They split up at the main hallway.
He gave them a brisk nod.
The palace was eerie. It was forbidding.
It was...a memory.
His mind swam back to the day before he left.
He'd been fixing his skimmer.
She had been standing next to him, helping out, magenta hair fluttering in the breeze.
Lately, they'd been talking. "Hanging out," so to speak.
He told her about the machine.
Golden eyes widened.
"What do we do?"
"WE don't do anything." He stood. "I'm going to go get help."
"From who?"
He was silent.
"Not...them," she breathed.
He shrugged. "Better than no one."
"You'll be back, though."
"Of course."