For a moment, Andie just wandered around the island, let herself soak in the atmosphere of the mindscape, and enjoy the pride of a job well done. Well… Dyllan and Cedric had done most of the heavy lifting this time - but she’d never dismissed the importance of their contributions when she’d done most of the work, so why pretend she didn’t play a part in this victory, too? At the end of the day, who stood in the spotlight didn’t really matter - just that the play ended with a bow and an applause.

“It’s really peaceful in here, isn’t it?”

“Wha-” Andie jolted, suddenly noticing Dyllan. “Oh.” He hadn’t exactly been hiding - actually he’d been right in front of her, crouching down near the edge of the island’s asphalt and gazing aimlessly out across the mindscape. In Andie’s defense, he’d been very quiet and still, almost to a Cedric-esque degree. Almost. It sort of made him blend in with his surroundings, and nobody had ever accused Andie of being observant. Some had described her as having “a bizarre animalistic sixth sense”, but not as observant. “Yeah. I guess so.”

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“Seriously, though. It’s like the snow just… melts all your worries away.” Dyllan sighed contentedly. “If it weren’t an intrusion on Cedric’s privacy, I’d probably want to come back here just to hang out by myself. Go clockwork birdwatching or something.”

“Ehhh… not me.” Andie shrugged. “I don’t really like the way it feels like everything is watching me.”

“I wouldn’t bring that up around Cedric.” Dyllan frowned and stood up. “He’s got a sore spot about that sort of thing.”

“Hey, you should know better than anyone that Cedric is absurdly good at reading people. He’ll pick up on something even if I keep quiet… so it’s better that I say it out loud and get a chance to clarify than I stay silent and leave him to assume the worst.” She waved dismissively. “Besides, that’s not what I meant. I don’t find Cedric’s mindscape to be weird or creepy or anything, I just don’t like being in mindscapes.”

Dyllan stared blankly at Andie.

“…something I said?”

“Yeah… I… Sorry, it’s just… should I be waiting for a punchline or…”