Her sister's waiting for her, tapping her foot and squinting out into the sky, in one of the tower-top gardens. Sue's apparently unaffected by the view, either of the palace complex and the fields of Genosha sprawling before them, curling around the bay, or of the flowers in full bloom around her.

"You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago," Sue says when Nausicaa lands, frowning.

"Aw. I got out here as soon as I could, sis. You get tied up training with Aunt Miriana all the time. Mom wanted to make sure I had the visualization exercise down before she'd let me wander off."

"You could've texted."

"I will next time. Sorry."

She sighs.

"Come on. Loki's claimed a table for us, at least."

"Oh, good! She always finds the best little nooks..."

She snorts and leads the way.

"Hey Nausicaa!" Loki calls, waving from her seat. She's dressed more casually than the last time they met (something feels weird with that), in her usual blacks and reds, hair out of its usual ponytail to fall around her shoulders, her crown nowhere in sight.

But her friends are here, and everything's great, so Loki just gestures for the two to sit down.

"How're lessons coming along?"

"Really good! Though I still can't beat your record on technomancy... How's Asgard been?"

(What?)

"You'll get there. And it's been boring. I like hanging out with you guys more," she says, pushing at the weird confusion at the back of her head. (Her mind's churning, but it always does that, chaos too quick to get a hold on...)

"Aw, thanks! We like you too. Hopefully we won't disappoint."

"You never do. Still, though, Sue's terrible for gossip. How's everyone doing?"

Nausicaa launches into chatter, about her mom and her Aunt Miriana and her grandfather, about their mutual friends (more acquaintances, for Loki), about Sue and Nausicaa themselves, about recent movies that've come out and news items that the international news never pick up...

Loki listens, laughing along to any jokes, teasing her friends at a few points.

"Sounds like you guys have had quite a fun time while I've been gone."

"Less fun when you aren't around."

"Aw, thanks!"

"Speaking of fun, what do you guys wanna do today?"

"The lines at that newish ride at the amusement park finally aren't ridiculous?"

"You know we could just flash our IDs and get a pass to cut every line, right. Or the entire place to ourselves."

"That'd take away half the fun!"

"Sitting on a grungy floor with lukewarm water while we wait thirty minutes in the heat for a one minute ride isn't my idea of 'fun.'"

"Party pooper. Maybe we can do something else, then."

"Museum's usually pretty calm."

"Pretty sure you've already dragged Loki to all the museums around here, sis. Any of them got anything new?"

Teasingly: "You're thinking like someone who can't teleport, Nausicaa."

"Maybe I am, but then we're spoiled for choice. Got somewhere in mind - that won't make mom's security flip?" Having security's silly when the world's so nice and perfect, but her mom insists, even as much as everyone else sees it as ceremonial theater... And Aunt Miriana trained them to be as paranoid as her.

Still, Nausicaa doesn't like making their lives any harder.