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From the distance, Caelus could hear the song "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking" and the hustle and bustle of the Golden Hour could be heard in the distance. The skies were decorated by giant shining trails, as if someone was wishing to the blanket of stars, asking for a blessing.
This was the view and atmosphere provided by a place in Dream's Edge, what Firefly dubs, her "secret base" if you will. The two had arrived here so that she could tell him the truth. About her being a stowaway, about her Entropy Loss Syndrome, about her destroyed home, and her goal to find the Watchmaker's Legacy. Despite that, he couldn't help but choose to believe in her. He knows he's taking a risk here, that there may be more that she isn't telling him. Yet, he can't bring himself to doubt her.
"I am after the watchmaker's legacy, but that doesn't mean we have to go our separate ways and be enemies. But at least... I hope things won't turn out that way." She said, a sad expression on her face.
"....I hope so too." He said, mirroring her expression.
After a short silence, she spoke up once again. "Sorry, I made us feel all sad. Maybe we should do something to lighten the mood. You have a lot of friends on the express right? What do you guys do when something like this happens?" She asked.
"Well, March would probably force us to take a selfie. It's a very March way to make us forget about the bad things, but it usually works quite well." He answered.
Her eyes widened, and she clapped her hands excitedly. "That's a good idea! I've been here so many times and I've never taken a photo before." She exclaimed.
"Would you like to join me? So I can remember this fondly." She asked while handing her phone to him.
Caelus takes the phone, launching the camera app, and switches to the front facing camera. Then, extending his arm, he holds the phone at a distance, making sure that the two are in the frame.
"Ready?" Caelus asked as he turned his head to face her. Suddenly however, he couldn't bring himself to stare back at the camera. It suddenly dawned on him that their faces we're extremely close. Now, he's treated to a close up look on her face. The same held true for Firefly, as she turned to find him staring at her. Similarly however, she couldn't bring himself to look away.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and the only thing on their minds was the warmth of each other's faces. Neither exchanged any words, as the two had the same expression. An expression one might use when admiring a piece of art, or being awestruck after seeing something. It was as though everything that had just happened wasn't important, and only what was in front of them was what mattered. Like a form of hypnosis, or a form of clockwork had been used on them.
The first to break free from the spell was Caelus, as he finally blinked. Firefly followed up soon after, as she swiftly turned her head, a slight red tint on her face.
"Um, sorry about that." He murmured, mirroring the same light flush on her face. "I don't know what came over me."
"N-no, it's fine. I don't know what came over me either."
For a moment, the two sat in an awkward silence, the air covered in something they couldn't quite give a name to. It was broken however, by a set of nervous laughter coming from the both of them.
"Should we take the photo now?" He asked, holding the phone back up to them.
She nodded as she slowly inched back closer to him. He was once again aware of how close he was, but decided to pay it no mind, as he took the photo. The two looked at the camera and smiled brightly at the camera.
"Three...Two...One...Say cheese!"
The phone clicked, capturing the moment. It wasn't perfect, the two weren't centered, and it was slightly blurry. Yet, it was perfect to him.
"Done. Sorry if it doesn't look good." Caelus said as she returned the phone to her.
Firefly stared at the screen, her fingers tapping the screen. "No, it's perfect. Thank you Caelus." She said, as she smiled brighter than the stars in the sky.
Caelus was about to respond, when the sudden sound of his phone interrupted him. He pulled up his phone to see what caused the noise.
Unbeknownst to him, Firefly was staring at him, switching back and forth between the photo and him, an apologetic look on her face.
She whispered, "I'm sorry, Caelus. There's so much I want to say to you, but I can't. I promise that someday, I'll tell you everything. The truth....and my feelings."
