"That's a hard choice to make at twelve," Ganesh said. He watched Zadkiel's smile fade away, his own expression mirroring that.
His father's face came to him as he looked down at his own hands, thinking of the choices he wished he could have made. It was always the same when he remembered it, kind but in pain, the thick, hard bark of his skin cracking with every slight movement. Devesh Surendar had been fond of joking with people, of telling them that "I break, not bend" but only his wife and son knew that it was true.
A smile crossed his face, however, as he remembered it. He missed his father, after all. His memories were happy ones.
"Don't worry," he assured Zadkiel, grinning. "I won't ask you to heal every papercut. And I promise not to chop off an arm."