He stands in front of the statue, and falls. Just a moment of his legs going weak, just a tiny contact with the eyes, the posture, the smile of the statue, and he is on a knee in the dirt, breathing heavy as the statue stands still. He waits for it to move.

It's as lifelike as Cole's sketches had been. They'd all seen the sketches, the concepts, all drawn in a shaky hesitant hand, but they hadn't been this- not standing in the center of the park, not sitting still on the stone bench, holding out an arm as an empty perch.

It's beautiful. It really, really is.

He drags his eyes over the statue, slow, and tries to absorb the grey through his eyes. Stone, that's all it is. Stone. Grey. Stone. It won't move.

He is the Green Ninja, but he cannot breathe life into this.

And damn it, if that doesn't hurt like a sledgehammer to the chest. The aching spreads throughout his body, a pressure at the back of his knees that forces him gently to the ground on both.

He settles back on his ankles. Closes his eyes. Breathes.

A fluttering of feathers.

Lloyd's eyes open.

The falcon lands on Zane's arm.

It's all a rush as the falcon settles, softly chirping. It nudges at the statue's closed eyelids and smile.

Zane, laughing at a joke and moving around the deck with the falcon perched on one arm and a broom in his hand. Lloyd, watching from underneath him and holding the dustpan. Tilting his head up. Meeting his eyes, too soon after. Growing up too quick. Zane, putting tea into his hands and the words he needs into the night air. Zane, the falcon as his eyes. Zane, leading him to watch the stars. Zane, pointing out comets. Zane, smiling, soft, patient.

Lloyd's voice shakes, but doesn't fail him.

"It's not him, Falcon. Zane's not coming back." The falcon looks him in the eye, piercing and inquisitive. Asking him 'why?'

He holds his arm out. The falcon hesitates for a moment, cooing softly. It tries for another second to wake its owner, nuzzling at the cold stone cheek.

The talons poke at Lloyd's skin beneath his winter sweater, but he doesn't flinch. He'll never be able to do it like Zane had- he'll need a proper glove- but…

He'll try. His damn hardest, he'll try.