Boundless - Introduction (Patreon)

The weather in Vacuo was nice this time of the year - pleasantly warm, but not yet blisteringly hot. The mild sun made walking outside an enjoyable experience rather than a chore, especially when a chance breeze rustled through the streets.

Weiss was just one of many people on the sidewalks in a strange little neighborhood known to be more ‘artsy’ than the others. It was for this reason that tourists gathered here, taking pictures of the colorful murals covering large, sandy walls and the unique architecture born more out of necessity than a desire to impress outsiders.

It was quaint, she must admit. The murals were wonderfully done and worthy of the small crowds they garnered. The buildings were...different...but she’d seen more exceptional designs before.

Not that she was here to judge. She might be a stranger to this place, but she was far from being a tourist. A tourist was a visitor - a temporary traveler who came for the sights and experiences before heading back to the place they called home. Weiss had a far more important reason for being here and, if all went well, she had no plans of returning to Atlas - at least, not alone.

Fortunately, she’d left the bulk of the crowds behind several blocks ago and was now walking through less populated areas of Vacuo. She was grateful for the space, as it allowed her to clear her mind of distractions and focus on her destination, which was just up ahead.

Nestled in the middle of the block was a small restaurant with equal parts outdoor and indoor seating. It was moderately busy at the moment, but not overly crowded. The lunch rush must’ve ended hours ago, and now the restaurant was in that peculiar state somewhere between lunch and dinner.

There were plenty of empty tables outside - a sign that she could be seated right away. The patio was covered by a generous number of large, white-and-red striped umbrellas that provided respite from the sun. The shade was less necessary on a pleasant day such as this, but wouldn’t be unwelcome over the course of a long meal. 

A hostess was standing behind a thin podium positioned at the entrance to the restaurant - the young girl looking quite bored by her current duties as she examined her fingernails. Paying the girl no mind, Weiss’ eyes swept the rest of the people visible within the confines of the patio and through the glass windows to the interior of the café. 

From the limited information she’d gathered, this was the right time of day to pay a visit - towards the end of the lunch shift when the dinner servers were close to arriving to handle the evening rush.

Weiss checked every table, marking them off one-by-one in search of -

Her feet abruptly stopped moving, opting instead to freeze to the sidewalk while her mouth went suddenly dry. Her heart pounded as the unquenchable longing she’d held at bay for so long was unlocked and set free in her chest. All this time, she’d been under the impression that she knew what to expect, but the emotions burgeoning inside of her were unexpectedly powerful in a wonderful, incredible way she could never get enough of.

The waiting - and the searching - were finally over.

Flying out of the restaurant with a plate of food in each hand, a young brunette zipped over to a table and set each meal in front of its respective owner. After exchanging a few words and more than enough smiles, the girl dashed to another set of diners to check on how they were doing. 

She wasn’t stingy with those smiles, which were bright enough to lift Weiss’ spirit from a distance. Her movements never stopped, and there was a skip that found its way into every step - as if there was something truly enjoyable about rushing around a café in the mid-afternoon.

She was different - it was painfully obvious to anyone who bothered looking that this girl was different from the rest. She had an aura that shone far more brilliantly than anyone around her. She was, in a single word, incomparable.

After taking a deep breath did nothing to quell the excitement tingling through her veins, Weiss spurred her feet to carry her over to the hostess anyway. The young girl finally looked away from her fingernails and even managed a smile when she noticed Weiss’ approach.

“Hey! Welcome to Stella’s - just one today?” Making an assumption on the answer, the hostess pulled one menu from the stack on her podium.

“Yes, just one,” Weiss answered with a polite smile. “If possible, I’d like to sit in that waitress’ section.”

Surprised by the special request, the hostess followed the direction of Weiss’ point and located the waitress being referred to.

“You want to sit in Ruby’s section?” the girl clarified, to which Weiss nodded her head and failed to suppress a full smile at the name.

“Yes,” she repeated, her eyes getting caught on Ruby as she buzzed past. “I’d like to sit in Ruby’s section.”

Saying the name out loud was always incredible, but speaking it here - where a louder voice might be overheard by the name’s very owner - was indescribable.

“Uh, ok,” the hostess responded before waving to the patio. “Is outside ok?”

Weiss merely nodded before being led to a small, two-person table bordering the sidewalk. After laying the menu in front of one of the chairs, the hostess left with a quick, routine, “Your server will be right with you!” and nothing else. There was no inquiry made into why Weiss made the specific request of server, but there rarely was. If her motives had been questioned, she’d prepared a foolproof explanation - that they were old friends, and she was there as a surprise. 

Both were true, in a sense.

Taking her seat, Weiss pushed the menu away as her anticipation built. She wasn’t nervous, per se, and why would she be when she had a plan? Not just one plan, but innumerable plans she could call upon if needed.

She wasn’t nervous - she was expectant and excited. But, as impatient as she was to move past this introduction, she reminded herself that this wasn’t all for her - that there was a reason to proceed slowly and carefully. At one point she hadn’t been as patient, but today she was able to call upon the calm of experience to hold her eagerness at a reasonable level.

That being said, even though her eagerness was held at a reasonable level, that didn’t mean her knee stopped bouncing up and down underneath the table while waiting.

After delivering another set of plates, Ruby glanced around the patio and caught Weiss’ eyes. The casual gaze was still enough for Weiss’ heart to race - the rhythm growing faster as Ruby cut through the tables, managing to trip over an empty chair before righting herself and arriving by Weiss’ side.

The moment had arrived - and Weiss could hardly breathe.

“Hey! How’s it going?” Still blushing from her near tumble, Ruby’s signature smile still appeared while she pulled a small pad of paper and a pen out of her black apron. “Is it just you today?”

“For now,” Weiss answered, smiling up at Ruby and wishing beyond wishes that it was socially acceptable to kiss someone you’d just met.

But patience was a virtue - one that Weiss had learned over time. It allowed her to put off her own desires in favor of accepting Ruby’s smile, which - on its own - was enough to restore Weiss’ heart and soul in a single instant.

“Cool!” For an instant, Ruby’s smile grew a little brighter before settling back to its base state. “Well, I’m Ruby, and I’ll be your server today!”

“Nice to meet you, Ruby,” Weiss replied, dipping her head in greeting. “I’m Weiss.”

It was unorthodox to provide a name back to a waitress, but Weiss did it anyway. As patient as she was, she wanted Ruby to have her name as soon as possible.

“Weiss,” Ruby repeated, mulling over the name before nodding her head. “That’s a really pretty name!”

The first response that popped into Weiss’ head was ‘It’s even prettier when you say it.’ Fortunately, she held her tongue and silently cursed a certain playful blonde for being such a bad influence.

“Thank you,” she replied instead. “Ruby is a very pretty name, too.”

“Eh, I guess.” Shrugging off the compliment with a modest blush, Ruby grinned again and tapped Weiss’ menu. “Do you know what you want?”

Hearing another inappropriate response flicker through her head, Weiss did her best to turn off that spigot of unfortunate pickup lines for the rest of the day. None of those were useful to her right now. They might be later, but she needed a better feel for Ruby’s personality first.

“I’m actually not sure,” Weiss said, glancing at the menu she hadn’t even opened before returning Ruby’s gaze once more. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Oh, totally! The meatball sub is amazing - I’d recommend that if you’re into sandwiches.” Weiss very nearly laughed at the suggestion, which was absolutely something Ruby would enjoy. Thankfully, Ruby suddenly realized she was speaking to someone who wasn’t exactly a meatball sub type of girl and stammered on. “O-or, I mean, if that’s not your thing, I’ve heard the tuna salad is really good.”

Ruby’s nerves were encouraging, and hopefully suggested what Weiss thought they did. She had put extra time and effort into selecting the perfect outfit for today - a nice white blouse with striking black buttons that paired perfectly with a white skirt and boots.

She didn’t want to make Ruby nervous, but she wanted to ensure Ruby noticed her. When she crossed her legs and Ruby glanced down before immediately averting her gaze and blushing, it looked like that mission had been successful.

“Do you mean a tuna salad sandwich?” Weiss asked, greatly enjoying the blush on Ruby’s cheeks. “Or tuna on a salad?”

“Oh! Uh, right.” Re-finding her smile, Ruby met Weiss’ eyes again. “I mean tuna salad. I mean, tuna on a salad.”

This time Weiss couldn’t help but laugh at the adorable fumbles, while planning on bringing up this conversation again at a much later date. ‘Do you remember repeatedly offering me tuna salad?’ 

Not at all ashamed to laugh at herself, Ruby chuckled along too, running a hand through her short brown hair and resuming that smile.

“That sounds good,” Weiss answered. “I’ll have the tuna salad.”

“Great!” Ruby was about to write the words down on her pad of paper before freezing and giving Weiss a second glance. “Wait. Do you want a salad, or do you want it as a sandwich?”

None of Weiss’ numerous plans had anything to do with tuna salad sandwiches, but that’s what made this so incredible - Ruby always came up with something that lay outside of Weiss’ realms of planning. After so much time that should be impossible, yet...it continued to happen.

“That’s up to you,” Weiss replied, turning this amusing situation into a little test of what Ruby would do.

At first, Ruby looked like she wanted to ask another question, but instead she smiled, jotted a note down on her paper, and stuck it back in her apron.

“You got it! Oh! And what do you want to drink?”

“Water’s fine.” 

“Ok, then I’ll be right back.” Backing away from the table, Ruby nearly collided into another server whisking behind her. “Oh - my bad!” she apologized before shooting Weiss one last smile and hurrying off. Weiss watched Ruby leave and smiled all the while. 

It was so refreshing to be back together again, like it always was. Ruby was this incredible breath of fresh air that swept away all the bad in Weiss’ life. Now that Weiss was here, it didn’t matter what was happening in Atlas or anywhere else in the world. All that mattered was Ruby - figuring out what she was like and what she was willing to accept.

Weiss had been pleasantly surprised when she learned that Ruby was working as a waitress in Vacuo. Being in the service industry, it was Ruby’s job to speak to people - this made it much easier for Weiss to strike up a conversation without seeming out of place.

If she needed to, she’d come back to this restaurant every single day - starting trivial conversations and ordering tuna salads - for as long as it was necessary. But, from their initial greeting, she was beginning to think that that plan wouldn’t be necessary. What she’d learned so far was that Ruby was just as adorable as ever, just as prone to smiling, just as prone to laughing, and just as prone to making a slight fool of herself.

There were a million reasons to wait, but there were a million reasons to see if Ruby was willing to accept the unexpected.

When Ruby reappeared from inside the restaurant carrying a glass of water, Weiss straightened in her seat and watched intently. Ruby tripped over her feet once while navigating through the maze of tables, but managed to catch her balance without spilling anything and made it the rest of the way unscathed.

“Here you go, Weiss!” she said, setting down the glass and grinning as she hurried towards another table motioning for her attention. “I’ll bring your tuna salad out as soon as it’s ready!”

Hearing Ruby say her name out loud put Weiss in a temporary state of blissful paralysis, her mouth permanently frozen in a smile while her mind replayed the moment over and over again. It may seem silly that such a simple action made her so happy, but she’d accepted long ago that Ruby affected her in ways no one else could.

It was in this blissful state that Weiss took a sip of water and watched what was going on around her. There were several other people - mostly couples - sitting on the patio, and a good flow of foot traffic on the sidewalk just outside, but she found everything else horribly mundane compared to the bubbly brunette zipping around.

It was always a mystery how other people missed it. How did they miss the radiance shining from within Ruby, brighter than anyone else around her? She glowed with compassion and kindness, and selflessness fueled her every step.

Weiss might go blind one day from staring too often at such brilliance, but it would be worth it if Ruby was the last thing she ever saw.

The restaurant was only modestly busy, yet Ruby buzzed from place-to-place with never-ending energy and motion. She had a smile for anyone and everyone, as well as easy laughter that lifted the entire atmosphere of the patio. Besides doing her own job, she helped the other servers every few minutes - carrying trays of food, delivering requested compliments, and clearing off dishes when customers left.

Weiss was staring rather openly at the moment, but she didn’t think she could stop. But there wasn’t a reason to stop when Ruby glanced over every few minutes, blushing every time their gazes met.

Just when Weiss started feeling antsy - wanting them to speak again - she saw Ruby walk out of the restaurant with a single plate in her hands. As Ruby navigated towards Weiss’ table, Weiss smiled out of pure relief and excitement for whatever the impending interaction would bring.

“Hey Weiss!” Ruby said, using Weiss’ name again and sending butterflies fluttering through her chest. “Here ya go -”

After Ruby set down the plate, Weiss looked at her lunch and nearly laughed at what she found.

“I had the chef make the sandwich for you!” Ruby explained. “Cuz it’s not actually on the menu.”

Sitting next to the tuna salad sandwich - made as a special order - was a bowl containing the ahi tuna salad Ruby had originally suggested.

“You’re something else,” Weiss replied, grinning up at Ruby and shaking her head in amusement. “This is lovely. Thank you.”

“Oh, sure - no problem!” Waving one hand, Ruby blew out a breath of air - managing to look nonchalant even though her cheeks were turning red. “It’s no big deal, really. Just doin’ my job!”

“And doing it well.”

The compliment succeeded in deeping Ruby’s blush.

“Ah, uh, I’m glad you think so,” she managed to get out, slowly backing away from the table and gesturing over her shoulder. “I should probably see if anyone else needs help, but...let me know if you need anything?”

At Ruby’s hopeful gaze, Weiss nodded as she picked up her fork.

“I definitely will.”

Satisfied with that answer, Ruby grinned before hurrying off - looking slightly lost for a second before finally picking a direction and going to check on another table. Weiss chuckled at the flustered behavior while eating at her salad and watching Ruby get back to work.

Now that they were in each other’s space, Weiss felt content in a way she never had before. It was amazing and freeing at the same time. It was a peaceful acceptance that happiness was nearby - that Ruby was nearby.

Cutting the sandwich in half, Weiss took a bite and found that it was surprisingly good - at least, it was something she would order again if she had a craving for a tuna salad sandwich.

The thought of someone craving a tuna sandwich immediately brought Weiss’ mind to Blake - who this lunch would be absolutely perfect for. Thinking about Blake gnawed at Weiss’ heart, causing a restlessness with the current situation to grow. She was patient, but she would love to be having lunch with Blake at the moment - the two of them talking about their lives and commiserating over the crazy partners they had. 

But patience was a virtue, and Weiss had learned to be patient. She was more than happy to move at whatever pace Ruby needed. But when Ruby was exhibiting signs that she might be open to hearing what Weiss had to say sooner rather than later...

If there was an opportunity to skip this introductory phase and move right to getting to know each other in a more intimate fashion, Weiss was going to make full use of it. It wasn’t impatience. It was judicious judgement of Ruby’s acceptance to peculiar happenings.

Nibbling at her lunch, Weiss considered her options. From the flustered behavior, it seemed that she already had Ruby’s attention. From here, it shouldn’t take much work to embark upon a traditional relationship - beginning with small talk and working their way up to unconditional love. The process would take time, but they had plenty of time.

Or...Weiss could take a calculated leap of faith and tell Ruby now. They could skip the beginning parts of a relationship and start somewhere in the middle, that much closer to the unconditional love side of things. 

What was the worst that could happen? Ruby might think she was crazy, but honestly, she’d worked her way back from worse than that. So when she said she was willing to be patient...she really meant that she would give Ruby as much time as needed...after explaining the truth about their connection.

Spotting the object of her affections heading to a nearby table, Weiss pushed her plate an inch away to symbolize she was finished. Almost on cue, Ruby finished speaking with the other pair of diners before walking over.

“Are you done?” she asked, gesturing towards the partially-eaten sandwich and salad.

“Yes. It was marvelous, but quite a lot for me.”

“Do you want me to box it up?”

“No, thank you. But feel free -” Weiss waved towards the half of sandwich, which she specifically cut cleanly with the knife so that she could offer it to the perpetually hungry girl. This was the final test, albeit a small one. Would Ruby accept the offer of food from a relative stranger? If she was willing to do that…

“I'll totally take you up on that,” Ruby replied with a laugh. “l have like no food at home right now.”

That sounded like the perfect opening for a dinner invitation, but Weiss held her tongue. Instead, she smiled while Ruby reached for the plate and embraced the excitement rushing through her veins. Admittedly, she loved this part - when she could finally put the truth out in the open and then help guide Ruby through the process of believing it was true.

“How's your sister?” Weiss asked, elaborating when Ruby gave her a curious glance. “How's Yang doing?”

“Oh, she's doing great!”

Regardless of their past difficulties, Weiss was happy to hear that Yang was doing well. While an eternity with Ruby was a blessing, the ever-present addition of Yang might be a curse - or so Weiss liked to claim. In actuality, Yang was like a sister to her...as annoying and frustrating as that may sometimes be.

“Has she found Blake yet?” Weiss asked, her heart lifting when Ruby chuckled at the question.

“They've been together since like...the beginning of high school. Yang's actually gonna propose soon!”

As soon as the words slipped out, Ruby cringed and looked around to see if anyone overheard.

“Shoot. l was supposed to keep that a secret...”

Weiss smiled at the answer, happy that the two had found each other so early. Personally, she found it much easier to deal with Yang when Blake was already in the picture. There was something about Blake's influence that...calmed Yang, in a way. She could still be a handful at times, but she had far more restraint when Blake was nearby.

“Don't worry,” Weiss replied, giving Ruby a reassuring wink. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Ruby beamed at the reply, but then her brow furrowed as she caught on to something important.

“Wait - how do you know Yang?”

If time could slow down, it would after that question. 

This was it. The moment of truth.

“l know her through you,” Weiss answered, using honesty now so it was easier to remember the story later. “Because she's your sister, I inevitably end up spending lots of time with her.”

For an instant, it looked like Ruby was going to nod - as if the explanation made sense to her, seeing as how she and Yang were practically attached at the hip. But she froze in the midst of that nod while her confusion doubled.

“But...we've never met before.”

“Are you sure about that?” The question came out teasing and coy, which was a bit of a mistake on Weiss' part. In the midst of confusion, Ruby took it seriously and searched for an answer. 

“l mean, yeah! I'm positive I'd remember someone as prett - uh, I mean, nice as you.”

The slip-up unleashed another set of butterflies in Weiss’ chest while she silently congratulated herself on a successful outfit. This was precisely why she always took extra time to pick out something perfect. She loved catching Ruby’s eye and imagination.

“You’re right, in a way,” Weiss replied, watching intently as she prepared to deliver the truth. “I haven't met you in this life - that doesn't mean I haven't met you in others.”

With the words out in the open, Ruby stared in jaw-dropped surprise. Weiss smiled in an attempt to alleviate some of the disbelief, but it was only after several moments of silence passed that Ruby shook her head and tried to respond.

“Uh, what? Are you're saying...that we've met in past lives…?”

The tone suggested that Ruby was on the verge of thinking Weiss was crazy, but she was fully prepared to deal with that label if she needed to.

“Yes,” she answered. “Exactly. We’ve met in past lives - many, many past lives. I know you don’t remember them, but I do. I remember all of them - and I remember that we’re together in each one.”

For the longest time, Ruby just stared - but that was a good sign, and only proved Weiss’ decision more correct. If Ruby wasn’t willing to believe, she would’ve already scoffed and written off the idea as crazy. If she didn’t want to believe, she would’ve played it off as a joke.

Instead, she stared, and Weiss smiled. She really did love this part. Actually, she loved everything after the searching was over. As long as they were near each other in some capacity - even if it was only as friends - she felt whole again.

“Ruby?” 

The voice tore Ruby’s attention away, towards another server walking over - the same waitress Ruby had helped multiple times this afternoon. 

“Can you help me with a new table?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Ruby mumbled, glancing back at Weiss with surprise still swimming in her eyes. “So, uh…”

“I’m willing to explain it further, if you’d like,” Weiss offered before Ruby could walk away. 

Ruby thought about the offer for only a second before nodding.

“l get off in fifteen minutes,” she said, and almost walked away before stopping and picking up Weiss’ plate of food. “I’ll, uh...I’ll be back.” 

With that said, Ruby hurried into the restaurant and flew out a few seconds later with the plate no longer in her hands. With a big smile, she accompanied the other server - who, based on her general uncertainty around people, must be relatively new - to a group of diners. Ruby led the conversation for a few seconds, got the entire table to laugh about something, and then handed the duties over to the other waitress. 

As soon as that was done, Ruby shot a glance towards Weiss, blushed, and went about finishing up with tables she had left. Another waitress joined the rotation of servers buzzing in and out of the restaurant, and this new server went over to Ruby’s tables as Ruby disappeared inside. 

Only when Ruby was out of sight did Weiss lean back in her seat and tap her fingers against the table, lost in thought. In her experience, that went really well. There was no freak out, no rapid questions, no instant disbelief - there was nothing, really. And nothing was a great sign. Nothing meant that Ruby was willing to listen.

Weiss was willing to talk, that was for sure. She was more than willing to explain as much of their story as Ruby was willing to hear.

It was only a few minutes before Ruby excited the restaurant - this time without her work apron and with a casual red zip-up. Upon seeing her, Weiss’ heart beat faster in anticipation. 

For a split second, she worried that Ruby might decide to leave - to categorize Weiss as crazy and leave both her and the restaurant behind - but then Ruby altered her course, walked over to the table, and sat down in the seat across from Weiss.

Looking at Ruby, Weiss was drawn to other memories just like this - sitting outside at a café together - but focused on this particular one, wishing to save as much of it as possible.

“So...were you just messing with me earlier?” Ruby asked, pulling at her sleeve before meeting Weiss’ eyes.

“No,” Weiss answered, shaking her head but finding it impossible not to smile at the conversation they were having. “I’m completely serious - we’re destined to be together, in every universe.”

Ruby nodded and opened her mouth - leaving it open for quite a long time while rapid thoughts flitted through expressive silver eyes that Weiss had spent years dreaming about. Eventually, the emotions Ruby settled upon were...miffed and confused, but not upset.

“I mean, isn’t that something you tell someone after you’ve known each other for a while?” she finally asked, her voice rising with a bit of a whine. 

The response only made Weiss chuckle. This was turning out even better than she could have hoped for - and she couldn’t wait to tell Ruby even more.

“I don’t always tell you right away,” Weiss replied, resisting the urge to reach across the table and hold Ruby’s hand. “Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes you believe me, sometimes you don’t. That doesn’t change our relationship, in the end.”

Savoring the furrowed brow and perplexed gaze, she waited patiently for Ruby to digest those words.

“How do you decide then?” Ruby asked. “Why tell me now? Was it, like, because of the tuna salad thing?”

“No, although that was super adorable.” Smiling when Ruby’s cheeks turned a satisfying shade of pink, Weiss carried on. “I normally decide based on the clues you give me -”

“So what kind of clues did I give you?” Ruby quickly asked.

“You’re open, honest, and receptive. I think you’ll believe me - or at least, not run away.”

Ruby nodded at the response, as if it was what she’d expected.

“Yang says I’m too trusting.” 

“You usually are,” Weiss agreed, not minding that fact one bit. Ruby’s faith in the world was one of the traits that set her apart from everyone else. Sometimes it got her into trouble, but often it was part of what made her incredible.

“So...you remember every time we’ve met,” Ruby said. “Theoretically.”

“I do.”

“How many times are we talkin’ about? Like ten? A hundred? A thousand?”

With every subsequent number, Weiss’ smile grew. 

“More than you can imagine,” she replied, her smile growing even larger when Ruby’s mouth dropped and formed a nearly perfect ‘o’ of surprise.

“A lot then?”

Sometimes, Weiss wished she was better at hiding her emotions when Ruby was around. But it was impossible, and at this moment she didn’t care. Instead, she beamed and nodded her head while thinking about how many lives ‘a lot’ added up to.

“Yes. A lot.”

Blowing a breath through her lips, Ruby looked like she was going to collapse back into her seat, but scooted even closer instead.

“Ok, sorry, but like...how is that even possible??”

“That’s something I don’t have the answer to,” Weiss answered honestly. As much as she searched for the cause of all of this, most of the time she was perfectly fine not knowing. If she’d been granted a magnificent gift, why would she question it? Why not accept that she was blessed and spend her time enjoying Ruby’s company?

“I can only tell you what I know,” she added, “So feel free to ask me anything.”

“Uh…ok…” Ruby replied, looking around the patio of the restaurant as if there might be clues written around them. “I guess, like, how did this start?”

“What do you mean?” Weiss asked in return.

“When’s the first time we met? There's gotta be a beginning to this, right? I mean, assuming it’s true.”

Weiss grinned at the question - which was brilliantly on point. Every story was best told from the beginning, and this story was no different.

“Are you asking me to tell you about the first time we fell in love?” she asked, watching Ruby’s cheeks flush and her eyes lower to the table.

“I mean, I guess…”

“I’ll tell you,” Weiss said, her excitement building at the prospect of revisiting this memory together. “But it was in a world far different from our own…”