Wu had just poured himself a fresh cup of tea, his fingers enveloped by its new radiant warmth. His heart was still heavy at the sound of the empty monastery. The quiet was a reminder of his mistakes. But today it was a little bit easier to ignore than other days.
Today it was raining.
There was one person that could potentially fill the silence with him. Although, he didn't know where she was. Pixal wasn't in the cave, he had just come from there. And she wasn't in the kitchen, because that was where he was. Pixal didn't usually like spending time in her room, but perhaps it was worth looking there. Wu walked up and down the halls, looking for the droid, but she seemed to be nowhere. Had she left? Gone somewhere in the rain? It didn't seem likely. His eyes turned to the front door at the thought. He placed his cup down as his feet drew him to the entrance. He opened the door, the mist from the outside hitting his skin along with a swift chill. He leaned out, glancing around only for his eyes to land on her, sitting just outside the cover of the awning, the heavy rain drenching her hair, and rolling along the smooth metal of her skin. She sat on the ground, her knees pulled up between her arms as she looked out at the sky.
"Hello Pixal," He spoke, grabbing her attention.
Pixal sat up as she saw him. "Hello Sensei."
"I didn't expect to find you out here," Wu smiled.
Pixal thought for a moment, smiling back at him. "I didn't expect you to find me."
Wu stepped out into the rain, moving to join her on the ground. "What brought you out here?"
Pixal's eyes trailed the horizon in a contained sort of frenzy. "Lloyd told me before they left… nothing good ever happens in the rain. I thought this might be some sort of omen."
Wu followed her eyes, understanding what she was looking for. "Do you think it's something here, or something… there?"
Pixal turned to look at him. "I don't know," she sighed. "I suppose I was hoping it would be something here. I'm sure the last thing they need is more trouble on their side."
The rain pattered around them, scattered and immersive as their thoughts.
"...there has to be something we can do for them. Something we haven't thought of yet. Something right in front of us that we're just… missing for some reason," Wu reasoned.
"We've done all we can do." Pixal shook her head. "But I have faith in them. They have a history of getting themselves out of situations like this." Pixal took in a deep breath, perhaps trying to believe her own words.
Wu looked out at the skyline again, his mind still frantic with questions. "Sometimes I wonder if they went off on a fruitless mission to begin with."
"...what do you mean?" Pixal questioned.
"Well, they went to rescue Zane. By the time they left to find him it's possible that… we'd already lost him."
Pixal looked at him a moment, processing the thought.
"No, Zane's still alive." She turned to the horizon again, confident in her answer.
Wu looked at her curiously for a moment. "How can you be sure?"
Pixal closed her eyes, focusing on the pulse in her chest.
"Because I know what it feels like when he dies."