As the strangely peaceful but dizzying power of the cosmos carried Tempesti from Earth, she was shocked to feel soft grass beneath her boots rather than the familiar stone of Keraunos’ streets or the scrubby vegetation of the Isle of Turning. A sparsely wooded hill in riotous bloom stretched out before her, to the west the distant spires of the city glistened in a thousand hues as the eastern horizon vanished behind snow capped mountains. The River Naiara murmured lazily along the southern edge, warming the cold from the icy peaks on its way to the harbor. The young senshi sighed with reverent awe at the infinite and unceasing reminders of the wonders that remained in this world. The countless lifetimes upon lifetimes that she would need to scratch the surface of its beauty or approach an understanding of the fears that no doubt lay in wait. She could only imagine the seemingly endless biomes, each teeming with hidden life of which she could scarcely conceive. The city alone demanded what felt like an infinite attention to detail to catch the wildlife.

Sinking to the ground and arranging her skirts, she decided she could take a few moments to appreciate it as her hands sank into the grass. Sweet perfumed air filled her nostrils as the wildflowers rustled gently in the warm breeze. Lowering herself onto her back she gazed up at the sky, pushing aside the thought of possible space ticks as the vegetation brushed against her skin.

With a puff of glitter and a sudden squawk Hildegard materialized, exiting whatever hidden dimension in which she resided to land squarely on Tempesti’s chest. A few steps forward brought her to the senshi’s face, staring intently at her before turning her attention to the feathered collar she deemed in need of preening. A sharp tug to a lock of hair near her forehead followed by a series of enthusiastic pecks to her headpiece drew the senshi out of her quiet musings. The strange little chicken clearly had little patience for any attempts at a slow pace on her part.

“Alright, alright,” the senshi laughed as she rose to her feet. A satisfied cluck and a sprinkle of glitter brought Hildegard onto the top of her head while she surveyed the land surrounding her. Slender trees swayed overhead, golden-pink fruit hanging from their branches. An ancient memory of surprising warmth crept into her mind, a rarity in the strongest of Elysia’s emotional moments, a simple bowl with a small pile of the smooth-skinned oddities. Reaching upward she plucked one, cleaning it with some of the water in her subspace before taking a bite. A gentle fizziness joined the tart sweetness as she felt a bit of gratitude that she knew it wasn’t toxic.
Hildegard accepted a small piece offered to her before fluttering ahead of her on sparkling wings. The trees grew denser as the hill sloped downward into a sun dappled forest and beyond that, a collection of unfamiliar buildings surrounded by an overgrown rainbow of flowers. Tempesti had yet to explore any buildings outside of the empire’s capital and her curiosity spurred her onward and into the soft light beneath the leafy canopy.