Welcome to Gaia! ::

Encke enjoyed talking to Caedus. It was nice to hear from someone who had truly been in space, perhaps had been alive at a time to meet them before they were all wiped out. He imagined it had to get lonely just hanging around in the woods all day, though, so Encke wanted to check in on him just to make sure he was doing alright.

That and, honestly, Encke wanted to talk to him again.

Knowing that Caedus definitely enjoyed the crystals, Encke had packed a bigger piece of an odd crystal he had found at the new age shop he had stopped at. (The new age shop had seemed rather pleased, thinking that Ignacio was some sort of new regular.) They had called it dumortierite, or something like that. He just knew it was a rather dark crystal, and that interested him. A lot of crystals he had seen were bright, vivid, or at least, reflected a lot of light. This one didn't seem to as much, and he figured that perhaps Caedus would find that interesting, too.

Encke had also grabbed some leftovers from his boyfriend's family's last large dinner--not like anyone would notice that some of leftovers were missing, considering they always had way too much. Maybe Caedus would be interested in some home cooking. Plus, the cuisines were Northern African and Greek. He figured those probably weren't super common cuisines for Caedus to have tasted, yet.

He slipped just a bit into the woods before deciding to call, "Caedus? It's Encke!"

Not that he really needed an introduction. He was literally standing in the middle of a dark forest, glowing.

It took a bit longer than he might have expected for Caedus to appear, but when he did, it was a relief. Not that he expected Caedus to have gone anywhere, especially considering the fact that he couldn't really leave the forest for the moment, but--

"It's good to see you're well too, Caedus. I figured I'd drop by. Can't imagine it's terribly interesting just sitting in the woods all day, eh?"

He shifted the bags he was holding, moving them both to his left hand and letting them hang a bit. He would probably pass off the items in a minute, but he was observing Caedus for a moment. There was something different about how he was carrying himself. He seemed a little more ... confident, maybe? Had something changed? His posture seemed a little less slouched, at the very least. Maybe he'd stopped trying to crane his neck downwards to look at everyone who was shorter than him, but that didn't quite seem to match up.

Especially considering he said he was distracted.

Hm.

"I brought some leftovers from the latest gathering my partner's family had. There's some cuisine in here I figured you might have not seen yet." Encke dug around in his bag, pulling out a container to show as an example.

He set that back in the bag, and then moved to pull out the dumortierite crystal, presenting it to Caedus. "I came across this, too. Thought you might like it?" Encke's eyes flickered up to Caedus', curious if he would like the crystal, but perhaps more curious about if he might say something that might explain the change in mood.

Encke lifted a hand when Caedus said he didn't know how to repay him. "Please, you don't need to." In his opinion, he had repaid him enough when he gave them the opportunity to strike the Negaverse in their homebase. He paid him back double when he received a fascinating stone from a place in space he was unlikely to ever visit. Encke didn't need anything else from Caedus.

(Though if Caedus offered him something, he likely wouldn't reject it.)

He kept an eye on Caedus, curious as to what had him distracted, but it seemed rather obvious he wasn't going to divulge on his own.

Maybe...

"What's got you distracted? We could always talk about it over some food," offered Encke, with a small laugh.

He pulled the containers of food back out of his bag, setting them nearby for Caedus to peruse. "My partner's father's family is partially North African, actually. For reference, that's over on a whole other continent. Over the ocean." He laughed. It felt odd to talk about his partner at all in this form. Felt innately wrong. Richard couldn't be involved in this. But he wanted Caedus to be able to experience everything about Earth he could, and in the forest, there was no way he was getting to North Africa. "There should be some things in there you haven't seen before. I admit I'm really fond of the ghoribas ... it's a type of cookie."

Would he take the offer?

When he was asked for the ghoribas in particular, Encke went back to his containers and pulled out a small one which contained a few cookies. "Here," offered Encke, moving to hand off the container. "They're in here! Really good, I promise. And the one you're holding, I think that's some shakshouka. I have a spoon here, if you need it."

As Encke fished out one of his little portable plastic utensil bundles, he pondered over the rest of what Caedus was saying.

Leaving soon? The statement he made prior to that, about returning home...

Had Caedus figured out how to get back?

As Encke handed off the bundle of utensils, he offered a hopeful smile. "That's great news! Did you finally get what you needed to get home, then?" It was great news, really. If Caedus could get back to space, if Caedus could get back home, and his planet was still populated, that would be great for him. It would probably be great for those of them on Earth, too. Maybe Encke would be able to visit.

But at the same time, was Caedus' planet still populated? He seemed to think it was, but was it anything like he remembered it? Would he truly be able to get back? Was it only a one way ticket? If Caedus went back home, would Encke ever see Caedus again? Having Caedus on Earth was great for them, too, because he knew so much about space and knew so much about a time that none of them had the chance to live through. They could learn about themselves through their memories, but something was different about talking to someone who had lived through that whole time, even in the years between a thousand years ago and now.

Hm.

Instead of bombarding Caedus with questions, Encke dug out a bit of food for himself, giving the other time to answer.

Maybe he didn't voice approval at how good the cookies are, but how quickly they disappeared said that for him. Encke grinned. While he couldn't exactly say to whom the cookies went, he'd have to tell his relatives how much a friend liked the food later--

He tried not to mix his civilian and his powered life too much, but this would be an easy one to gloss over. "Of course!"

The confirmation that Caedus had found a way to go back home kept the grin on his face. As much as he wondered what would be there for Caedus, if Caedus could come back, if they could go visit Caedus, the fact that Caedus could go back home on its own was something worth celebrating. It was also worth celebrating that they had apparently changed Caedus' opinion on Earth. Perhaps if his planet was as thriving as Caedus seemed to think it was, they could finally get a new ally in the fight for their continued existence.

"It is a busy place," admitted Encke, with a laugh, following Caedus' gaze to the city lights. "But it's quieter out here. Can be nice to clear your head, eh?" He turned back towards Caedus, and offered, letting his grin soften to a friendly smile, "But I'm glad we helped make your experience here better. And I'm glad we were able to improve your opinion on this busy place, too. It's important."

As much as Encke wished he could turn Encke's Comet into a full, thriving society again, for now, the only thriving society any of the senshi had was Earth, and the Negaverse wanted to take that away from them.

"I'm glad you've taken time to be here and talk to us, too. You have a lot of," what was the word, what was the word, "insight about a time far before us. And about space." Especially about space. Encke could honestly talk about space all day.

He let that sit for a moment, letting Caedus enjoy the shakshouka, before asking, "Is this a one-way ticket, to get back?"

Ah, so it was only one-way.

Was this goodbye?

One way out. He supposed it made sense if just gathering the amount of energy he needed to get back to his home had already taken so long. It would likely take double the amount of time if not more if he wanted to assure his way back, right? And could he even assure his way back? Was that within the realm of possibility? Encke took a breath to calm himself, settling back and listening to Caedus. He didn't need to let his mind spin out of control the way it was prone to doing before Caedus even finished his thoughts--

Caedus' eyes seemed exceptionally eerie in this lighting.

For a few moments too long, perhaps, Encke watched the way Caedus' eyes danced in the light. He bit his lip, worried over it, before glancing away for a moment. The hopeful smile caught his eye, though, and he turned back once again.

He hoped he would be welcomed back.

Once he got back to his planet and reconnected to his people, he'd be back. There was a background thought of what if there were no people left? that rung in his mind, especially considering the status of his own comet, the status of other planets he had been to, the status of the wonders that he had seen, but Caedus was willing to make that risk. It wasn't Encke's place to discourage him. Getting back home had been his goal all along.

"I hope you go home and find your people there, waiting for you," offered Encke, summoning a grin that was likely more confident than he felt. Thankfully, he was an actor. "It's a risky move, but you seem confident. I hope they're there. I hope they help you come back." With a laugh, he added, "Maybe I can meet some more of your people."

He imagined part of what made Caedus' stories so fascinating was the amount he did travel on his own, but he couldn't even imagine the kinds of stories Caedus' people would have, especially if they were as long-lived as Caedus was. And they would have been in space the whole time! Encke would have loved to be able to just sit back and listen to them all talk.

But, of course, there was the problem of the Negaverse in the way.

"The Negaverse is a plague," murmured Encke, in agreement, glancing back towards the city behind them. "I'll welcome any ally in the fight against them. I don't know how many planets are actually thriving out there," from what he could tell, the answer was not enough, "but I hope if we keep at it, work together, we can rid ourselves of them before the universe goes quiet."

Encke's wishes certainly were sincere. He was nervous that Caedus' home situation was going to be the same as all of theirs--dead planets with no signs of anyone who had lived there--but he hoped Caedus found what he was looking for. He hoped all his people were alive. He hoped they could come back to Earth. He hoped they could have new allies, he hoped that he could meet them.

But he was uneasy, considering the state of his own comet.

Caedus' features softening brought just a bit more brightness to Encke's smile, and he closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. This would be fine. Caedus was right, right? If he had survived, there was no way the people on his planet hadn't. More numbers, more resources, not trapped by the Chaotic Monstrosity that called itself the Negaverse. It had to have been easier to survive. Surely, this wasn't the only planet that was still alive. The universe was full of galaxies as far as the eye could and couldn't see.

Caedus' planet was going to be one of them.

... It had to be.

"I'd love to meet them," confirmed Encke, once more, smile stretching into a grin. And he would! He could only imagine how much they knew, how much they would be able to tell him--them. It seemed like Caedus' people could give them an advantage they were looking for after years of this endless back and forth bullshit. "I can only imagine the kinds of stories they'd have to tell, especially if they've been wandering and growing this whole time. And they'd have to be more advanced than us, right? They might think us kinda dumb."

Encke laughed, and it was brighter than it might have been a few moments ago.

"I hope once you tell them about Earth, they have the same passion as you have for saving it." He tilted his head to the side and chuckled. "But I also hope that there are other worlds like ours, too. There's no way we can really be the only ones with a world like this, right? The universe is too big. Too vast."

It seemed improbable.

"I wish I had known you were leaving," remarked Encke, then, with a quiet laugh. "I would've brought something more."

Jokingly, Encke quipped, "Tell me if you figure out how to pass on that longer life thing though, would you?" There was so much to see, especially out there, beyond this planet, beyond this gravity. How would he be able to make it out there with a lifespan so human? How many planets would he have to miss out on, how many galaxies?

Space was one of the few things that kept Encke's heart going, besides for determination and those he loved so much.

Encke was surprised to find that Caedus was resting a hand on his shoulder, of all things, considering how hesitant physical contact appeared to make him. Supportively, Encke reached up to squeeze his hand in turn, offering a smile right back to him. He was sad he was leaving, for sure. Never mind the possibility that perhaps there was nothing left on Caedus' world, Encke was willing to consider Caedus a friend--and good ally, even, considering what he had done for them, done for him. The rock from the mysterious asteroid was floating in a safe container in his and Richard's bedroom, glowing proudly.

He hoped this goodbye was only temporary. It better be. He hated saying goodbye to anyone. Wait--

"Then if you're so sure you'll be back, with friends even," Encke's smile widened into something more akin to a grin, "then goodbye isn't appropriate. See you later? Perhaps even, see you soon? See you on this side of the Cauldron, maybe."

At that, he laughed.

"And let me know if I can help with anything else? I know you say I've done more than enough, but," Encke's grin calmed to a smile once more, "you're a friend. I don't think there's enough I can do."