Kai Low might not have grown up in the stone city, but he wasn't stupid.
And they weren't nearly as clever as they thought they were. Or as special.
And they don't like it when he tells them that.
It's like they think they're the first ones to invent betrayal and politics and greed. Even among the tribes, those things exist. Have existed since humans first crawled their way into existence on the Rock.
Based on the chaos that descends on the stone city in mere hours after Princess Soliel stormed into Yuze's office, it's never happened before.
There are crowds in the streets, some shouting questions, some demanding blood, and none of them seem to know anything real about what's happening.
Kai Low made the mistake of trying to leave through the main entrance of the castle and nearly got crushed under the enthusiastic bodies trying to ask him what was going on. The guards had to pull him out, and Kai Low had been so embarrassed that he hadn't tried to leave again for the entire day.
He'd sulked in Kai Low's office and ignored the vague air of amusement from the spy, while refusing to talk to him. Lord Rong hadn't done a great job of hiding how funny he thought it was when Kai Low had returned dishelved and shaken.
The prick.
Why did Kai Low like him so much?
Or at all?
There were plenty of nice men and women back home. What the hell was it about Yuze that had caught Kai Low's attention so thoroughly?
From the moment Kai Low had spotted him listening outside the tent, and he'd had the spine to lie when Kai Low had called him out, something in the Bandri had latched onto the spy from the stone city and refused to let go.
It had pricked his pride when Yuze had so easily dismissed him during the ride north, even the knowledge now that Yuze had been consumed with concerns about his own safety and what Beng Shai had been planning didn't take that away.
Which was a bit childish, but Kai Low couldn't help how he felt.
Even when he knew Yuze was laughing at him, Kai Low still wanted him around. He'd never felt that way about someone before.
It was strange.
But it wasn't totally unpleasant.
It was weird. That was the word that made the most sense, which felt rather ridiculous in and of itself. He wasn't a child; this kind of thing wasn't supposed to be weird.
Love wasn't weird.
He froze where he was sprawled in the chair across from Yuze's desk. Like if he stopped every movement, Yuze wouldn't look over at him and instantly realize.
Was Kai Low just supposed to tell him?
Would Yuze even be pleased? Kai Low wasn't totally pleased, and they were his feelings. Did he even want to tell Yuze? Or anyone? Ran Orlo wouldn't like it; he didn't like anything about the stone city and was still somewhat bitter about Beng Shan sending him here. Kai Low thought he probably did like Yuze a bit; there had been a couple of times where he'd caught Ran Orlo watching the spy like he did when he was trying to learn how to imitate someone he admired. It was cute. His nephew used to follow him around like that when he was small and chubby and smiled at everything.
Kai Low had found it a bit annoying back then, but now he missed it terribly. Especially when Ran Orlo was in one of his young adult moods and angry at everything and nothing.
Kai Low was certain he was never like that at that age.
There were worse people for him to admire, at least. Yuze had a good head on his shoulders, even if he was a bit clueless sometimes. And he chose to use his vast talent for the betterment of the stone city instead of anyone else.
"Have you ever been in love?"
Yuze froze where he was bent over his desk. He'd gathered all the information he had on the members of the High Court currently assigned to the Camelia, looking for any weakness or suspicious connections that might give someone leverage over them.
Kai Low watched him stare intently down at the papers in front of him. He almost asked if Yuze heard him, but the tightness in his shoulders and his sudden stillness answered that.
He stayed quiet, waited. Yuze was not someone you could harass into anything, Kai Low had realized that on the weeklong ride north during the war. He'd seen it even more here, where Yuze's ability to keep a level head prevented more disasters than anything else.
Especially with the hot-headed princess running the place.
He'd already met Yuze's most significant former relationship. That arrogant healer Kai Low had gotten into a screaming match with.
And there was his brother, but Kai Low wasn't ready or willing to talk about that yet. There was a chance he would never be, since the very idea of it made him sick to his stomach.
Had his brother loved Yuze? Was that why he'd betrayed the tribe?
Would Kai Low do the same thing? He hadn't considered that before. Was love the temptation that would lead him into a life of betrayal and loss?
"Yes."
He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed Yuze's answer.
"Yes, I have." Yuze didn't look up as he spoke. Rolling a quill between his fingers and staring intently at the drying ink. "Have you?"
Kai Low looked at him, tried to remember if he'd ever felt this way about someone before, and couldn't drum up a single memory. "No."
A shock ran through Yuze. Kai Low could see the way it shook his shoulders. "Oh." Yuze didn't sound terribly confident; there was a break in his voice that Kai Low didn't understand.
He probably didn't feel the same and didn't know what to say.
First and last, and never returned, it seemed.
~ tbc