TBN

1

Ed had been invited to a picnic next to Constan's Grave.

Well, it wasn't exactly a grave per say.

There used to be a prince by the name of Constan, passing away recently due to a terminal illness. A tree had been planted in honor of the late prince, and this tree towered above all else in the Public Garden. Despite its less than joyous origin, the grave had seen more than a few couples fall in love at its roots.

Ed himself stood underneath the tree, a letter in his hand. The boy was reaching his late teens, probably about eighteen or nineteen. He wore a simple white t-shirt with blue jeans, a brown leather jacket slung over his shoulder. His short hair couldn't seem to decide to be orange or brown, so it settled on some odd combination of the two. Bright green eyes scanned the surrounding area, bored from waiting for some time now.

It was a nice fall day outside; not exactly cold enough to break out hats and gloves, but still quite chilling to go in shorts. Most flowers had decided to call it a year, the color of the gardens instead coming from the piles of yellow and red leaves scattered across the grounds. It was noon, the sun shining bright yet cold in the center of the sky. There was someone walking their dog on a path a bit of a ways away, and a child climbing Constan's Grave above Ed- otherwise, this part of the garden was abandoned.

"Hey." The voice startled Ed. He jumped, turning to look behind him.

Standing behind Ed was a boy of similar age, perhaps a year or so younger. He wore a soft red, almost pink hoodie, with baggy black sweatpants below. His mid length black hair gave the suggestion that he had just rolled out of bed, pushed out of the way of his deep blue eyes. He held a basket in one hand, almost stereotypical of picnicking.

"Hey Rome." Ed took a moment to calm down from the surprise, "Still do that scare-from-behind thing, huh?"

Rome nodded. He reached his hand into the basket, pulling out a tinfoil rectangle, "Peanut butter with chocolate chips, right?"

"Aw, sweet." Ed took the object from Rome's hands, removing the wrapping and taking a large bite of the sandwich. He savored the taste, taking a while before swallowing, "Been a while since I made one of these. Thanks."

"Not at all," Rome responded casually. The two sat in the tree's shade, looking up at the vibrant colors of the leaves. While Ed enjoyed his own meal, Rome had taken a plain bagel out of the basket, eating it rather slowly.

They stay in silence, before Ed spoke,

"Did you know him well?" He asked, nodding his head towards the tree, "I mean, you were brothers and all, and not too far apart in age, so-"

"I'm trying to get our old group back together." Rome was quick to interrupt Ed's question, "I was able to convince Arin to rejoin, and dad recommended some other person. I was hoping to get you and Taylor to help."

Ed considered the request. He adjusted himself, now laying on his back. He closed his eyes, giving a simple response,

"No."

Rome seemed to expect this response, "You can't just think of this world as fake because you enter it through your dreams. It's as real as your home world, and it needs more protection."

Ed heaved a loud sigh. A leaf fell onto his face, but he didn't move, "I am defending it, just not with the army. I'm not getting sent on any more unnecessary massacres"

"We wouldn't be under the military." Rome extended his arm, gently lifting the leaf from Ed's face, "We'd be directly under Epsilon, and not have to work much with the military"

Another spell of silence. Ed opened an eye, glaring at Rome, "So you're saying we'd be above the military?"

"Equal in rank to Omicron herself."

That grabbed Ed's attention. He sat up, his gaze once more moving to the leaves above, "I'll have to talk with Taylor about it."

"Great." Rome stood, picking up the basket. Another search through it yielded a white envelope, sealed with a familiar symbol. Rome held it to Ed, who took it tentatively, "Just give that to Taylor, and tell them I said hey."

Ed laid back on the ground. He closed his eyes again, giving a small thumbs up.

A little while later, Ed opened his eyes.

Day had turned to night. The once bright sky was turned dark, illuminated by a large moon. Ed stood, brushing himself off.

"Huh, only one moon out tonight?"