Welcome to Gaia! ::

Already, he could feel the warmth of Elysion beginning to dry out their soggy attire and his head tilted up, eyes closing as he embraced the comfort his world brought to him.

She seemed startled - he couldn't exactly blame her, considering his abruptness in transporting her there. In hindsight, he should have asked. Really, he should have approached things fairly differently from the start, but patience was far from his greatest virtue as Seal's Eye once again allowed his excitement to get the better of him.

His eyes opened and he smiled at her, moving to once more lay claim to her gloved hand. It didn't matter that both his and hers were soaked, fingers intertwining with one another as he moved forward, guiding her along the beach's edge.

"This is my sanctuary. One of the most sacred places in all of Earth, tucked away and protected by our Princess."

His voice held his reverence for Helios, the one soul he took command from. Even in their absence, Seal's Eye remained true to his duties. Granted, Helios might have raised an eyebrow at the appearance of a Negaverse senshi in Elysion's midst....

Well, what Helios wasn't aware of wouldn't hurt anything, right?

Squeezing her fingers, his other arm gestured out to the scenery surrounding them.

"I felt you deserved to see my world, since you've been gracious enough to allow me to be into yours."

He paused in his explanation, the tips of his elf-like ears turning a faint shade of pink. "I mean, in your dreams, that is."

He couldn't help but grin at her promise, though the smile lacked its full luster. If only Hydra knew of the last time anyone from her faction had stepped foot on his sands...

The Negaverse had little intention of protecting Elysion, but the idea that she'd so adamantly wanted to protect his world, well, it was endearing to say the least. Her determination was commendable, but a little voice in the back of his mind was quick to remind him that she was still a senshi, loyal to her Queen.

Shooing away the negative thoughts, he turned to gaze down at her and found himself once again struggling to breathe, especially with how dear she was behaving towards him. Truly, Hydra was his best friend as well and the beautiful girl had captivated his heart as well as his own devotion.

Yet the more he studied her face, the more tempting it became to reach up and cup her cheek, to brush his thumb across her pale skin and lean down to----

They needed to talk of different things - safer subjects. Ones that didn't involve how soft her lips looked or the gentle slope of her nose. Ones that didn't involve how her eyes gazed up at him with all the affection in the world, or the way the dark crevice on her forehea---oh!

"You look different, my Lady." One gloved hand rose to gesture towards the new additions to her attire. "Your outfit... it's changed. I apologize if I'm only just now noticing it, but... I didn't realize that sailor scouts could alter their uniforms."

A promotion?


He could feel his heart sink into his stomach as he watched her walk away, hesitant for a moment to follow after her footsteps. If she was advancing in the ranks of the Negaverse... what did that mean for her goals? Her duties?

Seal's Eye wasn't stupid. The Negaverse rewarded their ranks for due diligence and hard work, so it was obvious that Hydra had more going on in her life that didn't involve entertaining his presence in her dreams and being an everyday young lady with everyday problems.

"I'm sure the likes of the Negaverse wouldn't promote someone without justified reasoning." He said solemnly, struggling to keep his expression passive and his attitude light. "You seem dedicated in all that you do, Lady Hydra - it should come as no surprise that they would want to advance you."

He finally moved forward to follow, his height adding in his favor as he closed in the gap between them. No - he trusted Hydra, trusted her more than any normal person he knew even, Aurora excluded. Surely she set aside her focuses of the Negaverse's needs when they were together... right?

"I'd be proud of yourself - clearly you've caught someone's attention."

"Teleporting is good."

Why was she evading him? Had he upset her again? She'd already tried to squirm her way free once - was he misreading all of her signals?

What was it with him and misunderstanding women, these days? Hadn't he once been relatively smooth when it came to interacting with the opposite sex??

When she said he, Seal's Eye took pause. Hydra was probably referring to her direct superior, the a** who'd been responsible for several of the bruises that littered her body when they'd first begun to meet in her dreams. He hadn't even realized he'd been scowling, not until she mentioned catching his attention, referring to him as being special. The creases in his expression curved upwards and he shook his head, one hand rising to readjust the pelisse across his chest.

"You flatter me, my Lady, but I confess I'd much rather you direct it towards myself than your General, of all people."

Selfish? Maybe. But Seal's Eye had never pretended to be perfect.

He noted how her hair still sagged from the great weight of the water drenching the strands. Ugh - how could he have been so stupid? Of course she wasn't feeling comfortable - being wet was second nature to him, but for a young woman, surely it was awkward and terrible and all things he should have noticed sooner.

"I'm sorry, Lady Hydra - I wasn't thinking. You probably wish to head home and dry off." One hand outstretched itself in offering as he shook his head a second time. "If you would do me the honor, I'd be happy to take you anywhere you wish."

He paused, then smiled.

"Unless...you'd like to try out your new teleporting skills?"

"He beats you, of course I don't like him." His nose scrunched up and he gave her an indignant expression, her thumb softly gliding over his third eye's marking. "You don't have to beat your team to teach them how to do...whatever it is that you do."

Seal's Eye could feel himself start to get huffy and he knew he needed to calm down... then again, having the young girl lean up to kiss him on his cheek quickly managed to diffuse the elevating anger by its lonesome. The affectionate gesture caught him by surprise - really, it shouldn't have, all things considered - and his eyes softened at the touch.

"You're acting like we'll never see each other again..." He paused, giving her a sly look as he took hold of her hand, ".... dummy."

They were suddenly back at the park, standing next to the fountain they'd agreed to meet at. He was squeezing her hand, laughing softly. The Guardian was still barefoot, tanned feet stepping across the stoned path.

"There'll be plenty of time to see one another again - perhaps when it's daylight out and we're not soaked to the bone, hm?"

He grinned wider at seeing her laugh. He loved the sound of it, even moreso when it was him that had caused it. All in all, there wasn't anything that he didn't adore about his sweet friend... well, excluding the fact she was far from the ordinary sort of dreamer he was used to looking after.

It wasn't her fault the Negaverse corrupted her anymore than it was her fault being born destined for a life filled with magic and responsibility.

"Then I suppose we'll just have to make this a weekly rendezvous then." He said matter-of-factly as his other hand moved down to collect her free one. The blonde elf-man couldn't help it; her hands fit perfectly within his own and it simply felt right to have them there.

Looking down, he nodded his head, as if agreeing with his own words.

"And I'll start worrying when you stop dreaming. Deal?"

"Next week. Same day, same time. Same place, until we can think of one better?"

He shouldn't entertain this sort of thing, not if it resulted in the same sort of events that had transpired tonight. Seal's Eye knew better - keep it to dreams, keep it where it was safe and he could deflect easier with magic and the power of dreams. Out in the real world, there was no buffer to hide behind. It was simply him, exposed with his heart on his sleeve for all the world to see.

But... how could he resist?

Bringing both hands up, he took his time slowly kissing the back of one before moving on to the other. Chaste, sweet kisses to linger on her knuckles long after they'd parted ways.

"Until next time then, my Lady."



And with a soft exhale, he was gone - only because if he lingered any longer, he knew he'd never depart from her presence.