"I assure you I can comprehend numbers just fine. Come on, Ze." I pout at him. "You don't have to be embarrassed. You look fine for your age. Why, you don't have any wrinkles," I joke as I pat his hand.

He looks down where I'm touching him before his gaze snaps up to mine, his eyes narrowing.

My smile freezes on my face, and for a moment, I'm afraid I might have offended him somehow. We've already established that nine times out of ten we don't speak the same language.

"I do not know," he utters in a low voice.

"What?" I blink, thinking I didn't hear him right.

"I do not know," he grits his teeth.

"What do you mean you don't know? When is your birthday?" I probe, ready to do the math for him. Maybe he's so old that he's lost track of time, or he simply stopped counting altogether.

"I do not know that either." He presses his lips together.

I frown. "Do you guys not celebrate birthdays in your world?"

"Others do," he replies curtly.

"But not you."

A single nod.

"Why?"

"Human," he growls, the sound vibrating in the stillness of the night.

Oh no... Did I hit a sore spot?

"I'm sorry if this is something you don't like to talk about," I murmur softly. God, but now I am the insensitive one.

He grunts, and just as I'm about to take my hand away, he grabs onto it, covering it with his own.

"I was a soldier for a few thousand years before I advanced to my current position," he starts, his voice the same steely baritone as before, yet there's a light tremor to it. "I have no living relatives who could comment on my age or birthday, but I would estimate I am over seven thousand years old in your human years."

"Oh..." Is there anything else I can say to that other than oh? The man is older than the Bible—and Earth according to the Bible.

"That is quite old," I nod.

His brows furrow as if deep in thought. He emulates my nod.

"So you've never celebrated your birthday?"

He stares at me. Another nod.

"Ze..." I trail off, my gaze softening.

"Don't you dare pity me, human," he warns, squeezing my hand.

"No, of course not," I hurry to say. Someone as proud as Ze would hate to be the object of pity. "I just feel sad for you. Birthdays are awesome." I smile tentatively.

He's still staring at me, his gaze intent.

Recognizing this is a rare moment in which he's sharing something about himself, I decide to do the same to make him feel better.

"I didn't celebrate my birthday for a long time either," I confess.

His eyes flare.

"Why?" he asks quietly.

A melancholic smile plays across my lips.