Zel blinked.

All of a sudden, he felt... much lighter. His hair fell in a spiky, limp tangle across his face; his stone skin had softened. He could feel a breeze tickling his face.

Lina blinked as well.

"Zel--?" she said slowly. "Am I imagining this, or did you just...?"

"...I..." He swallowed hard. "No, Lina, you're right."

"It was that simple? Jeeze, Zel, if I'd known that's all it takes, I'd have done it ages ago!"

He slid her a sidewise look.

"I hope that's not the only reason you'd do it," he said softly.

She smiled warmly at him.

"You're right," she said. "It's not."

And she pulled him in for another long kiss.