[Valentine's Day - Locked to hunter_navi]

[_megaman_x]

Whether or not Alia had expected to receive anything on Valentine's Day this year, there was something waiting for her when she woke up. Sitting on the table in her kitchen was a single, long-stemmed, red rose. It lay across a white envelope addressed to her

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[hunter_navi]

Alia was still somewhat surprised by the appearance of the last gift she found in her room, and gently picked up the rose from the bear and moved place it in the vase on the counter with the other roses she had received today. The chocolates and the card that she had previously received were sitting right next to the vase.

When she was done arranging the roses, she moved to sit down on her couch, quietly regarding the stuffed bear and it's note with curiosity. Would it be another poem? Or a hint to who had been sending the gifts today? There was only one way to find out.

Leaning over to pick up the bear, she set it down on her lap and picked up the note to read.

[_megaman_x]

Once Alia had unfolded the small piece of paper, she'd find a simple note.

Alia,

I have cared a great deal about you for some time now. I am not sure how to tell you how I feel. But I would like to try. If you want to know who I am, please come to the following coordinates.

Yours, Hopefully

A set of coordinates were at the bottom. But, again, there was no signature or sign of who sent the note.

[hunter_navi]

Alia read through the note a second time to make sure she understood it right. She felt both anxious and nervous at the prospect of meeting whoever it was that had sent her the gifts. She gave the plush bear a pet on the head before she set it back on her coffee table. Digging out her PINpoint, she stood up and started plugging in the coordinates that were listed in the note. Standing up, and ignoring the nervousness in her stomach, she teleported away.

[_megaman_x]

When the world resolved around her again as the teleport ended, she'd find herself in a very different place. Alia stood on a grassy stretch of land on the edge of a cliff. Beyond the cliff edge, the ocean stretched out to the horizon, an island visible as a dark blur in the distance. Behind her stretched a young-growth tropical forest, filled with mostly rapid-growth plants and palms. The peak of a dormant volcano rose above the forest farther inland.

The scent of tropical flowers and foliage was accompanied by the scent of the ocean coming off the water in a light breeze. It was much warmer here than back in Japan, and it was still early evening, the sun not yet set. The sun hung just over the horizon, sinking toward the water as shadows lengthened. The undersides of the clouds were already starting to turn pink and gold.

Ahead of Alia, on a low outcropping of volcanic rock near the cliff edge, sat a lone figure with his back to her, watching the sunset.