The end of an adventure does not mean the end of paperwork. In fact, it usually means the start of it. Astgenne piles her travel notes and survey records on one side of her desk. As she begins to write up a self-reflection report on how she left her post without leave, Muelsyse drops by with some news for her. 'Elena, some kiddos at the observation station door say they've got stuff for you.' 'Got it, be right there.' Villagers visiting was hardly anything new. After Rhine Lab arrived in Kjerag, the first thing they did was send out several teams of field investigators to perform geographical surveys. The nearby villages were natural first contacts, and from this back-and-forth, a vague sense of friendship and camaraderie began to form behind the curiosity. However, it proved far too frail in the face of Catastrophe. Enmity, panic, and ideas from both within and without Kjerag spread like wildfire. In the face of all this, that vague friendship changed, going through many ups and downs before finally, once the dust had settled, turning into remorse. 'Sorry, Miss...' The leader of the children presses a box she had been cradling into her hands, avoiding her gaze. It is a finely-carved wooden box, made with great care by a local craftsman. Within are several small square compartments, each crammed with ore pieces in many different sizes, covered with marks from rough polishing. 'Did you find these minerals yourself?' '...Yeah, we did.' The leader scratches her head, a little unnaturally. 'We wanted to give you something to apologize, but we didn't know what to get you, because it's like... you already have everything you need here.' 'It was our village's new teacher who taught us what to do!' Another girl, even younger than the first, can't hold herself back. 'He said, we should give you something <i>you</i> want then, or something you like!' Astgenne lowers her head, not quite sure whether to laugh or cry. These children had only just started their schooling, and their innocent minds had led them to believe that the researchers scouring the snow and streams were looking for ore. After all, as far as they were concerned, there was nothing else up in the mountains. 'Did we... pick the wrong thing?' One child asks quietly. 'Can't be...' The girl who piped up wrinkles her brow in worry. 'Didn't the adults say they came to Kjerag to look at the stars? The stones on the ground are pretty much the same as the stars in the sky, aren't they?' 'Would you mind telling me more about them?' Astgenne, who had stayed silent the whole time, walks into the middle of the group. She cradles the box, carefully brushing the snow off its lid. 'Since we're such good friends now, I'd like to hear the stories you know. Stories about the stones on the ground, and the stars in the sky.'