Welcome to Gaia! ::

His response was preceded by a laugh, the sound light and genuine. The hand remained in his hair as his head tilted to the side. “It's a lot to take in, I know. I could waste the next two or three hours alone trying to explain everything - I'm sorry if all of this is confusing, my Lady.”

Dream Mirrors were a complex thing, Seal’s Eye already feeling vulnerable by merely mentioning their existence. The senshi of present day seemed to remain blissfully unaware that they even possessed one; perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't brought it up in the first place?

“Yes, my waters allow me to view them and yes, they can be corrupted.” His answers were curt, if only to hurry his way to the meat of his answer and the story she seemed more intrigued to hear. “My fellow Guardians were not initially tasked with the protection of dreams. In fact, we were…”

He seemed uncomfortable as his words trailed off, the hand in his lap twisting at the fabric of his tunic. “We were the opposite of protectors. We were created to be invaders.”

He didn't resist as she tugged his hands away from him, one leaving his hair while the other was forced to release the wrinkled tunic he'd been agitating. Despite the fact the gloves kept her lips at bay, he could still feel her soft presence as she gifted both hands with gentle kisses.

Her words, however, were more dagger-like than she realized. Blue eyes narrowed as the smile turned rueful.

"Causing pain is not a wonderful thing, Hydra."

Wasn't that what the Negaverse excelled in, though?

Hands grew heavy as he fought back the notion that his beautiful Lady dismissed the thought merely because it worked in her favor. Their favor. Didn't she understand what it meant to him? What layers of guilt had burrowed themselves beneath his skin?

"I was created to cause chaos and pain, but most of all, to be a puppet to a woman who reveled in causing both. We were made for Black Lady's entertainment and I am not proud of what we did before Princess Helios redeemed us."

Her hands were gone in seconds, the warmth of her voice fleeing as quickly as she was. Before he could say anything, she was removing herself from the situation and removing herself from his presence.

"If that is what you wish."

There was a sadness to his voice, a tone that spoke of being resigned to returning to a lonely existence. "I thought that if anyone would be willing to hear my story, it would have been you."

Turning to rest both feet against the ground, his hands fell into his lap as his eyes fell to watch them. Gloved fingers played with one another, fidgeting quietly as his chin pressed downwards. "Bad people can become good people, just as much as good can become bad. But what is good, really, at the end of the day?"

And did it really matter, when everything was said and done?

Eyebrows creased and he sighed softly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

His eyes closed as soft lips found his face, her kiss gentle and warm against the symbol nestled beneath sandy blonde hair. Hands rose up to cover hers, resting gently atop her fingers as his frown curved up, slowly but surely.

"My sweet Lady Hydra, is there no one that you don't see the good side of?"

Releasing her hands, he reached out to pull her forward as he moved to stand at the same time. The back of his legs were pushed against the side of the bench while his arms encircled around her slender waist and the older man drew the senshi in for a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause such a damper on the evening. I don't feel that I have atoned for my wrongs but I know I have been redeemed from them."

His shrug was helpless as he continued to hold her against him, his chin resting atop her soft, turquoise length. "I consider myself a very fortunate individual, all things considered. Like you said... we wouldn't have met, had it not been for the curse in the first place."

Drawing back, he offered her another smile in consolation for having to deal with the frustrations he'd forced her to endure. "And I'm rather glad we met, of course."

The edges of his eyebrows rose as blue eyes noted the wet trails of tears streaking down her cheeks. She was crying, his Lady was crying and for the life of him, Seal's Eye had no idea why his beautiful dreamer was weeping.

"Hydra, darlin--"

His pet name cut off immediately, the Elysion Guardian silently chiding himself for letting it slip as he fell backwards, dragging the sorrowful looking woman into his lap. As one arm moved to support her back, the other glove moved up to gently begin brushing away the plethora of tears that rolled along fair, pale skin.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he shook his head as the smile never left his mouth.

"I don't seem to be doing much more than making you sad these days."

There was a gentle tease to his tone, the young man clearly attempting to lighten the moment with some playfulness, despite the truthfulness of his statement.

"How on Earth do you find yourself with enough patience to put up with me, my Lady?"

She curled against him and for a brief moment, it felt forbidden and wonderful at the same time. Even with her crying, an endearing little hiccup interrupting her as she clung to him, pale arms finding his neck as she burrowed her damp eyes and hid from him. There was beauty in her tears and his smile was warm in exchange as she finally peeled back far enough to look up at him.

"Don't be sorry, my Lady. I'm the one who is sorry, for making such a beautiful face cry on my behalf."

Foreheads gently bumped against one another and he nudged his nose against hers, rubbing them softly, tan skin brushing against pale. Her cheeks were pink and damp from tears, the urge to kiss every bit of sadness away rising within his heart, as he would with his beloved.

"You are my favorite person in the world."

He pulled back far enough to lift his chin and press his lips safely against her forehead, lingering for a moment as he inhaled her sweet scent, savoring the feeling of the small woman still pressed against him. As he moved back to look at her, his hand returned to her cheek, a single finger gesturing out to collect the remaining tears.

"My world will forever be changed by your presence, Lady Hydra," He said softly his head tilting as he searched for any offending tears left, "Come what may, I will always be grateful for having you in my life."

Silence fell upon them as he made no movement to remove her from his lap. Crickets continued to serenade the park as the lamplights around them burned brightly. In the distance, the fountain continued to churn, the faint sound of splashing water adding to the ambiance.

"Well, then I suppose we'll just have to find ways to distract ourselves from all this sadness." The Guardian finally said, interrupting the quiet. "Is there something you would like to do together, my Lady?"

"No more stories," he reiterated firmly. He wouldn't admit to being saddened at being stopped - all she'd managed to hear before their disruption was the dark and terrible past, as opposed to the happy ending that all stores needed to have. He was still living his happily ever after - or at least, his story was on the upswing as he pursued that whimsical goal.

His hand moved up to brush away a strand of hair that dared to invade her face, his hips adjusting to the bench as she pressed in closer to him. It was easy - too easy, really - for his head to gently fall atop of hers, his cheek finding a bed of the soft, turquoise beneath. He closed his eyes and rested for a moment, savoring the peaceful moment for what it was.

It was surreal, meeting with his friend outside of the dreamworld. Everything in the other dimension was malleable, changeable. Here, things simply remained as they were and he was left as equally susceptible as the next person. Not to mention the fact that if they were to come across another powered being...

Well, he wasn't going to dwell on that.

His free arm circled around her front, connecting with the one supporting her back as he gave her a squeeze. Blue eyes opened and his head pulled back, gazing down at her with all the fondness in the world for his best friend.

"So, what are some of the things that you like to do out in this big world of yours?"

He clucked his tongue at her comment, shaking his head. It was quickly followed by a short laugh, as Seal's Eye could never stay fussed - even in jest - for very long with his companion. "I'm not asking about what the other you does, I'm asking about your favorite haunts as Sailor Hydra."

His hand fell down, pulling one of hers from off of her chest so that fingers could idly lace themselves between hers. Both hands fell to rest in her lap as he moved to squeeze them gently. "You've already made my world a better place, so I imagine there are many others who feel similarly. I don't want to know anything more about you than you're willing to share, but I'm selfish enough to want to know everything that you are willing to tell me. I want to know what makes you laugh, what makes you cry - what makes the fair Lady Hydra the wonderful friend I already have the pleasure of knowing."

He wrinkled his nose and laughed, the sound a little louder this time. "Well, although I could probably argue that I know a few things that make you cry by this point - myself, especially."