Back at the base, the search party had been sent out to look for Mina, also known as Risále and Lumina.
"Mina?" Risále called out, looking for her friend. The light-blue-haired woman hadn't shown up for dinner, now Lumina, being the worried "friend" that she was, had asked Risále to help her look for Mina.
"Minnie? Where are you?" She heard Lumina in the next hallway. She sped up to meet the other woman.
"Still haven't seen her," Risále reported. Lumina sighed, running a hand through her sunset hair.
"I knew what today was but she had been alright for the last three years so I assumed she would be alright. I'm such a goddamn, idiot, ugh, I don't know why I assumed…" She muttered to herself.
"Hey, whatever today is, I think that you can help her get through it. Um, that's if we ever find her," Risále said, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
Then something occurred to Lumina. "Risále, did you check the greenhouse?"
"...No...I thought you were going to check…" Risále responded, staring at her.
The two women came to a realization instantly, "I think we found her," Lumina said, sighing as she shifted her weight to one leg. They both made their way up to the greenhouse area, and through the window, they could see Mina moving around the garden, watering can in hand. Mina didn't wear long dresses all that often, but when she did, she looked—
"—So pretty," Lumina murmured.
Risále nodded, "...Yeah," She said, not looking away.
Lumina turned to her, raising an eyebrow, "Yeah?"
The younger girl seemed to realize what she said, and blushed a bit, "I mean…Yeah. She is really pretty," They were both quiet for a moment, "I mean if it says anything, I also think you're really hot."
"I'd say the same but you're a bit on the young side for my preferences."
"Fair enough," They both watched Mina for a second before Risále spoke, "You know it's not like…Serious, right? I just think she's cute but that's it. I'm not going to try and…Steal her away or something. She's all yours," She mumbled.
Lumina smiled, "I know. It seems like someone else has your attention anyway, so I'm not worried…It really was that obvious, huh? You've only been here a few weeks and yet you already know…," She looked down, sighing, "She and I been best friends for so long. I don't want to do anything that could ruin that."
"...You two are unbelievable," Risále muttered, shaking her head, "Go to her. I think you'll be more useful in this situation than I will be, either way. Besides, I'm gonna go check on Owen and Fenix," Risále said as she waved a quick goodbye and walked off.
Then Lumina heard her sigh. "How the fuck do you navigate this place?"
Lumina let out a small laugh before walking away herself, towards the greenhouse. She walked up to the glass doors, leading into the greenhouse room with the glass dome.
"Hey…" Lumina said softly, as she entered the greenhouse.
"Hey."
That was all Lumina could say. Mina was in her own world, and Lumina didn't want to break her out of it.
She stood next to Mina, watching her work. "They're growing beautifully, Minnie," She said quietly, "I'm proud you decided to take care of them," Mina only nodded, but she still seemed so far away. It worried Lumina a bit, "Come here. Sit down for a bit." She said, taking Mina's hand. The blue-haired woman looked at her, and Lumina could see the sadness in her eyes.
"Lumi, I…Please, I need something to do or else I'm just going to keep thinking about…" Lumina cut off Mina gently, taking her hand.
"Minnie, he'd want you to rest. You've been tending the plants nonstop, haven't you?" Lumina asked. Mina hesitantly nodded, "Take a minute's rest, okay? The plants aren't going anywhere," She said softly and those words seemed to make Mina relax a bit. Lumina gently tugged on Mina's hand, leading her away from the plants and toward the edge of a water fountain. They sat on the rim of it.
"Minnie, I know you don't talk about it all that often, but maybe it would help to talk about what happened more. I didn't want to push you, but if you've been repressing how you feel about what happened back then with your family—" Lumina said softly.
Mina shook her head, "No, it's...It's not that. I don't know what the hell is going on, Lumi, I feel like I'm losing my mind. And I don't think I'm the only one. I don't know what is happening, but something is happening and I don't know if I like it."
Lumina stayed silent, sensing Mina wanted to go on.
"Lumi, I can't remember," Mina said, breaking into sobs, "It happened a few times before Risále came here but I can't fucking remember what happened to Emilio. I know it had to do with Julian and that it devastated me, but I don't remember those events. One of the most traumatic moments of my life, Lumi, and I somehow can't fucking remember what happened. And I keep thinking of things that don't make sense. Lumi, I woke up thinking the Strongholds didn't exist. I think I'm going crazy."
"Minnie...Listen to me. We'll get through this, okay? I promise. I'm not going to go anywhere. None of us are going anywhere," Lumina said softly, rubbing Mina's back.
"Y—Yeah, yeah, I know," Mina wiped away her tears, "But I'm scared. If I'm just…Forgetting things randomly, what if I forget something important? What if I forget my life here? What if I forget you—"
"Don't say that, Minnie," Lumina begged, "Listen, I don't know what's going on either, but we're not going to let you forget, okay? And even if you do, we'll always be here to remind you. We love you, Mina, no matter what. Don't give up before you have to. You're strong, so strong, this is just...A small hiccup. We're going to figure this out."
"You...really think so?" Mina asked, looking at the older woman hopefully.
"Minnie, do you remember why this day is so important to you?" Lumina asked her softly.
"Emilio, of course," Mina said, without hesitation.
"Well, that's good, you remember him, don't you?" Lumina asked gently.
"Well, yes. I remember Emilio, of course, but I don't—Lumi, I don't remember what they did to him. All I know is something bad happened to him, it had to do with Julian, and my brain is trying to fill in the blanks but it's...Just not making sense," Mina explained.
Lumina thought about it. She thought about it really hard, "Minnie...This was something that you told me at one point, wasn't it," Lumina said quietly.
Mina turned to her, stunned. "I knew it," She whispered, "I knew something was up with you as well. How the hell did you, me, and Leon very clearly remember the same event but Owen and Fenix didn't know what we were talking about?" She asked.
"...Maybe you're right. I think we need to tell Kaedan and Xander. See if they've been experiencing this as well. Risále is already kind of off-the-charts crazy right now. We're bad already, but the girl thought the old borders were still real so obviously, something is going on there. Leon definitely knows something, even if he won't say it," Lumina said.
"Something about this feels so...off. Like it's not—Ow!" Mina gasped, clutching at her chest.
"Mina?!" Lumina asked worriedly, catching Mina before she hit the ground.
"I don't know what the fuck that was, please don't ask me," Mina said, her voice small, and Lumina felt her heart shatter.
She nodded, "Alright, I won't ask. Let's just...Drop the subject for now. We can't ignore it for long, though, we do need to talk about it because I'm beginning to suspect you're not having just a memory problem," Lumina said quietly.
"...What?"
"Minnie, I can't remember either. I know you told me, but I don't remember what happened to him either. You loved Emilio, even if it was just as a friend at the time, but I can't remember what exactly you said they did to him. All I remember is finding you after it all happened," Lumina said, and silence filled the room.
"Don't talk about it," Mina said, her voice piercing through the silence.
"What?"
"This happened to me before. Almost every time I start thinking too much about why something like this might be happening, that chest pain happens. If we don't talk about it to anyone else, no one else will have to feel it. We're doing fine right now. It doesn't seem to be making us forget major parts of us, major people in our lives. Emilio is an example of that. If the others bring it up, then we'll talk," Mina said.
"But Mina—"
The younger woman cut her off, "Lumina, this hurts so fucking much. I can't put them through it. I don't know exactly what brings it on but if even talking about it makes it a risk, then let's not even try it," Mina said through clenched teeth.
"...Alright, alright, fine. But we need to do something. It has to mean something. If we're all going through it then…" Lumina said.
"Besides, it's not just losing memories. We're creating completely new situations as well, which more than two people remember. We'll have to face whatever this is, but not now. Not while everything is going so well for us," Mina tried to convince her.
Lumina looked at her best friend and let out a sigh. When could she ever deny Mina? "We'll figure this out, I swear," She promised and helped Mina stand up. It seemed that the chest pain had eased up because Mina finally smiled, leaning forward to rest her forehead against Lumina's shoulder.
"I know we will. We always do."