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Encke did always appreciate her jumping right into things.

He breathed the fresh salty air. He breathed it in for a few seconds. He let it out, because even though his breath control was quite solid as an actor, getting beyond four in his count was difficult when his anxiety threatened to consume him in its entirety.

He took it in.

He let it out.

"Water feels so uniquely Pendour compared to Encke. We have these little streams and rivers," which he was fairly sure were in some ways artificially created by some Enckeans thousands of years ago, but there was no verifying that other than references he heard in his memories, "but it's not quite the same thing. Let's go to the water."

Not that the gardens weren't beautiful, and not that he'd reject them either, but--

Though, "Have you had anything new grow lately? There's some things on Encke I gotta show you."

"That does sound lovely," he offered, as he followed her gaze and then followed her, keeping their hands joined. "Maybe we could stop by before I leave for the day? I'd like to see how everything's filling out."

Their gardens were so mutually important to both of them. Felt right to check on them, at least.

When she sat, he took a moment to admire the cove and the beautiful shores. He could remember when it wasn't like this, when she spoke of bones and all he saw was a trickle of water as she cleared and attempted to make this place as nice as it was now. Made him think of himself in a lot of ways; he had never seen it that way, seeing it as his escape when he was first reemerging from his traumas, but he could see these days why people might have thought Encke's original state might have been desolate.

He shook himself out of it and sat down next to her.

"Could we sit for a few minutes, first?"

Encke shot her a smile.

"It's nice here."

Encke tried to immerse himself in the quiet.

Tried, of course, was the operative word. As anxious as he was generally fidgety, he still found himself looking around, observing, tuning into other noises, bouncing his foot, and tapping his fingers-- but he seemed at least less immediately nervous as he may come across over text.

His attention had been something on the sky of the dome when he heard her gasp, and he let out a, "Hm?" before he turned his head fully to see what she was looking at.

Oh.

Oh.

"An otter?" He already sounded reverent, leaning in to take a look at what was crawling out of the water. "Have you seen one before?"

Was her wonder now getting life like his homeworld? Like Keiko's world? Like Kerberos'? Like Anser's, like Aokigahara's, like--

That was delightful.

There were two of them.

One of them was a baby.

Encke was not necessarily prone to squealing, but he didn't quite stop the small noise of delight that left his lips anyway. He could tell by Pendour's reaction that these were new to her too, and by the way she started to whisper, he needed to keep his voice to a reasonable level.

She confirmed that much for him while she spoke of her other creatures, and he found himself seeking out signs of any of the others. A sparkle in the waters brought an even wider smile onto his face, but his attention was soon taken by the otter bumping him with their nose.

He was delighted.

He wasn't sure if otters were supposed to be pet, and he wasn't sure of this type of otter especially, but he carefully reached a hand out to see if it would like to be touched.

"That's how it happened for me too. Started with insects and smaller creatures, and now we have mice, cats, eels," he laughed quietly. "Feels like I'm watching an ecosystem rebuild."

Encke had been delighted enough by the otter encouraging the pets. When it promptly hurled itself out of the water and into his lap, he might have been momentarily euphoric, and he absolutely lavished the creature with as much attention as it wanted.

Reminded him of Viatrix when she was trying to emulate cat behaviours a bit more ... or when she wasn't and was just being generally clingy. Luz, too, would just walk over and set her head in their lap.

Encke found himself appreciating the similarities, but the uniqueness, too. The tail was uniquely Pendour, he thought.

"Me too. Feels nice to know there's still more to do in improving these places. Feels like we're really bringing them back to what they should be." What they once were, after whatever had happened to all their planets. Sure, Encke had long since dedicated part of his senshi time to helping others restore their planets where he could, but something still felt especially nice about seeing his own comet blossom.

Anything interesting lately...

"Have I told you about the small cats? Best way I can think of to describe them," he pet the otter carefully, quite happy to let it keep snuggling there. "Fur reminds me kind of like fiber optic trees. They like people and each other; I've caught a few purposefully gathering and traveling together."

He tapped his chin in thought as he pet the otter.

"And have I mentioned the birds I've started seeing? There's one that hangs out around the city in particular. Feather patterning reminds me of my own skin. Well. Their skin, anyway."

"Same."

His voice was laced with affection for the planets and wonders, affection for the creatures and plants and water and electricity that flowed within them, affection for the work they had done together and separate -- their places had all come such a long way, and if he wasn't actively petting this happy sea otter in his lap, there would be a part of his brain that would have had trouble believing it.

Encke couldn't imagine what he'd tell that traumatized seventeen-year-old fresh out of Barren Pines now, to be honest.

She was more focused on him, but for a moment, he was focused on the past and the present reality. A moment, because the next she was smiling at him and complimenting his work, and he couldn't help the mild rosy shade to his usually paler (and still quite freckled, even with the lessened sunlight of the fall) cheeks.

And bringing up a story of Nectaris.

His brows lifted in curiosity. She likely knew plenty that he didn't; they were texting and writing to each other right under his nose, and of course they knew each other. Livie lived in his house, and Sadie was a frequent visitor.

But what did she know that he didn't in relation to his nurturing? (When had he become a nurturer?) "I'm an actor, Pen," his smile was the kind of brilliant smile that he flashed at the paparazzi. "I love a good story."

She was right, he didn't know.

Encke and Sylvite had talked a few times before she purified, but her knowing anyone outside of a couple of people had never really become relevant. And once she purified, well, it had become an adventure of her reexploring everyone she once easily knew. He hadn't thought of asking Pendour if Nectaris had been familiar to her as Sylvite. Figured Pendour might have brought it up herself if she was; sounded like it hadn't really been relevant to anything until that moment because Nectaris was different now, and Pendour had moved on from it.

He still lifted an arm to squeeze her a bit closer to his side, anyway.

No, she didn't need to spell it out. He knew. Encke knew that the broken implication stung her for multiple reasons, and knew that it would sting even harder to imply it wasn't worth living that way. To think of Nectaris that way, considering the way they had met, was a bit jarring.

But he did know the realities of being that deep in the Negaverse, too. It was why it was a place that was so hard to come back from. It was why a lot of people who were that deep didn't even want to.

Sylvite had wanted to.

"I inspired her?"

Encke let out a quiet laugh at that, glancing out to the water himself. It was odd to think of himself as an inspiration for anyone, even now. He knew he stood in a rare position. He had been part of this war to some degree for thirteen years. He knew he had helped people, knights, and senshi, and agents and corrupted senshi, more times than he could really keep track of. Hadn't thought it necessary to. It wasn't like he was trying to keep track of a debt he needed to equate.

"Guess I'm the source of my own stress then," Encke laughed again because he didn't quite mean it like that. "I'm... glad I helped protect people from a Negaverse General. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You know I always have your back." Because he did. "And I'm glad she wants to save people. I am. I love that about her. I love that she's working to give people the chance she had, even that deep in."

He worried over his bottom lip.

Petting the otter with his other hand helped, and her head against his shoulder helped. Pulled his attention from the pang in his heart that spoke of multitudes of even just the past year. "I just ... I worry. Wish I could protect her better. The people she's bringing herself near, people like Faustite," he shuddered, "that guy's made attempts on my life, sure -- but I've also rescued several starseeds from him. I've rescued Basi's starseed from him. And I know he won't hesitate to take Nectaris's or drag her back to the Negaverse for a new force corruption if that's what's asked of him."

He didn't want the loss of self to happen to anyone.

It was part of why he was so passionate about transcendence.

If they may die, at least they would die as themselves. At least they could be reborn as themselves, whatever form that new life might take, instead of not at all. And he didn't want her to die at all either, that was his sister, but if her starseed was protected, that would be one less avenue--

"Guess she will end up further away from him because she's no longer dating Albite. Faustite didn't approve of that one." He let out a huff of air that wasn't quite a sigh. "Also doesn't exactly approve of her being a so-called traitor..." Or of him really.