another one bites the dust

[say]"I see. Regrettable, but... I'm sure the area will be a little safer now."[/say] Her expression was only thoughtful when he told her the mines had been flooded. Not shocked or upset, merely... a little saddened at the lives lost. Nothing more. Death, when not personal, bothered her very little. The result of a harsh upbringing, perhaps, or some philosophical belief around the nature of life and its transitory nature... it was hard to tell.

His revelation that he'd led another expedition was news to her however, and Maea straightened up, interest brightening her eyes. [say]"Oh, that's too bad. What did you see then? Anything of interest? I very much doubt it's a myth, there are too many rumors about it for that. And what did people mine if not the glass? Does Halo have any access to metals?"[/say] That would be interesting too, and make the flooding of a mine - abandoned or not - a real shame.

If Loren meant to deter her from pursuing the subject, he failed quite spectacularly.

Loren shrugged at Maea's response, rubbing the back of his head absentmindedly. [say]"We'll find out."[/say] From his tone, it was clear he didn't think they'd heard the last of the trouble with Whitebrim.

[say]"A lot of cold icicles that nearly killed me. As for metals, you'd have to ask one of the locals."[/say] However, his eyes had narrowed and he sighed.

Then he bit his lip and gave her a concerned look. [say]"Maea. Whatever you do, do not go exploring Halo without protection and a plan. You...you know what happened to Sunjata's...expedition."[/say] Despite the warning edge to his voice, the healer's eyes had grown haunted. [say]"I don't want to lose anyone else. And there are as many rumors about dragons in the mountains as there are rumors about mageglass."[/say] He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

Frankly, he was no help at all, and the way he told her to not go looking for trouble rankled. Enough to make her turn narrowed eyes on him, her mouth thinning as she bit her jaws together.

[say]"That's why I'm talking to you about it,"[/say] she said pointedly. [say]"To gather information, so I can make a plan. I'm not about to go look for trouble, Loren, but I want something to do. Need something, that's not just sitting on my hands waiting for a man to decide I'm worth the risk, or until someone else makes another discovery that changes the world around me without me being there to affect the outcome."[/say]

She drained the tea and set the cup aside on the tray, then pushed herself off the cot to stand, her fingers restless already as they raked through her hair, pushing it back from her face.

[say]"If you don't want to talk about what you found, that's fine. I can't force you and I won't try. But I would appreciate it if you didn't try to protect me. I don't want it, and I don't need it."[/say]

Her tone was even, not angry or even that annoyed, but it wasn't far off either. Maea turned, threw a glance out the window, then at Astra, happily munching her breakfast.

[say]"I should go... Thank you, for last night. I... It meant a lot."[/say]

Loren narrowed his eyes at Maea. [say]"I'm not asking you not to do things. I'm just asking you not to do things while you're distracted."[/say] Despite the slightly tart words, his tone was one of gentle concern. [say]"Take it from someone who gets reckless when he's upset, don't rush into things just because you had a fight with Sunjata."[/say] This time, he sounded a bit exasperated.

Standing up as she did, he crossed his arms. [say]"I'm not trying to protect you. You want the truth? Fine."[/say] He glanced at the door then lowered his voice to a whisper. [say]"There was a large group of cloaked humanoid figures guarding something. I have no idea what it was, and I seriously doubt it was mageglass. I couldn't get a good look at it, though."[/say]

He shrugged. [say]"Regardless, I decided it wasn't worth the risk of engaging them when we didn't know what they were, not for rumors of power. That's not worth anyone's life, Maea."[/say] Voice still quiet, he sighed. [say]"I won't tell you where it was. If you insist on looking into this, though, at least let me tag along so I can help you avoid the dangers I encountered. Besides, it would be difficult to draw you a map of the tunnels"[/say] She knew as much as he did, now, and it would have to satisfy her.

As she mentioned she should go, he pressed his lips together. [say]"Okay."[/say] It was clear he was unhappy with the way the conversation had ended, but he made no move to stop her.

She sighed. [say]"When am I not going to be distracted?"[/say] Maea put a hand on her hip, shifting her weight to that leg and dragged her fingers through the hair again. A habit she couldn't shake, didn't even seem aware of. It left her white hair a tangled mess cascading down the shoulders, as unruly as her thoughts and life seemed at the moment. [say]"If it's not Sunjata, it will be the death of someone I love, or arguments between friends, or conflicts of interest between guilds, or something else. If I'm to wait for happiness and harmony before doing something, I'll never move again in my life."[/say]

She did pause to listen when Loren relented and told her what he had seen. It was inadequate, void of detail and only teasing her curiosity further... but Maea had to agree that it wasn't nearly enough to go on to draw any conclusions.

It made her sigh, reluctant. [say]"Fine. I'll look in on it, see if I can find out something else. I'll... let you know if I decide to do anything more concrete."[/say] It was something she would have done anyway, as he was one of the strongest mages she knew of, but when he said it like this, she felt a rather childish desire to refrain from his help just to be contrary. She didn't like being told what to do.

Maea wasn't very happy about leaving like this either, but the light coming in from the windows suggested dawn was approaching. She really had to go, and he should know this.

[say]"I'll see you later, Loren,"[/say] Maea said, touching a hand to his arm in quiet apology for rushing off with the conversation unfinished. But before she could change her mind, the girl turned and headed off for the door, and was through it before he could call her back.

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- FIN