home."

Ekimu nodded. "Good thinking."

"Glad to fulfill your mental expectations." Makuta bent over, taking the bread out of its bag and setting it on the table. He walked off for a moment, returning with two plates and a knife. Ekimu stood up and, taking the knife, began cutting the bread into slices. Taking meticulous care to make the slices all the same breadth, he cut them by the millimeter. Makuta, who had just set down the plates, rolled his eyes. "For goodness' sake, it's just bread!"

"I know," Ekimu murmured as he continued cutting, "but all the same…" He did not finish his sentence.

"Say…" Makuta said slowly. "With the way your mask works, couldn't you just keep on slicing, making more and more bread?"

Ekimu stopped and stared out into space. He blinked out of it after many seconds. "That's for someone with the mask of Bread, Makuta."

Makuta tried to stifle a laugh. "Mask of… a mask of BREAD?!"

Both brothers burst out into laughter.