Deet watched with her friends as the Skeksis, Heretic he called himself, lead Hup to another part of the ruin. She dearly hoped they would stop calling Hup a slave. Her brave little friend deserved much more respect than that. She felt bad letting Hup go off with their hosts. He didn't seem too happy about being roped into the surprise, but whatever is was, it would get them closer to stopping the Skeksis. Hopefully, he'd understand.

She looked around at her dejected friends. Brea and Rian looked both ready to pounce and on the brink of collapse. Their long journey ran them ragged but the urgency of their mission hastened them on. A rest was at once something they greatly needed and couldn't afford. She understood their impatience. They finally made it here. Answers were within their grasp. It was frustrating, being told to wait even longer when they were so close. But if they had to wait anyway, they may as well make the best of it.

"Well, a surprise sounds fun," Deet said, hoping to lift their spirits.

"We don't have time for fun," Rian sighed. It made her heart ache. She knew how heavily this whole ordeal weighed on him. Waiting must be agony to him.

"Well," Brea said, drawing herself up, "if we're stuck here anyway, we may as well get some rest."

"I'm really not tired," Rian insisted, though his sinking posture said differently.

"Don't be silly." Brea brushed past them and headed for the curtained-off area the Heretic pointed them toward. "We've made a very long journey and staying on our feet isn't going to make the surprise come faster. We should rest while we have the chance. Who knows what the next part of our quest may bring?"

"I don't know if I can," Rian said as they followed Brea to the waiting area. "We're so close to answers."

Brea curled up on a pile of rugs. "Well, suit yourself, but I'm going to get some shut-eye." She closed her eyes and, within minutes, her steady breathing indicated that she had fallen asleep.

Rian marvel at her. "How can she do that?" he said, looking at Brea like she'd just performed some daring feat of acrobatics. "Can you fall asleep that fast?"

"This has all been exhausting," Deet replied softly, so as not to wake Brea. However, she found herself unable to settle down as well. Instead, she wandered around the space, eyes flitting at the curious objects kept on shelves around them.

"It's frustrating is what it is," Rian grumbled, peeking out between the curtains. "They know how important this is. How can they make us wait?"

"If they're making us wait, it must be important," she reasoned. "We came for answers, whatever form they come in."

"Why can't they just tell us what they know?" he huffed. "What are they going to do? Put on a whole performance first?"

"We made it here, that's the important thing."

"And what comes next?" He whirled around and began pacing the floor. "I just want to know what we're supposed to do so we can do it and be done with it. The sooner the Skeksis are defeated, the better for everybody."

"I know how you feel." She put a hand on his shoulder. He stopped pacing but he was still tense. "When I left Grot, the Darkening had already started seeping into the caves. I worry about my home every day."

Rian let out a long breath and let his shoulders slump slightly. "All I want is to make sure no more gelfling get drained. What happened to Mira should never happen again. It shouldn't have happened to her." He cast his eyes down to the floor. "No one deserves to have their life stolen like that."

Sadness swelled in her heart as the pain showed on Rian's face. She felt helpless. She'd never experienced the type of loss he had. She could only imagine the hurt he felt right now, and she was sure her imaginings didn't even come close. He'd opened up to her last night on the cliffs. He trusted her enough to help him through his grief. She only hoped she could find the right words. "I wish I could have met her," she tried softly. "She sounds like a special person."

The ghost of a smile formed on his lips. "She would have loved you. She loved anything that could a smile on someone's face."

Deet felt her cheeks warm. "I'm glad you think we'd get along."

His little smile dissolved as quickly as it appeared. "She always knew how to brighten someone's day. She could find little things to make her smile. It's been hard for me to do that since this whole thing started. Every time I feel like I'm about to smile or laugh, I remember she's gone, and any shred of joy gets sucked out of me. It feels wrong to laugh without her."

"I wonder," she began carefully, "what Mira would say to that."

He let out a breath of a chuckle. "She'd kick my hide to all three suns and back if I swore off laughing forever."

"It's probably not my place to say but..." she hesitated, unsure of how to put his. After all, she never knew Mira. But, in the end, she decided to share her honest thoughts as best as she could. "If I were gone, I'd want my loved ones to be happy, even if I can't be there with them."

Rian went quiet for a moment. This worried her. Perhaps he was offended, thinking she was trying to speak for his lost love. What if she only made him feel worse? She began forming an apology in her head when he turned to her. "I think I'd want that too," he said, gazing at her with his gentle eyes.

"Because you're a good person, Rian."

He stepped back and shook his head. "You're too kind."

"It's true," she insisted, taking a small step toward him. "You have a big heart and you care very much about the gelfling around you. I…" her face flushed, "I really like that about you."

He took a step toward her as well. "You're a very special person, Deet."

The drifted closer. Being so near him made her heart flutter. She had to admit, he was handsome. He looked at her with kindness in his eyes. She meant every word she said to him. Interesting how one raised to fight could be so gentle at heart. Perhaps it was all in what one fought for.

But the wave of affection passed as reason set in. Rian was still mourning Mira. Her warm feelings for him could only go so far. She could be his friend and he could be hers, but that was all they could be, at least for now.

She stepped back and began wandering around the little space. Rian peaked out through the curtain. She ran her hands over the trinkets on the shelves. They presented her with curious questions. What did the symbols on the talismans mean? What was in these jars? She'd seen so many strange things since she came to the surface, but the circle of the suns was certainly the strangest.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Rian asked, still looking through the gaps in the curtain.

"They said they'd come get us when the surprise was ready," she replied. She hoped Hup was alright by himself, though she was sure the Heretic and Mystic wouldn't hurt him, as strange as they were. "Though I am hungry. Are you hungry?" Her stomach rumbled, reminding her all she'd eaten that day was the Dousan traveler's bread Rek'yr offered them.

She spotted some berries growing on a vine. This must be how their hosts managed to sustain themselves in the desert. Her stomach growled again. They did invite them to rest back here. Surely they wouldn't mind if she took a few. She plucked one.

"No wait!" Rias gasped, rushing toward her. "Don't eat that!"

She stopped just short of putting it in her mouth. "But, berries are food," she said, though she immediately felt silly for saying it. It should have been obvious, but it clearly wasn't, not if Rian reacted the way he did.

"They're not," he explained. "They're Urdupes. They're like medicine. Dousan shamans use them to speak with Thra and glimpse into the future."

A wave of embarrassment washed over her. Surely a surface dweller would know this. She must have looked like a fool. "Everything up here is strange," she sighed. "I miss my caves." Home, where everything was familiar, where she didn't feel like a clueless childling. "I miss my family."

"Tell me about them," Rian coaxed gently.

His genuine request warmed her. No one up here, it seemed, wanted anything to do with Grottons. If they didn't insult her or push her away, they avoided her like she was diseased. Even the new friends she made on the surface hadn't asked her about her home. That was understandable, of course. They were all very busy trying to save Thra. They all had a lot on their minds. That Rian made the effort to try to get to know her better meant a lot.

"Well, I have two fathers and a brother and my parents tend nurloch herds. I help them sometimes."

"What's a nurloch?"

"It's a big worm. My dress is actually made from nurloch rump. It's the softest…" her voice trailed off as she looked into his eyes. There was a trace of amusement in them, but was he laughing with her or at her?

Perhaps he was just being polite. He was a surface dweller after all, a nice one but still, he didn't understand their world. He grew up in the castle and Stone-in-the-Wood. He wouldn't want to know about her dress or nurloch farming. Daylighters were used to fancier things. She must look like an unrefined bumpkin to him. "You think I'm weird too…"

"Not at all." His soft, careful tone made her breath catch in her throat. "I think your rump dress is quite lovely."

Lovely, he said. She hadn't heard that from another gelfling since she came to the surface. Dirty, smelly, and strange, sure, but not lovely. Hup was the only one to show her kindness until she met her friends. They were all sweet, kind people in their own ways. Naia was fiercely protective and looked out for everyone's safety. Gurjin kept their hearts light with his wit. Kylan was generous with both supplies and spirit. Brea's determination drove them forward. And Hup was her steadfast rock in this strange world. Together they strove to save Thra and protect its inhabitants from those who would harm them.

But Rian, with his brave heart and deep well of compassion, started it all. He never gave up on his quest to spread the truth, even when the others scorned him and cast him out. He wanted to save them, no matter what. How much did he lose? How much had he suffered? She was with him the night before, when he finally let his grief out. He held it in for Thra-knew-how-long. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him and shield him from further harm. Though she knew the latter was out of her hands.

Now, he was here comforting her, making her feel more welcome in the unfamiliar world. He tried to make her feel a little less homesick at least for a minute and his efforts worked. The pain of his journey had not hardened his heart. His kindness and gentleness still shined through.

They drifted closer together. She wanted to be closer. She wanted to feel the warmth of his smile, see his handsome face up close. What must it be like, she wondered, to be held by his strong arms?

They were mere inches apart. Her heart raced. She didn't know what would happen next, but her imagination went wild. Would they hug? Pull each other into a deeper embrace? Was she bold enough to think he might kiss her?

Any expectations she might have were dashed, however, when the curtain was pushed aside. "It is time," the Mystic announced. Brea awoke and they left their little corner of oasis. It was time now, indeed. Time to return to the real world, to their mission. All flights of fancy would need to be put on hold, at least for now. Answers awaited the, and the next leg of their journey would begin.