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There were a few people that Encke particularly liked bringing with him to space. People who understood his love of it. People whom he felt connected to, who he felt close to.

Basiluzzo, of course, now that he had introduced him to his comet. Methone, who as a fellow eternal transcendent he had such an easy friendship with.

And Pendour, who loved restoring her place in space just as much as Encke loved restoring his.

He decided to text Sadie this time, inviting her to come back up to his comet again. Since she had given him the seeds, he had attempted a small gardening experiment, and while he wasn't quite sure how well it was going just yet--although, unlike Pendour, he could keep a closer eye on how things were developing--he thought she'd be interested in taking a look. He was rather proud of the way he managed to section off an area for the plants without getting them too close to the native species, wanting to make sure that he didn't accidentally introduce an invasive species.

The last thing he wanted to do was upset what was probably still a fairly fragile ecosystem.

(Hah, ecosystem, he was learning!)

Encke waited at the designated meeting spot nearby the cafe with, naturally, a small selection of leftovers he might have poached from the fridge. There weren't as many sweets this time since Garber hadn't taken over their kitchen recently, but Luke had once again managed to make too much for dinner. He hoped she appreciated salmon.

It was pretty good salmon.

Encke waved back, grin as wide as ever.

"Pendour!" What was she holding? Encke took a closer look as she came up to him, and couldn't help the way his grin shifted into something more of an affectionate smile when she offered him a bottle containing daffodils. They were gorgeous. Bright and yellow, he swore that if the sun was actually out, the bright color might have actually reflected on his face.

She thought of Richard too, and honestly, that was even sweeter. He beamed, tucking the flowers close to his body in the crook of his elbow, though being careful not to crush the petals. "Thank you! I'm sure Basi will love them too," offered Encke, with a wink. And then, almost as an afterthought, "I should introduce you two at some point."

Considering how interested Basiluzzo was in also going to space, he figured they would get along well from the onset.

Plus, Pendour was a sweetheart.

Seemed like just the type of person the Bells would adopt.

Encke lifted up the bag he was holding with his other hand. "I don't have as many sweets on me this time, but," he eyed the bag she was holding, noticing the bread, "the fish might go well with the bread! Maybe we can make some salmon sandwiches."

Of course he and Richard were okay. Why was she asking--

Oh.

Oh.

The context for who Basiluzzo was might have been important. Encke chuckled softly, shaking his head lightly when she lamented the state of only having two flowers. "Richard and I are more than okay." He replied, with an almost dreamy smile. "He's a knight now, too. Uranian. Basiluzzo of Uranus in particular. I've just gotten used to using 'Basi' in this form."

It took a bit, though. Encke still on occasion wanted to instinctively call out to him as Arra, but he knew better than actually doing that. Encke was freer with his identity than he used to be, partially because the whole point of keeping his identities separated had shattered fairly dramatically over the past few months or so, but that didn't mean that he wanted to go hinting that Basiluzzo was Richard Arra Bell in possible earshot of Chaos.

Not that he felt any auras--

"But yes, let's go have our rustic picnic." He grinned, taking her hand as he worked on fishing out his phone--admittedly difficult with everything he was holding, but shuffling his food bag up his arm seemed to do the trick. And once he had the phone securely in his hand, he pressed the button.

And they would find themselves once more in the familiar central city of Encke's Comet. It was starting to feel a bit warmer, and perhaps look a bit brighter, but otherwise, the scenery would be familiar.

Encke took in a deep breath and let out a content sigh.

Encke was, honestly, ready to go to Basiluzzo's wonder the moment Basiluzzo wanted to take him.

Uranus was a new planet to him, sure, and that in itself was exciting, but there was an additional element of excitement in that the wonder was his Arra's. It was a place in space that his love had pledged to in some past life--or perhaps his ancestor did, Encke supposed, he wasn't entirely clear on which way it was for Arra yet. It was a place in space that was innately Basiluzzo's. Encke wanted to know everything about it.

"I hope so."

He snickered in turn once they landed on Encke, and he remarked, shooting her a smirk of his own, "Pretty sure fish sandwiches would be the oddest form of breakup comfort food I've seen in a while."

Considering acting was inclined to its fair share of dramatics, he had seen some strange things before, but fish sandwiches would definitely be a new one--

"Not quite like Earth's," replied Encke, launching into the new topic, as he rolled his shoulders a bit, continuing to relax. "But yeah, there's seasons. My memories tell me there's the period of Enckean cool and the period of Enckean warm, the coldest and warmest parts roughly equivalent to the aphelion and the perihelion respectively. And after all these years, I can back that up with observation too."

He glanced behind him, like that would tell him where they were in space. Naturally, it didn't, but he continued on anyway, "The aphelion should have roughly happened in the beginning of November considering when the last perihelion was, so I suspect we're heading back towards the sun now."

Excitedly, he glanced up to the sky and noted, "We'll eventually pass Earth, Venus, Mercury. I'd like to be up here one time while Encke makes the transit. See what I can see."

Encke snorted at the idea of the cure to heartbreak being in something entirely unexpected like fish sandwiches. Hey, sorry it didn't work out, but there's some fish sandwiches here that might help?

Then again, freshly baked bread and freshly cooked fish could do wonders to his mood just by being fresh food. "Perhaps I should try serving some heartbroken friends something fresh but bizarre like durian."

He listened to her, a grin spreading on his face when she asked where they were. Encke knew, actually. The great thing about having a comet in the Solar System was that there were agencies that actually kept active track of orbits, even if they didn't realize what these places actually stored on them. Something, something, magic, he was sure. He was going to respond with the exact location when he noticed her observing his face, and then let out a heavy sigh when he realized the inevitable question.

It was not a sad one. Just a ... reflective one.

"We're somewhere in the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars," explained Encke, addressing the first question first. "Heading up, actually, in comparison to the elliptical. This is only the beginning of the warming period. It's gonna get a lot warmer, and then it'll be 2020 and we'll start diving back towards the sun."

He grinned, at that, before his face fell just a little bit.

So long.

"I originally gained my senshi form back in 2011," admitted Encke, voice quieter now, with a chuckle that wasn't full of the same mirth he usually gave. "I was eighteen then. Technically I've known of this bullshit since, uh," he fidgeted, for a moment, before continuing on, "late 2009?" Early 2010? That was when he emerged from-- "I think that's probably about right. It's been a long time. I'll be turning twenty-seven this year."

"Yeah," Encke confirmed, to her question about the asteroids, his voice a little more distant now as he thought about the fact that it was, indeed, 2019 now. He set a few things aside, namely his bag of food, so he could take the muffin and take a bite out of it.

A bit of a smile returned to his face.

He did love his sweets.

"I've met quite a few senshi of asteroids. Even a couple transcendent ones. Of moons, too." Encke expanded, glancing up to the sky once more. They didn't seem to be particularly close to any asteroids at the moment, but... "I bet way back when, this was a busy neighborhood." He couldn't even begin to imagine the number of societies that existed in the Asteroid Belt alone. It sometimes made him wonder just how many societies there were in space as a whole.

After all, his little sister was of the planet Anser, or perhaps the star Anser, but that was all the way in a completely different sector of space. Did they have their own asteroid belt, with their own numerous societies within?

But this wasn't about thinking about space, at the moment, as much as his brain sometimes liked to distract himself from the reality of this having been ten years of this bullshit.

Ten years.

"Yeah. It's been a really long road." Encke swallowed, at that, before taking another bite of his chocolate chip muffin. This was good. It was sweet. He wasn't talking about Barren Pines really-- "Honestly, most people I talk to can't even comprehend how long I've been at this. It's kinda amusing, really." And also made Encke worry about where so many of the people who had started when he did and before he did went. Had they had their starseeds stolen? Had they died? Had they lived long enough to see themselves become the enemy?

Teasingly, Encke made a remark of, "Oh, my age wasn't the serious question?" and he let a small smirk play on his lips, before he followed up with a, "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

It wasn't the glory days, but it was Encke's dream that, someday, the Solar System would go back to those days again. The galaxy would. The universe would. That should have been their primary goal, right? To restore what they once were, and to protect the planet they now called their own?

He wondered, briefly, if he could see Earth distantly on the horizon somewhere.

"You should," encouraged Encke, quickly, when she suggested that she should get back out and meet people. There was something about Pendour's gentle nature that often made him feel at peace.

He imagined it would be that way for others, too.

"Yeah, yeah," joked Encke, dismissively, swatting in the air in a way that seemed almost flamboyant as he responded to her tease in turn. "I like to think I still look good for my old age." And, with that statement and a wink, he gestured for her to follow him towards where he had planted his little garden. He figured there was nothing wrong with a little walking and talking, especially because for him, movement tended to keep his brain moving.

It was a good question, and unfortunately, he was fairly sure it wouldn't have any answers she liked. Encke shot her a bit of a lop-sided smile, not wanting to outright frown, but--

"Sometimes, you don't."

Encke glanced up for a moment, before opting to keep his vision ahead. Things flashed in his mind. Perhaps the occasional memory from his past life, but for the most part, it was his current. Having his head slammed against the pavement. Facing generals in theatres. Facing generals and captains and lieutenants out on patrol. Chasing them. Being choked by them. Being knocked around. Broken bodies. Loss of limbs. Coughing. Broken souls. A box.

A box.

A--

"In some ways, we're outmatched. They got legit weapons, they got teleportation, most of them don't have morals. I've seen a lot over the past... ten years." That tasted weird in his mouth. "I've seen people lose limbs. People lose their lives." He didn't like to think about what must have happened to-- "People," Encke worried over his lip for a moment, perhaps seeming oddly somber, "seeing things they never could have imagined, feeling things crawling through the city at every moment without having the power to do anything about it..."

Waking up had been strange.

"The best thing you can do is learn to defend yourself. Get stronger, so train. Consider self-defense classes, or maybe sparring with your allies. Get smarter. Strategize, figure out where they frequent, figure out what their weaknesses are, figure out escape plans of the areas you patrol so you can get out if you have to, quickly. Make allies, because sometimes how they sever us is catching us alone, and as a team, we all stand a better shot. Learn to fight back, even, if necessary." She had never seemed particularly inclined to fight, but he couldn't, in good conscience, not mention one of the most blatant ways he had figured out to defend himself. "I used to be kinda lanky, if you'd believe it." The laugh he gave was almost instinctual. "Years ago. I trained myself to get better. I'm faster now. Stronger. I pack quite a punch if I need to get someone off someone else."

Or if he needed to get them off himself.

"The transcendence is also helpful, admittedly. Stops the worst of the ways they hurt us, the force corruptions, the starseed rips. If they try anyway, they get thrown back. I've thrown a couple back that way myself, actually." Faustite. Stillwaterite.

One of which counted herself among their own now, unexpectedly enough.

Encke was surprised when she reached over and wrapped an arm around him, but he didn't push her away. Instead, he leaned in.

Previously, he might have pushed her away. Years ago, when he was just emerging from the worst of it, when he went into certain memories, he had even pushed Richard away. He hated himself for it every time afterward, but it was there. He was proud that the injuries had healed to scars, that he was able to put on such a happy face, that he felt that happiness now, too, that some of the confidence that he had lost had returned even if it would never be to the same level, that he had found some passions once more--

Encke returned a weak smile to her when she squeezed his shoulders.

"I don't attack first, for what it's worth." He chuckled. "Not unless I come across someone who has already proven themselves to be a threat repeatedly." Faustite. "I wait until someone is an active threat. I only fight in defense of others. In defense of the Earth."

It was interesting that Irving thought he was immune.

Immune to the effects of the war?

He had just grown stronger. He had technically also grown stronger mentally and emotionally, but it came as a result of deep pain.

Deep...

He took in a deep breath. "I've been diagnosed with PTSD. Flashbacks. Occasionally go catatonic. Uncontrollable panic, sometimes."

That was a heavy thing to admit.

"It's not something I talk amount much at all but," he glanced over to her, offering a lop-sided smile. "But in any case, I don't have all the answers, but I'll help where I can. And if you want someone to help you learn self-defense, I know a lot of that, now. And Basi knows first aid. It might be some way you can help as part of a team without necessarily actively fighting back."