With a subtle smirk, Kassiopeia sent the two minors to collect fresh water. 

At the breaking of dusk, they walked through the forest until they stopped at the waterfalls of a little ridge. Bird singing lessened and the chirping sounds of grasshoppers running their hind legs against their wings increased.

Finn kneeled and let the water fill the empty space of a canister that was given to him.

"It's pretty," said Lena, walking along the verge of the pond.

From the water's surface, her reflection stared at her hair. With her fingers, she tried to comb it clean, but the number of knots just trapped them in it.

"I agree. It actually reminds me of Westlake. My home. There is a place I visit fairly often that resembles this one quite nicely."

"I'd like to see it one day."

Not a word passed his lips, but in his mind, he was smiling marginally.

"Wow, Finn, look at this! They're back!"

Blue shining bugs browsed the air and brought light to a place consumed by darkness. A calm surrender to the dwindled day guided ambling wind to thaw the ice that clasped Finn. Its heat touched his heart and had it beat anew with former ardor.

Thousands of those tiny flies settled on flowers beneath the high grass, and departed shortly after, leaving the bordering blossoms to shine as blue and as bright as their bodies. 

Finn closed the canister. Filled to its brim, it was heavy now from the water it held within and endured on the ground when Finn walked towards Lena to view the large glowing flowers. He had never seen them before, yet they looked eminently familiar. 

Finn squatted down to look at one in particular. It had five illuminated blooms and a yellow sun at its core. Lena sat on the opposite of the flower and witnessed Finn's jaw drop.

"This looks just like a forget-me-not."

"You've seen it before?"

"Only in my dreams. Where I live, it grows much smaller and is considered an unpleasant weed."

"Really? How could its beauty be unpleasant?"

"Well—on Kepler it also doesn't glow."

"I like the name. Forget-me-not. It's very memorable."

Her big eyes beheld the flower before them but altered to divert to the image of Finn.

Its leaves were in contact with Finn's gentle touch. "Even if I tried, I could certainly not forget." 

His grip laced the stem with pressure. Through his fingers flowed anger, but it vanished directly when Lena seized hold of his hand.

"If you rip it out, it'll die."

"But it has some sort of meaning. Why else would I have seen this very flower in my dreams?"

"It was you, who said such beauty must not belong to someone."

His grip loosened. "You're right. I must be egocentric and greedy to think of ending the life of an innocent flower."

Behind the rocks perched Kassiopeia. She had followed to spy. She knew the lights would cause a romantic atmosphere and after she had seen them sleeping arm in arm, she felt the urge to send them to the waterfalls. Having seen the two get along with nature, she turned around without disappointment and gave them some privacy.

Lena took back her hand. "I noticed that you never talk about your past."

"Neither do you."

"I told you about my mother right away."

"Do I stand correct with the presumption that you now want to hear about my mother as well?"

"You don't have to talk about her. I was just wondering why you are so reserved."

"Although I may seem trapped in the past at times, my thoughts do mostly aim at the future. I strive to be hopeful. Thinking about my past causes me to be the opposite, you see? Regret was born in history, and hope is withheld for the future."

"You're telling me that you either think of the past or the future. Have you ever tried to live in the present?"

"I'd be stuck on the spot if I only thought about the present."

"I can make you think about the present and move from your spot in the matter of a second."

"And how do you intend to—"

His back hit the grass after Lena had pushed him.

"What did you do that for?" asked Finn as he straightened up.

"Tell me, Finn. What was your thought when I pushed you?"

"Why you were pushing me!"

"See?" she grinned, "You thought about the present and moved from your spot. At the same time!"

"Aren't you a funny one."

"Admit it! I am right and you are—"

"Shh! Did you hear that?"

The nearby brushwood rustled and quivered.

Finn demanded Lena stand behind him because he took it as his responsibility to keep her safe and was expecting the worst to jump out of the scrub.

A little creature that looked to have the shell of a turtle but the tail of a squirrel strolled past them.

"Watch out, it'll eat you," mocked Lena.

"It's not funny!"

In the middle of her laughter, she accomplished to voice her disagreement with his statement.

"It could have been that Arrakis guy. Then we'd be fated."

"It's impossible for him to walk this far in just a day. You need something to take the edge off. How about a game?"

"A game?"

"Yes, a game. I'll ask you a question, and if you fail to answer with honesty, you will be punished." Her eyes scanned the environment, ending at the pond. "I got it. If you don't answer the truth, you will have to jump into the water!"

"Sounds like fun," he said with his sarcasm served on a silver platter.

"Of course, the same goes for me."

"Oh. If that's so, it actually does sound like fun."

"I'll start."

"Why do you get to start?"

"Because I suggested the game. Quiet now, let me think of a good question. Let's see. How old are you?"

"That's not a bad question at all."

"I thought I'd get to know you a little before you lose the game."

"I won't be the one to lose," he laughed, then said, "Seventeen."

"I wouldn't know if it's true, but what reason would you have to lie? It's your turn."

"How old are you?"

"You can't ask the same question! Besides, years are shorter on Pluviam. My only guess is that our age difference is small."

"Right. Okay. Then tell me instead what you fear most."

"I don't fear anything!" she said with the confidence that was nearly convincing herself.

"Are you in the mood to go swimming? I know for a fact that you get scared sometimes."

She blushed. "It's embarrassing."

"If you say it, you get to ask something embarrassing in return."

Her eyes could not stand the pressure of his. She had to look away and rushed her answer. "Water. My greatest fear is water."

"Don't forget the rules. If you lie, you have to—"

"I'm not lying. It's my greatest fear."

"Wait, really? Why did you decide that the loser has to take a dive?"

"I may be scared, but I'm not a coward."

"You certainly are not. But, still, I wonder. Why water?"

"For one, the water on Pluviam burns your skin. And the other reason is—I can't swim. I'm not scared of a pond, but the ocean, oh, it terrifies me."

"Nothing to be ashamed of. For someone like you, being scared of water makes as much sense as me being scared of fire."

"You're scared of fire?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I guess you'll never know." With dignity and self-esteem, his face carried a simper of victory.

"Let me destroy that smile of yours. I've already asked you this before, and ever since, I've been dying to know; why is your hair white?"

"I was born with a pigmentation deficiency. Or in other words, my hair grows without color. It's just the way it is."

"That wasn't so difficult now, was it?"

"My original objection to telling you was based on consideration other than difficulty."

"Phineas Clarkson, you're one special character."

"I hope you mean the good kind of special."

"The best."

"My turn. What's the most valuable lesson you've learned in life?"

"No matter how cloudy the sky may seem, it's always full of stars."

"That's a very poetic metaphor. Where did you get that from?"

Lena; stargazing during that enchanted moment, smiled and said, "You."