70- Joy to be Found

Cole and Tau had been gone for over an hour by the time they returned to the apartment, and Kyffin still had his head buried in Cole's book, even as they were bringing their bags inside.

"How'd the paper turn out?" Cole asked as he removed his coat and hung it in the closet.

"Good as far as I can tell," Kyffin replied as he looked up from the book. "Please inspect it though. I left the tray to cool on the stove top. It's been out for about 15 minutes. Oh, and the phone rang shortly after you left. I didn't answer it though."

"If it was important, they'll call back," Cole remarked as headed into the kitchen.

"Where do you want all of this stuff?" Tau asked as he followed Cole with two bags of items in hand.

"You can take out the tarp and the bed sheet. We be needing those first," Cole replied as he carefully lifted one of the papers and looked it over. "Oh, these turned out nice, Kyffin. You have some skill in you."

"Thank you, Cole. That means a lot coming from you."

"Think nothing of it. Just answer me one question; you enjoy the read?"

"I did, but I have questions."

"I suspected you would, but they can wait. We have work to do. Help Tau set up the tarp, while I prepare the paint."

Kyffin set down Cole's book as Tau held the tarp out towards him. Unfolding it, they spread it out across the open portion of the apartment floor.

"The bedsheet will be next," Kyffin said, and Tau picked up the package of bedding and opened it up, removing the flat sheet. "The fitted sheet will work as a backup, and I'm certain Quayleigh can find a use for the cases."

"I certainly hope so," Tau replied as they unfolded the sheet and placed it over the tarp. "I've caused her enough trouble just being here. I'd like to pay her back anyway I can, even with small things she can find useful."

"If you realize you're causing her trouble, why not separate yourself from her?"

"While the thought had crossed my mind, I know that the separation would cause her a far greater pain. This is as close as the two of us will ever get to spending our lives together, Kyffin. It is a luxury afforded to us by your brother's mistake, but I cannot allow it to go to waste. Especially if this was brought on by his sacrifice. For now, the risks do not out weight the benefit. Being at her side... I can't begin to explain what it means to the both of us. We know our time has a limit, so I can't waste any of it being apart from her. Not when I am more than capable of protecting her from whatever trouble may come our way."

"So, you do care. Possibly even love her. I mean no offense, Tauluthet. I'm just curious as to how our emotions compare."

"Please, just call me Tau. My name is unnecessarily cumbersome."

"As you wish, Tau," Kyffin replied as they joined Cole in the kitchen.

"And I'm not certain if our emotions are comparable. They are tricky things, and words truly do them no justice," Tau said as he looked into the bowl Cole was stirring. "That looks all sorts of wrong."

"It's not finished yet," Cole snickered. "These things take time mon amie, and these dishes be unseasoned. Things always look wrong in new equipment, but trust me, it be as it should. Get me the glycerin from the bag, if you would."

Tau retrieved the small bottle of painter's glycerin from the bag and handed it to Cole.

"In her chest, there was a blue bottle, I'll need that next. Kyffin, if you could prepare the brushes for me, I'd appreciate it. There be pots in the far bottom cupboard."

Tau retrieved the blue bottle as Cole poured the glycerin and Kyffin found a small pot and filled it halfway with tap water.

"Oh! What is this?!" Tau asked as he turned his head away from the pungent smell wafting up from the opening of the bottle.

"Chitin extract. Nasty stuff, but necessary for a good paint. Luckily, the smell shifts to something far more pleasant once it's heated with the glycerin," Cole explained as he poured several drops into the bowl and quickly stirred it in.

Shifting the tray of paper to the side, Kyffin turned on the burner to let the water heat, and Cole put the bowl into the microwave for thirty seconds.

"Hard to believe cher be missing out on all this. You should take some pictures for her, Tau. Let her see how messy we made her place so she appreciates how clean it be when she gets home tonight."

"You don't mind?" he asked as he retrieved his phone.

"Not at all, as long as you only show them to her. What about you Kyffin?"

"I don't mind. As strange as this is, I haven't enjoyed myself this much in a very long time. It might be nice to have this documented. I honestly can't remember the last time I spent this much time in the same room as Dylan. Mind you, he's far more tolerable now. Despite your best-efforts Tau, I doubt you could have ever pulled of an accurate interpretation of him."

"What was he like, or rather, what would he be like in a situation like this?" Tau asked as Kyffin pulled the paint brushes from the bag and stripped them of their packaging.

"That's easy, he'd be drunk and moping on the couch, complaining that this was too much work and too complicated a task. In another hour, without so much as lifting a finger, he would pass out, and leave us to clean up. In reality though, he wouldn't be here at all. He would never have looked in Quayleigh's direction or stepped foot in the Downs. And spend time with a man like Cole? Never."

"Hey now, what be wrong with me?" Cole asked as he opened the microwave and stirred the concoction before closing the door and setting it for another thirty second burst.

"Where do I even begin? You're older, employed, sensible, rational, and you don't strike me as the type of man who spends his time more intoxicated, on anything you can get your hands on, than sober. And you and I seem to get along well. Plus, you and Quayleigh are close, and as I said, Dylan wouldn't have had anything to do with her."

"Why though?" Tau wondered as he snapped a few pictures of Kyffin and Cole in the kitchen.

"Because she isn't from the Grove and supermodel beautiful. Dylan was superficial, at best, and shallow at worst. He probably wouldn't have even bothered with Francesca if not for her looks and family name, and she, much to my surprise, was a genuinely good person. And to say she made Dylan a better person is no stretch of the truth. Even in the brief time I have known Quayleigh, she has left the impression that she has a kindness to her that is genuine. I may have given you the impression that I didn't like her when we first met, but I was merely being cautious. I truly do not believe that she had anything to do with your current situation though."

"I'm glad you can see that," Tau replied as Cole stirred the mixture again, a pleasant floral aroma filtering through the apartment as he closed the door of the microwave and set it for another thirty seconds.

"Now, let's say, by some miracle, Dylan had met Quayleigh and they were in a relationship. Most would assume she was only in it for the money, and that was my first thought. Even seeing your magic, or lack thereof, I still wasn't entirely certain that you weren't Dylan. However, the way she spoke, it made it clear to me that she wasn't the type of person to be manipulative or greedy. Caoimhín will have a much harder time trying to understand that."

"I don't think he and I will be spending any time together," Tau remarked as he clicked the camera a few more times.

"It's probably for the best. As for our parents, Mother will never accept her. The scar will be a controversy and since she's never had it repaired, I can only assume it has something to do with the damage that was done."

"More like the prohibitive cost," Cole piped in. "But what do you mean by the damage? What did you see when you looked at her?"

"It was strange honestly. Her magic flows into the scar, but then fades and barely trickles out. It's almost like it was consuming it. I concluded that the damage had disrupted the proper flow and that would make it impossible to repair. I doubt even Magister Remita Vasentia could find a way to fix it, and she's the best in the world. You showed me that picture of Quayleigh when she was eight. How soon after was she injured?"

"She was barely nine when it happened."

"That is very strange indeed. Her magic should have corrected itself by now. Do you think she would mind if I took a closer look at her eye?"

"I don't think that will be necessary," Tau replied as the microwave beeped. "You see, I know why her magic reacts as it does, and there's no reason that you shouldn't either. Death saved Quayleigh's life the day we met, by fixing her eye. As a result, her energy continually flows into it to keep it as healthy as it can or rather to claim it as its own."

"Fascinating," Kyffin remarked as he set his hand to his chin.

"I don't think she would mind if you ask though."

"I will, ask that is, of course," Kyffin said as he took the brushes and placed the bristles into the boiling water, before turning off the burner. "How's the paint coming?"

"Just needs to cool," Cole replied as he set the bowl onto the counter. "You see, isn't that just the most delightful smell? I find it to be one of the most relaxing scents you could hope for. Like a mix of vanilla and junipers. All we be missing now are a couple of mint julips, and a thick muggy air for it to feel more like home."

"And where is home for you?" Kyffin questioned as he began to gather the dried sections of paper.

"La Bata'roy. I grew up on the bayou, if my accent didn't give it away. Came up here about thirty years ago now. Business be better here in the north, but I don't miss the winters in the south. All these years in and I still can't get used to the snow."

"And here I'd have thought you would have enjoyed a break from the heat," Tau said as he took another picture.

"I happen to enjoy the heat. The only part of winter that's better up here be the solstice festival. Quays used to love helping me decorate the shop, especially the scent of pine and wintergreens."

"Even I enjoy those things," Kyffin muttered.

"What's that you say?" Cole questioned as he wrapped his arm over Kyffin's shoulder and spun him around to face Tau. "Did you just admit to liking something festive? Could it be that beneath that stone-cold exterior there be the beating heart of a holiday spirit?"

And with that, Kyffin's cheeks turned pink, and a smile cracked his lips.

"Okay, yes. When I was a kid, the solstice festival was the only time of the year that I got to spend time with our father. For three whole days, it actually mattered that I was his son. Even once Caoimhín and Dylan were old enough to participate in the activities, he didn't push me aside for them, and mother, she let me be. Three entire days where I got to breath nothing but the scent of pine and wintergreens."

"Do you still celebrate?" Tau wondered as he lowered his phone, having taken a number of pictures.

"I buy a sprig of each for my table every year and I still spend at least one day with our father, but it's not the same as it was."

"Then what you say this year, you come join me instead? Tau can bring Quays and the four of us can work some old magic together."

"Are you suggesting we do a Katano Vog Ha'shé?"

Cole smiled as bright as Tau had ever seen as he tapped Kyffin on the nose. "You bet I am!"

"Pardon my ignorance, but Katano what?"

"Katano Vog Ha'shé. It's a very old traditional ritual to bring in the new year. It's an offering to the seven gods of humanity; Life, Death, Knowledge, Prosperity, Strength, Wisdom, and Love."

"It's quite the spectacle. There be food, a bonfire, candles and wreaths, dancing and merriment, and the best part, vats of Vog Ha'shé mead," Cole added. "What's not to enjoy? And besides, this be our Reaper's first holiday with the family. We should ensure it be one to remember."

"You do have a point," Kyffin replied with a nod. "Why not. I haven't participated in a Katano since I was 16. It will be... enjoyable."

"Do you think Quayleigh will enjoy it too?"

"It used to be her favorite holiday. I don't see why not. Best you keep it a surprise though. It still be more than a month away," Cole replied as he patted Kyffin on the shoulder. "The paint be about ready. Let's get this circle made. Tau, you should check on that worm, make sure he still be alive and well."

As Tau checked on the worm, opting to give it a few drops of water to perk it up, Kyffin and Cole rolled up their sleeves and stripped off their socks. Cole gathered the brushes and placed them into the bowl, while Kyffin retrieved his notes.

"This looks to be about the center," he said as Cole pulled a brush from the paint.

"Looks right to me. Care to do the honors?"

"But…" Kyffin paused and took the brush from Cole. "Thank you."

"You did most the work, Kyffin. I know how unfamiliar this wild magic be to you, but as you pull it up through your feet, just breath and let it flow. Your instinct is going to be to restrain it but relax and let it run through you like water. Focus on directing it into your brush. And just paint."

Kyffin nodded and steadied himself taking several deepening breaths while flexing his toes against the sheet, the tarp crinkling beneath them as he lowered his brush.

Tau sat on the floor and watched as Kyffin closed his eyes and began to paint a circle at his feet. Standing up he shook his head. "This feels completely wrong," he stated before setting the brush in his teeth and shaking out his hands and flexing his fingers.

"That's okay. It's going to feel completely wrong to what you're used to but trust me. This is how it feels when you let your magic work with you, instead of demanding it work for you," Cole said as Kyffin took his brush back into his hand. Reaching out Cole put his hand onto Kyffin's, "Your magic has been damaged by years of force and refining it against its true nature. You are not an elemental mage Kyffin. You never were."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because you start reading from the back of my book, and you had questions. If you were an elemental mage, you would have had none."

"But you don't even know what my questions are."

"Don't I?" Cole smirked as he walked over to the table and picked up his book. Moving back to Kyffin, he handed him the bowl and turned to the last page, showing him the drawing of a swirling pattern. "You were going to ask why the branches bisect the outer ring." Turning to the next page, where an intricate drawing of wavy lines and boxes overlaid a triangular pattern, he said, "Why are the lines reaching passed the base?" Turning to the next page, showing him the spotted pattern with connecting lines and circles. "Why are the dots filled in? What purpose do they serve? How'd I do? Was that all of them?" Kyffin stared silent as Cole closed his book and passed it back to Tau. "I can't tell you what you were meant to be, but I know that what they made you isn't it. I also know what you would be risking if you took me up on this offer, but I want to help you repair what they did."

"How?"

"By starting with this. This ritual, yes, it's important that we get it done, but we don't have to rush. The scorpions can wait, and Tau has plenty of time. We'll get the answers, and you can take this opportunity to feel your magic as it was meant to be. Now, close your eyes and try again."

Taking the bowl from Kyffin, he cleaned the excess paint from one of the brushes and handed it to him. "Now breath, just like before and don't rush it. Let the magic do the work. It will move at its own pace; all you have to do is direct it to your hand."

Kyffin did as Cole instructed, and Tau watched as he stood and breathed. Kyffin made several more strokes of the brush, stopping between each one to stand and refocus without a word of complaint. Tau could see the frustration on Kyffin's face, but each time, Cole would exchange the brush in his hand and offer words of encouragement and guidance.

The process was slow, but with each pause Kyffin took, the following motions lasted longer and seemed more natural and fluid. As the minutes ticked by the forms on the sheet began to take shape and Cole joined in the painting. It was fascinating to Tau as he witnessed the differences in their motions. Cole, a seasoned master of his art, moved with his entire body, like a dancer. Kyffin seemed stiff and uncertain by comparison, but midway through the completion of their painting, Tau saw a profound shift in Kyffin's movements as Cole set his hand onto his shoulder for a brief moment. After that momentary connection, Kyffin's movements relaxed and seemed to find a rhythm all their own. They became faster and more confident and worked alongside Cole's.

Watching them brought a smile to Tau's face and a joy to his heart, because in that moment, he was certain that his stoic and restrained brother, Kyffin, was actually having fun.