Every so often, I stirred with the sense of motion, the earth shifting beneath me, Thea adjusting beside me. Once or twice, I caught the sound of something rising around us, enclosing us.

But mostly, it was restful sleep.

My dreams blurred together in strange, disjointed fragments, bouncing from one scene to the next. Only one dream made me move at all, shifting just enough to get us both comfortable again.

At one point, I swore I felt something inside me rearrange, but the dreams were so surreal, I could’ve imagined it.

Eventually, the soft hum of pulsing energy nearby tugged me back toward waking. That, and a faint voice.

“Peter?”

I shifted slightly, pulling something—someone—closer.

“Peter…”

That second whisper did it. My eyes opened to find Thea staring straight into mine, her expression a mix of amusement and affection.

“Finally,” she said with a chuckle. “When I laid back down, you wouldn’t let go. I was getting hungry, but… too late now, I think.”

Despite her half-hearted protest, I pulled her closer again, earning a groan of faux annoyance.

“What do you mean hungry? We don’t need to—”

Grrr. Maybe the healing process took more energy than cultivation could provide.

“That was Bristle,” I covered.

She rolled her eyes. “I want to eat. If we’re leaving soon, we should enjoy Miss Star’s cooking while we can.”

I glanced around the space we were in. It looked like a dirt box? Did we get a private room? Reaching down, I felt something moderately soft beneath me.

“It’s leaves,” Thea said, reading my thoughts. “Stuffed under a tarp from those storage cubes. Pretty useful stuff.”

I nodded, still looking at her. “And the room?”

“While you slept, Mister Ironscribe decided to build the Royal Chambers,” she said, leaning in a little.

“Why do you sound so sarcastic?” I grinned. “I’m becoming a puppet king, aren’t you happy to be a puppet queen? Or at least vice-sect master?”

She didn’t seem entirely amused, but gave a small giggle anyway. “Could be fun… though if royal treatment means dirt huts and friends who can hear through walls…”

“Hmm.” I gave it a moment’s thought, before pulling her closer. “Maybe we can figure out a standing Sensory Veil? I’d rather not have an audience either.”

She pushed gently on my chest, no real force behind it. “Maybe we should wait. With Lyra… it’s better to be safe.”

Her face flushed pink as she buried it into my chest.

“I’m surprised,” I teased. “Considering you were the one that seemed to want me to make a move. I still wonder what you thought was *wrong *with me.”

Her voice came muffled. “And you’ll never know.”

 I enjoyed eating, but cultivation seemed to provide the body with energy. I wonder how that works biologically. I know there are other nutrient requirements than just energy…

Someone like Trevor could figure that one out. Though he was more an engineer in training than a biologist back home.

“Thea?” I whispered, leaning forward to kiss the spot where her forehead met her hairline.

“Hmm?” she murmured.

I smiled. “You kinda smell.”

She didn’t fry me on the spot, but I did get a solid jab to the side. Maybe she was still being gentle because of my injuries?

“I hate you,” she declared.

I grinned and shifted, rolling her gently beneath me, pressing her into the bedding with a steady hand.

Her eyes widened a little, but she didn’t pull away. Her cheeks darkened, her breath quickened.

Leaning closer, I whispered, “Do you really?”

Before she could answer, I activated my domain. There wasn’t a standing Sensory Veil, but I’d seen Elric do something similar during our fight.

Using my center as an anchor, I carefully expanded the a Sensory Veil outward, just enough to mask sound and motion within the sphere. Air still circulated above us, spiraling gently.

I should test this with intent later.

Thea bit her lip, her eyes burning into mine. “You know I’m teasing.”

The space between us evaporated. Heat pooled under my skin. “Of course I know.”

Our lips met.

By the time we pulled apart, we were both breathless. My heart pounded. I hesitated, barely, but enough to consider stopping. Though, if I really meant to stop, my skill would’ve dropped, and the veil would’ve fallen.

But Thea didn’t hesitate.

With one quick motion, she looped her arms behind my neck and pulled me right back in.

Whatever the world was doing outside, it didn’t matter anymore. Heat and motion drowned everything out.

#

Later, as we dressed and moved around the chamber, I took in the details. Above us was a small earthen opening, like the dome from before. A second ceiling capped it, with a break for light and air. At the corner of the room, a small glowing crystal pulsed with a soft yellow hue.

“So much for waiting,” I muttered, heading for a wood slab wedged into the wall.

Thea joined me, pushing it open into what had apparently become my dome-fortress. She beamed, practically glowing herself. “Do you mind?”

I shook my head, probably a little too fast.

A few other homes were scattered inside the dome. Not a bad use of time, honestly. Even if it was mostly symbolic, privacy mattered.

“Do you know where Vel stayed?” I asked, scanning the box-like structures.

We headed toward a wide opening facing the Dragon Vein.

“She got her own room,” Thea answered, “and she was very happy about it.”

We walked out, and sunlight washed over us. Judging by the angle, it was already midday. I must’ve slept through the whole night.

I heard faint sounds of combat nearby, close enough to suggest some of the others were sparring behind the dome.

It was bigger than the first one, but only slightly.

I turned to Thea, casually taking the opportunity to name the new foundations container of energy. “I’m going to max out my Harmonic Channel and reforge new weapons.” 

She nodded. “I’ll cultivate. But maybe talk to Vel first. She’s been waiting to tell you something.”

I spotted her near the pillar, seated beside Sia and Elric.

“Sure. What about you?”

She walked over to a quieter spot and sat. “I’m finishing my Channel Openings. Fifty holes should be enough, if spaced wide enough, to fully finish.”

As she closed her eyes, I remembered one last thing.

“What about food?”

Her lips curved into a smile. “Wake me up when Miss Star gets back.”

With that, she went still.

I made my way to Vel and gave her a gentle shake.

No reaction.

Another.

Eventually, one eye cracked open. She blinked, clearly confused, then recognition hit, and her entire face lit up.

“PE—!”

I silenced her with a finger over my lips, motioning to the others.

She stood, practically buzzing with energy, and we walked toward the tree line, stepping over the sleep-training pups like we were dodging landmines.

“What’s got you so excited?” I asked, grinning at her barely-contained bounce.

“I was messing around with water,” she said, rapid-fire. “And I didn’t get much. But look!”

She lifted her hand... of course aiming it directly at me.

I stood stunned, as a stream of water burst from her palm, low-speed but deliberate, and smacked me dead center in the chest.

“And I was safe!” she added proudly, lowering her hand.

I blinked, taking a moment to snap myself away. “Vel… T—that’s amazing! How the heck did you figure that out?”

She planted her hands on her hips, chest puffed out with pride so pure I couldn’t help but smile.

“Well… Um. I—” She deflated slightly, lifting one hand to her chin in deep thought while the other rose again in a repeat of her earlier gesture.

She mumbled something unintelligible, tried again, and eventually returned to her starting pose like an actor rehearsing lines.

“I got it! Sooo, I thought about the no thinking thing.”

“No intent,” I corrected gently.

She nodded seriously. “Right. No thinking. Exactly. So then I tried to make it shoot out.”

And then she stopped again.

“And?” I pushed, knowing that couldn't be the entire answer.

“I’m thinking.”

So I waited. The wind stirred the branches. Insects buzzed lazily around us. Somewhere a pup yawned in its sleep.

Finally, she said, “Right. So, the blond boy was making a tree hollow with Mister Star. I saw a drop of water go in and I thought of a pipe!”

That was all I needed.

Even without the full explanation, which she was still trying to assemble, I understood. She’d guided the stream in a similar way to how I’d done with my needle. What Sia had done with her fire.

Vel had created a pipeline, not a strand, but something concrete. Something for the power to follow, but still hidden.

Of course, even that line wasn’t something that was intent or control. There was nothing there, but a leakage of power… That felt like something to bring up with Griffith, but considering how instinctual it was to utilize Force in that way, I wasn’t bothered with understanding that part in depth.

I thought about testing it, but seeing Vel’s face made me change my mind immediately. 

How could I crush her accomplishment before she got a chance to fully show it off?

That complex tangle of effort and pride radiated off her as she tried to put her discovery into words. I could see how hard she’d worked. How much it meant to her to show it off.

Eventually, she got it out. Her version of the theory. Not how I would’ve said it, but close enough anyone could follow.

I crouched, meeting her eyes head-on. “That’s incredible, Velea. I don’t even know how long it would've taken me to get there.”

I meant it, too. Sure, I believed I could have reached that point on my own, but once again, sharing ideas proved to make us better faster.

“You must’ve worked really hard.”

For just a moment, the purple flecks in her eyes looked like they pulsed brighter.

“Make sure to let Griff—”

Before I finished, she launched forward, wrapping me in a tight, sudden hug.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, arms squeezing just a bit tighter.

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