HOLY GOD. AN UPDATE. Took me long enough, huh? Pleeeze, forgive meee...

'TELIAAA!!!'

The shrill, joyful cry echoed through the whole street, and Telia wouldn't have been surprised if the gorons of Snowhead registered a complaint in the morning. She managed to get out half a hello before being smothered in a cloud of curly red hair. Mika had always been the loudest member of their little group.

'For God's sake, Mika, I'm glad to see you too, but get off!!' Telia couldn't help but laugh at her friend's childish joy. The four visitors filed in, each greeting Telia in their own way as they passed her. Mika was first, dragging behind her a seemingly exasperated Lief. He briefly smiled at Telia before being yanked the rest of the way through the doorway. Thordan followed, giving Telia a gentle hug and a little wink, his lengthened eyelashes framing his perfectly lined baby-blue eyes in a way that had always made Telia fume with jealousy. Last was Jade, who, as always, immediately found his way into the kitchen cupboards.

'Don't hesitate to find yourself something to eat, okay Jade?' she said sarcastically.

'Wouldn't dream of it!' was heard from the kitchen. His voice was slightly muffled - apparently he'd already found the little cakes she'd hoped (apparently in vain) to keep hidden from him.

Telia sighed, smiling slightly, and led her guests into the kitchen table, inviting them to sit. She fetched a freshly made pot of tea, five teacups and a tray of little biscuits. To her right sat Thordan, one leg bent with the foot propped on the edge of the table, his hands folded neatly in his lap. Across from her, Mika sat in Lief's lap, his head resting on her shoulder, arms around her waist. Telia couldn't help but feel proud of them - their relationship had survived almost four years, in spite of many hardships and two sets of difficult parents. Telia had always somewhat envied the perfection that was the two of them together. She tried very hard not to think of Danté as she poured their tea.

'So!' said Mika in an excited whisper. 'Where's the new aquatic specimen?' Her eyes were bright with anticipation. As Telia glanced at her other friends, she noticed they were all listening very intently. Lief, who had been in the middle of reaching across the table to take a cup of tea, had frozen. They wanted to know, but didn't want to seem immaturely impatient. She had to try very hard not to giggle as she replied that he was not at home, and wouldn't be all night. Four sets of shoulders collectively sagged.

'Aww... how come?' Mika whined. 'I wanted to meet him!' There were nods all around the table.

'Well, if you must know, he's at a job interview.'

'Ooooh!' said Thordan teasingly. 'A working man!'

'I suppose he's up to scratch on the Thordometer, then?'

'Oh, not yet! I have to see him first, you know.'

'Ah. Thordan, a visual man through and through.'

'When it comes to boys, is any better way to be?'

Telia laughed, her eyes sparkling. She hadn't been with people she could love in a long time.

The repetitive 'clip-clop' of the wagon horse's hooves were the only sound to be heard as Danté sat, picking at a small hole in his trousers. He chanced a glance over at the girl beside him - she was staring very hard at the road in front of them. He hadn't expected Kellie to be so shy. They had been riding almost twenty minutes, and barely a word had been spoken. He supposed she'd never met a Zora before. He looked up at the moon, full and pale.

He wondered if Telia was having a good time. He hoped so. She deserved a fun night, after all the hard work she'd gone through helping him. He wondered if he'd be back in time to meet her friends. He hoped that was so, too. As much as Danté enjoyed Telia's company, he wanted to meet other people as well.

'Hello? You alive?'

Danté blinked. 'What?'

Kellie giggled quietly. 'I asked if you could pass me a bottle of water from inside the wagon, please.'

'Oh. Oh, Sure.'

'Thank you.'

As Danté passed it to her, he saw she had a long, thin white scar along the length her thumb. After a moment or two of hesitation, he decided to ask.

'Kellie, if you don't mind my asking, what's that from?' He indicated her thumb.

'What? Oh, that? Leevurs don't like me, let's leave it at that. It's kind of an embarrassing story.'

'Oh. Well, you got off easy, take a look at this.' He rolled up his shirt sleeve and showed her all the small cuts on his arm that were just disappearing. Her eyes widened.

'Whoa! What happened to you?'

'Apparently they don't like me much, either.'

'Oh. Gotcha.'

The silence resumed. Well, at least he'd had what could be called a conversation with her. He didn't think he wasn't doing well enough to get this job, and began to accustom himself to the idea that he wasn't going to get it. She spoke again, breaking the silence.

'So, how'd they get you?'

'Huh?'

'The Leevurs. They must've had an unfair advantage to get you that bad.'

'Oh... well, I was.. a little unconscious.' Danté felt his face grow hot and he smiled a little.

She chuckled. 'I guess yours is sort of embarrassing, too.'

'Yeah.'

They both laughed quietly.

'Well, you told me yours. I guess I have to tell you mine?'

'Sure, if you want.'

'Well, I was seven, and decided I wanted one for a pet. It didn't go over too well with the Leevur.' She thought for a moment. 'Or my parents, come to think of it. I guess that's why you're supposed to ask before hiding sharp, pointy, aggravated monsters in your bedroom.'

They both laughed again. This time, the laughter was genuine. He looked over, smiling. She was smiling, too, and this time, she met his eyes.

Maybe this wouldn't go so badly, after all.

Giggles were flowing as abundantly as the wine from the bottle they shared as Telia and her friends found even the simplest things hysterically funny. At the moment they were still giddy over Thordan's story of his first kiss. Apparently he'd kissed the girl's eyelid because she moved.

'And THAT, my friends,' said Thordan, wine spilling from the bottle in his hands as he waved his arms about, 'is why I no longer favor the ladies.' He took another drink before adding, 'Except Mika. Mika's pretty.' This was followed by a suggestive eyebrow wiggle in her direction from Thordan and gales of laughter from the rest of the group.

'Hey man,' said Lief in an oddly slurred way, 'if you wanna piece of MY girl, you owe me BIGTIME.'

'Your girl?' Mika's voice was exaggeratedly high and indignant. 'I'll have you know that you're my boy.'

'Whatever you say, Princess.'

'Aw, I love you snookums.'

'I love you more.'

These statements gave way to a rather sloppy, noisy kiss, thus inducing more laughter. After the kiss ended, Mika noticed the others laughing and joined in. She laughed so hard she slipped off Lief's lap and landed on the wooden floor with a somewhat painful sounding thump. Telia had tears in her eyes and had developed a rather painful set of the hiccups by this time. She stood and excused herself with a wave of her hand, retreating to the bathroom. The others continued joking and laughing, but Thordan noticed her shoot a significant look in his direction and followed her.

'What's up?' he asked, closing the door as she poured herself a glass of water. 'Anything wrong?'

She looked at him, unsure of what exactly she wanted from him. She knew he could make her feel better, but she didn't know if she wanted to tell him everything. She bought herself some time as she took a rather long drink of water. He raised his eyebrows at her.

'You want him, don't you?'

Telia choked on her water. She stared at him, coughing, amazed. Apparently Thordan could sober up very quickly when he wanted to.

'What? What makes you... you never... I don't...' Thordan smiled gently.

'I could just tell. The way you looked when you talked about him... why else would you have kept him here, anyway? You've never been this hospitable, not even to me.' She smiled slightly, but said nothing. Thordan thought a moment. Then he said- 'You really care for him, don't you?' She stared at the floor for a moment, then nodded, almost ashamed. Thordan motioned for her to sit, and she did so, climbing into the dry bath, leaning her chin on her arms on the edge of the tub. He then turned almost businesslike, crossing his arms over his chest and his legs at the ankles, leaning on the bathroom sink.

'Well, here's the way I see it. You... like this man, yes?' She nodded without hesitation. 'And he likes you?' She thought seriously about this question. Did he? He didn't seem to have been deterred by the fact that he wouldn't be getting under her sheets... still... it could be an act.

Dant's not like that, said a little voice in her head. And you know it.

She looked up at Thordan, who was waiting patiently, and said:

'If he doesn't, I'm not scared to die anymore.' Thordan nodded, unblinkingly staring into her eyes.

'Then I say go for it. You've just said yourself you have nothing to lose.' She had never seen it that way before. While a part of it was quite depressing, it also gave everything a whole new light. 'So,' Thordan continued, 'what are you going to do about him?'

'Do?'

'Well, how are you going to execute said operation? You can't mean to say you never planned on telling him.'

'Well... I sort of already did.' He raised his eyebrows. She told him the whole story of the night Danté had kissed her - the brute, Dant's rescue, her confession. Thordan listened carefully, nodding whenever something connected to something else in his mind.

'He stuck around, even after that?' She nodded. Thordan smiled widely, displaying his perfectly straight, pearly white teeth. 'I say go for him, honey!'

Telia was suddenly filled with a strange sort of apprehensive excitement. It was as if Thordan's approval meant everything would work, no questions asked. She gave a delighted squeal and he imitated her, pulling her close in a hug that made all her remaining worries disappear.

'HEY!!' Jade called angrily from the kitchen. 'We know you guys in there must be having a fabulous time, but it's RUDE for a hostess to leave her guests unattended!' There was a pause, then he added, 'Actually, I'm just sick of watching these two go at each other. Hurry up, or at least let me watch.'

Telia smiled, then looked at Thordan as she climbed out of the tub. He gave her arm one last reassuring squeeze before opening the door and leading her back to the table.