Hylo sat comfortably next to the seat Ether would take. She watched her dad help Valentine sit down on another chair and properly face them.
Once that was done, Ether took his seat. His arm rested over Hylo's chair, above her Zawed head. She kept her hands on her lap while she listened.
"My good student," Valentine began. "I want to go back out there and fight alongside our forces while we're attacking Conqueror's heart."
Ether continued to awkwardly look into Valentine's blurry eyes. "I'm not going to let you go over there. That's a risky fight. Hitirus, the guy who took your vision, will surely be there."
Valentine softly chuckled. "He took my vision, not my life. I have two working arms and legs, with a heart beating like no other. I need to go and at least bruise that creature."
Silence fell between both men. Trying to protest against that idea would be futile, Ether knew. Because just like him, Valentine was very stubborn at times.
But unlike him, he didn't understand why. For so many years, him and his brothers lived with Valentine as their teacher. Never questioning why he treasured love so much.
It was practically his gimmick. Anyone needed help in finding a partner? Simple, talk to Valentine. Somehow, someway, it always worked.
After so many years, that curiosity was finally reaching its climax. Ether took a deep breath, then focused his attention on Valentine once again.
"Maybe if I knew more about what made you this way, I'll allow you to go," Ether asked.
Valentine smiled, sitting back in his chair. "Solice, Solice, Solice. Hylo, that's the name of your father's father. Solice Coros, the Great Wall. He was titled 'the Great Wall' since nobody could sway him when he set his eyes on something. And when danger arose, he stood firm and fought it."
Hylo's eyes dimly sparkled, she was completely invested in this story already. So was Ether. He knew that about his father, but he didn't know how that connected with the hearts and love.
"I met Solice while out on a scouting run. An avalanche caught my attention, so I ran in that direction. Snow crunching beneath my boots, visible air flowing out my mouth."
Ether pictured half of Digon's wintery blanket collapse and slide down its side. Consuming everything as it passed down. Encasing creatures in the cold while steadily killing others.
"When I arrived, I noticed the snow seemed disturbed from underneath. More than it was already. So I went in and dug as many as I could out," Valentine continued.
"How big was the blanket?" Hylo's innocence got the better of her. "Did you go under?"
Valentine chuckled. "Yes, yes, I did. It was really big. So big, in fact, that I'm willing to bet you'd find yourself building massive castles with the snow."
The thought of building castles lingered in Hylo's imagination. She pictured herself making one so big and cool that her siblings begged her to hang out with them more.
But that fantasy quickly died out when she Valentine continued to speak. His voice was steady and clear.
"When I met Solice, he thanked me for helping him. And I brought him into Frosticus, so they could prepare themselves for their journey back home," Valentine detailed.
Ether leaned closer to Valentine. "But that still doesn't answer my original question. How does this tie into you being all about love? Were you... in love with my dad..?"
Valentine laughed aloud. "No, of course not. Solice taught me what it means to look out for your fellow Variant. He told me stories of tragedies fixed by just that. Unity. They helped each other."
"You know the stories that stick with you for a long time are those told by strangers. Because you might never see them again, and they might be trying to teach you something," Valentine continued.
Hylo glanced up at her father, watching him nod in agreement. She admired the soft and beautiful hair he had as it brushed past his shoulders.
"Through that, I began visiting the Light Legion. Eventually we saw each other as friends, and soon after, I started practicing what he knew. But in my own way," Valentine smiled. "Guess how."
Instinctively, Hylo raised her hand in a hurry. So fast that she completely forgot Valentine couldn't see a thing.
So Ether patted her head to let her know she could speak. When she felt her father's tender hands touch her, a sense of care filled her little heart.
"Did you start loving everybody?" Hylo blurted out.
Valentine chuckled, shaking his head as well. "You were close. I started helping my friends find partners, and helped them raise their young. I was seen as a reliable figure for all."
Ether imagined how that must've looked like. His Sherpa being surrounded by other Thawed who asked for his help and thanked him deeply.
"But there was one small issue I did not realize. As time progressed and the more couples I helped, the lonelier I became. Even surrounded by friends, I still felt like nobody truly loved me," Valentine continued.
He pressed his index finger on the tabletop, sketching a broken heart. Brittle fractures destroyed the entire thing. Leaving behind splinters of blood as they cracked.
Valentine retreated his hand, confident he did a good job at drawing a heart. "Until the day I met this fine lady, her name was Levia. A Thawed through and through. Prideful like one and braver than most."
Ether and Hylo paid attention to the heart. Splinters slowly drifted back together, mending the heart until it was whole again.
"She made me feel loved, as if somebody wanted me because I was being myself. Not because I was helpful," Valentine continued. "And I adored her back. It was love first sight, really."
Hylo's innocent got the better of her again. "What happened next?"
"Well... this is why I decorate myself with love and hearts. Because if I ever experienced getting mine torn out and crushed... it was a calm evening within our walls," Valentine began.