“Maybe it's worth a try” she murmured to herself and bit her bottom lip apprehensively while her thumb hovered on the screen of her phone, it was as if the name Arcadia written in a neat font was slowly calling her out. Maybe she’s free… maybe she’s not free. Astraea knew the elder Aurazin was volunteering at Evermore General, so with all the logical explanations considered, she should be busy. She probably should’ve thought twice before accepting the task given to her earlier today instead of thinking she could handle it when she may not have the capacity to hold her own. It’s been a little over two months since she’s worked at the cafe as a part-time waitress. Somehow, they employed her after seeing her work ethic for the past month. She’s been working for dinner shifts mostly since she would visit the tea shop in the mornings to help the old lady who owned it. 

Mrs. Evans is a very nice woman around her late eighties who owned the shop and from what she gathered, people often ventured there to buy her tea sachets. Surprisingly, she was still so healthy and it didn’t take the Aurazin long to develop an attachment towards the kind old lady who taught her how to brew tea. Today is one of those silent days, it wasn’t that busy when the clock struck 5 pm. Not that she was complaining, she could get some rest then. It wasn’t until she was greeted by the news that the cafe will be closed at 6, a few hours earlier than usual. Astraea was used to closing up at 10 pm the earliest after cleaning up so it was news to her. Apparently, someone reserved the place to hold an event tomorrow, and it was both good news and bad news for the staff. 

Good news, some of the employees would not be needed for tomorrow because it was going to be a private event and they will only pick a few to stay, and those who are selected to work for tomorrow would be paid twice the amount by the hour. Bad news, they will need to have the entire place prepped and done in less than 22 hours. 21 hours now, after she cleaned up and sat by the kitchen, staring at the phone in her hand with a skeptic look. Time was running out and she was told to decorate the cafe and make it ‘presentable’ by 4 pm tomorrow. By presentable, she had a feeling it needed to look close to perfect for a private gathering, judging from the looks her co-workers gave her. The Aurazin was fine with doing anything. 

One big problem. 

She does not know anything about event planning, not the slightest.It was why she has been scrolling down Google for the past 35 minutes trying to wrap her head around it. She really needs help, she decided, and pressed on the name before pressing her phone against her ear, “Please… please, pick up” she mumbled and when the call was finally connected, she almost cheered loudly. “Arcadia! Hey… it’s me, Astraea. Do you think you could come over to Wanderlust? I need a big favor” she was trying her best to drag it out politely but it was clear from her tone, that time was running out. Leaning against the counter near the cash registry, Astraea started telling her what happened and why she called her. It was almost 8 pm by the time she finished cleaning every table and every surface. She wasn’t sure if they were trying to test her or bully her, because being left alone to decorate the spacious room in less than 20 hours was definitely not how she envisioned things happening. Positive thoughts, Astraea.

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She had to admit, getting stuck on earth certainly wasn’t something she had planned for. Honestly she wasn’t even sure it was possible until the day she found herself with 2 students, stuck in an unfamiliar place with no idea how to get home. But Arcadia wasn’t the type to let a sudden change of events get her down and so she had gotten them to the Eternal City. Where they had found they weren’t the only one who had gotten stuck here. She had to admit she had been so relieved to see Lucien and the others that day, despite knowing it meant something really terrible could have happened back home.

Since then her focus had been twofold, first, she needed to start looking for ways to get them back to the veil, as soon as possible but second, she needed to adapt to this new city life. Lucky for Arcadia there was nothing she handled better than a project and so she had thrown herself into work. She learned about computers and cellphones, how the humans found work, what they did for fun, the ins and outs of life in this modern world. It was a big adjustment for her, not only was she surrounded by things she had never seen before but she also had to learn to adjust to a human schedule, eating and sleeping regularly, avoiding eating sugar at all costs which was easier said than done.

But she was proud to say she had managed it, she was handling the change pretty well and now at the point where she could support others in coming to acceptance with the reality they were now facing too. She started volunteering at the hospital for experience, to get an understanding of how modern medicine worked and then she started working as a trainee estate agent too, something easy to pick up because you simply needed to show people around the homes and help them with their applications and negotiations. She picked up on things faster than most.

She had just gotten out of her last viewing of the day when she heard her phone ringing, she picked it up and didn’t even have the chance to say hello before Astraea started talking, she laughed and told her to slow down before listening to her problem. And that was how she ended up negotiating on the phone with a local party supply store who were closed but willing to hear her out because she knew someone who worke there and then she arrived at the cafe Astraea worked in, arms full of the stuff she collected “I wasn’t really sure what sort of theme you were going for so I took everything they’d let me have” you could barely see her over the massive pile of stuff in her arms which she came in and placed on the table.

Before Arcadia even had the chance to even say a word, as soon as she heard the call was being connected and the person on the other side accepted it, Astraea was quick to go into details on what's happening and why she desperately needed the elder's help. Again. Astraea didn't often ask for help, the brunette liked to believe that she could be independent and that's exactly how she's lived her life all this while. It wasn't as if she could take on missions with pairs so there were no partners, which left the Aurazin to her own state of mind as she eases into the thought of working alone. She grew up to be dependent only on herself so it wasn't hard. But ever since they got stuck on earth, she couldn't seem to understand a lot of things. Despite being a quick learner, she remembered that there were a few things she could digest and some she couldn't. For instance, she could operate the coffee machine after two tries but couldn't operate a smartphone even after the first week. 

When Arcadia told her to calm down and take a breather, she followed her instructions and sighed heavily before explaining. Thankfully, Arcadia beinf Arcadia is always up to help, that's just the way the elder female was, and Astraea couldn't even be happier and more relieved. So she waited until the blonde arrived, leaning against the counter while trying to google how to decorate the entire place and turn it into a makeshift mini party for two dozen attendees. Or at least she thought she heard there were supposed to be two dozen. She unlocked the door and pulled it aside to allow the Aurazin to enter and gaped at the amount of things she brought over, "Holy veil… did you buy the entire store or something? This is a lot, Arcadia" she was still gawking at all of them. But she had to admit, the blonde did have an eye out for things like these. It makes her cherish her expertise even more.

 "Everything they'd let you have? Why does that sound so ominous?" she raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner, "Do I even wanna know how you managed to snag all of these at… 8 pm? I know most stores that sell that close up before 6." She picked up a packet of red balloons and chuckled, "You're my savior, you know that? If you help me, I swear I'm indebted to you… again" she grinned sheepishly and took a seat, marvelling at the props, "Thanks for coming on a short notice, how could I ever do things right if it wasn't for you." 

Arcadia wasted no time heading inside of the cafe the moment Astraea unlocked the door, setting down one of the boxes on one of the tables before stacking the other on top of it and breathing a sigh of relief, turns out massive boxes full of random decorations were pretty heavy “Pretty much” she responded when she asked if she had bought out the whole store “Only the decorations though, I didn’t think you’d need the costumes” she responded and laughed slightly, Arcadia was a very charismatic and intelligent person, she knew how to get people to help her and was almost a machine when it came to planning and organizing, she was sure Astraea knew that when she called her though.

“Not ominous, just didn’t have a lot of time” she spoke with a nonchalant shrug, she was already looking around the place and sizing it up while she started rummaging through the boxes for things she thought they might be able to use “You never did actually mention what kind of party we were planning” she teased and when Astraea asked her how she managed to get hold of so much in such a short time “Well it turns out you can actually get a hold of a lot of supplies if you ask around for a wholesaler with stock online, just had to head over to pick it up” she grinned playfully, if there was a will there was a way and there was no way Arcadia was going to let her friend down.

“I am, aren’t I?” she responded with a playful smile and then shook her head slightly “But seriously we should probably get started if you actually want to get any sleep tonight, how did you even get into this mess” by now she had pulled out a pack of the balloons and was affixing one of the pumps she had bought to it so she could blow them up “Decorations are much quicker to make in this era” she commented thoughtfully, it had been interesting for her, trying to adjust to a whole new millenium, everything was so different to what she remembered her life on earth to be like.

Of course the first thing that popped up in her head the moment she saw Arcadia with a whole bunch of things in boxes, was be excited, because she had once again come to her rescue. The elder Aurazin never let her down and it's almost endearing to say for it. Astraea's been depending a lot on Arcadia, she was the person she would talk to every time, simply because she makes the best company for everything compared to everyone else. She likes talking to people but before today, she wasn't allowed to form an attachment to people who she would just wipe the memories off once her duty is done. No point in prolonging the torture of having to cut another friendship thread. "If you brought costumes here tonight, I would actually think you've gone crazy back and forth, Arcadia" she shook her head and chuckled as she peeked over the boxes, it does seem like the blonde came very prepared. Always the person to call for help, indeed. She knew she made the right choice calling her for the help she needed to decorate the entire cafe before tomorrow's private party. 

"Yeah I was in a hurry and panicking like hell, I didn't even tell you the details about what kind of party it would be. Sorry about that" she apologized sheepishly and cleared her throat, "It's not that big of a party, which was probably why they decided to rent a venue like this. Probably about 2 dozen guests in total? I was told that they were celebrating someone's promotion, the person who was hosting the party. She was protesting after 3 years of working for it, apparently. The theme is also red and black." Since the dress code basically said formal in either one of those two colors, she expected it as much. Astraea handed Arcadia the board that she had written the details for. "And of course, in exchange for my due diligence, they said they'd paye double if I could babysit the kids for the remaining time of the party" she sighed, she loves kids, so that wasn't what was bothering her, for sure. 

When asked how she even got herself in the mess, Astraea let out a soft whine, "No idea… I was just cleaning the back and suddenly they came to me saying since I was good with kids and customers, I'd know how to treat them accordingly. Everything else… I may have blanked out. The owner is kind, Arcadia… how could I say no?" Her lips parted in awe when she saw how the balloons were made, "I agree. I saw in one of the videos that if you inhale the helium inside, your voice would change." She went back finalist what helium was made of. That sounded much like Astraea. "How are you faring these days? I haven't been able to check in others as much because I've been busy."

She laughed under her breath when Astraea mentioned costumes leading her to believe she had gone completely crazy “Well, in my defense you didn’t tell me anything about the party and I had to guess what it was for, if it was a kid’s party then you’d be thanking me for getting the costumes” but in the end, she had decided a cafe probably wasn’t the right venue for a child’s party and therefore it was probably either a wedding reception or some sort of celebration or birthday for an adult. Thankfully it seemed like her gut feeling was on the mark.

She laughed and shrugged “You’re vague most of the time, I’m used to it” she commented and smirked slightly “Head in the clouds, always in your own little dream world” she smiled “I hope it’s nicer in there than it is out here” she reached out to ruffle her hair playfully, Arcadia would usually tease Astraea like she was the younger sister she never had. It didn’t matter to her that they were different ethnicities and way different ages, she felt a family-like bond with the younger Aurazin. “Red and Black” she responded and sighed “Well that would have been useful to know before I got here” she gave her a pointed look and started sorting through the decorations she had gotten, taking out everything that was either red or black, thankfully they had balloons in both colors, though the black ones had a weird iridescent rainbow effect on them and some ribbons and streamers too “Double pay makes it kinda worth it, though it’s still a pretty bad deal” though she knew how hard Astraea found it to say no.

Sometimes she felt like Astraea was too innocent for her own good and that was even more evident now they were on earth and she noted how the other girl often got herself roped into things she didn’t want to “You know that no one is actually going to be mad at you if you say no right?” she raised her brows wondering if she would always be the kind to let people take advantage of how kind she was. Not that she wanted her to stop being kind but there were a lot of people out there who didn’t truly appreciate her “Easy...sorry I’m busy hanging out with my favorite blonde unicorn tonight so I can’t make it” she have her a playful look because she was jesting about the fact they hadn’t seen each other lately.

“Well that sounds utterly dangerous” she responded as she started putting the strange black balloons on the end of the pump and got to work before tossing one over to Astraea so she could help out “I’m okay, figuring all of this….real-world stuff out” thankfully she was pretty good at adapting to new situations “What about you? Did you make any friends?” she hoped so, especially seeing as they wouldn’t be getting back to the veil any time soon.

“Oh I wish it was a kid’s party, it probably would’ve been so much easier then…” she murmured and sighed, “But unfortunately, it’s not.” A small blush was seen on both her cheeks when Arcadia pointed out that she was being vague most of the time, “Yes… yes I am to be blamed for that. I’m sorry, I was really panicked earlier and I was nowhere near halfway trying to digest what my manager just told me. It just had to be me” she huffed, it’s not that she hated it but she does wish that she would’ve been given a better notice instead of less than 24 hours. When the elder female ruffled her hair, she giggled and beamed brightly when asked if it’s been nicer there than it was out, “It is… I mean doing labor is nothing new, we do this even back then. But I have to say, I never thought I’d work as a waitress of all things” Though she couldn’t remember every bit of her life because of how long it has been, Astraea could recall that she had a certain fondness towards sharp things, especially her katana.

 It felt like it’s been forever. So parading around balancing trays on both her hands is not what she expected to do to get her source of everything. But who was she to complain? Arcadia is also a likable person so she doubted that people would find a problem with the elder Aurazin. For as long as she could remember, Arcadia has been there for her ever since she became an Aurazin, the closest person she had to a sister and for someone who only ever had a younger half sister she wanted to take care of so much prior to her death, Astraea really loves the blonde. She gave her a sheepish grin when she said it would've been useful to know the color theme before she got there, "Sorry." She only hummed softly while threading her fingers through her dark locks as she took a seat, staring at the box filled with a lot of decorations stacked up on the table before her, there were a few packets of balloons in the two colors she needed, thankfully. 

"With our circumstances right now, double pay is basically dangling a meat in front of my eyes… I'm a leopard waiting for an opportunity to make everything better. At least it's an actual opportunity…" She murmured. "I know… I just don't want to disappoint them by saying no" which is honestly why it's easier for others to take advantage of her, but the brunette couldn't bring herself to say that word if she was only going to see a frown marring their faces. "Well you are the only blonde unicorn I have to hang out with" she teased but she had a point, maybe she should start searching for excuses to use. "I think I should start paying attention to a lot of things or else I'll find myself unconsciously agreeing to a lot of things." Astraea does have a tendency to blank our because she was thinking about something. "Not many friends, not really. You know how people may not take me seriously… But I made a good friend with the old lady who owned the tea shop nearby. She's a sweetheart. I've been helping her out a few times too, and she taught me how to make tea and candles. How about you? Anyone?"

She laughed under her breath and then nodded “Yeah kids are way easier to impress than adults, plus you don’t have to worry about matching the colors because anything bright grabs their attention” adults however could be picky and even downright rude about their particular needs. She looked over at the dark-haired female with a look which spoke a general context of you do tend to bring this on yourself “Maybe tell him no next time, if you can’t do it, he’ll have to do it himself and then he can realize how ridiculous of an ask it is” but she knew Astraea and how she liked to impress others so of course, she would give it everything she had for her.

“I think it kinda suits you, you like chatting with people and being helpful and you can easily do that here” the only issue was that she tended to overcompensate and then people expected that of her every time, it was a dangerous circle to get into. She had to laugh because it was almost impossible to stay mad at Astraea, she was like this cute younger sister who sometimes annoyed Arcadia but she would always stick by her and forgive her and the younger aurazin definitely knew she could call Arcadia whenever she needed her. “You’re lucky I’m able to think quickly on my feet” she responded with a laugh “Otherwise we might have needed to have a last-minute theme change” she was already in the midst of preparing the balloons. Not something about the modern world she specifically understood but she supposed they would look nice all hung up together.

“See there is the real reason you said yes” she teased when Astraea explained that double pay was basically something she couldn’t resist, she could understand that because they were all trying to build some kind of life in Evermore and to do that you needed money and money, unfortunately, wasn’t super easy to come by. “I know, but you should remember that you shouldn’t disappoint yourself and your own well being either okay” she sighed and shook her head slightly, Astraea really did make herself very easy to take advantage of and that did often worry Arcadia. She did hope that Astraea could find some friends and feel like she fit in within this city, she was such a sweet person that it almost seemed like a waste for her to be on her own and while Arcadia spent as much time with her as she could, she wanted to see her build a life of her own “Oh that sounds fun, don’t suppose she has any job offerings open?” seemed like the kind of place Astraea would probably be happier in any way.

When she asked if she had made any friends Arcadia smiled “A few, I’ve been getting to know some of the other Aurazin better and there’s a couple of people who knew me before...in this city” she pressed her lips together “Obviously I kept my identity a secret but, I couldn’t help myself but to see where they were” of course Astraea would know exactly who she was talking about and probably tell her off for meddling.

She didn't study as much when it comes to the understanding of humans, Astraea would admit that outrightly. Compared to most Aurazin, it was clear that the brunette was clearly more naive. It didn't mean to say that she was unaware of how things go though. She's just devastatingly optimistic at times. "True… I forget how picky people can be." When Arcadia told her she should try saying no next time, she bit her bottom lip and nod silently, it's probably wise of her to heed her advice honestly. Arcadia has always looked out for her, even before. The blonde clearly wanted the best for her. She wasn't wrong, Astraea likes to communicate and interact with people in general, and she had a soft spot for kids too, which was what made her a good empath. 

The Aurazin giggled cutely when she was chastised once more by the elder, oh she can be quite childish at times but she also knew it was hard for Arcadia to stay mad at her for long. One, it doesn't fit well with her to remain mad that long. Two, the two of them have known each other for half a millennium already, that was enough to measure their friendship. Her cheeks went aflame when the other female teased on the real reason why she relented, "We have no idea how long we're going to be stuck here and honestly, if there was anything I've learned so far in this modern century, it's that capitalism overrules… everything is so expensive and I'm not even sure if you can get by without scraping." No wonder people often overwork themselves to death. Speaking of which, Astraea couldn't help but to wonder how long they would have to be here until they go back, and as usual, when she's with Arcadia, there wasn't much she could keep her lips shut, "How long do you think we'll be here? On earth, I mean. Is it okay to be away from our realm this long?" 

Honestly, she didn't know what to expect, it was the first time any of them had to spend longer than usual outside of their realm with no way to get home. Truth be told, it wasn't as if she was that comfortable staying. She hasn't been there for almost a century and couldn't digest every single thing at one glance. "Don't worry, I know I can be naive sometimes but you and I both know it's not because I trust people blindly. I wasn't born yesterday, Cadia" she reassured lightly, she has seen how cruel people can be and it wasn't just a one time occurrence either. Her eyes lit up when they talked about the tea shop, she didn't think it was a place she'd feel at home with but surprisingly, it appealed to her. "She managed it on her own and said her grandchild used to help her before going to college. I guess now it means she's on her own… I should ask if there's a job offering, shouldn't I?" Perhaps, she could learn more if she was given the chance. 

She was happy to know Arcadia had been getting to know the others as well, there were quite a few who just joined and due to their schedules, it wasn't as easy to meet everyone. That was until she saw the slightly guilty look on her face, which made Astraea press her lips into a thin line, "Cadia…" It was always hard to stay away, but she didn't expect it from her, of all people, mostly because she was the eldest Aurazin there and didn't have anyone else from her past life that still lives until this day. Well, except one she could remember. "I heard that the Valkyrie resides here so of course she'd be here too…" She couldn't blame her, if it was the person she loved, she would have done the same. "Did you meet her? How is she?" 

Arcadia reached her hand out to rub Astraea’s back gently, it was both a blessing and a curse she supposed, being someone who always wanted to help others, Astraea was the kind of person which everyone loved because she was so helpful and sweet and it was almost impossible to dislike, but then on the other side, she could be taken advantage of so easily and she wouldn’t even notice it would happen “Just don’t work yourself too hard okay” she warned her and smiled, she never wanted to damage the special parts about her. “It’s strange, having no idea what’s going to happen, before everything was so...routine...and now things feel...crazy” she nodded, they weren’t supposed to be here but she got the feeling a lot of them wanted to be, everyone longed to be able to have some sort of life again, especially because a lot of theirs ended tragically too soon.

She wrinkled her nose, Astraea wasn’t wrong when she said that capitalism ruled the world nowadays, Arcadia had quickly moved into finding herself a job, right now she was working at a library during most days, helping people to find the right books for their research papers and generally keeping everything tidy. It wasn’t anything like what she dreamed of doing but becoming a doctor wasn’t exactly something she could just jump into. That was where the volunteering tied in, letting her slowly expose herself to the hospital while also pushing to move onto a training program. “Honestly I have no idea” she answered the younger female’s question about the future “All we know right now is that the door is locked, we don’t even know if it can be opened again and if it is, what we will find on the other side” honestly she was dreading finding out because she was worried the others could have been seriously hurt or worse by the door closing.

“All we can do right now is keeping looking for ways to make contact, and keep ourselves under the radar and afloat” they didn’t have any money and while the Ailward Guard had been kind enough to help them to cope, Arcadia didn’t like the idea of relying on them at all, she wanted to be independent. Lucien seemed to encourage everyone to blend into society so that is what she did. Her expression softened a little when Astraea told her not to worry “Sorry but it’s not possible for me not to worry, you’re basically my baby sister” she laughed and reached to ruffle her hair as though to make the point and smiled softly “And I know how big your heart can be and how badly you want to see good in people, even when there isn’t much hope” that was what made her worry.

“It definitely couldn’t hurt to ask” she responded with a smile “Before long I’ll be able to call you the crazy tea lady” she teased with a slight grin, it felt weird to her, figuring out their roots in this city while also having no idea how long they had here, what if they ended up letting someone down because they had to leave sooner than expected. Worse, what if they got attached and didn’t want to leave at all. Cadia sighed softly when Astraea spoke her name “I know, I know, I shouldn’t have” she felt guilty for wanting to see Ce so badly that she went against her own rules but how could she stop herself when they were literally in the same city. All she wanted was to know she was okay, to know she was happy “I did” she spoke softly when Astraea asked if she saw her, she continued working on decorating while they talked “She’s...doing better than I expected” she responded and smiled to herself “She has work she loved and there’s this younger male valkyr she really cares about” she nodded slightly “Can’t help but wish things were different you know” she pressed her lips together “She mentioned me...or she mentioned before me anyway” it meant something to know she still thought about her even now.

She let out a small sigh of content when Arcadia rubbed her back gently, it felt like anything soothing would be enough to make Astraea happy. She wasn't easily exhausted, having maintained a certain stamina so she wouldn't be struck so easily. But she was still new to the modern earth and she met more toxic people than she did 80 years ago which was saying a lot. She spared a small smile towards the blonde when she told her not to work too hard, "I won't be working myself to the bone, Cadia. I promise" she quipped softly. She could relate when she said things were different now, back then she didn't have to adapt to this. Hell, not even back then, if she would take a few months off the calendar, she could remember still living in the Veil. Things were fine. Though it didn't hold the excitement Earth did, it was home to all the Aurazin. "I wonder how the others are coping… I suppose the younger ones are more in tune with their surroundings."

There were plenty of them who haven't died longer than a decade and therefore, were not that weirded out by the sudden change. She desperately wanted to know what was truly going on because she wasn't used to being in the state where she was clueless, so when Arcadia told her they haven't figured anything out just yet, Astraea couldn't help but frown. "We've never encountered a problem like this so it worries me… We've never been on Earth this long without returning to the Veil either…" Truthfully, Astraea was anxious to know what the side effects would be for them. Their energy is tethered to the Veil, which gave them all they needed and more. Though it didn't seem to disturb them there, she wasn't sure if there would be a long term aftermath to this. And if so, how much worse would it be? "I hope we'll find answers soon… or at least clues to why this happened. Don't get me wrong, I… like that we are here again. At least for the others who longed to be here again, they are now given the opportunity to do so. But staying here while we have no idea what happened to our home… is scary." And maybe, just maybe, a tiny part of her was anxious to stay here any longer. 

She giggled when her hair was ruffled, "I know I'm that lovable" she cooed teasingly and placed a reassuring hold on her hands, "I know I can be a bit naive… even going so far to trust those who don't even have hope… but I'm sure I'll be fine… ish." She honestly had to wish it would be fine. She slapped her shoulder playfully when Arcadia teased her, "If I can't be crazy cat lady, I'll be crazy tea lady." She was a bit worried when it comes down to attachment though. It was clear that they weren't going to stay forever, it will be messy when they have to let people down because of that. Astraea should be chastising the elder for seeing her former lover but she didn't have the heart to do so. Cecilia has been and is still Arcadia's love, how could she be cruel to take that part away from her? 

"It does seem like she's doing well… and that you're looking out for her. I hope you know I'm not mad nor am I disappointed in you, Cadia. I would love to see you happy and if seeing this girl makes you happy then have at it." She shouldn't be encouraging this, but she wanted her sister figure to be happy and while they are happy with what they do, it doesn't feel the same. "She still remembers you? That's wonderful… so true love is real huh…" Was she jealous? Maybe just a bit. With her hands holding the strings they were supposed to tie the garland at, she bit her lip before asking, "You still love her, don't you?"

Cadia laughed softly at Astraea’s reaction to her little shoulder rub and sighed softly “It’s not you getting physically exhausted I’m worried about...you like to take on everyone’s problems as your own” she jested and shook her head slightly, Astraea much like many Aurazin couldn’t stand it when other people were struggling or in pain and so she would give parts of herself to try and make other people’s lives better. Which could be a good thing to some extent but could also be detrimental to her heath if she didn’t know her limits. “I think it’s been a big shift for all of us, it’s not just about adapting to earth and needed to eat and sleep but it’s...not being able to return to our home and worrying about where we go from here” but everyone was doing their best to adapt which was the best thing they could do right now.

She nodded slightly “Some people have been out on their empath duties for a few months but...nothing past that” it seemed like their life on earth was relatively normal though, they still had their glow, they could still use their powers. They needed to adapt to the way of life here of course but they’d always experienced that when leaving the veil. “It kinda feels like we don’t belong here huh?” she nodded, she felt the same way, there was this strange feeling in her chest which told her to make the most of the time she had here because it might not last. She wasn’t sure if she wanted it to last, as much as she wanted to reach for her old life and the person it once centered around, she also identified as an aurazin, she liked being able to help people and she had accepted a long time ago that she died “Feels like the world is taunting us with all of our what ifs” everyone had the desire to go back at some point, it was natural.

Cadia couldn’t say she entirely convinced by Astraea’s reassurance but she did recognize that she was an adult and could make her own decisions about who to trust and how tot spend this time they had on earth “I just don’t wanna see you get hurt is all” she responded and smiled gently, Astraea was like a younger sister to her and that made her special to her. “Crazy tea lady kinda suits you” she responded and giggled softly “You could go with the whole mad hatter’s tea party theme, it would be perfect” she clasped her hands together in amusement as she imagined it. It felt a little bittersweet to talk about dreams that might not come true though, she realized when she met Ce the other night how much she missed having a life of her own that wasn’t ruled around helping others constantly.

“I’ve always looked out for her” the blonde said in a soft voice, she knew she wasn’t supposed to but it made her feel better inside knowing she was okay and that she was living her life freely “I’m disappointed in me though, I know I’m only setting myself up to have my heart broken all over again and yet I’m reaching for it anyway” maybe she was sadistic but the heart wants what it wants she supposed. Realizing she had totally gotten distracted by their conversation she quickly grabbed more decorations and continued placing them around. Her smile faltered the moment Astraea asked her that though and she turned to glance over at her before giving a faint nod “I think I always will” she spoke in a soft, sad tone before forcing herself to smile again “But I can’t be miserable about it forever, that’s not healthy” she nodded as she affixed another banner up.

Astraea felt immensely grateful for the care Arcadia showed her throughout the centuries, there wasn't a moment where the elder female didn't look out for her and she knew she would never be able to repay her for her kindness. It does feel good to know someone cared for you that way. "Isn't that what most of us do best hm? Take on other people's problems as our own to exchange it with some healing in return?" She had a cheeky grin, indicating that she was teasing the other female too. "I get where you're coming from, don't worry" she reassured, she'll be fine. Arcadia was right though, it's more than just reminding themselves they need to eat and drink and sleep, or act like normal people, it's about the uncertainty lying behind those doors that they weren't able to open no matter how hard they tried. They were really locked out of their own home which scares her more than she would like to admit.

"Some of us have been so dependent on our home… so much that leaving it for a longer period while fully knowing that you might not be able to return, makes us feel… anxious." Anxious was one word to put it. Astraea hated feeling that way. They were standing on different boards here, when everything happened, Arcadia was out on her way back from her Empath duties with a few others in training whereas Astraea was in the void resuming her patrolling to shoo any voidlings off. "So the Empaths out on their duties are locked out and we Shepherds were sucked out…" she pursed her lips and sighed heavily, it was daunting to say the least, she couldn't remember how long she was falling for. "No… I'm not sure about the others, but I don't feel like I belong here. Everything feels… new. Though I'm sure the younger ones are ecstatic to know they can return to the living world again" Especially those who haven't died for more than a decade and still wanted to return to the world of living.

"I don't like feeling unsure… we're not like others, we're… only here for a purpose." So of course when something weird like that happens and not even the Aspect of Realms knew anything regarding it, it made them panicked. She placed a reassuring hold on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly, while sending a soft smile her way, "Mad hatter huh? Maybe I should get going on the whole lolita concept and oooh… the hats" she exclaimed dramatically, the Aurazin did have a special preference for hand-brew tea. Sometimes she forgets that Arcadia had someone from her past that was still alive, well… living in the world. "It must be hard keeping your distance when you're in the same city" Same country is different. Here, it's more likely for Cecilia to bump into her. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be hopeful, Cadia. That's your first love, I don't think it's easy to shrug her off like that, especially when you left her with questions unanswered." A part of her was rooting for her while the other part was apprehensive. After a while of keeping her silent treatment, Astraea chewed her bottom lip absentmindedly and tightened the laurel, "Go see her" she said.

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