By the time Lloyd and Magpie got back from their date, it was gone 10pm. Tongues had started wagging when they failed to come back in time for dinner, so when the pair finally showed up – holding hands and giggling among themselves as they shared a private joke – the whole team was dying to know what happened.

It was apparent by the couple's stunned expressions, that they did not expect to walk into a living room full of smirking faces staring back at them.

Embarrassed, Magpie let go of Lloyd's hand and politely excused herself to go upstairs. Nya and Kiku practically went chasing after her, apparently so impatient for details that they didn't even attempt to be subtle. Lloyd sheepishly grinned at the rest of the team and sat down next to Pixal, where he felt relatively safe given that she hadn't rushed to follow Magpie the way her sister had. He now felt like a teenager that had broken curfew and was going to get chewed out… only for the guys to be just as impatient as the girls. They proceeded to ask him a ton of questions then gave him no time to answer, until Pixal went into maternal mode and sternly told them all to let the poor guy breathe.

Needless to say, this intense reaction made Magpie and Lloyd pretty awkward around each other after that, and in the following days, they appeared to be avoiding each other. However, Kiku knew differently, and she somehow managed to stay silent about the nightly sneaking around she overheard…

But this wasn't the only strange relationship developing in the temple.

Because of Phoenix's peculiar sleeping patterns and swift regrowth, Wu decided it would be best for Phoenix to shadow Cole during daytime training, and for Zane to do additional training with him at night. While unorthodox, it allowed Phoenix to make the most of each 12-hour cycle, and for the first two days, it was working great.

However, Phoenix was becoming considerably attached to the earth ninja, and the daytime sessions were arguably much more productive than the night-time ones. Zane understood the reasoning for his son's bond with Cole, even if he was a little hurt by the disruption of their own connection, especially as Phoenix aged into his teenage years.

By his 13th cycle, this attachment was so strong that Phoenix wanted to be around Cole all the time, and he would follow him everywhere. When Cole went on one of his bi-weekly visits to see Jasper, Phoenix sat at the bottom of the stairs and watched the front door, waiting for him to come back.

The other ninja – who found the entire dynamic equal parts fascinating and distracting – decided to give Phoenix a secret nickname. Cole, however, was not amused by it.

"Where's Stray?" Jay laughed as Cole wandered into the kitchen.

"I'm not gonna answer that until you stop using that stupid nickname." Cole sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Aw come on, it's funny!" Jay countered. "He follows you everywhere like a lost puppy, that's why we call him 'Stray'; besides it's not like we call him that to his face."

"That's my point, you're using it behind his back, and that's why it bugs me so much," Cole sternly replied. "how would you like it if we started calling you something behind your back?"

"I'm kinda surprised you don't." Jay snorted.

"Either start calling him that openly, or give him a different nickname," Cole insisted. "better yet, call him by his actual name – no one had a problem doing that before."

"To be fair, I called him 'little dude' when he was younger, but I can't exactly call him that now." Jay mentioned.

"Not when he's taller than you, no." Cole smirked.

"Cole?"

They turned to see Phoenix standing in the doorway, rubbing his eye with his hand.

Now in his 15th cycle, Phoenix still hadn't remembered how to retract his wings, but he also no longer liked the racer back tank tops he'd been wearing so far; a new solution to his wing problem had to be found. Normally – according to Magpie – once he got to the expressive teenage stage, he'd forgo shirts altogether and walk around topless with his usual swagger. But his memories still had not returned, and instead, he'd started hiding under hoodies or long-sleeved t-shirts, with crude slits in the back for his wings to slide through.

Even now, he was draped in a black hoodie that was at least two sizes too big.

"Hey buddy, I thought you were sleeping." Cole smiled at him.

"I was, but I had another bad dream, and you weren't there when I woke up..." Phoenix sheepishly admitted.

"Sorry about that," Cole empathised, walking over and putting his hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "I'm here now, wanna talk about it?"

Phoenix took a split-second glance at Jay.

"Yeah but... Not here." He mumbled.

"Let's go somewhere you feel safe, and we'll break down your nightmare together, okay?" Cole offered.

"Okay," Phoenix gave a half-smile. "I'll be in the meditation room, see you in a few minutes?"

"I won't be long, promise." Cole nodded.

Placated, Phoenix walked back out the way he came in. Jay failed to stifle a random chuckle, and Cole crossed his arms and frowned at him.

"What's so funny?" He coolly demanded.

"You," Jay laughed some more. "ever since you had that talk with Magpie, you speak to Phoenix like you're a therapist."

"I don't care how I sound to anyone else, as long as it helps him." Cole shrugged as he too left the room.

Cole knew how little Jay thought of his intelligence – presumably because he was the most muscular; he couldn't possibly also have a brain – but Cole didn't let it bother him, because Jay was a dope in his own right. The fact is, he remembered what Magpie had said about watching out for signs of 'recurring trauma' once Phoenix reached the final stage of development, and since he was gonna be taking the kid under his wing for daytime training, Cole had asked Magpie for advice on how to handle it.

Magpie clearly enjoyed imparting her wisdom to the ninja, and she happily obliged him with a one-to-one the day after Phoenix moved into Cole's room…

FLASHBACK

"…Like, what do I do if he tries to hurt himself?" Cole asked.

"Don't worry Cole, he won't do anything like that," Magpie reassured him. "Phoenix has never attempted self-harm because his healing powers make it pointless – his body will automatically remove any pain and heal the area within minutes of it happening – even without his memories, he knows that."

"That's a relief." Cole sighed.

"I know I painted a pretty macabre picture of my brother's mental struggles during that initial discussion, but if he feels safe and loved, the trauma is confined to resurfacing as nightmares," Magpie elaborated. "still not ideal, but he's been through a lot of suffering in his past lifetimes."

"What do you mean by 'safe and loved'?" He questioned. "Do you mean the way Zane and Pixal are with him?"

"In a way, yes; I'm not telling you to become his third parent, but to treat him with the same care and attentiveness that they do," Magpie paused. "or here's a better idea, treat him the way you already do – or did before the regen."

"Sure, I can do that, but I don't see how it would help him," Cole stated. "I mean, we're best friends, but it's not like I treated him with more love than Zane and Pix do right now."

Magpie flashed a knowing smile at him.

"Perhaps my perspective is biased, but I always noticed how much happier he was after hanging out with you," She declared. "even just a phone call between you would brighten his mood even more than it already was."

"That's what friends do." He shrugged with a smile.

"Please don't underestimate your actions, Cole; the levels of happiness and inner peace that my brother would reach because of you were off the charts," She hesitated, as her smile widened and became soft with nostalgia. "the only other individual I've ever seen have that kind of positive effect on Phoenix, is Aruna…"

"Oh…"

Cole stared at Magpie in astonishment. He had no idea that he was such an important person in Phoenix's life and knowing that he was having the same upbeat impact as the guy's soulmate was a lot to try and absorb.

"I'm sorry if I've said too much, it's just that you mean so much to him," She apologised. "and based on the strength of your friendship and how much he thinks of you, I'm absolutely convinced that you can help my brother the most in the final stage."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I don't have any experience in helping someone cope with trauma or nightmares or any of that stuff."

"Put your faith in me Cole, as I put my faith in you," She purred, gently touching his cheek. "I can teach you everything I know – how to calm him down after a nightmare, how to help him deconstruct those nightmares so he can process them, how to help him feel safeguarded – I am now here for you just as much as I am for Zane and Pixal…"

END FLASHBACK

Cole laughed to himself as he recalled the look on Lloyd's face, when he walked in to see Magpie stroking his cheek – poor Blondie looked like he was gonna blow his lid until Magpie made up some excuse about Cole potentially having a fever. Despite the awkwardness between Lloyd and Magz as a result of them coming home so late, there was still a blooming attraction between them, and it had apparently turned Lloyd into the jealous type. There was nothing romantic about the contact, but Cole appreciated Magpie's quick thinking in brushing it off as such.

As he entered the meditation room, he saw Phoenix sitting cross-legged and fiddling with the zipper on his hoodie while he looked at the tatami floor. Cole tried walking as softly as he could, to not disturb Phoenix's train of thought, but the silver-haired teenager soon glanced up at him with a warm smile.

"Hey Cole."

"Hey Phoenix," Cole said cheerfully as he sat beside him. "how are you feeling?"

"I'm a bit tired." Phoenix yawned.

"Still wanna talk about that nightmare?" Cole baited.

"It wasn't a nightmare really, it was more like an existential vision." Phoenix sheepishly pulled his low ponytail over his shoulder and played with his hair – now almost long enough for him to sit on.

"So, I'm assuming there was some reality tied into this vision?" Cole posited. "Maybe if you tell me some of the details, I can help you figure it out."

Phoenix couldn't help but smile at how kind Cole was.

Ever since he became aware of his true age – courtesy of Magpie and Wu unsuccessfully trying to jolt his memory – Phoenix had found Cole to be a tremendous source of solace. When he first started having nightmares, he was worried that Cole would be annoyed by his screams as he woke up from them, but Cole had always been empathetic and caring. One nightmare had been so bad that he couldn't stop himself from crying once he was awake; he was so embarrassed, until Cole pulled him into a hug and tried to comfort him.

In that moment, with Cole's arms wrapped around him, Phoenix sensed the vibes of a bond formed in a previous life. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, and he couldn't remember any specific memories about their connection, but he felt so valued and protected, in a way that was different from what he felt with his parents. After that, Phoenix was always open with Cole about his bad dreams and wanted to be near him as much as possible, even if the other ninja thought it was weird.

"I think I've got the gist of what it was trying to tell me," Phoenix theorised. "I'm having some anxiety about my lack of long-term memories, and I'm worried about what's gonna happen if I can't get those memories back."

"Would it be so bad if you don't get your memories back? Are you afraid of being abandoned if you can't remember?"

"Kind of, I mean, I know I'm not alone in the world, that I have a pre-existing life and that I have a 'true' home," Phoenix stated. "I've been told that Magpie is my sister, and I have another sister called Sagittarius, but if I can't remember them, will they be comfortable with me living with them again? How can I go back to my original life without the memories to live it the way I used to?"

"That's a reasonable concern," Cole nodded. "have you spoken to Magpie about this?"

"Well, no, I'm still trying to accept that Zane and Pixal aren't my real parents," Phoenix sighed. "I know that sounds dumb, it should be obvious, but I'm still sad about it..."

"It isn't 'dumb' to be sad, when you find out that you aren't related to someone the way you thought you were," Cole declared. "but blood isn't everything – Pixal loves you as her son, and you love her as your mother, right?"

"Of course!"

"And it's the same for Zane too, he's called you his son from the start, and I know he's so proud of you for handling things the way you have." Cole praised.

"They're both such great parents, I guess that's why I'm sad that they aren't mine – I mean, what if I remember my actual parents and find out that I buried my memories of them for a reason?" Phoenix queried.

"No one can replace your birth parents, buddy, even if it turns out they were terrible people, but regardless of biology, Zane and Pixal are your parents," Cole insisted. "Pixal's dad considers you his grandson, all the ninja see you as their son, and you see all of us as your family, right?"

"Sort of," Phoenix looked away for a minute. "I see the others as my family, but you're the one who makes me feel the safest and the most secure; you're my absolute best friend, my senpai, my idol."

"Wow, putting me on one hell of a pedestal there." Cole joked, putting his arm around Phoenix's shoulder and jostling him a bit.

"You're my most important person, Cole," Phoenix insisted. "I may not remember anything about my past life, but I can feel the bond we had."

Cole smiled softly at him.

"Maybe you need to stop worrying about getting your old memories back and focus on making new ones with me and the others," Cole suggested. "after all, memories are a gift, and even if the ones you have are out of reach right now, it's never too late to go and make some more."

"Yeah, I think I'd like that." Phoenix smiled back, his cheeks going vaguely red.

"Good… now, are you still tired?" Cole innocently wondered. "Did you want to get a little more sleep?"

Phoenix nodded and gave a short yawn.

"Come on, you can have a quick nap in here," Cole said as he took off his own hoodie, folded it and placed it in his lap. "it's peaceful enough."

"T-thanks…"

Phoenix nervously laid down and placed his head in Cole's lap, looking up at him with a coy grin. Cole's reassuring smile made Phoenix's heart jump, and he could feel Cole remove the hair band that held his ponytail, so his silky locks were flowing free. As those warm, doting hands gently began to brush the entirety of his long silver tresses, Phoenix could feel the tiredness overtake him. He yawned, and made small, appreciative sounds with every soothing touch of Cole's fingers.

Before long, he was fast asleep.

"Right, while Cole and Phoenix are out training, we need to talk about Phoenix's 18th cycle." Magpie announced.

"I can't believe he's gonna be 18 tomorrow night!" Nya said excitedly. "It feels like just a couple days ago he was a precious little squish."

"My little ho-oh," Pixal squeaked, wiping her eyes. "he'll always be my baby, no matter how old he gets."

"There, there, darling," Zane whispered reassuringly as he held her close. "I know exactly how you feel."

"So, are we gonna have a party or what?" Kiku asked somewhat hopefully.

"Naturally," Magpie responded. "Wu agreed to it yesterday, we just gotta get Phoenix out of the temple for a few hours so we can set everything up."

"That won't be hard, we'll just ask Cole to keep him distracted," Jay chuckled. "wherever Cole goes, Phoenix will follow."

"Seems to me like there's a crush going on..." Kai insinuated.

"Surely not!" Pixal chimed in. "Phoenix knows that Cole is taken."

"Pfft! As if that means anything," Kai laughed. "crushes happen whether there's a relationship or not."

"I'll admit, it does seem that Phoenix is getting attached to Cole in a more-than-platonic way," Zane nodded in agreement. "I saw the two of them in the meditation room – Phoenix was asleep with his head in Cole's lap, and Cole was stroking ho-oh's hair."

"I'm sure once he sees Aruna, any crush he might have on Cole will disappear like that," Lloyd confidently stated, clicking his fingers. "...She is coming to this party, right?"

"Of course, in fact she's missed him so much that she insisted on buying something special to wear!" Magpie beamed. "I helped her choose a gorgeous dress just for the occasion."

"Ooh I can't wait to see!" Kiku declared. "Aruna's got some killer curves."

"There's a point, will I need a new outfit?" Nya asked openly.

"I mean, you can get one if you like," Magpie smiled. "it's just a small gig here in the temple, so you don't need anything too formal – I had to rein Aruna in from getting something too extravagant!"

"Wedding dress?" Kiku teased.

"No, but you're not far wrong!" Magpie chuckled.

"Hey guys!"

Cole and Phoenix soon sauntered into the room.

"Oh, have you finished training early?" Nya asked, looking at the time on her phone.

"No, but there's been an awesome development," Cole turned to Phoenix proudly. "come on, buddy, you gotta show them!"

"Wait Cole, don't-!"

Cole took a blade from his pocket and before anyone could stop him, he slashed at his own hand. There was a unanimous wince as the metal weapon tore at the skin and blood swiftly began to accumulate on the injury.

"What are you doing?" Lloyd demanded as blood started dripping on the floor.

"Just watch." Cole insisted, holding his palm out to Phoenix.

Phoenix looked a bit nervous but took a deep breath and placed his own hand over the wound on Cole's. The others were horrified, until a brief golden glow emerged from the contact point between their hands, and Cole showed his previously injured palm to them. The wound and all the blood coming out of it had disappeared, as if it never happened.

"It's… it's gone…" Kai stated, stunned.

"You remembered how to heal others!" Magpie beamed. "Good job Phoenix!"

"It gets better…" Cole hinted.

Even more nervous now, as everyone watched him expectantly, Phoenix shrunk into himself a little. He glanced at the delighted smile of Cole, and blushed; those eyes of his were intense and bore into him with overjoyed enthusiasm. Phoenix took another deep breath. He fluffed up his wings and spread them out to the full span… then successfully retracted them into his body. The hoodie draped down a bit as the wings vanished, and he cautiously looked at the people watching him.

He was met with wide smiles and ecstatic faces.

"You remembered another skill! Well done!" Magpie squeaked.

Pixal promptly ran over and pulled Phoenix into a tight hug.

"My dear ho-oh, I can't tell you how happy I am that your mind is reopening!" She wept. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks mama," Phoenix hugged her back and smiled. "I'm glad I made you happy."

"You always have, my precious baby," Pixal beamed, tears rolling down her cheek. "from the second you hatched; you've brought us so much joy."

Zane nodded in agreement, grinning at Phoenix with unending happiness on his face.

"We're all very proud of you Fireball." Kiku reiterated.

"Yeah, nice one dude!" Jay asserted, giving a thumbs up.

"You did good, buddy!" Cole exclaimed.

"Now that you can retract your wings, it means you don't need to put slits in the back of your shirts anymore." Nya giggled.

"It means you'll need to get some new clothes!" Lloyd strongly suggested. "Maybe you and Cole could go shopping tomorrow."

"That's a great idea, we'll get you some shirts that actually fit; show off that body you've been working on!" Cole nodded, tapping on Phoenix's hidden abs with the back of his hand.

Phoenix blushed as Cole winked at him.

"Uh, okay." He sheepishly agreed.

"C'mon buddy, we haven't finished training yet," Cole stated as he grabbed Phoenix by the wrist. "catch you later guys!"

With that, the two of them left as quickly as they came in. Everyone glanced at Lloyd approvingly.

"Nice one, Blondie," Kiku praised. "that'll get them out for a few hours, especially if they go to New Ninjago."

"Thanks, Kix," Lloyd replied smugly. "it might help Phoenix figure some things out too."

"I can't believe how quickly you've grown up!" Cyrus exclaimed. "I knew it would happen faster than a regular human but my goodness!"

"Thanks grandpa," Phoenix smiled. "it's been a whirlwind for me too."

"And tomorrow evening you will be 18, it's amazing," Cyrus beamed. "I hope you don't mind if I treat you to something as a special gift for this special milestone!"

"Aw, you don't have to do that, gramps." Phoenix politely demurred.

"Nonsense! I insist; it's not every day one's grandson turns 18," Cyrus insisted. "are you free to come and see me tomorrow morning?"

"Well, me and Cole are going to New Ninjago tomorrow to go shopping, we could definitely swing by the tower to say hi." Phoenix smiled.

"Fantastic! I will send a car to pick you both up at 10am – that's not too early I hope?"

"Not at all, that's great," Phoenix agreed. "thanks so much!"

"You're a good boy, Phoenix; Zane is very proud of your work ethic and dedication to your training, and you've made Pixal so happy and fulfilled in a way I've never seen," Cyrus praised. "you've become a fine young man and I'm privileged to call you my grandson."

"Thank you," Phoenix bowed to the camera. "I'm honoured to have been raised by such caring parents, and to have such an accepting grandfather."

"Since I'll get to see you tomorrow, we'll keep this call short and sweet, hmm?" Cyrus offered. "Goodnight, Phoenix, sleep well."

"Goodnight grandpa, see you in the morning." Phoenix grinned.

He ended the video call and cantered off towards the kitchen, where Zane, Pixal and Magpie were chatting over hot drinks.

"Hello son, just a quick call with your grandfather?" Zane queried.

"Yeah, I'm gonna see him tomorrow," Phoenix explained. "he wants to give me something for my 18th cycle, and he's sending a car in the morning to pick up me and Cole."

"How kind," Pixal nodded. "looks like Inferno and Rocky won't need to fly you both there."

"Yeah, I'll probably still introduce him to grandpa anyway, since Mizzi and Hana have met Inferno already."

"I get the feeling father won't tell them that you're coming, just to see Hanasu's reaction." Pixal joked.

"Hanasu is utterly charmed by you, Phoenix, I've been told that she practically melted when she met you as a baby." Magpie chuckled.

"She seemed pretty excited when I saw her last time too," Phoenix stated sheepishly. "hey Magz, can I have what's left in the treat bag? Please? I wanna share them with Cole to say thanks for being there for me…"

"Well..." Magpie tauntingly hesitated. "...alright then, as long as you don't eat them too quickly."

Phoenix beamed widely as Magpie reached into the top cupboard and shuffled some things around, then pulled out the drawstring canvas bag. She gave it to him, and he bowed and thanked her profusely, before excitedly bolting out of the room and up the stairs. He stood outside Cole's bedroom door and hugged the bag.

Strolling into the room, Phoenix soon realized Cole was on the phone to Jasper.

He knew that Jasper and Cole were dating, but Phoenix was still a little confused about his own feelings for the earth ninja. What was their bond if it wasn't romantic? It was so strong, how could it just be platonic? Maybe it was romantic, maybe it was polyamorous, and Cole just didn't want to bring it up because Phoenix was still young and didn't have his memories back yet.

"Yeah, we'll be in the city tomorrow, gotta get my boy some new threads," Cole winked at Phoenix. "... Yep, he's remembered how to retract his wings and how to heal other people... No, his personal memories are still missing..."

While he waited for Cole to finish the call, Phoenix sat on the bed and held the bag close. For some reason, he felt a powerful association to it. He looked up at the clock – it was 7:30pm.

I'm in the 16th cycle now... Phoenix thought to himself. Technically I'm legal, and I do need some answers...

"Catch you later babe, love you!" Cole said as he hung up and smiled at Phoenix. "Hey, how did the call to Mr Borg go?"

"Grandpa wants to give me something special, and he's sending a car to pick us up tomorrow." Phoenix said.

"That's nice of him, saves us flying all the way there on our dragons," Cole mentioned, sitting next to Phoenix. "so what's in the bag? Oh wait, is this the mythical bag of goodies Magpie was talking about?"

"Yeah, I wanted to share what's left with you, because you've been helping me so much." Phoenix admitted.

"Aww, thanks buddy!" Cole grinned.

"There's plenty of nice things left," Phoenix nervously said. "if you close your eyes, I'll give you something sweet..."

Cole obliged and closed his eyes, expecting to be given a pack of gummies or piece of melon bread. Instead of feeling something being put in his hand, he felt something warm pressing against his lips...

He opened his eyes to see Phoenix, kissing him square on the mouth, and he immediately backed away.

"Woah! Phoenix, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm sorry!" He apologised.

"Dude, why did you kiss me?" Cole demanded. "What's going on?"

"I just want to know what these feelings mean!" Phoenix responded, his voice cracking a little. "I know we have a strong bond, Cole, but without my memories, I don't know why; I just want to know what we are!"

"You could have asked me!" Cole stammered. "I would've told you whatever you wanted to know!"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time!" Phoenix whimpered. "I didn't wanna make things weird by just asking; and how am I supposed to ask if you were my lover without making things weirder than outright kissing you?"

Suddenly, Phoenix started hyperventilating and grabbed at his t-shirt. Cole's aggravation and confusion melted into concern, as he instinctively put his arms around the now crying Phoenix. He'd become so accustomed to being there to comfort Phoenix, that for a moment, his own emotions fell to the wayside.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Phoenix breathlessly repeated between floods of tears.

"Shh, it's okay Phoenix, just try to calm down," Cole hugged him tightly. "deep breaths, buddy, deep breaths."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-."

Cole shushed him again and gently started rocking with him, petting Phoenix's silver hair as he often did to calm or soothe him after a nightmare. As he consoled Phoenix and tried to get him to breathe normally, Cole could feel his emotions coming back; frustration, awkwardness, concern, disorientation, and a strange tingling sensation on his lips that he didn't outright hate, but still found to be peculiar. He still felt weird, but he also knew he had to get Phoenix to relax, and that became his priority once again.

"You're safe, Phoenix, I'm not mad, I promise," Cole reassured him. "I didn't mean to yell; I was just stunned and didn't know how else to react."

A few minutes passed, and Phoenix slowly managed to regain control of this breathing. He looked up at Cole, his face tear-stained and red from all the crying, and he sniffled in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Cole, I really am," He mumbled. "I shouldn't have done that to you."

"You're just confused," Cole asserted. "it could happen to anyone your age, but you're also dealing with memory loss and concentrated amounts of hormones, so you're gonna be impulsive."

"How are you so calm about this?" Phoenix wondered. "Any other guy probably would've decked me if I kissed them!"

"You wanted to know what we are, right?" Cole baited, as Phoenix nodded at him. "Well, we're best friends, and best friends understand that when one of them is going through something, the other one needs to be supportive."

"You've been nothing but supportive to me, Senpai, I hope one day I can repay your kindness." Phoenix said softly.

"Well, Kohai, you can start by telling me if you have any chocolate chip melon bread in that bag..." Cole suggested with a smile.

"I think so!" Phoenix chirped.

Knowing that Phoenix had calmed down enough now, Cole let go of him so he could browse what goodies were in the bag he still held in his hand. Phoenix grinned as he came across the treat that Cole was asking for and joyfully gave it to him. As he picked up the bag of chocolate coins for himself, he was drawn to something red at the bottom of the bag. He promptly forgot about the chocolate and reached for the red object. It was soft – possibly velvet or velour – and within seconds of taking it out of the bag, he realised that it was a heart shaped plush.

"What's that?" Cole asked through a mouthful of melon bread.

Phoenix turned it over, to see his name delicately embroidered on the other side, in an elegant stitch that could only have been done by hand. His curiosity softened into an expression of adoration that Cole had only ever seen when Aruna was mentioned. Phoenix's wings reflexively opened, effortlessly gliding through the premade slits in his shirt, and he held the small heart to his own.

"My precious diamond..." He sighed devotedly.

"Who is?" Cole asked pointedly.

"I don't know exactly, I just know that whoever they are, they are my one and only..."

"Wow, you sound pretty certain about your feelings now." Cole chuckled.

"This plush makes my heart soar," Phoenix blushed, admiring the neat stitching on the seams. "like an angel made it and sent it especially for me..."

"It was probably made by your angel." Cole gave a knowing half smile.

"If they know where I am to send me this, maybe I'll meet them soon!" Phoenix stated eagerly.

"You never know, you could meet them in the city tomorrow," Cole nodded. "life's funny like that."