Welcome to Gaia! ::

The air was strangely hazy in this area compared to elsewhere in Destiny City. Fae-Fae was at an industrial complex that seemed to be still mostly under construction. She wrinkled her nose at the scent of the air, and the primitive vehicles and machinery scattered about. The scaffolding, however, was admittedly impressive, knowing that humanity hadn't learned to automate tasks like this properly yet. There was something to learn from all of it, she thought. The sheer contrast between how things were built here, and how they were built at home, could reveal insights about how to save Velencya.

Her studious musings, however, were halted by motion sighted among the naked steel beams. There was a senshi here. One who looked familiar, in a manner that whispered to her heart.

They looked busy, and were too far away to call to. Not only that, but she couldn't be certain whether this senshi would respond favorably to her presence. Instead of announcing her presence right away, she decided to quietly follow. Hopefully it would lead to another diplomatic connection. If not, she would at least have data.

When the senshi announced to Fae-Fae that he had noticed her, she stopped in her tracks and allowed him to approach, trying her best to assume a stance that would appear peaceful and friendly. His voice, combined with his appearance up close, helped her confirm who he was -- he was definitely one of the senshi who had worked with Encke to save Caedus.

His open disapproval at her presence was dismaying, but not unsurprising. The Corporal's face took on an apologetic expression as she formulated her response.

"Wᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ɪs ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ. I ᴀᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇʟᴀʏ," she said. "I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡɪsʜ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴀɴʏ ʜᴀʀᴍ. I ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴀᴠᴇ ᴍʏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ."

Fae-Fae flinched a bit, and the muscles in her face clenched, at the reminder the senshi had provided -- that, through Lyndin's decisions, the Vanguard had been made responsible for some horrible events. It only followed that some would associate them all with that kind of violence; something reports from other Vanguardians on some of their own encounters with the White Moon would verify.

The air was still, and tense. Fae-Fae took a breath that invited even more tension into her body, and said, "I ʜᴏᴘᴇ ɴᴏᴛ. Tʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴇʀʀɪʙʟᴇ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ." With her brow tied up in knots, she then confessed, "Iᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʜᴀʀᴍ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ."

November's battlefield was screaming in her head again, threatening to overtake the industrial scenery around them. She saw Caedus's star seed flying into the air, over and over, and the hands of the senshi before her scrambling to grab it, over and over. "Yᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇɴsʜɪ ᴡʜᴏ sᴀᴠᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ, ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ? I ᴀᴍ ɢʀᴀᴛᴇғᴜʟ." And someday all of Velencya will be, she thought. She hoped.

Fae-Fae's eyes widened, and her demeanor wilted a bit, upon being shown the scars on the senshi's hand. She hadn't fully processed how dangerous it must have been to save Caedus, but now it was obvious -- this human had risked his life to save a Velencian. It was a sobering realization, one that would make her think more deeply about her attitude towards humans later. If the situation had been reversed, and it was a human life in the balance, would a Vanguardian have done the same thing?

She hoped so.

"I ᴏɴʟʏ ᴍᴇᴛ Cᴀᴇᴅᴜs ᴀғᴛᴇʀ I ᴡᴀs ᴄʜᴏsᴇɴ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴍɪssɪᴏɴ," she admitted. "Bᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ. Aɴᴅ I ᴀᴍ ᴀ Vᴀɴɢᴜᴀʀᴅɪᴀɴ. Tʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴇᴀɴs I ᴍᴜsᴛ ᴠᴀʟᴜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ ʜɪs ʟɪғᴇ." The fact that he was royalty, that he was Velenia's senshi, were secondary concerns for her -- a sentiment she wished the Council had shared, instead of choosing to conduct the cruel experiments that had created this situation in the first place.

"I ᴍᴜsᴛ ғɪɴᴅ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀʏ. Oᴛʜᴇʀᴡɪsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴜʀ sᴏᴄɪᴇᴛʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄᴏsᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʟɪᴠᴇs. Oᴜʀ ʀᴇsᴛᴏʀᴇᴅ ʜᴏᴍᴇᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ғᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴍɪsᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴏғ ᴜs ᴀʀᴇ ᴅɪsᴘᴏsᴀʙʟᴇ!" Sadness and fear now eclipsed her features, with determination lighting up the edges. "Aɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀsʜɪᴘ ʜᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴇᴄᴜᴛᴇ ᴜɴᴅᴇsɪʀᴀʙʟᴇs ɪɴ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ!" Her eyes widened as her ComTech warbled upwards in pitch with each word.

"Yᴏᴜ Eᴀʀᴛʜʟɪɴɢs ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇs ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴅᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ. Tʜᴇ ᴠᴀsᴛ ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀʀᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴜɴᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴜʀ Cᴏᴜɴᴄɪʟ ʜᴀs ᴅᴏɴᴇ."

Fae-Fae remembered the advice Lyndin had given in the Dark Kingdom: when on a foreign world, don't reveal everything. This was, perhaps, far more than she should be sharing with an outsider to Velencya, and she was a bit shocked herself to hear the words that came out as she input them to her device. The pitch wound back down as her explanation ended, and she found herself a little exhausted to have said all of it. She remembered meeting Caedus in the woods, and the promise she had made, and she hoped her honesty here would do something to help her fulfill it.

"Tʜᴇ Nᴇɢᴀᴠᴇʀsᴇ ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ!"

Fae-Fae was suddenly deeply offended by this senshi. She gave her words after a long stare at him, incredulous that he would dig his heels and remain suspicious when she was trying so earnestly to demonstrate that she meant no harm. Now she was realizing that she was letting this human pull more out of her than she needed to give.

"Mʏ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ʜᴀs ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ! Iғ I ᴀʙᴀɴᴅᴏɴ ᴍʏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ sʜᴏᴡ ᴡᴇᴀᴋɴᴇss, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɪᴍᴘʀᴏᴠᴇ."

With a clear expression of disgust souring her eyes and wrinkling her nose, she continued. "Wᴇ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴs. Wᴇ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴇɴᴇᴍɪᴇs ᴀs sᴏᴏɴ ᴀs ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴄᴜsᴇ. Wᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ғɪɴᴅ ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ's ʜᴀʀᴅ. Aɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴʟʏ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴀsᴇ ᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴄɪsɪᴏɴs ᴏɴ ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇ!"

A punctuated, mezzo-soprano hmph! bounced off the metal and concrete. The Corporal had clearly wasted her time, trying to befriend this particular Earthling. Now it was time to leave. She turned on her brightly-colored heel without offering another word, and started jogging back towards the city.