"But I can try to explain to you at least some of what I do know, whenever we're somewhere secure."

"I'd like that." Listening to Ridis talk about things she knows a lot about is very soothing.

Smile. "I would too."

"Then it's a date."

Kiss!

Kiss!!

"You two are cute," Wyld offers from the door into the rest of the ruins.

Eridani giggles. "So're you."

"Uh. We'll see you later, then?"

"Me and my girlfriend both."

"Looking forward to it."

Giggle.

"Have fun you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't."

"That doesn't really narrow it down any."

"Maybe one or two things."

Heee.

"Bye," she says fondly.

"Goodbye, pretty girl."

A wave, and then Eridani and Ridis can gather up and be off?

Wyld waves back, watching until they're out of sight.

And the outpost is nearby, as promised - and they can recruit a runner for Eridani's letter - and then move on.

And Wyld stays behind. 

She has a lot to sort through - two lifetimes, of two long lived people who both hoarded libraries, who set spirits and wards and all to preserving everything here. It'd take more than her entire life to even skim all of this -

- But they're her and Luc', and that means she knows the organization system, and Wyld's been a fast reader ever since she learned how.

Her timesync with Luc' drifts - Wyld's now getting more days for each of Luc's - and they figure out the rhythm at least a little, enough that they can catch more nights together now that Wyld's not beholden to the rhythm of travel.

And she delves.

(There's - so much. Gleam as the reflection of the Luna here - a very different god from the Luna of Wyld's Creation - and Elathea the reflection of Gaia. Three children, two of them Exalted. Love and betrayal and heartbreak, the two Exalted children slain when they tried to preemptively stop Elathea from using the Realm Defense Grid during the Usurpation - the third, Layla, spoke only three times to Gleam after that, and never since to Elathea. The Realm Defense Grid is tied into the network Ridis mentioned - there's details on that, and Wyld can skim them without too much of a headache, but they're not relevant - )

(She finds a lot in Gleam's notes, in her records of discussions with Luna. Gleam had created the Dreaming Sea, Wyld thinks - it'd been part of her enormous realm, which Wyld confirms with the spirit tiger had shattered and spilled into Creation during the Wyld Crusade. These lands know her, still. Love her, even if the memory of her has faded some from mortal minds. There's anchors here, connections to other places in Creation that Gleam used for raids, first to free slaves and then to strike at the Shogunate (and also free slaves) - Wyld's not positive she can use those directly, but maybe... They're a step outside of Creation, a loop through things that aren't into things that are, and the strongest goes from the bottom of the Dreaming Sea to a bower Luna and Gaia built together... Wyld doesn't want to poke that, not directly, but maybe - there's side vents, and Gleam had the ability to check on and indirectly access some of it from here... There's discussions, too, of 'lanterns' Luna placed to lead Gaia home, which...)

She needs to time things carefully.

But as the world approaches Calibration, her and Luc's timelines flex, race to sync their calendars - and Wyld and Luc', in two Creations, both start a five day ritual.

She's been planning this for a while. Has had time for that.

And in a gate in the ruins she's prepared - a gong sounds as Calibration approaches its end, and the air within the gate glows a brilliant silver.

The membrane flexes, shivers, takes on a sheen of iridescent green-

-and it bulges, disgorging Luc'.

She immediately doubles over and vomits up a puddle of sickly vitriolic slime.

She rushes up to her girlfriend - avoiding the slime -

"Luc'! You okay?"

"Urgh." She spits the last of it out and wipes her mouth clean. "Yeah. I'm all right."

"Essence here tastes weird."

"...Yeah."

"Can you still use it okay?"