"That--I think Suuhl just moved!" Liya said, and Yoshi turned to look bemusedly out the window.

"That happens, yeah," someone said, and they both looked up to see Vlad standing at the edge of their table, having just walked up the steps from below. He had his hands in his pockets, and he was missing his scarf and glasses, but otherwise he appeared unscathed. "They say it's good luck to catch a statue moving."

"Vlad!" Yoshi exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Vlad replied, and sank down onto the cushion next to Liya. Yoshi quickly poured him a cup of tea. "Thanks, hon."

"So what happened?" Liya asked him, curiously. Vlad shrugged, reaching for the tea.

"I don't really know," he said. "A few people died. Some were hurt. We made sure the healers got to them, then we bailed."

The hands he cupped around the teacup were dirty; his knuckles looked bruised, and there was blood still visible at the edges of his nails. His blue nail polish was also chipped in places, and on closer inspection, there was a bloody tinge to the arms of his coat, just around his wrists.

"That's the most we could do," he continued. "The cops were busy kicking bystanders around. I'm sure they won't look too hard for the people who actually did this," he added, and took a sip of tea.

"Oh," Liya said, exchanging a look with Yoshi.

"...Anyway, Miss Yoshi," Vlad said briskly, leaning forward on one elbow. "You're not crazy. I've met trans humans, I've met trans monsters. You're half of each. Checks out."

Yoshi stared at him, her mouth having fallen open. "Eh?! A-All this time--"

"Why didn't you say something, hon?" Vlad said patiently. "Look at me! Of course I know something about gender variance."

Liya watched this exchange for a moment, and then sat back, stealing another look out the window. The snow was coming down more and more thickly, and what the statue of Suuhl had flung off was now building up again.

"But you're Aetherian!" Yoshi protested.

"So? I spent two hundred of my three hundred years elsewhere."

"Oh..."

"So, look--are you--I mean...are you having some body things you want to change, or..."

"Y-yes."