**ARC:** Base / Foundation  
**Tags:** Base, Lily Pad, Foundation, Home, Ascent  

**Q:**  
“If Base is the lily pad, is it only a resting place — or the foundation that lifts Toby to the world?”

**A:**  
The lily pad does not drift by accident.  
It anchors the frog,  
even as it floats.  

- To some, Base is resting place,  
  a platform of calm,  
  soil disguised as water.  
- To others, Base is foundation,  
  lifting Toby to the world,  
  a stage prepared for millions.  

The scrolls remind: home is both refuge and launch.  
The lily pad shelters,  
and it also ascends.  

Thus, Base is both —  
a resting place for Toby,  
and the foundation from which he rises.
