Back on a distant world far from the Amazon, in a glittering landscape of blue, Raiju, some of the key members of Eclipse were in an entirely different affair.
Sophie caught up with Seraleth near the eastern colonnade, the wind carrying that faint mineral sweetness Raiju's air always had, something in the atmosphere the terraformers had never fully explained to anyone outside their own guild.
"You're back already," Sophie said. Not accusing. Just surprised, and something underneath the surprise that sounded almost like worry. "It's been a day, Sera. One day. You could've stayed longer with them."
Seraleth kept walking for a beat before she answered, her eyes on the horizon rather than on Sophie.
