For a moment, he thought she might refuse. Then Lan leaned forward, squinting at him. “Why are you smiling? I get nervous when you’re all sweet talk and honeyed words.” He frowned. “You would have me brood all day, then?” She grinned. “Exactly,” she said, and just like that, she handed him the box that held the ocarina. It was no heavier than a rock, yet it seemed to hold the weight of worlds as he held it in his palms. The weight of her trust.
