"I recruited someone." Those weren't words I expected to hear from Thancred when he said he had a report, but not only did he say them, he wore a satisfied smile as he did. "I've a good feeling about her," he continued, leaning against the wall. I glanced around the solar, to try and judge everyone else's reactions, but I might as well not have bothered. Yda, Papalymo, and Y'shtola barely reacted at all. I wondered if they sensed he was hiding something, as I did. Then again, Thancred was always hiding something. "Sorry, I know I usually talk it over with everyone first-"

"Indeed, which makes one question why you changed your method," Y'shtola interrupted, dryness creeping into her tone. Her ears tilted back and down slightly, a small sign of irritation, but otherwise, she appeared perfectly calm. "What we do is dangerous, Thancred."

"I really don't need to be reminded." Thancred raised a brow, his smile fading only a little. But it was true that he, of all of the Scions, did not need to be reminded. Though it often hurt my heart to send him into such danger, Thancred's skills at espionage were simply too great. They were one of the many reasons why he received the Archon title, after all. "You also know that I am perfectly serious about our duties."

"Of course, I do. That's why the change confuses me." Y'shtola now frowned, and I leaned forward against my desk, ready to intervene if needed. "Is this new recruit so skilled?"

"Yes." The blunt answer took almost all of us aback. Only Yda didn't visibly react… that I could see. The mask hid her eyes, after all. "I can vouch for her skills in battle personally. I've fought alongside her, and…" Thancred hesitated a moment before continuing. "She's fought one of them."

"She battled an Ascian and survived?" That… certainly was impressive. "How did that even occur?"

"Not entirely sure on that one. I meander all over, hunting for any information, and find little. Meanwhile, she apparently just falls face-first into trouble." Thancred sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, I had better luck finding information when I followed her about instead of chasing various leads like I usually do."

"Most peculiar, that," Papalymo mused, frowning. From my point of view, he was all but hidden by the surprisingly quiet Yda. Then again, Yda rarely weighed in on things like this, due to… "No chances of her serving our enemy?"

"I would never fully rule out any scenario, but if she is, she's certainly going about it in a very unusual way," Thancred answered. He was back to smiling, this time looking like he was biting back laughter. "Normally, our foes are a little too arrogant to go chasing after lost dogs or relay messages from angry wives to their feckless husbands."

"Ah, so she's an adventurer? That speaks to a wide range of skills." Papalymo nodded to himself. "Well, it does sound like the change in method has some good reasons. We shall see if that holds true after meeting her. Did you tell Tataru?"

"Of course. I gave a description as well." Thancred frowned suddenly. "Ah, but I do believe I forgot to mention she was an Au Ra and had horns and scales."

"...You didn't relay that first?" Papalymo sighed, and I had to admit to being confused as well. Au Ra were not common in Eorzea. In fact, I had never seen one outside of pictures before. Something like that would've been… "I would imagine those traits would be crucial to her description."

"They weren't the first things I noticed when I first met her?"

"How in the world were they not?"

"Oh, she must have large breasts," Yda suddenly teased, no doubt jumping in because the meeting was slowly turning away from serious matters. It certainly did with that statement, and sparked a laugh from most of us. The laughter only grew when Thancred squawked in protest. "I should let Tataru know!" Without another word, she was out the door of the solar. Still chuckling, Y'shtola and Papalymo followed, no doubt because I was still too busy laughing to be serious and give a proper dismissal. I truly was a poor choice as Antecedent, but I had to take up the mantle. So, I did.

"That is very much not it…" Thancred groaned, pushing off from the wall at last. He waited for me to quiet my laughter before peering at me worriedly. "You're not mad, are you?"

"What would I be mad about?" I asked in return, surprised he thought that. Then again, Thancred was always worrying about me. We shared no blood ties, but he was as dear to me as a brother and I knew he felt similarly. "I am happy to have a new recruit, if she chooses to join us."

"Yes, but you were even quieter than Yda."

"Ah, so that is why you were worried." I drummed my fingers on my desk, wondering if I should confront him or not. I did want to know what he was hiding, but I also knew Thancred was ridiculously good at lying. "Well, does our new recruit truly have-"

"Minfilia, please!" Thancred scowled and I quickly muffled another laugh. It felt like there were so few chances for me to tease him nowadays. We were both so busy. "Twelve, I hope she doesn't relay her 'theory' to Urianger. I definitely won't hear the end of it if she does."

"I'm sure she was simply feeling overwhelmed and needed to break the tension." Yda typically did, considering… "We were about to go around in circles."

"True, true. I'm sure if she didn't make some sort of comment, Y'shtola would've. She's always been catty like that." Thancred grinned for a split-second before becoming serious. "So, you're not mad."

"No, I simply…" Ah, at this point, I might as well ask. "There's another reason, isn't there? There's another reason you recruited her, and did so without talking to us first."

"Yes." Again, his answer was blunt, but he spoke softly now. "I believe, Minfilia, that she has the Echo."

"Oh!" That would definitely explain it then."Truly?"

"Yes, and if I'm right, it's strong." Was it? What did he even mean by that? "I can't say I'm certain of it, but she's had the disorientation and fainting. She also mentioned a crystal."

"I see." So, if she joined, we would have not only another member to our family, but another Echo user. "Do you think she'll come?"

"I believe so, if only to hear us out." Thancred smiled and I smiled back. "Well, with that out of the way, I'm off to-"

"Oh no, you're not." Now I frowned at him and he immediately brought his hands up in 'surrender'. "You would be the only one she knows here, so you're staying here in the Sands with the rest of us until she arrives."

"But, my work…" He tried to protest, but I kept frowning until he sighed. "Fine, fine, I yield. I can never say 'no' to you."

"You don't to my face, at least." I smiled smugly, glad to fall back into this sort of banter with him. I was also glad to have the perfect excuse to force him to take a break. "So, we're going to have meals together. That way, you can't sneak away."

"Minfilia!"

Though I had secured Thancred a break, there were few opportunities for the rest of us to truly relax, outside of sharing meals. Such was the life of a Scion of the Seventh Dawn. The next few days passed in a blur of paperwork and orders, negotiations and information. Truthfully, I almost forgot about Thancred's new recruit, buried as I was in work. So, when Tataru arrived in the solar to inform me of her arrival, it took me a few seconds to realize what she meant.

"She's here?" I repeated, setting down the paper I was reading. It was a missive from the Immortal Flames, detailing the mysterious disappearance of travelers recently. Coupled with the news of crystal thefts… "Truly?"

"Well, she matches the description Thancred gave me," Tataru answered, shrugging. Still, she smiled sweetly, as she always did. "So, I think so!"

"Very well." I stood up slowly, subtly leaning forward to stretch my back. How long had I been sitting? It was too long, clearly. Lhaminn would've scolded me severely for it. "Show her in."

"You got it!" Tataru gave me a thumbs up and another smile before skipping out the door. I clasped my hands in front of me, doing my best to appear dignified and confident. If she joined, I would be her leader. I, of all people, needed to give a good first impression.

The door slowly opened, and in walked their new potential recruit. Immediately, I realized I couldn't tease Thancred about not noticing the horns and scales first anymore. After all, they weren't the first thing I noticed either. No, it was her eyes. They were a rich gold that held all the warmth and brightness of the sun, and they were strikingly apparently thanks to the thick black ring around the iris. They were eyes that appeared to peer through you, straight into your heart and soul, yet held no judgement or scorn. There was just the warmth and light, ever gentle and comforting.

The second thing I noticed, though, wasn't anything physical. It was a sense of knowing that bubbled up from deep within my heart, my soul. It was a feeling of safety. No, it was more than that. It was a feeling of trust, one that sprung from the same source as the Echo. It told me that, without a doubt, the girl who walked in was every bit as warm as her eyes. It told me that, without a doubt, the girl who walked in was someone who could be trusted with anything and everything...

"Um… hello," the girl began with a soft, shy smile. I smiled back without even thinking about it. A new friend, a new member of our family… I hoped she would join. "My name is Syna Belkaia."

Author's note: I'm totally not procrastinating writing other things. What made you think I was? Anyway, so here's a little thing from Minfilia's POV. Just a small thing that popped into my head, based on what little spoilers I know (playing through Heavensward right now, so things might be weird/wrong? Sorry for any OOCness...)