Archive of Our Own

Symbiosis had lived a thousand lives and he remembered every single one of them. Every Quiet, Pollen, Dust, Wet and Glow, he remembered in vivid detail every moment.

One would think that, after so many lifetimes, things would start to blur. And they did. Until he met her.

Solenceae. When Sym first encountered her, she was but a child. An innocent member of an invasive species that the Gardeners were set on destroying. He could tell, though, that she possessed sentience. Conscience. Morality. She wasn't some kind of pest that he could exterminate, she was a living being.

And thus began his fascination with the human race.

At first it was innocent. He was just observing, he told himself. Gathering information so that they could be better prepared to drive off the humans. But when Solenceae died for the first time, crushed between the teeth of an overprotective mother xenosaur, Symbiosis felt anguish deeper than he had ever felt before. Tears fell from his violet eyes for the first time in eons as he clutched her lifeless body close to his chest, weeping into her hair.

He considered, for a moment, initiating a reboot himself so that he could forget the horrid agony that he experienced watching Solenceae die. He quickly decided against it. She deserved to have someone remember her. And remember her he would - Until he ceased to exist, he would carry her memory with him.

Sym never got the chance to do that, though, because as soon as he set her body down, the earth swallowed her whole like a starving animal. He beat at the ground, confused and altogether enraged that this planet, the one he'd dedicated his life to nurturing, would take away his opportunity to grieve. The plot of earth where she had disappeared began to glow ominously, the light getting brighter and brighter until Symbiosis could barely see, when a loud crack thundered through the forest. The noise was so loud, so overpowering. Sym felt his vision fade into darkness as he collapsed into the grass.

---

He woke up in his vat with a start. Gardeners didn't dream - they lost that ability when they pledged themselves to the planet - but what had just happened, what he had just experienced, reminded him so much of the nightmares that often frequented him while he was still alive.

As he reconnected to the network, he realized something - It was no longer Dust, but Quiet. His brow furrowed. Could it really have been that long? Surely someone would have woken him up. As he moved to check the year, he realized that it hadn't been long at all - It had been negative one year, in fact, since he had last been conscious!

Symbiosis rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. He didn't understand - Was someone toying with him? Was this his punishment for interacting with the humans? Or maybe..

Gears began to turn in his head as he pieced everything together. It all made sense! The arrival of the humans must have activated the wormhole, made it unpredictable, made it lash out. And it chose to latch onto one of the children and make them central to the new timeloop it chose to form.

This shaky conclusion brought far more questions than it answered. How do we stop this? Why did the wormhole choose Solenceae? Why could Symbiosis remember everything when none of the other Gardeners could?

The next year seemed to drag by. Symbiosis had never been aware of the passing of time before, but now, it was as if every day was a countdown to when he would see Solenceae again.

He was also being forced into meetings that he had already sat through discussing the fate of the new 'invasive species'. At least this time Sym didn't need to try to pay attention.

The majority of the year was spent conducting experiments on the wormhole, trying to figure out why the hell this was happening. None of the other Gardeners seemed even vaguely aware of the fact that a time loop had been formed, and Sym intended to keep it that way.

He knew that, if given the chance, most of his colleagues would experiment not on the wormhole but on Solenceae to find out the basis behind the time loop. He would be forced to watch her die again and again, made to witness the life leave her eyes, the earth swallow her whole, and worse, he would be made to analyze her death like she was some sort of lab rat.

Finally, after one long year, Solenceae took her first step outside of the colony's defences and into the wild. Sym watched from a distance as she explored the area - picking flowers, rolling around in the dirt, behaving like any youth would when given a new environment.

When she approached the area where she had previously been mauled, Sym felt a chill go up his spine. Solenceae approached the sleeping xenosaur slowly - Maybe this time it won't wake up, Sym hoped. But his hopes were in vain.

The mother xenosaur jolted awake, drool dripping from each of its blade-like teeth. Dread filled Sym's gut as Solenceae tried to run but, just like last time, was caught in the maw of the creature.

Sym was reminded of the sheer amount of anguish he had felt when Solenceae had last been eaten. Barely thinking, he jumped into the fray and held the creature back.

"Go," he hissed, voice cracking from the strain.

"Who - Who are you?" Solenceae asked, eyes wide and full of tears as the shocked mother xenosaur released her.

Sym rolled his eyes. Did this child have no self-preservation? "Go!" He thundered, putting on his best 'I'm an evil alien' voice.

Solenceae came to her senses and scrambled away. Sym noticed a bronze medallion fall out of her bag. She didn't seem to notice the lost accessory - If she did, the foolish child would probably go back to try and retrieve it.

Once he was confident the child was back safe in the colony, he let the mother xenosaur go and gave her a loving pat. She snorted, glaring at him, but she wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with someone who had previously strangled her with ease. She hurried her babies away, snarling at Sym as she led her family back to their den.

Sym walked over to the medallion and picked it up. "Hmm." He mused aloud. It was round, hand-made, and had an engraving on the back - 'we love you, Sol'. Clearly an item with emotional value.

Later that night, after the humans had retreated into their dens, Sym sought out Solenceae's. He left the medallion on her doorstep and vanished into the night.

---

Every time Solenceae left the colony, Sym made sure to watch her from a distance. The last time she wandered from her home, she had died. Rather gruesomely, at that. He would hope that she'd have learned her lesson, but given her apparent lack of survival instincts, he was concerned that she may find herself in danger again.

There was another child, too - Dysthymia. He, thankfully, was much more vigilant. Even so, Sym tried to keep an eye on him when he could.

In Mid-Dust, Solenceae apparently decided that she hadn't explored quite enough of the surrounding area yet and wandered into the forest. Sym's brow furrowed. There were a great number of creatures in the forest, many of which would mistake the young human for food. He made sure to follow her extra closely that day. Too closely, perhaps.

Her head snapped up and she stared at him, her deep, chocolate brown eyes studying him intently. He couldn't tear his gaze away, even though he knew he should. Solenceae stared at him with childlike wonder, clearly amazed by his abnormal, not-quite-human appearance.

She began to trek towards him, sending Sym into a panic. If he spoke to a human, the overseer would forbid him from ever going near the colony again!

He walked into the shadows and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He felt the trees absorb him, asking where he wanted to go. He rematerialized at the top of the mountain, watching as Solenceae hiked up to his previous location, utterly bewildered at her determination.

Sym felt a pang in his chest, watching her joyous expression crumble as she realized that he was nowhere to be found. He wished that he could greet her, join her in her adventures, personally shield her from any danger, but he couldn't. He mentally cursed the overseer. Sure, the humans weren't native to the planet, but neither were the Gardeners. Why couldn't they cooperate with them? They were clearly sentient, after all. Surely they could teach them to nurture the planet as the Gardeners did.

The hike had apparently tired the young human out, because she trekked back to the colony right after, dragging her feet all the way. Before she re-entered the drainpipe, she cast a final forlorn glance at the mountains, scanning for the stranger. Sym smiled bitterly as he emersed himself in the shadows once more.

---

The next time he saw her, it was Late-Wet. It had been so long since he had seen her that Sym had begun to get worried. Not that she was dead - The time-loop would have alerted him of that - But that he had somehow discouraged her from continuing to explore the territory.

Her adventurous spirit was something that the adults of her species were lacking in. It was also, Sym thought, incredibly admirable for someone so young to be brave enough to go against the grain, to follow their heart and survey their surroundings, getting to know nature in a way that didn't harm it.

She and Dysthymia were traversing the wild together this time. They were carrying disproportionately large backpacks chock-full of camping supplies. Sym watched, amused, as the pair stumbled around, clearly not used to the sheer weight they were carrying.

"Come on!" He heard Solenceae shout gleefully. "Race you up!"

As soon as she laid out the challenge, Dysthymia took off running, making it up the hill in record time. He then collapsed onto the ground, panting, as he waited for Solenceae to catch up.

"Slowpoke," he grinned, winded.

"Shut up," Sym saw Solenceae lightly punch her friend's shoulder. The human version of play-fighting, he assumed. "I only let you win 'cuz it was your birthday."

Dysthymia stuck his tongue out at her, but didn't argue further. "It's so beautiful up here." He mumbled, entranced.

"It's probably even better at night." Solenceae joined her friend on the ground. "We should set up the tent before it gets dark. Then we can watch the sunset!" She suggested excitedly.

Sym watched curiously as the youths pulled out a great number of objects from their backpacks. He had no clue how they fit in there or how the children had managed to lug them up the hill. He assumed it was some sort of human technology.

They placed down a small cube and pressed a button, quickly ducking out of the way as it inflated into a sort of small, hollow box. Was this the 'tent' they were speaking of, Sym wondered?

As the sun began to set, the pair laid on the grass outside their makeshift shelter, gazing in wonder at the pair of suns setting in the sky. Sym smiled adoringly. It truly was a gorgeous view.

"Have you ever seen a stranger dressed in black?" Solenceae asked Dysthymia, causing Sym to stiffen.

"Are you talking about me?" Dysthymia scowled. Sym relaxed slightly.

Solenceae shook her head. "No, like, in the forest!" She exclaimed. "I was just walking around when I saw some guy watching me from a mountain. I went up there but I didn't see anyone."

Dysthymia pondered for a moment. "Maybe it was an alien."

Sym held back a laugh at the accidental truth of the young boy's statement. He supposed that his race would be seen as aliens by the humans although it was, in reality, the other way around.

"Yeah," Solenceae relented. "Maybe. It was just weird, ya know? He was staring right at me." She widened her eyes, as if the demonstrate the exact manner that Sym was staring at her.

"I think the alien was just curious." Dysthymia said, staring at the horizon. "I mean, a bunch of evolved apes just landed on his planet. Wouldn't you want to investigate?"

"I guess." Solenceae mumbled, and then let the topic drop.

The Gardener couldn't help but be a little offended at the young girl calling him 'weird'. He was watching her for her safety, after all. He also noticed that she didn't mention the occasion that he saved her life.

Perhaps she was embarrassed, not wanting to admit to her friend that she was almost killed by a xenosaur. Or maybe, Sym thought hopefully, she wanted to keep it just between them.

The rest of the night was spent in relative peace. Sym watched from the shadows, warning the wildlife to stay away, not wanting to disturb the children's rest. When they headed back to their colony, Sym felt an odd sort of yearning. He enjoyed watching over them. It was a nice break from frantically studying the newly formed time-loop.

---

When Solenceae next attempted to explore the wilderness, she was almost immediately tackled by a horde of hopeyes, angry that she's invading their territory.

Sym worriedly materialized in the trees nearby, prepared to do something if things turn sour. He was pleasantly surprised, though, when the young girl managed to fend the creatures off.

The xenos retreated back to their nest, both their egos and bodies bruised, as Solenceae brushed some dirt off her jacket, looking pleased with herself. Sym felt pride swell in his chest. Even though he did nothing to aid her victory, he couldn't help but be happy that she was able to defend herself on her own.

She didn't even go back to the colony - No, she decided to continue exploring, completely unfazed by the attack that she just endured.

Huh, Symbiosis thought, impressed. This girl was certainly something else.

---

One day while he was researching the wormhole, he heads a familiar holler. He immediately jolts up and frantically scanned the area for Solenceae. His mind swam with worry - Was she safe? Was she attacked? Had she left the colony when he wasn't looking?

When he finally found her, his heart dropped. Not because she was in danger, but because, like before, she was staring right at him.

Solenceae was standing on top of the wall, waving her hands above her head and shouting something. Her dark eyes drilled into him and he found himself stuck in place, unable to move.

"Hey!" He heard her yell. "Hey, mister! Or, uh, miss? Who are you?" Sym felt panic surge through his chest at her question. It felt so odd to hear her refer to him directly. He wanted to hear it more often, but it also filled him with a sense of dread. She was quite literally shouting from the rooftops, for crying out loud!

He huffed. That girl truly did have no common sense.

"Were you the person from before?" She shouted. "'Cuz if so, thanks! You saved my life!"

Sym smiled quietly at her kind words. So she did remember. He felt the presence of another member of her species approaching, probably to see what all the commotion was about. It was an orange-haired girl roughly the same height as Solenceae.

As Solenceae turned to speak with the girl, Sym sank into the shadows, rematerializing back at the wormhole.

Her eyes were so honest, so genuine, so unlike any he had ever seen before. Even the boy - Dysthymia - had some aggression in his eyes, something that said 'keep away'. But Solenceae? Even when she fought off the hopeyes, he could see that she was doing so reluctantly, only because she thought she had no other choice.

Instead of aggression, she had determination. Not even his fellow Gardeners had such genuinity within them.

Perhaps that was why the wormhole had chosen to latch onto her. Because she was so overwhelmingly different, earnest, pure, that it wanted to keep her around forever.

Sym did, too.

---

The glow passed rather uneventfully for Sym. He did, however, hear that Noctilucent was making progress in his attempts to exterminate the invasive species.

Sym skillfully masked his panic with years of experience of hiding his feelings from his fellow Gardeners, but all throughout the meeting he worried for the safety of the two children he had grown attached to.

As soon as the Overseer adjourned the meeting - Not without warning Sym against interfering, of course - he immediately traveled to the colony.

His eyes flitted frantically from human to human. They seemed to be conducting some sort of funeral, paying respects to the recently deceased.

He hoped with all his heart that his children weren't among them.

When his eyes finally landed on Solenceae and Dythymia, sitting side-by-side in the back of the crowd, it felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest.

"We mourn the loss of both Chief Surveyor Melatonin and Chief Instructor Hal." The human leader said solemnly.

Sym winced as they announced Melatonin's death. He had been quite fond of the chief surveyor. He seemed to care far more about the planet than most of the other humans did.

Satisfied with the knowledge that the two children were safe, Sym emersed himself in the forest once more. He set his jaw, determined to find something - anything - to help stop this extermination. After all, there was no use in undoing the timeloop if it resulted in the massacre of an entire species - Solenceae included.

---

When Solenceae and Dysthymia next left the colony, they did so as part of an exploration team. There were no other children in the group, Sym noted. Perhaps the adults had finally come to their senses and decided that, since the children were sneaking out anyways, they may as well have them leave the colony with adult supervision.

Sym knew that being protected by members of their own species was good for them, but he couldn't help but feel disheartened by the thought that he likely wouldn't get the oppertunity to watch the children so closely anymore.

Still, he observed them from a distance every time they entered the forest. After a few months, the humans set their sights on the icy plains that rested nearby.

Sym followed the group of humans curiously. What on earth could they want from the plains, he wondered? There was minimal plant life, and the creatures that resided there would fight tooth and nail to avoid being domesticated.

It seemed like they were exploring.. For the sake of exploring.

A smile graced his lips at the thought. So the children weren't the only humans with a sense of adventure in them.

The exploration group was, however, far smaller than usual, consisting only of 3 individuals - Dysthymia, Solenceae, and the woman who had replaced Melatonin. He had heard her referred to as Utopia, but he was unsure if it was an affectionate moniker or her real name.

They reached the plains before noon. Utopia gave the children instructions as to how to properly explore.

"I know it's your first time outside the colony," she said. Sym watched with amusement as the children exchanged a look.

It was partially true, though. They had grown accustomed to the warmth and familiarity of the colony outskirts. The plains were far more dangerous than the forest. He was worried that they would underestimate the dangers of the icy area and get themselves hurt.

He resolved to keep a closer eye on them than usual. Utopia was, after all, far less experienced than Melatonin had been. She let the youths set off in different directions, leaving them with absolutely no protection other than a flare gun. Sym scoffed at her carelessness, and resolved to follow Solenceae from a distance.

She wandered around the area with an expression of pure wonder on her face. Sym smiled at how pure her intentions were. She didn't want to expand the colony or capture xenos, she just wanted to explore.

When Solenceae encountered her first Bushub, Sym crept closer, keeping his eye closely on her.

"Hey, buddy." She said nervously. "It's okay, I'm just gonna pass through here, alright? That cool with you?"

It was apparently not cool with it. The Bushbub rared up and let out a bellow that echoed through the empty plains.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise." Solenceae pledged. Sym could see the fear in her eyes. Why she didn't just run away was beyond him, but he had to admire her bravery.

The Bushbub charged towards her, making her let out a scream. Sym winced - The scream infuriated the creature further. While before it was merely trying to drive the girl from its territory, it now thought it was in danger and was attacking with an intent to kill.

Sym jogged towards the creature's nest, not trusting his materialization while he was so worked up, and shouted at the beast.

"Hey!" He yelled. "Over here!"

The Bushbub lurched backwards at the sound. It turned to see Sym standing in front of its children. Its parental instincts told it that he was a far larger threat than the girl was. The Bushbub bellowed a warning at Solenceae before giving chase to Sym who, by that time, had already began speaking with the planet.

He closed his eyes and, right before the Bushbub's horn collided with his body, told the ground where he wanted to go. He slid into the shadows and emerged on a nearby mountain. He watched Solenceae scramble back towards the outpost that Utopia had set up. Her eyes were teary and Sym realized that she probably assumed him dead.

Guilt struck his chest as she ran towards with Dysthymia. He heard her sobs echo through the forest as he materialized closer so he could hear their conversation.

"He - He yelled at it and - and it went after him, instead." Solenceae cried, tears running down her face. "I'm so stupid! I probably killed him!"

Dysthymia shuffled uncomfortably, clearly not versed in comforting people. He opted for a hug. Sym felt his heart twist at the uncharacteristically affectionate gesture.

"It wasn't your fault." Dysthymia mumbled. "You were just exploring, right? It's not like you tried to piss it off."

Sym's chest tightened. She was harbouring such guilt at such a young age. That was the curse of sentience, he supposed. A sense of morality that extended further than just survival.

He took a breath and stepped out of the forest, staring directly at the two children. For a while they were too focused on themselves to notice him, but as Solenceae pulled away from the embrace, her eyes widened.

"You.." She breathed, a lone tear falling down her cheek. "Thank you.."

Sym offered her a smile in return. Solenceae returned the smile tenfold, grinning radiantly at him.

Dysthymia's brow furrowed. "What are you -" He trailed off as his gaze fell on Sym. "Whoah." He mumbled.

"That's him!" Solenceae said joyously. "He - He's alive!"

"That's him," Dysthymia echoed.

Sym stared at the pair for a moment, basking in their childlike wonder, before he began to step backwards into the forest.

"Wait!" The young girl shouted, running towards him. But by the time she reached where he was, he had already disappeared into the darkness.

As much as Sym hated to see her disappointed, he knew it wasn't the right time to reveal himself to her. She was just a child, after all. He would feel horrible making someone so young keep such a big secret.

He observed their conversation from afar, unable to hear what they were saying but unwilling to risk being spotted again. They seemed to be having a serious discussion, though, if their expressions were to be believed.

Sym watched as they returned to the outpost together. Utopia took one look at Solenceae's dirt-covered body and said something, crouching down to the young girl's level.

He didn't know why adults of this species did that. He thought it came across as quite patronizing, as though they had to lower themselves to the child's level in order to have a conversation with them.

Solenceae brushed off Utopia's concerns and the exploration group began to hike back to the colony. Sym trailed behind them, keeping a safe distance.

He watched as Solenceae scanned the forest one last time before heading inside the colony walls.

Probably looking for him, Sym thought, feeling his chest tighten. He sighed, casting his gaze downwards. Talking to her would be a bad idea, he told himself. She was just a child. She deserved to enjoy her adolescence unburdened by the knowledge of the Gardeners.

Sym had never gotten a childhood - He, like many of his kind, had been taught from birth that he needed to serve the planet and not himself. He wasn't allowed any of the childish indulgences that the youth of other species were permitted to enjoy. Instead of playing, he was told to connect with the planet.

Although he harboured no regret or resentment about the way he had grown up, it was still an experience he wouldn't wish on anyone else.

---

Sym next saw Solenceae in the valley. She looked - to be frank - terrible. Her cheeks were gaunt. Gone was the usual healthy flush that covered her face - She instead was so pale that her skin tone looked more like that of a Gardener than a human. Even through her numerous layers of clothes, Sym could see her bones jutting out in places they hadn't before.

Guilt settled in his stomach as he connected the dots. This was Noctilucent's doing. He had made the land the humans were farming almost unlivable. The rations they had brought with them had likely ran out, leaving the colony starved.

This was no longer extermination, this was torture. Every time a species had outgrown its ecosystem, Noctilucent trimmed their numbers down mercifully, granting them a quick and painless death. Letting an entire species slowly starve? That was just a show of unnecessary cruelty.

Noctilucent was on a power trip, angry that the humans had evaded him for so long. This display of cruelty went against everything the Gardeners stood for, and the Overseer was just letting it happen.

For the first time in a long while, Symbiosis doubted the Overseer's judgement. Not the action of the Gardeners, mind you - He doubted that on a near-daily basis - But their mission. To protect the biological diversity and prosperity of Vertumna. Was preserving maximum biological diversity really worth eliminating an entire race of sentient beings and letting them die slow and painful deaths?

Symbiosis didn't know any more.

He watched in anguish as Solenceae, much less energetically than before, stumbled through the valley, inspecting every rock, stump, and animal in sight in hopes of finding some sort of food.

When she finally managed to coax some honey from a group of insects, instead of eating it herself, she tucked it into her bag to share with her colony.

This girl - this genuine, whole-hearted, pure-intentioned girl - did not deserve to be tortured like this. No one did. But especially not Solenceae.

He began to slowly approach her, not wanting to scare her or cause any undue emotional distress. Before she had managed to spot him while he was on a mountain on the other side of the forest. Now, though, she remained oblivious to his presence even when he was less than six feet away.

Trying to get her attention - and also trying to gain some sort of plausible deniability when the Overseer inevitably questioned him about this later - Sym let his foot scrape against a tree, causing Solenceae's head to snap towards him.

Her dark eyes widened as he stared at her. Her face looked even more gaunt close up. "Hello?" She said, bewildered.

Sym smiled at her and made a sort of come-hither gesture. He led her towards the glade where edible ground fungus grew bountifully.

She stumbled behind him, breathing heavily. It broke his heart to see how a short walk could leave such an energetic child so winded. "Where are we going? What's going on? Who - Who even are you?" She tried to interogate. It was obvious, though, that her heart wasn't in it. She trusted him so blindly. Him, a member of the species that was actively seeking to exterminate her race. Solenceae truly did have a heart of gold, he thought bitterly.

Once they reached the clearing, he swiftly sat down, leading Solenceae to do the same.

"Who - Who are you?" She panted, still winded from the walk.

He considered telling her, introducing himself to her, getting to speak with her one on one - Surely a child who had lived through a famine was mature enough to handle the knowledge of an alien race.

The Overseer would never allow it, but then again, what the Overseer did allow - letting an entire species slowly starve to death - was hardly ideal either.

"I.. Am a Gardener." He said carefully.

She blinked up at him with childlike wonder. "Are you an alien?"

He let out a bark of laughter. "Actually, you're the alien here, if you think about it." He said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Solenceae relented. "Why have you been following me?"

"Why, to keep you safe, sugarbug. Why else?" The nickname slipped out naturally as he skillfully evaded the question.

"But why?" She pressed.

Sym let out a long sigh. This was what he was afraid of - That she wouldn't accept anything short of the continuous, unbroken truth.

"That, I'm afraid, is something I must keep to myself," he said sadly, "for now, at least."

For a second it looked like she wants to ask him why again, but she relents instead, seemingly sensing that he wouldn't share any more information. "Okay." Solenceae accepts. "Well, uh, thank you." She says shyly. "You probably saved my life. A bunch of times, actually."

He inclines his head. "I did." He acknowledges. "You're very welcome, sugarbug. It was truly my pleasure."

"Uh.. Why did you lead me here?" She asked carefully, as if she thinks he'll avoid the question again.

Sym grins slyly. "To grab a snack, of course." He grabbed a small handful of fungus and brings it to his mouth, taking a bite.

"Ew!" Solenceae exclaimed. "Did you just eat dirt?"

"No." He said plainly. "Eat up, sugarbug. From what I can see, it looks like you haven't had a good meal in a very long time. Such a shame, for one so young to have to go without for the sake of others." He stared into her eyes almost pleadingly.

Solenceae stared back, her eyes seeming to bore into his soul, searching for something. Whatever she was looking for she must have found, because she took the handful of fungus from him and, with minimal hesitation, took a bite.

Her eyes widened as the umami taste burst across her tongue. Sym didn't think the fungus was anything special, but to someone that hadn't eaten anything in days, it must have tasted like the greatest thing on the planet.

"Holy shit." Solenceae mumbled with her mouth full.

"Language, my dear." Sym chided, thoroughly amused by her reaction to the food.

"Sorry," she said, swallowing the bite of food. "Is - Is the entire ground edible?"

Sym shook his head. "Just this clearing," he explained. "I would strongly advise against eating the ground outside of this glade. Unless you humans enjoy eating dirt, that is." He highly doubted they did - surely they wouldn't be suffering a famine if they could consume the ground - but refrained from sharing his thoughts for fear of coming across as insensitive.

"Thank you.. So much." Solenceae breathed, a tear falling from her eye.

Sym's frowned. Had he upset her somehow? "I'm sorry if this has caused you undue suffering. It was not my intent."

"No, it's uh.." She sniffles, offering him a small smile. "Humans cry sometimes when they feel feelings. It's just.." She wipes at her face with her sleeve. "I'm just really happy right now."

"Ah." Sym shifts, not fully understanding. "Well, in that case, I'm glad I was the cause of your joy, my dear."

Her healthy flush was back, he observed, though he didn't know if it was caused by the crying or the food.

After a few moments the tears stopped flowing and she took another bite from the handful of fungus. She chewed thoroughly, as though wanting to savour the taste, and swallowed. "What's your name, by the way?" She asked earnestly. "Mine's Solenceae, but everyone calls me Sol."

"My name is Symbiosis." He smiles at her. "You can call me Sym if you please."

"Sym." She echoes, as if testing how the word tasted on her tongue. She grinned widely. "Neat!"

"Why do you go by Sol instead of Solenceae, if I may ask?" He inquired politely.

Solenceae - Or Sol, he supposed - wrinkled her nose up. "It's too long. It's like -" She pauses for a moment, trying to find the right words to explain. Sym waits patiently. "It's like a mouthful of vowels. Besides," Sol takes another bite of fungus, "only my mom calls me Solenceae. And only when she's really pissed at me."

"Such a shame," Sym hummed, "it's a wonderful name, after all. Quite befitting of someone as pure-hearted as you."

Sol choked on the fungus, her face turning a cherry-red as she coughed violently.

Sym's eyes widened as he felt for her energy, ensuring that she wasn't having some sort of allergic reaction to the fungus. Her organs seemed to be functioning fine, bar her lungs, and her brain showed no signs of anaphylactic shock. "Are you quite alright, sugarbug?" He inquired worriedly.

"I'm fine," she gasped out. "You just kinda surprised me is all." She takes a moment to catch her breath. "Just - Just call me Sol, alright? A nickname's fine too, I guess."

Sym grins widely. "Alright then. Sugarbug it is." He felt something pull at his consciousness as his eyes glazed over.

It was the Overseer. Of course it was, he thought tartly. Probably wanting to chew him out for daring to interfere with their plans to eradicate a sentient race.

"I must away." He said smoothly. "Goodbye, Sol. Do try to stay out of trouble, hm?" Sym rose to his feet and walked towards the shadows, emersing himself in them before Sol could say goodbye.

If she pleaded for him to stay, he wasn't sure he would be able to deny her.

As expected, the moment he rematerialized in his cave, the Overseer had plenty to say about him helping 'the enemy'.

"They're a sentient race!" Sym argued heatedly. "Allowing them to starve is an unnecessary act of cruelty. When we exterminate invasive species, he always do it humanely, in a way that minimizes suffering. Why now are we doing it in a manner that maximizes it?"

The Overseer considered his point and relented, promising to speak with Noctilucent on the topic. Not without lecturing Sym about going against their orders, of course, but he would take a win where he could get it.

---

Sol doesn't leave the colony for a while after that. Sym isn't quite sure why. They seemed to be getting along quite well, after all. Given how curious the young girl was the last time he saw her, he would have expected her to seek him out.

Dysthymia still ventured outside the colony on occasion, but not nearly as often as before.

He looked far healthier than before, leading Sym to assume that the famine had ended. At least the Overseer kept their word, he thought tartly.

If the humans were no longer starving why, then, hadn't Sol returned to her usual exploration routine?

Sym decided to approach Dysthymia for answers. He had no doubt that Sol had already informed him of the existence of the Gardeners, and given that the young boy had already seen him, he didn't think that speaking to him would come as too much of a shock.

He observed Dysthymia as he wandered casually around the colony outskirts. The young boy had been exploring practically since the humans had landed on the planet. His knowledge of the area was made obvious by his clear understanding on the environment. He knew the colony outskirts better than most of the adults on the survey team.

Sym cleared his throat, causing Dysthymia to look up in shock. "Hello." He greeted simply.

"Um." Dysthymia squinted. "Hi. Sym, right?"

Sym inclined his head. "That would be correct. You are Dysthymia, are you not?"

The young boy wrinkled up his nose, scowling. "Just call me Dys."

"Dys." Sym hummed in acknowledgement. "My darling sugarbug hasn't left the colony in quite some time. I was hoping you might have some idea as to why."

"Sugarbug.." Dys mumbled. "You mean Sol?" Sym nodded. "Oh, uh.. I dunno if I should say."

Sym's brow furrowed. "Whyever not?"

"It's, uh, kinda private. I dunno if she'd be cool with me telling you." Dys looked at his feet.

Ah. So something had happened. "Would it by any chance be related to the famine your species has been experiencing?" Sym inquired.

Dys' eyes widened. "How - How did you know?"

Sym smiled dryly. "Call it intuition."

"Well, uh, yeah.. It has to do with the famine." Dys mumbled. "Sol told me what you did for us, by the way. Thanks for that. We all would have starved without those mushrooms."

"It was the least I could do. Truly."

"Uh, I'll tell Sol you were looking for her, I guess." Dys relented. "I'm not sure if she'll be okay enough to leave the colony, but I'll ask."

"Thank you, Dys." Sym said politely. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

"Bye." The young boy mumbled. Sym turned around and strode back into the forest.

---