For a moment, Ilya's quiet. He wants to make Dolemeck happy. He likes seeing him be so open. Topher was too confident, too comfortable with the world. There's something that's more easy to connect with when he's around Dolemeck, especially alone. Ilya hasn't ever spoken so freely and easily with someone in his life. He didn't know it could be easy. Most of his life had been spent thinking if only he could lie about his powers and his race he'd have it made, and then along came Dolemeck and the opposite was true. He had nothing to hide. It was such a powerful feeling his eyes watered.

"I think," he whispered, "I could get used to this. Whatever 'this' is - whatever you want us to be, I want that, too."

It's scary. The thought leaves him breathless after the years of isolation. But all the pieces fall into place too well for him to want to walk away from what just happened. They fit together, at least from Ilya's perspective, and that means the world to him.