"Could you stop being so hard on yourself?"

The question caused Revali to stop, unsure of what Medli meant or how he was supposed to respond to such a request. "What do you mean?"

Medli looked away as she fidgeted with her earrings, something he'd noticed she did only when she was nervous. "I guess it feels like you expect yourself to be perfect, sometimes."

Revali stared at her blankly.

"Sorry! I shouldn't have -"

"No, no," he interrupted quietly, trying to wave off the needless apology. He looked around, annoyed at himself for not choosing a better spot. But, this was where they were, and trying to relocate to somewhere more appropriate would probably stress Medli out more. With a sigh, he set out the blanket he'd brought and motioned for her to sit. "Don't apologize, I… hmm."

He studied the horizon intently, thinking back to his childhood as Medli settled on the blanket, not quite as close as she ordinarily would. Thankfully, she gave him time to think through exactly what he wanted to say rather than trying to fill the silence with another apology or explanation.

"... A lot of people think that I'm really talented," he finally admitted, cringing at how that sounded. Even after months of working on what he allowed himself to say, things still came out in ways that he didn't quite like. "I'm not."

"That's not true?" Despite her best efforts, her uncertainty was clear as day. When they had first met, her entire perspective of the world had been colored by the books she'd read. However, as she had traveled with him and gained experiences of her own, she'd realized that the accounts she'd clung to weren't always as accurate as she'd originally believed. This had been a significant source of anxiety for her, especially when it came to topics that were important to her.

Such as himself.

"It is," he explained, struggling with the knowledge that he was about to make himself vulnerable. He'd spent so long trying to cultivate an image to hide behind, even around Teba, and now he was about to dismantle that image. But, after a few long, unpleasant conversations with Kaneli and Urbosa, he had come to the conclusion that it was time for that image to disappear. But even the thought that it would help him create a deeper connection with Medli did little to assuage his fear. "The only archery instructor I had told me I was hopeless."

"What?" Now she was staring at him blankly.

"Yeah," he said slowly, feeling his shoulders rise up and his head sink down. "After a couple sessions, he told Kaneli it was a waste of his time."

Medli continued to stare. "How…?"

Revali physically withdrew even further into himself. "I trained for hours every day."

She opened her beak, but nothing came out. Then she closed it again.

"It was the only thing I did. I didn't make friends, I didn't learn any music, or do… anything else. Just flying and archery." With a deep breath, Revali forced himself to relax his posture. "I guess what I learned from all of that is if something is important I have to… go all out, I guess."

Medli was still staring. And then he saw it. The sharp blink followed by a slight tilt of her head that indicated something had just clicked. "Does that mean I'm important to you too?"

After a second, Revali nodded slowly.

"Oh! Thank you! I can't believe -"

The Rito Champion stared at her as she rambled, too excited about new information to feel nervous, embarrassed, or any other negative emotions. As he watched her animated speech, he felt himself begin to relax little by little. Though he was aware that he needed to learn how to balance his perfectionist drive, there was something comforting about knowing that she could find a silver lining in his obsessive behavior.

And then, to his surprise, she scooted closer and leaned into him.

"Revali?"

"Yeah?"

"I was asking if you're ready to learn about the constellations."

"... Yeah."

He watched as she pointed towards the stars, drawing out constellations and explaining the myths surrounding them. Even though he'd been excited to spend an evening learning about a topic that fascinated her, Revali found himself distracted. He'd been so sure that he'd have to step carefully around her, or that he would have to somehow work to earn her affection again. But, instead, after peeling back a layer of the carefully cultivated mask, very little seemed to have changed for her.

But for him, something was different. Maybe he didn't have to be perfect. And when that thought struck him, he wrapped a wing around her, pulling her closer.

Maybe he could just be himself.