Dori wasn't wrong when she said that everybody would be worried back in the palace. It wasn't odd that Dori was back home late, sometimes; but of course, those delays were always related to her merchant business, like some meetings taking longer than usual, or waiting for a delayed shipment, for instance. Furthermore, she usually sent the palace a notice whenever something of the sort occurred.
This time, however, she and Sucrose had gone to the forest; they shouldn't be that late. Unrest dominated the palace for the whole night. They feared that something had happened to them, and they weren't wrong. Everybody was reunited in the garden the following morning, about to send a search party when they saw both of them arriving. Everybody rushed to them to know whether they were fine and what had happened.
"I apologize for making you worry this much," Dori said. "We had an incident."
Dori told them what had happened to them: they were surprised by a Whopperflower just after they had sat down at the edge of a cliff to rest. The Whopperflower attack threw Dori into the void, and Sucrose, without thinking, jumped off after her and protected her from the fall. Luckily, they didn't suffer any serious injury because they landed on soft ground, although Sucrose was knocked unconscious. She didn't regain consciousness until late in the evening; therefore, they had to stay in a small cave until dawn, given how risky it would have been to try to return without any light and with the roads flooded.
That story was, in a sense, true, albeit not in its entirety. Dori had no intention of telling them about the Aranara or anything related to them. On their way back, both of them thought about how to 'rectify' what had happened in order to avoid any mention of the Aranara, while at the same time justifying how it was possible that Sucrose had no visible injury. Even so, both of them were quite surprised when everybody became very concerned about Sucrose. They asked her many questions about her condition; more than they had expected. Even Shaghayeh looked at her with worry.
Dori had to intervene. "I'm really happy to see everybody of you worried about Sucrose, but I think that we should all go get some rest. I'm sure that yesterday was a long day for you as well."
"I'm going to synthesize the ultra-rapid growth potion first," Sucrose said.
"No, you aren't. You're the one who needs to rest the most," Goshtasb rebuked her. "Even if you don't feel any pain, that blow must have left some after-effects."
"Thank you, but I'm really fine, honest. It won't take long, and besides, I'll rest better knowing that my job is already done."
"Stubborn as a Stumper Beast…" Soltani sighed. "Just like the boss."
"Thank you for the compliment," Dori teased. "Oh well, if that's what you want to do, I'm not going to try to stop you. That said, I want somebody to go with her and ensure that she does only that and nothing else. I'm already picturing her in the atelier all day long."
Sucrose let out a groan at Dori's lack of confidence. To everybody's surprise, the person who offered herself was none other than Shaghayeh, who had been keeping her distance from Sucrose insofar. Sucrose didn't object, she didn't dare to. Thus, the two of them went to the atelier, whereas the rest returned to the palace.
Once inside, Sucrose offered Shaghayeh the couch while she waited, but the latter decided to remain standing. Trying not to become anxious due to Shaghayeh's presence, Sucrose pulled out the jars filled with Whopperflower nectar. She left the one with energy nectar on a work desk, stored the rest and the flowers from Vanarana in their designated places, and took out the rest of the materials needed for the potion: a Mint plant and three Sweet Flowers. She was ready to begin.
"I'll have it done in a moment," she announced.
Whenever Sucrose worked in alchemy, she concentrated so much on what she was doing that she forgot even her surroundings. That time was no different; as soon as she began to work on the synthesis, she forgot that Shaghayeh was there and stopped being anxious. She had already synthesized that potion numerous times; however, she enjoyed doing so as if it were the first. Just like she had said, the potion was done in a moment. Or, at least, that was what it seemed to her.
"So it is indeed true that proper alchemy needs time," Shaghayeh commented. "It seemed like it was such a simple thing, and yet, it took you a whole hour."
"Ah, of course… I always lose the notion of time when I work, so it seems that it has only been five minutes to me…" Sucrose confessed nervously. "Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."
"Don't be. I'm here by my own volition. And besides, it has been a good experience watching you work. It's quite evident that you enjoy what you do."
Sucrose blushed intensely. She dropped her head and averted her eyes.
"I must apologize for my behavior," Shaghayeh continued. Sucrose looked back at her in befuddlement. "It's crystal clear that you care for the Mistress, and that your intentions are genuine. I only needed to look at you closely to realize it. Yet I, in my own stubbornness, distrusted you, and kept my distance from you, awaiting any malicious intent coming from you, which was never going to happen, so I could act instantly. That's why I apologize: for having doubted you, and for making you uncomfortable."
Sucrose was at a loss for words; she didn't know what she could say. With the fear struck into her heart, she was terrified to say something wrong which would make it look like she was belittling Shaghayeh's sincerity, and ruin everything. But she wanted to say something at all costs, because she was also terrified that not saying anything would be just as disrespectful.
"I-it's okay…" she stammered. "I'm also very stubborn when it comes to alchemy. Or Dori with money. Or Goshtasb, Mandana, or even Soltani. Now that I think of it, I guess everyone here is obstinate in their own way."
What Sucrose was trying to tell Shaghayeh was that she shouldn't be so hard on herself for being stubborn, that it wasn't so bad. Shaghayeh stared at her with incredulity. Sucrose stood frozen, her heart in her mouth, believing that she had said the last thing she should have to. However, Shaghayeh burst into laughter:
"Right you are, Sucrose. Right you are."
Sucrose felt as if her heart had started beating again. She let out a heavy sigh of relief. Shaghayeh had finally acknowledged her. She had so many feelings intermingled that she didn't know how to describe them; only that every single one of them was positive. She wanted to do her best to show Shaghayeh that her newly built trust on her was not misplaced, and one way to do so was not to disobey Dori:
"Now that I've finished making the potion, I'm going to rest," she said. "That was our agreement, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was," Shaghayeh confirmed. "Even though it looks like you are fine, better be safe than sorry."
But the truth was that Sucrose was actually fine. However, since such a thing was apparently unexplainable, she had to play along and go get some rest. She thought of spending the rest of the day in her bedroom, reading some of the alchemy books which she had purchased in the city. When the two of them exited the atelier, they bumped into Mandana, who was beside the door. She was carrying several bags of seeds with her.
"What are you doing here, Mandana?" Shaghayeh inquired.
"It's just that since Sucrose's potion is finally ready, I thought of getting started right away," Mandana explained. "I want the garden to go back to how it was as soon as possible!"
Sucrose and Shaghayeh looked at each other, and laughed. Mandana got the impression that something important had occurred inside the atelier.
Dori, already with a new pince-nez, awoke on her divan. She let out a loud yawn and stretched with her usual lack of shame. She had thought of resting a little after the return trip, but it seemed like she had truly fallen asleep, which didn't come to her as a surprise: they hadn't slept much in the Vana, and Sucrose was already up before her.
She looked at the time; it wasn't long until lunchtime. She decided to go out into the garden for a walk to get herself refreshed. She did so by being flabbergasted by the garden's current appearance. Every flowerbed was full of flowers, and every flower was full of life and color. It had been a long time since Dori saw the garden so beautiful. She saw Mandana beside a flowerbed near the fountain. Mandana was jumping for joy.
Dori approached her. "Quite the opposite from how you were yesterday, eh?"
"Boss! I'm so sorry if you wanted to see the flowers growing! I just couldn't wait anymore!"
"Don't worry about it. Seeing the garden this gorgeous is sufficient for me. But tell me how it went."
Mandana told her everything in great detail, yet avoiding any mention about the change in the relationship between Sucrose and Shaghayeh, for she thought that it wasn't her place to comment on that matter. Sucrose gave her the potion, and then explained to her how to use it: first, she needed to add the potion to a watering can full of water; then, plant the seeds; and immediately after, irrigate the seeds with some mixture. Since that method compelled Mandana to do each flowerbed in turn, she began with the closest one to the atelier. The result was optimal: a few seconds after irrigating the seeds, those grew until bloom. Mandana was beside herself with joy and showered Sucrose with gratitude and compliments, who turned as red as a beet.
"By the by, where is Sucrose?" Dori asked.
"After making sure that the potion worked, she said that she was going back to her bedroom," Mandana replied. "That was, I think, an hour ago."
Dori looked closely at how the garden had turned out. Seeing it that lively and colorful brought her peace, as well as joy. Once she finished looking around it, she went to Sucrose's room. She wanted to congratulate her on her help in fixing the garden, and at the same time, see how she was doing. Although Dori trusted what the Aranara had told her about Sucrose's complete recovery, she thought that there would be no harm in staying on the safer side and observing her for a few days to ensure that she had no after-effects; she had received a strong blow to her head, after all.
Dori finally reached the third and topmost floor, and then stood before Sucrose's door. She knocked.
"Sucrose, are you there?"
She received no answer. Despite that, Dori could sense that there was somebody inside. She opened the unlocked door slowly and carefully in order not to awake Sucrose, in case that she were asleep. Dori found her sitting at her desk, resting her head on both her hands. She had a lifeless gaze; she was clearly daydreaming. Dori, peeking her head inside Sucrose's room, called her again with a melodious voice:
"Sucrose… Hello…"
Sucrose didn't even flinch. Dori sighed. She entered and approached Sucrose until she was beside her. Sucrose still hadn't noticed anything, and kept daydreaming. Dori patted her shoulder.
"Sucrose!"
Sucrose squealed. She was so startled that she hit her desk with her knees and then almost fell from her chair, although she managed to grab onto the back of it. She glared furiously at Dori, gasping from the start.
"Gosh, Dori! Knock before coming in!"
"I do so! But there's no point if you don't pay attention whenever you're called!" Dori reproached.
Sucrose breathed in and out several times until she shook the fright off, but she was still angry with Dori. Even though she knew that Dori was right, that didn't justify the scares she always gave her; she thought that Dori ought to have a little more tact.
She frowned at her. "So? What do you want?"
"I came to thank you and congratulate you for your help in fixing the garden," Dori explained. "Not only did you fix it, but you also improved it! We've never had such a gorgeous garden! I'm so really proud of you, my dear alchemist!"
Dori's sincerity in her praise made Sucrose's anger vanish in an instant. In its stead, Sucrose began to feel something odd, yet something which she had felt barely a while ago. She felt her body warm, face turning red, her lips upturning, and her chest tingling. Whatever that was, it was a pleasant feeling.
Sucrose had always devoted her alchemy to conduct experiments with the purpose of coming closer to her childhood dream. And whenever any experiment required time and effort, she always felt great satisfaction when she beheld her finished work. This time, however, was the first time in which she had used her alchemy to help somebody else. Seeing Mandana so full of joy brought another kind of feeling of satisfaction to her; one which she had never felt before. Oddly, she never felt such satisfaction whenever she fulfilled Dori's assignments. She did feel it a little, however, when Goshtasb praised her for the ointment, although she didn't pay it any attention, most likely because she was still depressed about having disobeyed Dori.
But now that she had properly felt it, and paid it her full attention, the young walking sack full of curiosity couldn't just let it be. When she returned to her room, instead of resting or reading a book, she mulled over that feeling. Use her alchemy to help people in need, and make them happy. Was it perhaps another possible method to come closer to her dream? Was that the reason why she had felt like such when Mandana had thanked her? Could she, with this method, determine the root of happiness for a better approach regarding how did she want her flowery paradise to be? And what was happiness, to begin with? She couldn't stop asking herself questions, each one more complex than the last. And who knows when she would have stopped if Dori hadn't come.
"I-it was nothing…" Sucrose said shyly, her ears wiggling.
Dori concealed a chortle while seeing Sucrose this bashful; it was a cute sight to behold. Their roles, however, were reversed when they both heard Dori's stomach. That was probably the first time Sucrose saw Dori blushing in embarrassment.
"I-I also came to tell you that it's almost lunchtime now," Dori stammered, trying to conceal her embarrassment. "W-we should eat properly today. After all, we barely ate anything yesterday."
"Now that you mention it, you have a point. My stomach could begin to rumble any minute now, too."
They both went towards the dining room, with Dori trying for Sucrose to forget what had just happened; although her insistence led actually to the opposite effect of Sucrose beginning to tease Dori, which was quite the contrary from their usual behavior.
While they were eating, Sucrose, now with her thoughts clearer, thought again about what she had been mulling over in her room. She decided that there was no need to rush herself in finding an answer; her current topmost priority consisted in improving her alchemy in order to return Dori the enormous favor of taking her in. And she still had a long road to tread.
Five days later, in the afternoon, Sucrose was in her atelier, reading a book about alchemy and the seven Elements, sitting on her couch. Reading was the only thing she had done since their return from Vanarana, because Dori had given her the whole week off in order to ensure a complete recovery from the falling. Fortunately for her, she had plenty of reading and studying she could do; otherwise, she would have bored herself to death. At that moment, somebody knocked at the door. It was Shaghayeh, who had come to tell her that Collei had already arrived and Dori was receiving her in the garden, beside the fountain.
"I supposed that you wanted to greet her."
"Honestly, I do," Sucrose smiled. "Thank you for informing me."
Her relationship with the rest of the employees had also improved considerably during that time, and now she was on familiar terms with everybody else, including Shaghayeh. She realized that everybody truly cared about her when she saw how they were worried about her, and the many times they asked her about her condition. Even so, there were still certain activities that she only wanted to do alone.
Sucrose exited the atelier after Shaghayeh, and found herself with a similar scene to that of a week ago: right there, beside the fountain, was not only Collei, but Tighnari and Cyno as well. The main two differences were that Dori was also present, and that Collei was carrying a large backpack. While Tighnari and Collei watched the garden in astonishment, Cyno was talking with Dori. Their conversation piece probably was nothing serious, because Dori had her usual teasing expression. Sucrose managed to overhear a little of what was Dori saying when she approached them:
"…but, oh well, I guess I'm not one to talk, after all." Dori then noticed Sucrose. "Oh! Sucrose! You're here!"
Cyno, who had his back to Sucrose, turned around and greeted her. Sucrose greeted him back in a more natural manner that even she herself had expected; it had nothing to do with their previous encounters. Tighari and Collei also returned to them, still looking astonished.
"Dori, what happened to the garden?" Tighnari asked.
"What are you talking about, Tighnari?" Cyno interrupted. "It's true that it's more beautiful than usual, but I don't think it's such a big deal."
"Because it is! This garden wasn't spared from the downpour, either: it was a complete mess! And now, look how it is, just a week later! How is that possible!?"
Dory laughed full of confidence and puffed out her chest with pride. "It's possible by having a first-rate alchemist as an employee," she boasted.
She stood beside Sucrose and patted her back. Then, all eyes turned to Sucrose, who began to blush. Being the center of attention was making Sucrose feel so embarrassed that she was beginning to consider running away and hiding in the first place she found. In the end, Dori had to intervene in order to undo the situation she herself had begun.
"Okay, okay. I think we all have looked enough at her."
"I agree," Cyno said. "It's not like she's going to 'succor-a-rose' if we just keep staring at her."
Now it was on Cyno where all eyes had turned to. Collei scowled, Tighnari raised a hand to his forehead and sighed, Sucrose snorted in exasperation, and Dori grumbled:
"I'm beginning to consider charging you for saying silly flapdoodles in my presence."
Despite all of this, Sucrose felt somewhat relieved that, at least, she wasn't the center of attention anymore. Did Cyno do that on purpose? Or did he just want to crack a bad joke? Sucrose didn't know for sure; only that, for a brief moment, she had thought of giving him a kick in the rear. Be however it might have been, she took chance of that silence to speak herself:
"So, if you're here, then it means that you've finished cleaning up in Gandharva Ville?"
"Not quite. The bridge to Collei's house collapsed, and we need to build a new one," Tighnari explained. "But since Collei is going to be here for a while, we can work on it in the meantime."
"Yeah, every time I had to use my Wind Glider to get there, and then take the long route back," Collei added. "At least, everyone back home helped me carry my stuff out of my house."
"Your stuff?"
"Yes, I have everything here." Collei pointed to her backpack. "More than enough clothes, all the books I need to study, and Cuilein-Anbar."
Cuilein-Anbar? What was a Cuilein-Anbar? Sucrose wanted to ask Collei about it, but when she opened her mouth, Dori was already speaking:
"In that case, I think you should begin to settle in without delay, if you don't want to leave something half-done," she suggested. "Shaghayeh, would you mind showing her to her room?"
Sucrose then noticed that Shaghayeh was behind her; in fact, she had been there the whole time, but Sucrose was so distracted with their guests that she had never realized. Shaghayeh walked a few steps towards the ramp leading to the palace, before turning back.
"Please accompany me, Collei," she asked. "Would you like to come as well, Sucrose?"
"May I?"
Shaghayeh nodded with a smile. Dori smiled as well; seeing that Shaghayeh had accepted Sucrose at last filled her with joy. On her hand, Collei was bidding farewell to Tighnari and Cyno. She was enthusiastic about trying that new experience. Tighnari, however, was the embodiment of worry.
"Remember what we talked on our way here, all right?" he insisted. "Don't forget it!"
"Yes, Master. I'll keep it in mind," Collei responded. "And really, don't come by every day to see how I'm doing."
"She's got you all figured out," Cyno teased.
Tighnari frowned and grumbled. As a matter of fact, he had actually thought of visiting Collei once in a while; once in a very little, tiny while. Collei left following Shaghayeh and Sucrose. She bid them farewell one more time, waving her arm at them while climbing up the ramp towards the garden's upper level.
The three of them walked in silence through the interior of the palace until they reached what would be Collei's bedroom: it was the same room she had used the night she had had to stay due to the storm. Shaghayeh pulled out two keys on a keychain, and opened the door with one of them. Before they entered, Shaghayeh gave Collei the keys.
"Here you are. This one is the key to your bedroom; and this one, to the front door," she explained, pointing at the keys.
Shaghayeh then stepped aside and, with a wave of her arm, invited Collei to enter. She also let Sucrose in before herself, and entered last. Collei beheld the room in which she was going to live for some time. Even though she had already spent a night in it, she was still feeling nervous.
Shaghayeh spoke from behind. "Do you need help in organizing your things?"
"Thank you, but no, thank you," Collei replied politely. "I'd rather do it myself, if it's not a problem."
"Not in the least," Shaghayeh smiled. "In that case, if you'll excuse me, I shall be off."
Shaghayeh left the room, closing the door after herself. Collei took her backpack off and put it onto the bed. She let out a long puff.
"Do you mind if I stay?" Sucrose asked.
"Not at all," Collei replied. "Actually, please stay."
Collei looked through the window, from which she could see that Tighnari and Cyno had just finished talking to Dori and turned around to leave. She opened the window panes wide and leant out.
"Master Tighnari! Cyno! Have a good trip back!"
She waved energetically at them. Sucrose also leant out and saw the two boys waving back. She let herself be carried away and waved at them as well. Soon after, Tighnari and Cyno left, and the girls returned inside, closing the window again. Then, Collei dropped herself backwards onto the bed. She let out another long puff.
"As cozy as last time," she said with a broad smile. "I would just stay like this until I left."
"How much time will you stay here?" Sucrose asked.
"A little more than a month, until not long before I begin my studies again."
Depending on how it was looked at, a little more than a month could seem like a long time, or a short one. For Sucrose, it was around the same amount of time she had been living in Sumeru, and so many things had occurred during that time that it had flown by.
Collei sat up and opened her backpack; she was about to begin settling in. The first thing she pulled out was a plush. It had a big, green head, pointy ears, and a black face with two large yellow eyes. Its body consisted of only a green mantle with black frills. Sucrose remembered having seen it in Collei's house. Out of curiosity, she picked it up and looked at it up close. It was very well made, and quite soft.
"It's very cute," Sucrose commented. "Does it have a name?"
"Thanks. I made it myself," Collei explained proudly. "His name is Cuilein-Anbar."
So that was Cuilein-Anbar. Now that Sucrose gave the name a deep thought, it sounded like it was a combination of Collei's own name and Amber's. It seemed like Collei and Amber were more acquainted than she had originally assumed.
In the meanwhile, Collei was putting in order the clothes she had brought with. Sucrose offered to help her, because she didn't want to just stay there and watch, but Collei refused. She insisted that it was okay, that she really wanted to do it herself while she put her underwear away in the drawers. Although she did need help with one thing. She approached Sucrose in order to tell her in a low voice:
"Do you know where I could put my books?"
At first, Sucrose didn't understand the question, but she soon realized: Collei was embarrassed to leave her textbooks in plain view. She understood why Collei wanted to keep such an intimate matter secret too well. Even though the rooms could be locked, they were still opened and cleaned by Shaghayeh every six days; therefore, the small bookshelf on the wall was discarded. Sucrose also considered hiding the books wheresoever inside the drawers or the wardrobe; nobody would look there, However, she didn't quite like the idea; therefore, she didn't propose it. She then thought of another place which wasn't the room:
"The bookcase in my atelier is still quite empty, and nobody enters there without my permission. I think it's a good place," Sucrose argumented. "And besides, if you're going to study there, you will have them already on hand."
Collei grinned from ear to ear. Truth be told, with everything that had been going on in Gandharva Ville over those last few days, she had forgotten that she was going to study in the company of Sucrose. Since they still had time, and none of them wanted to leave it for another time, Sucrose showed Collei to her atelier so they could begin to prepare Collei's study space. That was the first time Collei saw the interior of the atelier. She was fascinated, her eyes sparkling, by its appearance.
"Wow… So this is where you work? It's amazing!"
Watching Collei that excited made Sucrose happy somehow. "Thank you," she smiled. "But I ask you not to touch anything: it could be dangerous."
Collei nodded, and together they went towards the back of the atelier, where the bookcase was. Then, Collei arranged her textbooks on the nearest side to the desk, while Sucrose moved her alchemy books away in order to avoid any possible confusion, regardless of how improbable it might be. Collei's books were, indeed, about basic stuff. Sucrose remembered studying those subjects when she was eight or nine years old. So it was true that Collei was lagging behind. Be that as it may, if Collei was doing her best in order to catch up, then she would also do it in helping Collei whenever she needed. And now that Sucrose was thinking about Collei staying in her atelier…
"One more thing," she warned. "If I ever tell you to leave, you do so posthaste. Okay?"
"B-but why?" Collei asked anxiously.
"Because some syntheses are actually dangerous and might lead to accidents. I won't be able to focus on them properly if I'm constantly worried that you might get hurt."
Collei remained quiet and wide-eyed for a while. Then, all of a sudden, a snort came out of her, which preceded a burst of laughter.
"What's so funny?" Sucrose asked curiously.
"Master! It's just…!" Collei choked on her own laugh and coughed hard. She resumed her explanation once she stopped laughing. "Phew… It's just that if Master ever hears about this, he won't let me be here even in a million years."
"Yes, I noticed that Tighnari worries a lot about you, too. But what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, honestly; if he weren't such a worrywart," Collei highlighted. "The thing is, he's always on my back."
Collei cleared her throat, made a funny face, and began to move her right index to and fro.
"'Collei, don't touch this'. 'Collei, don't eat that'. 'Collei, be careful not to trip'."
Sucrose thought that what Collei was doing wasn't right, but she couldn't hold back her laughter. She was laughing so intensely that Collei also had a fit of laughter. Both laughed for a while.
"And don't you think that I'm exaggerating, eh?" Collei said. "He is really like this sometimes."
A thought then came to Sucrose's mind: if Tighnari was such a hypochondriac with Collei, then why had he agreed to Dori's idea in the first place? Sucrose supposed that, if she wanted to find an answer to that question, then she would need to ask Tighnari himself next time she saw him.
"Anyway," Collei spoke again, "have you already planned where to go tomorrow?"
"Not really. I've been reading alchemy books while I waited for your arrival." Sucrose told only a half-truth there. "But yes, we can go gathering materials tomorrow, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't. That's why I'm here."
With the plan for their first day agreed, Sucrose now needed to think of a place to go. But where? Near or far? She would like to explore new areas; get to know the rainforest layout better and discover where to find which materials. The grove northeast of the palace seemed like a good starting point; she had never been there yet. She proposed the idea to Collei, to which Collei accepted at once.
The rest of the day transpired without anything of major significance. Sucrose showed Collei the rest of the palace, just like she had explored it by herself a month ago. Although Collei already knew everybody in the palace by face, she still needed some time in order not to get nervous around them; therefore, she stayed beside Sucrose almost all the time. They were not together during bath time, however, when Sucrose insisted on bathing all alone. Collei spent that time with Dori instead, disquieted that she might have done something wrong.
"Nah, nothing of the sort," Dori reassured her. "She has always bathed alone, with no exceptions. Maybe she's just too shy to be seen in the altogether."
Perhaps it was just that, or maybe there was something else. Regardless, Collei felt relieved that, at least, it wasn't because she had bothered Sucrose without realizing. While they both kept talking, Collei asked Dori about the other employees; in particular, how she should behave around them.
"It's quite simple actually: all you need to do is just be yourself," Dori answered. "I'm aware that Shaghayeh is fine with having you around, so you will be fine."
Collei didn't understand what Dori meant by that. Be that as it may, even though she still felt nervous around them, she never felt uncomfortable staying there whatsoever, nor did she ever show the slightest sign of wanting to go home. Dori's idea had been a success.
Sucrose and Collei were back together again afterwards, until bedtime came, when Sucrose accompanied Collei to her new room before going to her own. Not long after retiring, Sucrose was already fast asleep. While she was sleeping, a familiar voice called her:
"Sucrose, can you hear me? It's me, Nahida."
Sucrose opened her eyes and looked around. She was still in her room, but Nahida was sitting on her desk's chair. Her presence there meant only one thing: she was in a dream. She smiled; she was happy to see Nahida, and pleased that she hadn't been startled this time. Said smile, however, vanished the moment Sucrose noticed Nahida's expression: she looked melancholy, and full of concern.
"Nahida? What's wrong?"
"There's something important I need to tell you. Very important, actually. I have deliberately waited until it was almost your usual time to wake up, just in case."
Nahida was so solemn that Sucrose was becoming anxious. She tried to stay calm in order to avoid waking up. Nahida then breathed in and spoke as calmly as she could:
"Do you remember the children in Vimara Village? They have been attacked by a Withered Monster."