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"I'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪs," she admitted.

It was the sunrise, again, and Fae-Fae was on the hill, again.

It had remained a reliable place to find her after all the months that had passed.

First there had been just the first, with everyone who had come to join her here. Then there was the second, and third, and fifth, and sixteenth; sometimes alone, sometimes with Caelyna or Tenoch or another fellow Vanguardian. After their stay on Earth had been extended, the observations continued, and before she had fully realized, the rising sun had stopped being such a novelty. It was now familiar. By now, she had seen over a hundred.

The solar cycle, and the lunar cycle, and the seasons, and all the other recurring natural events they all kept learning more about, had long since ceased being something she could observe at arm's length. They were a part of her everyday life. They informed everything she did, sometimes without her even realizing. It was like they were a part of her body. Or that the Earth had grown something inside her. This habit had become a habit without that being planned, but it all felt so much like something this world had invited her to do such a thing in the first place.

To Lyndin, she finally asked, "Is ᴛʜɪs ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴏɴ Vᴇʟᴇɴɪᴀ?"

Enjoy? Fae-Fae giggled a bit, blushing.

"Iᴛ's ɴᴏᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴜɴ," though it was her favorite, her expression seemed to add. "Nᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪs ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴅᴏɪɴɢ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ. Aɴᴅ I ᴍᴜsᴛ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ғᴀᴄᴛᴏʀ ɪᴛs ᴅᴇᴄɪsɪᴏɴs ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ." It was fascinating, inspiring, and frustrating all at once; the Earth's untamable wild spirit. It could ruin her plans as easily as deciding to rain. "Tʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴄʜᴀʀɢᴇ ᴏғ ɪᴛs ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ɪғ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɢᴏᴇs ᴡʀᴏɴɢ."

It was all so, so different from Velencya, she was still working to understand it.

"Iᴛ ᴀᴄᴛs ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ᴏɴ ɪᴛs ᴏᴡɴ. Iᴛ's ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴄʜᴀɴɢɪɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ." Her eyes darted around the horizon, trying to catch the words that would complete her thoughts. "Dɪᴅ ᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ ᴛʜɪɴɢ?"

The image of the Commodore as an adventurer across the Velenian wilderness was something that, normally, Fae-Fae would enjoy entertaining for some time. The question about her own dreams wiped her imagination into a gray haze instead. She stood still for a while, and realized, the way she might have answered that question before --

Before she had learned a few of the secrets the Council had been keeping. Before the man standing just a few strides away from her had almost taken a fellow Velenian's dreams away, at their behest. Before she had decided to share in that other Velenian's dreams.

Before she had met Sailor Cosmos.

She wondered if Lyndin could see all of those thoughts dancing on her face. It should have made her anxious, but instead it made her a little sad. In spite of everything, she was still acting as she always did around him. Or, perhaps, it was because of everything that she was. With all she knew and had witnessed taken into account, she couldn't blame him for any of it.

"I ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴀɴʏᴍᴏʀᴇ," she confessed. "I ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴘʟᴀɴ."

Fae-Fae supposed Lyndin was right. Still, though, there was something different about the way she thought of the future nowadays. She couldn't entertain the kind of hopeful, idealistic fantasies she used to have, even if one of them -- which peered warmly back at her from the east -- had come true.

Now, she was more... practical about it. More Velencian about it.

"I ᴀᴍ ᴘʟᴀɴɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴜʀsᴜᴇ ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ sᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴs," she said, plainly. Her stance on things was made obvious months ago, and there was nothing to gain from hiding it. Lyndin knew she wanted Caedus to stay alive. The entire Vanguard knew that. It would make things more complicated in the long run if she tried to pretend otherwise.

Nonetheless, her shoulders tensed subconsciously as she continued. It had been quite some time since all of this had last been directly discussed. On top of that, behind the Commodore's questions, she felt the weight of the high expectations she'd accepted when she joined the Vanguard. It made part of her worry that her answer wouldn't be good enough.

"Bᴜᴛ I'ᴍ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ʙʟᴜᴇᴘʀɪɴᴛ ɪs ᴡᴏʀᴛʜʟᴇss ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɪᴀʟs. I ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴅᴅʀᴇss ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪssᴜᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴅɪᴘʟᴏᴍᴀᴄʏ."

It was the version of Lyndin the Cadet was familiar with, the one she had spoken with many times since joining the Vanguard. Practical and firm, but gentle where it counted. The perfect example of Velencian etiquette, as always, as if she had never tried to contradict him or question his orders. They were both aware of how she had defied him on the battlefield, but it seemed as though it hadn't impacted her standing with him at all.

Instead he was offering encouragement, praise. Underneath the words, she detected the message: I don't want you to fear me.

The chill early morning air moved and teased at her hair, just for a second. The difference between Earth and old Velenia became harder to parse, just for a second.

And Fae-Fae said, honestly, "Mʏ ғᴏᴄᴜs ɪs Vᴇʟᴇɴᴄʏᴀ." She turned to face Lyndin. "I ᴡᴀs ʙᴏʀɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ. I ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ɪᴛ ᴅɪᴇ."

Her ComTech screen was a wild mess as always, but it still said everything else better than she could directly. Scattered notes were grouped together into a story for the Commodore to read. She knew Velencya was built in a crisis, one she thought it had never truly left. There was strain and stress on both the world and the people that must have been building for centuries; countless minor hidden problems that might inform the Core's present state. She saw a curious quality about the relationship between nature and people and "art" that could update their understanding of energy dynamics; a path of investigation that could create opportunities for both their synthetic world and their natural one.

She wanted to find the Vanguardians who had not returned to their Earth home and fully understand why they made that choice, because she believed their answers might reveal something about Velencya's condition. She planned to continue devoting some time to the study of music, a choice she confessed was based more on intuition and instinct than anything else.

There was quite a lot she wanted to do. She hoped that she would come out of it all with something that would extend Velencya's life, even if it was for just another hour, just another day. It was exhausting to reveal what all had been percolating in her mind since November, and she still hadn't covered everything. Now she was pawing and clawing through her screen to find the other things.

It was obvious that Fae-Fae would never dream of saying no, even before Lyndin had finished making his offer. Every word that led to it made her stand a little straighter, sparked her eyes a little brighter, until she was an excitable matchstick with vibrating arms and hair that fluttered lightly in the breeze. Her entire being vibrated with a clearly-communicated yes! Yes!!

All the same, she tried her best to be polite and professional about it.

"Iғ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ ᴍʏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ," she said, a warm smile breaking through her face. "I ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ʜᴏɴᴏʀᴇᴅ."

The look on Fae-Fae's face offered fanfare enough for such an occasion. She wasn't bothered at all that the celebration would have to wait, taking Lyndin's hands gently but eagerly.

This was only the first time she would recieve Velencya's blessing -- she was determined for it to not be the last.

A wave of homesickness came in with the breeze, as the hum of energy coursed through Fae-Fae's body -- it was the background noise of everyday life that had become familiar to her since before she was even born. It reminded her of her parents, and her friends, and so many others. Everyone. She missed everyone terribly.

Moreso than Lyndin, it was them she couldn't afford to let down.

"I ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ," she promised. She was beaming, wondering all the while what everything she was being thanked for, and what hopes he had. Had he actually appreciated her act of defiance towards him on the battlefield? It would have been strange to ask. Either way, it lifted a small weight she was carrying to know how deeply she was trusted. Her ambition could only intensify further in light of such confidence.

Then, in Fae-Fae's first act as Corporal, she leaned in a little bit, studying her leader's face. She noted the new creases around his eyes, recognized the signs of an extra layer of fatigue that wasn't there before. "Cᴏᴍᴍᴏᴅᴏʀᴇ Lʏɴᴅɪɴ," she asked, "Aʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴅᴇᴏ̨ᴜᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ʀᴇsᴛᴇᴅ?"

She put her hands on her hips and squinted at him for a bit, almost scrutinizing, before the smile returned. "Nᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ sᴜɴʟɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀs ᴍᴀɴʏ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛs. Iᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘs ʀᴇɪɴғᴏʀᴄᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀ sʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴄʏᴄʟᴇ. I ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀ sᴛᴀʏɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ."

The Dark Kingdom, as its name suggested, was such a dreary and lightless place. It couldn't be good for anyone to stay down there for too long.