Under the Stars

Today was the day.

She had been dreading this day for hours after this sleepless night. 

She really was. 

Every time she tried to run away from it it seemed to hit her harder. Lumiére was moving on, living around her while it felt that her life was at a standstill. 

But weeks ago, it had also felt like she was ready when the out-Dome office had asked her to come clear out Pierre’s office and she had said she would come by today. 

That it was the right time to get over this hump. 

But now that it was the morning of that dreaded day… she was no longer sure.  

It was just an office. It was an office to clear and that was all it was. There might be some personal belongings she might want to keep. Any resources to be used for the out-Dome expeditions had already been taken by his coworkers.  

But it was Pierre’s office and it still contained his stuff. Stuff he no longer needed and she had little use for but… still belonged to him. Reminded her of him. 

And throwing it out because it had no use… because he was really gone…

His office still being his and holding his stuff felt like that some part of him was still… alive?

But he wasn’t, he had been swallowed by the waves and for months she had not been sure what had happened to him. But after months of him being gone and parts of his boat washing up on the Lumiére shore, little doubt remained even if she might never know what had fully happened to him.

It was ironic, almost a twisted choice by fate to let her grief come in waves. Some days she felt fine, like a high wave lifting her up for just a moment. The next day it felt grief was dragging her under, just like the ocean itself had weeks ago.

And…. not just the grief of having lost Pierre.

Absent-mindedly, her hand traced the scar on her stomach. After these months it felt familiar and still strange at the same time. A life she never knew and she now never got to know.

She had to continue, even if she was not sure how.

The box she had eventually filled a few hours ago with the belongings of her late husband in her hands felt much heavier than a few belongings should really were. The grief felt so much heavier.

He had spent so much time in this office, preparing for travel outside of the Dome. He had been so excited, so happy… and then an accident took him. 

Carrying the box of stuff, some of the other out-Dome team nodded at her with sympathy. 

She looked back at the box with his belongings in her hands, 

Walking by one of the school’s labs, the door was open.

A woman sat hunched over at the workbench, a lit-up expedition journal turning slowly between her hands.

Lune.

Already preparing for the expedition in a few years. She had dedicated her life to the expeditions, researching for every single one of them. She always focused on improving, giving them a better chance.  

After her parents Gommage, she met her on the tower, when Lune had appeared as well as it meant her parents expedition had failed.

Lune didn’t have to comfort her. She really had just had the worst day of her life. But she had been so kind to her.

…and maybe she had wished for more.

Maybe Lune had given her feelings that she had buried deep down inside of her all this time.

But Lune clearly wasn’t thinking of feelings, all she had done in those last years was work on her research.

Maybe it was a kindness to Sciel, not having to confront those feelings that she had started to feel on the tower.

Falling in love with Pierre. 

Sciel didn’t want to think about that night on the tower years ago. Couldn’t bear to think about it because the tears she was working so hard to push back might actually come up and she would no longer be able to fight them.

Because she was reminded of the comfort… of the moments they had shared.

And hell, could she use that same comfort now.

But… they were not close like that anymore and it was no longer something that she could expect.

Would Lune even remember her? It had been so long.

She lingered in the doorway for just a moment… maybe wishing that she could find the courage to go in. To even just ask what Lune was working on. Because her research was important to her and Sciel cared.

But still, Sciel wished she could have been part of her life.

Looking down in the box, she noticed one of the notebooks she had picked up. It was empty still. It was for a next island he was to explore, but he had never gotten too. Holding it in her hand for a moment, she knocked on the doorframe with her foot. 

Lune looked up and with a polite nod, Sciel walked inside, box still under one arm. 

“Sciel right?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. At least… at least Lune still remembered her. Lune turned slightly in her seat, looking at Sciel. 

“My husband left this… and I figured you might be able to use it for your research…” she told Lune as she held it out to Lune. 

“The out-Dome explorer that died on the sailing trip-”

“Yes, he was my husband.” Sciel admitted. 

“I’m sorry. Do you… do you not want to keep it?”

“No, I figure you should have it,” Sciel said softly. 

“Thank - thank you,” Lune said, taking it carefully. 

The silence between them was not exactly comfortable. It was the kind of silence between two people that knew each other only barely. Lives that had grown apart with different livepaths chosen. 

And Sciel?

Maybe years ago, she had missed for more. But now that she was standing across from the woman that had brought her so much comfort and so many conflicting feelings… her heart was too broken to let her in. 

3 years later

Nobody waited for Sciel on the docks.

Not the one year younger Pierre, not a child she would have to leave within a year if she had not gone on the Expedition.

The harsh truth of that still hit, even after three years. Even when she thought that her life was fully back on track. The fact that she was alone…

The water under the boat rippled hard as they left the harbour.

She couldn’t look at it, couldn’t look at the water. 

Couldn’t look at the waves ahead.

Her eyes just focused on the continent as she flipped the cards between her fingers, hoping Fortune would be on their side.

“Hey,”

Lune.

Turning around, Lune stood close behind her, her arms crossed and her eyes averted. The first contact they had in years.

“Hey,” Sciel forced a smile on her face, inviting Lune to stand with her at the wooden barrier.

“Hi…” Lune said. She felt silent as they looked at Lumiére disappearing behind them.

“It’s been a while,” Sciel just told her, a wry smile on her face. It wasn’t Lune’s fault that their friendship dried up. She had been caught up in her marriage and when Lune had focused on her research.

…and maybe it had been for the best. Before things got confusing, before she had to question herself, her feelings.

Even if she wished she could have spent more time with Lune… it might have been a kindness, because she had found love and loved. 

“I’m sorry,” Lune admitted as she stood beside her now.

“Don’t be, it’s okay,” Sciel said. In the end, they had to decide how to spend their valuable little time they had before their Gommage… 

But what could have been? 

Seeing Lune work in the lab and being included in that research.

Grab coffee and pastries together at a café.

Maybe… even more?

“Are you okay?” Lune asked after a few seconds.

Sciel was not sure what to say. The obvious answer was no, but no one on this boat was. Maelle was leaving at only sixteen. Gustave had lost Sophie only a day ago and it probably hurt him more than he would ever admit, even if they had been broken up years ago. She knew all too well that grief doesn’t just disappear with time. 

Some of the people on this boat were hopeful.

Most were scared.

Her?

Maybe she was more okay than she would like to admit. Death was only a friend in the end…

There was no child waiting for her to finish the expedition, kill the Paintress so that the child could grow old.

Life had already taken that from her. She was going for those who come after, but none of her loved ones were still there for her to come back to.

Besides that, she was on the ocean that had taken Pierre from her. The ocean that should have taken her too…

“No, but are any of us really okay?” Sciel finally admitted. Lune huffed for a second and shrugged.

“I guess you might be right about that,” she admitted with something resembling a wry smile.

“Not really much… waiting for me back in Lumiere,” Sciel said.  

“You must miss him so much.”

“It’s been a few years,” Sciel tried to keep levity, but she was struggling.

“Doesn’t make it easier…”

“No, but I guess with the gommage… death has always been a friend I will one day meet again.”

“I understand,” Lune told her.

A soft gentle hand wrapped around Sciel’s. Softer than hers after Sciel’s years of farm work even now that she had become a teacher. 

Lune looked away for a moment but flashed a short, encouraging smile.

“I’m glad… we’re going to take down the Paintress together,” Lune suddenly said, looking up at Sciel.

“Me too,” Sciel finally smiled as they looked at Lumiére disappearing in the distance.

That night, Sciel couldn’t sleep. Walking over the deck of the ship, she looked out at the dark mirror that had become the ocean. The stars gleamed above her and she looked at the moon.

Pierre always told her he loved it when the water turned into a mirror, he always told her when he had seen it on one of his trips outside of the Dome. 

But even now, she couldn’t feel the same about the water. Even if it was a memory where he was happy.

She was awoken from those thoughts by a voice behind her.

“We should reach the continent tomorrow,”

Turning around, Lune sat on the deck, her legs crossed and the journal in her hands.

“Shouldn’t Alan be filling that out?”

“Hmm, he is not as meticulous with coordinates,” Lune hummed. Sciel chuckled for a moment.

“Can I sit with you?”

Lune nodded, her hand hitting the empty space beside her.

“What do you think is going to happen?” Lune wondered as Sciel sat down beside her, sitting close enough that their knees almost touched.

“I think we are going to end the Paintress…” Sciel said as she looked up at the stars for a moment.  

“What makes you so confident?”

“Your research… you. If anyone has set up this expedition in the best way, it is you.”

Lune looked away for a moment. Sciel worried that what she had just said was too painful, as it was all too clear she had continued her parents’ work. Lune looked back, clearly trying to stop her eyes from watering, from emotions flooding her face.

“Gustave made the Lumina converter, not me,”

“You planned most of this expedition, you put years of your life in it. Gustave is great, but so are you,” Sciel mused as she looked into the journal slowly moving between Lune’s hands.

 “I believe in your research,” she added. Lune looked aside at her, the blue diamond between her hands illuminating the side of her face. 

“Thank you,” Lune smiled. She laid her head against Sciel’s shoulder, just like that night on the tower.

“What do you hope we find on the continent? I’ll help you find it…” Sciel pondered. 

“I hope we can finally free Lumiére from the Paintress.” Lune said after thinking for just a moment. They both sat back a little to get a better look at the stars.

For years, Sciel had thought of that night on the tower and she was sure this was the closest she would ever get to it again.

“Asking for a lot here…” Sciel chuckled.

“…Gestrals?” Lune said after thinking for a moment. Looking up, it seemed she expected Sciel to start laughing. Instead the brunette nodded eagerly.

“So we will find Gestrals. You can find out everything about them… the kids in Lumiere will be so excited. No better cartographer than you and researcher than you!”

Lune blushed slightly at that, even if she tried to hide it. Sciel always managed to get her flustered, prick right through the façade of the talented researcher and cartographer.

Looking up at the stars, maybe Sciel was hopeful.

For once, the future did not feel like something already written, waiting patiently at the end of the road. 

She found herself tracing constellations she did recognized. Pierre had told her about them, explaining he used them to sail.  

The thought no longer felt like loss. 

“There’s more out there than we know,” 

Sciel glanced at her. 

“That’s what you like about it, isn’t it?”

Lune hesitated, then nodded. 

“Yes… I think so. It means there’s still something left to discover… when we have been stuck under the Dome for years.”

Sciel’s gaze lingered on her a moment longer than necessary, something quieter settling behind her usual composure. 

She understood, she understood it all too well from the stories of the out-Dome team. 

“Then we’ll keep going over the continent until you’ve mapped all of it.”

Lune let out a soft breath, smiling now. 

“That might take a while.”

“I’m patient.”

Lune tilted her head back a little further against Sciel, letting the stars fill her vision. For the first time in longer than she could remember, the thought of what lay ahead did not tighten her chest. 

Sciel let her, just like that night on the tower. 

It didn’t feel like an ending…

It felt… like a beginning.

…and maybe, just maybe, she was not looking forward to meeting death as an old friend for the first time in a long time.

Gestral village never truly quieted down. 

Sciel curled up even closer on her sleeping bag. It was alive in a way that should have been comforting.

It wasn’t.

She turned onto her side with a quiet exhale, pulling the thin blanket closer as if it might muffle the world outside. It didn’t.

Somewhere nearby, a group of Gestrals erupted into loud overlapping arguments. Something clattered to the ground - a gestral, probably. Someone cheered.

Sciel closed her eyes, jaw tightening. 

“Incredible,” she whispered; “...do they ever tire of themselves?”

After a few nights she already knew the answer. 

No. 

A guitar sounded in the distance.

Soft at first, almost lost beneath the noise of the Gestrals around. She heard it clearly then. 

The music threaded through the chaos. A simple melody, imperfect in execution but… familiar.

Too familiar. Her breath caught before she could stop it.

Lune.

Sciel’s fingers curled into the fabric beneath her.

It was the same melody as Lune had been playing when she walked to the stage near the harbour. 

No.

The music continued, and with it came the image whether she wanted it or not.

Lune, sitting just like this…shoulders relaxed, gaze lowered, completely absorbed by strumming the guitar. Not for anyone. Never for attention. Just… because it mattered to her. Something more than her research. 

Sciel turned onto her back again, staring up at nothing, not stars above her this time.

The melody shifted, softer now. It made something in her chest ache in a way she hadn’t prepared for.

Sciel pressed the heel of her hand against her eyes, as if she could push the sound away. It didn’t work. If anything, it made it sharper.

“She’s gone,” she said, more firmly this time. As if stating it with enough certainty might anchor her; “Sciel…you’ve seen what happened there.”

The dark shores didn’t leave survivors.

And Lune -

Lorieniso played on, ofcourse not aware of the grief his song was causing.

Wooden hands against the strings as he kept playing. 

Sciel’s hand tightened against her face.

No final moment. No last words. No chance to stand beside her, to do something other than imagine the ending over and over.

The same hollow ending as Pierre where she didn’t even know what really happened. 

The music outside wavered slightly, then steadied again.

Sciel let her hand fall, staring blankly ahead.

“…you shouldn’t be thinking about this,” she whispered to herself; “...it changes nothing.”

It didn’t bring her back.

It didn’t undo what had already been done.

Because the grief wasn’t the only thing sitting heavy in her chest.

It never had been.

Sciel turned her head slightly toward the sound, listening despite herself. Each note landed too precisely, too close to something she had spent far too long refusing to name.

“It was nothing,” she said quietly; “...you made it something more than it really was. She was just being friendly.”

It had been easier that way.

Easier to dismiss the way her attention lingered.

Easier to ignore the way she sought Lune out without meaning to.

Easier to frame it as curiosity. As proximity. 

As circumstance.

Anything but what it actually was.

Because she had already chosen.

Pierre. She had loved him. Fully. Without hesitation. That had never been in question.

And she had held onto that long after it would have been understandable not to. Because letting it go felt like losing him all over again.

So what did that make this?

Sciel’s lips pressed together. It didn’t matter, because death kept on taking everyone from her. 

The melody still played through the village. All she heard was the notes. Closing her eyes, she could imagine Lune again, sitting up on that stage by the harbour, looking happy. 

Sitting at the ship days ago, being so proud of all the coordinates she was logging in the journal. 

For a brief, fragile moment, she let the image stay.

Not the dark shores.

Not the ending.

Just that.

The music. 

Then the tower... Lune, somewhere nearby instead of impossibly far away.

It hurt.

Outside, Lorieniso carried on.

Inside the makeshift tent, Sciel laid awake. 

Caught between memory, guilt, and the quiet, undeniable truth that what she had tried so hard to bury had never really gone anywhere at all.

They set up camp just outside the Gestral Village. Sciel chuckled as Gustave and Maelle were bickering in the distance about something stupid… maybe they were not that different from Gestrals after all…

Lune sat under a red leafed tree, a notebook in her hands. Sciel walked up behind her, popping her head over her shoulder.

Only then she noticed, it was the notebook she had given her three years ago, the empty one that had been on Pierre’s desk. 

“Promised you we would find Gestrals.”

Lune looked up, smiling at Sciel.

“Hmm… I think it was more of a case of the Gestrals finding you…” Lune said with a bit of a teasing smile.

“…well…” Sciel chuckled for a moment before sitting down next to Lune.

“The distinction feels less important now that we’re here.” She leaned back on her hands, glancing toward the faint glow of the village beyond the trees; “...though I’ll admit, I didn’t expect them to be quite so… rough.”

A burst of laughter from Gustave echoed faintly from the distance, followed by Maelle’s sharp retort. 

Sciel’s lips curved again.

“They have a way of pulling people into their rhythm. Whether you mean to follow it or not - believe me.” Sciel chuckled. 

Lune hummed in agreement, though her attention had already drifted back to the notebook resting in her lap. The pages were half-filled with neat, careful handwriting; observations, sketches, fragments of thought she wasn’t ready to name yet. 

She hesitated, pen hovering, then added another line before pausing again.

Sciel watched her for a moment. 

“You’re very diligent, even out here.”

“I don’t want to forget,” Lune said quietly; “...not just what we find… but how it feels to be here. The Gestrals, the way they live… it’s all so different from anything I’ve ever heard.”

Her fingers tightened slightly around the pen.

“If we make it back, I thought… maybe I could turn it into something more than just notes. A proper book.”

There was a faint uncertainty in her voice, quickly masked as she looked down again.

Sciel tilted her head, studying her.

 “Not if,” she said gently; “...when.”

Lune glanced up, caught off guard.

“When we make it back,” Sciel continued, a small smile settling on her lips; “I expect to read every word of it.”

Lune let out a quiet breath, something between a laugh and a sigh. 

“You might be disappointed. It’s not very refined yet.”

“Neither are the Gestrals,” Sciel winked, causing Lune to chuckle softly. 

“…then I’ll try to make it something worth your time,” she said after a pause.

“It already is,” Sciel told her. With how sure she was that she had lost Lune, she would be grateful to read anything. 

Silence settled comfortably for a few seconds, filled only by distant voices and the quiet crackle of the campfire.

Lune shifted slightly, turning a page. 

“Actually… I was hoping I could ask you something.”

Sciel glanced at her. 

“About the Gestrals?”

Lune nodded. 

“You’ve spent time in their village now. Longer than any of us…” She hesitated but added, “...there are things I don’t fully understand just from observation.”

Sciel’s expression softened, a hint of amusement returning. 

“Of course, you can ask me anything,” Sciel smiled as any way to spend more time with Lune was a welcome gift.

Lune traced the edge of the page with her thumb, gathering her thoughts. 

“They seem… chaotic, at first,” she began; “...but it doesn’t feel unstructured. There’s something deliberate underneath it.”

“There is,” Sciel said; “...they just don’t organize themselves in ways we’re used to recognizing. They do work together, just with a lot of fighting in between"

Lune glanced up, encouraged; “...so when they argue…like Gustave and Maelle right now-”

“That’s practically a greeting, by their standards,” Sciel chuckled lightly.

Lune’s lips curved despite herself. “I thought as much.” She paused, then looked back at her notes. “And their sense of community… it feels immediate. As if you belong the moment you arrive.”

Sciel considered that. “They decide quickly,” she said. “But not carelessly. If they’ve accepted you, it’s because they’ve already judged you worth the trouble.”

“The trouble?” Lune echoed, amused.

“Oh, there’s always trouble,” Sciel said, a quiet laugh slipping through. “They simply don’t see it as something to avoid.”

Lune wrote that down, her expression thoughtful. “That’s… comforting, in a way.”

“It can be,” Sciel said; “...under all the fighting… they can be very nice, comforting even when you think you’ve just lost your whole expedition.”

Lune’s pen stopped for a moment. For a brief moment, she didn’t look up,but something in her posture shifted, just enough to be noticed.

“…I think I understand that… I was lucky to find Gustave so fast.” she said quietly.

“Can I ask something in return for all this information?” Sciel asked after they fell silent for a moment. Neither of them wanted to think about or linger on what happened at the Dark shores. 

“You already gave me this notebook…” Lune said, gently caressing the paper. 

“And I want you to fill it… but I have another request.”

“Yes…”

 “When we are back in Lumiére… can we spend more time together?”

“Celebrate at the tower with a bottle of wine? Celebrate instead of mourn?” Lune proposed as she put the notebook to the side. 

“Deal,” Sciel winked. 

“I’ll look forward to it,” Lune smiled.