Ilda had resumed her morning walks only a couple of days ago, finally deciding that it was time to put the fiasco behind her and move on with her life in Aifaran. Or, at least, she tried to. The fear and paranoia the space parasites had brought to her might not have been real, but the reaction they'd gotten out of her had been very much so.

She avoided The Temple, of course. The priests would probably remember her for starting the riot; the damage had only been minimal, but she'd managed to work up a crowd into attacking it. It certainly wasn't her finest moment.

She was near the docks when she heard a familiar voice, and she turned around just in time to see Eiji coming out of the corner. She remembered him from the rescue mission.

"Eiji! Hi!" she called out, walking over to him.