Marin and Danny kept talking late into the night.

Marin shook her head, in response to Danny's question. "It's romantic up until the moment you realize it's an injury of the planet." she looked up at Danny with sadness. "She's dying Danny. That wound is slowly bleeding Her to death." Marin touched the back of her head. "It's like when they stitched my scalp back together. I lost too much blood blood before the nurse knew I was in danger."

"I remember you telling me, you needed a pint of blood for that surgery, after you got bit." He scratched his head. "So what about stitching this wound back together?"

Marin put out her hands. "I'm not the one that knows how to do it."

Danny gave Marin a look. "I thought you knew this world."

"OK, I'll rephrase that. I remember who and what and how that wound might be closed. But I'm not the right who, I don't have the kind of power that would enable me to do it. I'm not an Ancient. They're an extinct race of magic people. Plus-" she held out her hands. "I can't possibly do all that alone. And then, there's the crater that has to be climbed. It only gets colder closer to the crater. Combine the cold with that climb, it's the closest thing this planet has to climbing mount Everest!"

"Holy shit, how tall is that crater?"

"It's not that tall, it's just so damned cold up there. And the meteor that landed so long ago didn't leave behind any convenient stairs." She shrugged again. "I could help, but even when I know the right place to be, I don't know the right time to be there." She patted her notebook. "It's a burden, knowing that the world could die 4-5 different ways in the next I-don't-know how many years. And if everyone does nothing and just sits in place. This world will end for sure. And nobody knows exactly how long is too long to leave that Wound open." she shrugged again. "It only took me three hours for a 'little' too much blood to leak out the tears in my scalp. I'm not a planet. And planet's tend to do things in geological time."

Danny put a hand on her shoulder, searching for the words before speaking. Marin had dropped a lot on him already that night. "Stop, Take a breath Marin."

She did. Sucking in some air.

Danny waited a few breaths more before asking "What kind of scale are we talking? Millions of years?"

Marin shook her head. "Well, maybe? It's like the Big One."

"The big what?"

Marin sighed. "Have you ever heard of California getting earthquakes?"

"Yeah, but what's the Big One?"

"The next big, potentially life threatening, building and highway-collapsing earthquake on the west coast."

"Well, what about it?"

"In geological time, the next 'Big' earthquake could be next month, next year, ten years from now, a hundred or a thousand years from now. But it'll happen eventually."

"I don't follow, what does earthquakes on Earth have to do with the Lifestream leaking up North?"

Marin sighed, "The Wound in the North Crater might tap out next year, unlikely given how much hasn't happened yet." she sighed, "It might happen ten years from now, or one hundred. Maybe two hundred years." She knew she wasn't quoting Bugenhagen's exact words, from one of the expository conversations from the game. The exact words didn't matter in the end. "But the planet will die one day, unless the Wound is closed. And it is very likely to die in our lifetimes."

Danny moved his hands, asking for more of an explanation. "What happens when the planet dies?"

"The planet becomes incapable of sustaining life on Gaia. All life. Humans, birds, plants, all of it. Something-something the Lifestream leaves the planet and drifts off into space. It disperses in the vacuum, or something. I don't know. But" she pointed a thumb at her chest. "That planet death would kill me." She pointed at Danny, "Kill you. ShinRa, AVALANCHE. And everyone in between." she looked up at the ceiling. "Depending on things I still don't know. I guess we'd join the Lifestream if we die? Maybe?" she held out her hands. "Who knows? Ardyn has been exactly zero-help in that regard."

"Who?"

Marin sighed, she rubbed her face with her hands. "I just call him that, because he looks like that character from another Final Fantasygame. I don't know who or what he really is." she looked at Danny. "He keeps showing up to fluster me, answer my questions with questions and then disappear off to God-knows-what."

"Sounds like another mystery."

"Ugh. Sometimes I want to strangle him." she ran her fingers through her hair. "At the same time, being polite might actually be helpful? He was slightly less cryptic when I used 'please' and 'thank-you'. He even answered some questions with answers. So yay?"

Danny shrugged, "I don't know anyone weird or mysterious like that."

"I am still testing out if anyone else sees him the same way I do."

"Anyway, what'd he tell you?"

Marin counted off her fingers with each point, "Let's see. don't treat this like a dream or bad things happen, try not to die, maybe he doesn't see Ardyn when he looks at himself? Um, get off my ass and don't get stuck in place, don't lose another token-"

"What token? What's that?"

She pulled the necklace out, it had the moon pendant from Ardyn. And the ring Jamie had given her.

"Oh, I'd forgotten about the ring, is that-?" He reached. The moon pendant was next to the ring. He stopped when he saw the look on Marin's face. "Can I touch it?"

"Ardyn was either being mysterious, or he doesn't see what I see. What do you see?"

Danny brought his eyebrows drown and looked at the ring and moon pendant. "You have something strung next to your ring. May I?" He reached again.

Marin gestured to let him.

He took the pendant in between his fingers. "Oh, yeah, it is a crescent moon." He jabbed a thumb at the single bulb in the room, dim and under a lamp shade. "It's not very bright in here."

"But you do see that it's a crescent moon?"

"Yeah. Should I see something else?"

Marin shook her head, "I don't know." she put the chain back under her shirt.

"You said another token?"

"Yeah, just to add to the mystery. I met him on Earth, looking as Ardyn then too." she rubbed her forehead. "I thought it was just a costume at first. Ugh."

"And the token?"

"I dunno, it looked like a two-headed coin with a Chocobo head on it. Or it's two tails because it's an animal? Whatever."

"Where's the coin?"

"Back on my nightstand at home. I didn't have it on me when I was stumbling in the snow in my pajamas. And it never turned up when the Dwyer's nursed me back to health."

"The Dwyer's?"

Marin shook her head "Another long story."

"And now you're here? Did something else happen?"

Marin shook her head, "Nope. Just Ardyn. Well, fake-Ardyn. Whichever."

"Right."

Marin threw her arm over her eyes again. "Sure, believe me or don't. Whatever. If I see him again I'll point him out to you." she put her arm back down. "But for sure, you're here. And I'm here. We're together again."

"Until the morning at least."

Marin sighed, "Yeah. Unless I change my mind about your friends, or your boss does field applications."

"Yeah, it's kinda weird. How much do you know?"

"Not enough." Marin told him. "But like I said, the stakes are high."

"They're coming down to saving the world from something. Yeah. I get it."

"Why are you even here?" she asked.

"We're just passing through, to somewhere else."

Marin waved her hand. "Yeah, fine. Don't tell me. They're your friends." Marin had been friends with Danny since Jr high, grade seven. They had known of each other since first or second grade. They had both lived a couple blocks apart for years. Which means they had gone to all the same schools. And had chosen the same high school.

Danny had an unreadable look on his face. "It's been an eventful five months."

Marin's head sank. "Yeah, I get it." she jangled her materia bracelet. "I've only used these a little. But those Bandersnatches came out of nowhere. And Jarvin and I became, something. I dunno. It was one fight, and we scared them off."

"I'd hardly call Bandersnatches mere animals." Danny told her.

"They were big wolves, they ran off after a few bullets and fire spells. But a fights a fight. And going back to back with someone, then not dying. It's a thing. I get it." Marin rubbed her face. "His wife was even happier to know why Jarvin came back in one piece."

Danny's face became more friendly again, "Then you understand."

"I guess? I think that's that camaraderie soldiers have." Marin sighed. "War reveals character, and crisis brings survivors together. But war and crisis also kill a lot of people."

Danny didn't respond.

Marin let the silence fill the room. She did not know how eventful the last few months had been for Danny exactly. But given who he was running with at the moment. She guess that he had seen violence and death already. Marin was a coward, she knew it. She didn't want to see violence or death, especially never be the one inflicting it.

But if someone was going to do that sort of thing, with the intention of helping people. And maybe get lucky and save the world from the ShinRa corporation. She was going to get out of their way.

The only other wrinkle was that Danny was also working for the very people he was trying to fight. The truth was hurting him. So Marin left him to respond when he was ready.

Marin thought she had Danny's differences figured out now. He knew how to fight, maybe how to kill. He might have seen some things since he had gotten to this planet. And he had survived to today.

He carried those burdens now, and Marin had added onto them with her knowledge. She had felt a little selfish, telling him. But it was a secret they could carry together, that was what made her feel a little selfish for telling him. On top of whatever he had seen or done in the last few months.

Marin leaned back against the wall, felling like a terrible friend in the moment. She had wanted to see him again, but not like this.

"Why are you crying Marin?" He asked her.

She wiped the tear. "I didn't…I wanted... No." she scrubbed the tears off her face. "Not like this. I never wanted or dreamed to see you again, like this." She waved her hand vaguely around the room.

"Yeah, me neither."

Danny considered something for a few moments. "Did you ever see a rocket launch when you went to Florida with your folks?"

"Yeah, at a distance. Some satellite or another. I missed the shuttle era by a lot."

"Do you want to see a rocket launch up close?"

Marin perked up, "Like how close?"

"Close enough," Danny leaned back and closed his eyes. "Rocket town, south of here, has a booming economy right now. Maybe we could catch a launch together."

"But you're not a space nerd-oh." she frowned. "Do you know what number of rocket they're up to?"

"I dunno. Number twenty or so. None of them are manned yet. Why do you ask?" He opened one eye. "Is it about something in your notebook?"

"Maybe." she said. "But I don't want to burden you with it."

He opened both eyes, "Spill it."

"Twenty five might be the last one ever built." she bowed her head. Some things never change. Lack of interest and the space program funding goes down the tubes. On earth the sign would say 'asteroid's are nature's way of asking how the space program is going.'

Marin got distracted by a thought.

On Gaia, it might say 'the north crater is nature's way of asking how the space program is going.' One was reborn after joining the life stream. But the Ancients had traveled from planet to planet, somehow. So clearly life could spread extant from it's planet of origin. But not if they cut the funding to their space program.

Danny stepped in with a question. "And by ever built, you mean?"

"It's going to miss it's launch window. Don't ask me when." She touched the pocket where her notebook sat. "A rocket launch though. And a booming economy."

"Yeah. It'd be nice to see you again after..."

"You're leaving in the morning." Marin stated it. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

"Fuck, I miss phones."

He looked at her. "you're kidding? That was one of the first things I did when I had my bearings."

Marin rolled her eyes. "Icicle inn didn't exactly have a cell phone store."

"But we're not in Icicle inn!" He told her.

"But I've only been in this town a few hours." She told him. "I've been traveling for days, on sled, on a cart, on a ship. To get out of the damn north. And risk getting into trouble." She blew out her long bangs, "I think it's what Ardyn wants."

"Ya know fuck that guy."

"Yeah," Marin said. "But him being here alludes to a bigger mystery."

"Bigger than the world ending several times?"

Marin cast her hands out, "No, maybe? I don't know. It's a problem for another day."

"Yeah, it sounds like you keep saying. Ardyn sounds like a tomorrow problem."

"Probably. Anyway. I only got here hours ago. I got a room, I washed off the travel stink." she pointed at her winter coat. "I had my clothes washed. I planned on going job hunting and shopping around tomorrow. But."

"But I showed up."

"Yeah, and I don't have a number for you to keep in touch with me." She kicked her boots off and brought her knees up under her chin. "And you're out before I'll get the chance."

"Rocket town, that's where it's at."

Marin shrugged. "If you say so." she glanced at the door. "Would your friends freak out if they thought I was following them?"

"That depends, can you keep a secret?"

Marin rolled her eyes. "Depends on what it is."

"What? that's not what I said earlier!"

"Yeah, but that's what I'm saying now."

He pulled out his phone, "now, brace yourself. They have this top of the line sweetness. That can play games like Snake, and Pong."

"Ooo-oooooh." She gasped with sarcasm.

What Danny pulled out, was a flip phone. It looked like it belonged in the 90's or 00's. Except that it had a nicer screen inside it. In other words it was an antiquated piece of crap compared to what Danny and Marin had left on Earth.

"Does it text? Or does that make the ram explode?"

"Texts only explodes the battery a little." He joked back. Showing her the phone like it was a fancy car on the price is right.

"Can it do solitaire?" she asked.

"Not with that many pixels." He joked. He took the phone back and thumbed through menus. "Lemme see, ah here. Do you have a pen?"

"Pencil."

He rattled off the number. "When you get a phone tomorrow. Text me, that it's me or something."

"I'll say 'It's cheese.'"

"Oh no, not more cheese jokes."

"Nope, just memories of cheese jokes." Making a call back to some of the in-jokes they had developed over the years. As well as started sharing with Jamie, after she made friends with Marin and Danny in High school.

"I'm not gonna be able to tell you where I am most of the time." Danny told her. "And maybe keep it to texts."

"Yeah sure, 'don't call me I'll call you'."

"No, I'll call you."

"That's what I said."

Danny shrugged, "Sure Marin."

"You gotta pay attention to my tone, so you can catch the quotation marks."

He just shook his head. It was like they had never been apart.

"Just go save the world, hero." She told him, "I'll find a place to stay out of trouble."

He shook his head, "You had always wanted to be the hero, I thought-"

"I was wrong. I stopped wanted to become a hero when I was in the hospital for days, sitting on all those stitches and staples after the dogs. I was never gonna save Earth from the 'villains.' and now I'm in a place where the stakes are even higher, and the villains are more villainous. Monsters, magic, several world-ending events. I hate it, I wanna go home."

Danny leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

She didn't shake him off this time.

"Yeah, well we're here now. What is it you would say about problems like going home?"

"It's a tomorrow problem." she sighed.

"And Gaia dying five ways to next Sunday? Is that a tomorrow problem too?"

"Technically, I guess, maybe... Yeah, it is."

"And how about we both get some sleep and get breakfast tomorrow? My treat? What sort of problem is that?"

"A today problem." she leaned into Danny.

He leaned back and he hugged her like he used to. They had known each other for so long, their friendship hardly needed words.

Marin held him back from wrapping both arms around her, leaving the few tears to go free. This was what she had missed. Just a simple touch from someone she knew, trusted, and loved as a friend. Danny was like a brother to her. A member of her chosen family, just in a different way that Jamie was.

"Does this mean you're going to be the bad ass older brother that protects his younger sister?" She asked him. There was only a few months between them. Danny's nineteenth birthday would be in a few months.

"I'm hardly a bad ass."

"You've probably gotten into more fights than I have." she sighed. Sitting back up after the moment between them passed, she took her arms back and wove her fingers together in her lap. "I hate fighting. I froze when those dogs appeared." she had blacked out part of it. She remembered blinking on the approach, and opening her eyes. She was suddenly flailing upon the ground, surrounded by teeth.

"What about the Bandersnatches?" He asked her.

Marin shrugged. "Jarvin and I had warning that something was coming. Those dogs before, I never expected them to attack, then they did. And that is the sort of situations you could be going into."

She put her face in her hands. "We just found each other again. And now we're going apart again? Already?"

"Had second thoughts about AVALANCHE?"

Marin shrugged. "At this point, I dunno." she shrugged, "I don't know how organized things are, there are clearly cells. But I don't know how much, how far..."

"We're all over. But it's not like ShinRa. there's no one person over everyone. My group is just one of many."

"Well…." She started, but changed her tack at a look from Danny. "Okay, yeah. But I don't want to have breakfast and never see you again." she wiped her last tear. "This isn't high school. You can't visit me at home. I cant recover enough to go back to classes with you and Jamie anymore." she wiped the last tear, she was definitely going to need to drink some water soon. "Whatever it takes." she grabbed his hand. "I don't want us to be apart again." She squeezed his hand.

He squeezed back.

"One is an outlier, two might be a coincidence." She started the quote.

"But three," He finished the quote. "Is a pattern and the sign of the work of my enemies." They had read the same books, including the one that quote was from.

"Yeah, Danny. If both of us are here. There could be others. We have to keep and eye out." she held up their clasped hands, put them down then let go. "We really shouldn't be apart. Not again."

"Never again." He promised her.