Chloe takes in the familiar surroundings of Port-on-Rage as she dismounts the ship, marvelling at how little has changed. The mere thought of being back on the Legacy makes her stomach turn, knowing that she now stands only a short walk from Senel and the unthinkable conversation that will soon take place. But it's time she confronted him. It wouldn't do, after all, to remain in Gadoria forever.

She could have stayed longer, she reasons, but it wouldn't have helped. She would only spend her days in the same way she had over the past weeks, longing to know what he'd made of her words and berating herself for lacking the courage to find out. All things considered, it was for the best that she came back. Even if she found that–

It can't be.

It can't be him.

One glance at a familiar head of snowy white hair and her every thought scatters. Her hands tremble, her pulse quickens, her breath catches in her throat. Senel is there, right there, pushing through the crowd with haste. At dawn. At the port. Why? And how? And what now? She's isn't ready. She can't face him. Not now, not here, not yet.

She's aware of herself, so uncomfortably aware of every small movement she makes, and all she wants is to turn and run back to the ship. Back to Gadoria, across the sea, and away from the one she still can't face.

His eyes meet hers, if only for a moment. He stops abruptly, unmoving, face blank with awe. She looks away in panic. He's seen her. She can't pretend she hasn't seen him. She'd be foolish to. Surely he could tell. She returns her gaze to his, slowly, gripping her cape, knuckles white. She clutches the fabric. It does little to calm her nerves.

Senel opens his mouth to speak, but the right words do not come. It shouldn't be so hard. Things are different–harder–now, now that he is no longer blind to her feelings. Now that he has realized his own. Now he stands frozen, staring across the sea of people into troubled brown eyes. He has long been waiting for her return. But now that the day has finally arrived, he can't think of what to say.

She approaches, footsteps heavy with anxiety. Finally, someone speaks.

"What are you doing here?"

Chloe's voice is soft with disbelief. She didn't expect to see him at the port, he realizes. He had no way of knowing she would be back today. She had no way of knowing he would come after her.

"I was going to Gadoria to look for you. We were worried when you didn't come back." Senel steps closer, and Chloe steps backward, unnerved by his intense expression, but willing herself to stand her ground. She wants to appear strong, at the very least.

He doesn't seem quite the same. A slight lack of sleep mars his features. His words are quiet, and no one but she can hear as he continues. "I was worried."

Something has changed in the way he looks at her.

She can't be sure of what it is, or how he feels, not yet. It could be pity, for all she knows. She pushes away the hope brought on by his concern. She won't appear so weak. "There was nothing to worry about," she says matter-of-factly. "I just… I had a lot on my mind." A faint blush comes over her features. She lowers her head. He read the letter. He knows what she means. He must know what she means. "You… really worried?"

Only in rare circumstances has her brave voice sounded so unsure.

It confuses him, it always has. And yet it draws him to her. It always has. She can be so tough, and yet he knows a need for support is there, not hidden, though she tries, and he wants to fill it, he's always wanted to fill it. And he will.

"Yeah. I care about you, you know." He pulls something from his pocket. A square of paper, folded and worn. Chloe gasps as it opens. She never expected him to keep the letter, not for so long. He hands back her defeated words. "I care about you a lot more than you think."

"Y--you…"

"I've had a lot on my mind too." His mind goes back to the letter, now committed to memory. "You're strong, Chloe, and I know you'd try to stay that way no matter what I said. But you don't have to." He smiles at her. It's never made her feel this much before, his smile, and she isn't quite sure why. Maybe because she's missed his smile. Maybe because his smile means more to her, after so long.

Or maybe because this time, his smile means everything.

"I… I love you too, Chloe."

The words sound strange to Senel, even as he says them. But they're right, he knows this is right. And he never doubts it for a moment.

And the weight of everything she has felt over the past months bears down upon her, and she finds tears falling from her eyes before she can stop herself.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to cry. It's pathetic. I just… I wasn't… I didn't expect…"

"Don't apologize."

And he takes her into his arms. And they stay like that, until the crowd clears, until the tears stop, until all that is left is the marine and the knight and all that exists between them.

And when they walk into Werites Beacon hand in hand that afternoon, it all becomes clear to everyone.