Quinnlash stared at the door. She hadn't seen it open without Mom or Dad there for...a long time. A really really long time. Years? Ever? She didn't know. The two of them had always been there, hovering around her, making sure she was safe. Where did they say they had gone? A science thing somewhere? She didn't quite know where they were, or for what. But she was a good daughter, like they'd always told her to be. So she shouldn't leave. It wasn't safe out there, she knew that. But still. She couldn't help but stare at the door. The little stack of plates in the corner had been scraped clean of food, and in the other corner, another stack—uneaten—was covered, prepared for the next few days until Mom and Dad got back and could make fresh food again. And she knew they'd be back before the food ran out. She trusted them completely. After all, without them, what would happen to her? She'd be totally lost, like they always said. The world was scary and dangerous. She didn't want to go outside anyway. But the open door still niggled at her That was the last time, wasn't it? When she'd seen the world out there just that once, and her eye had exploded. It had hurt a lot. But...if they were telling the truth and it was because she looked outside, then why could they go out and be fine? It somehow didn't make sense to her. She [i]obviously[/i] knew they couldn't be lying. Why would they ever lie to her? They'd never lie to her. They cared about her so much. But...maybe they were wrong? The open door beckoned. She shifted slightly from where she sat on her hands upon the small bed, fidgeting as she stared. She'd been staring at it ever since she'd noticed it earlier that day. She stood, walking slowly, hesitantly, to the door. As she stood before it, she grew more agitated. She shouldn't even be thinking about this. Mon and Dad would be mad if they saw her, she knew. They would yell at her for a long time. She nudged it slightly with her foot, jolting back as it creaked open just a little bit more. They would super mad. But...they weren't here right now, were they? She'd go out, see what the rest of the house was like, then come right back and close the door. After all, it was just a little peek, right? She stumbled backwards, heart jumping into her throat and hand pressed to her chest, as the door opened with a deafening shriek that echoed through the empty house. She hugged herself on instinct, tensing up for the inevitable: [i]Quinnlash Loughvein, what do you think you're doing?![/i] But no shout came. It was silent as the grave. She gradually uncoiled herself, hesitating before the threshold of her room—her world—and the scary outside world. [color=FFE63D][i]It's...it's fine. It's just a peek, right? It's just a little peek.[/i][/color] Just to the...what did they call it? The 'living room?' She thought it was a silly name. She lived in her room. Shouldn't that be the living room? That made more sense, right? Step. ...She didn't know what she'd expected. Did she think it would make a different booming noise or something like that? It was just a normal step, like all the steps she took in her room. So the next step was easier. And the next after that, as she walked down a wooden-paneled hallway. The closer she grew to the opening at the end of the hallway, the quicker and easier the steps came, as she chased a half-remembered vision of a sunset. Until, at long last, she emerged into a different light than she'd ever known. It was brilliant. It was wonderful. This was what they called 'noon,' she thought, the time when the sun was the highest in the sky, and the light was brightest. All trepidation forgotten, she ran to the window, pressing her hands up against it. She'd never seen anything so beautiful than the moment. In front of her hung the edge of a craggy cliff, falling away until it met water with a blue so intense she wanted to shield her eye. The sky above was a brighter, more shocking blue that ran off to the horizon, speckled with puffball clouds. By the time she realized she'd spoken, she'd already moved on, trying to take in the whole world around her. "[color=FFE63D]Wooooowwww...[/color]" Before her brain could catch up to itself, she'd already stepped towards the door, holding a hand out, eye still glued on that distant, magical horizon as the noontime sun flashed and whipped across the waves. [b][i]QUINNLASH LOUGHVEIN, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?![/i][/b] Her hand stopped. She swallowed, suddenly very aware that she was breaking all the rules. [i]All[/i] of them. Just a peek. She was just taking a peek. She couldn't actually go outside. It was really dangerous, right? If she went out, she could be hurt really badly, or even killed. But... Her hand moved again. They were gone. They'd be gone for a while, if the amount of food left was something to go on. She could go out and come back and they'd never know, right? She wouldn't get in trouble. Just for a minute. Out, in, just to see what it was like out there, in that majestic and terrifying world out there. She stared out at the world. The world glistened back. Yeah. They wouldn't know. [i]Creeaaaak[/i] A rush of wind blew over her and she gasped, taken aback, and stepped forward without thinking about it. The walls fell away, and the outside world enwrapped her. She twirled slowly, trying to take in everything. The cliffside. The lake. The pastel forests. The ramshackle road. And at the end of it... She'd never seen anybody besides her parents before. And down there? It was a hum of activity. So many people, she couldn't even hope to count. A huge structure that went up-up-up into the sky loomed, and... [i]Saviors.[/i] [i]Those are Saviors.[/i] Step. Step, step. Quinnlash ra[color=black]n.[/color] Her breaths came fast and heavy, braid thumping against her back and whipping about behind her as she bolted down to the city. Town? Village? She wasn't sure. But she wanted to see it all. She couldn't run for long, and it turned into a shaky laugh as she stumbled to a stop. There were so many people. So many houses. Soldiers, Saviors, pilots. She didn't know that much about them, but she knew that they saved the world, and they were amazing! There was [i]nothing[/i] she wanted to do more right now than walk down through that crowd, see everything, hear everyone. The world was so big, and she wanted to see all of it. So she heaved in a last unsteady breath. It wouldn't be more than a few minutes until she got there, right? And she started walking.