[ as if the very veil of kaveh's thoughts were not lifted before alhaitham's eyes. alhaitham does not need to look. his hands join kaveh's as he skims the water, and then, because he can, he gathers dendro. green flits across his fingertips. three small mirrors appear, vanish with the angle of light, and then elongate into something long, lean and with a barbed hook curved into its end. ]

Now, you are.

[ is what alhaitham says. he reaches with his refracted hook. the dendro blends in deceptively with the green of the nearby lilypad, right up until alhaitham begins to pull. the kalpalata lotus has petals the colour of a midday sky. he gently cups the flower in his hand, and staps the stem with the other.

alhaitham lifts the flower from its pond. it weighs heavy with lakewater; he allows it to drain into the grass. ]

You have allowed yourself to become congruent with your actions, but it's an easy decision to make. It is only us. [ and then, in that self-same tone: ] Hold the flower still.