Winter wonderland

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

It had stopped snowing. A pale winter sun hung low over a landscape blanketed in white and illuminated the glittering expanse in shades of blue and gold. Not a cloud could be seen. Only the faintest haze of frost hung about the maze, that would become unpleasant and dangerous once the sun set. But for a while longer the light offered the barest hint of warmth, that allowed for fire born birds to frolic just a little while longer.

Without wind to carry her upward, Maea had to work for every inch of ground she made. The crow was not really a glider. Her wings were more suited to agility and acrobatics, to wind her way through dense woodlands and narrow cliff crevices, and crossing great distances made her chest muscles burned from lack of practice. The labyrinth below offered some variation at least; she could entertain herself by following the winding patterns of thorny hedges, where late roses hung ice-coated beneath caps of snow - made white as her feathers by the season.

A shadow followed in her wake. It was pleasant, having someone to fly with, and she was learning much just by watching and imitating her teacher. Young as he was, Edmund was not a bad teacher.

Maea

Edmund happily soared up and down, staying close to Maea but allowing her the room to spread her wings and learn. It may have been the innate instinct that comes with a shift, but the older Ancient was doing just fine. When she seemed to struggle momentarily and lost momentum, he came to her side with a strong flap and showed Maea how to maneuver her wings and tail to regain it. Shie picked it up swiftly and was back to gracefully flying over the winding trails. Flying with a partner was honestly far more fun than Edmund had expected. Gore crows were often found in groups, so maybe they could convince the other Ancients with the shift to join them next time. Edmund dark wings, shadowed soul

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

With practice came confidence, and Maea did nothing if not practice the use of her wings. One of the reasons why she was picking up the secrets of flight at such a pace had to be because she loved it so much. The swooping sensation in her gut when the wind caught hold and swept her upward, the way the landscape shrank beneath her and revealed the soft curve of the horizon far, far away and the giddy elation of falling back towards the earth with wind whispering over her feathers - all things that let her forget everything but the present for the sheer wonder of it all. The only reason why she wasn't spending every waking moment in the air was the cold, and it was the reason why she eventually steered their path towards the center of the labyrinth.

From the air, the Queen's Gambit was easy enough to navigate and it took little to no time to reach the pyre that burned at its center. Teasing Edmund by cutting in front of him, the white crow tried to urge him into a game of flying through the blazing fire. Seeing as they were fireproof it wouldn't do anything to their feathers, and the warmth was very much a welcome bonus.

Maea

It took a moment for Edmund to realize what Maea was trying to do. But when he did, he let out an enthusiastic 'caw' and dove after her. Swooping low, he tucked his wings in. The young Ancient shot through the flames, letting the fire flicker along his feathers before snapping his wings out to catch the air. Rising up, Edmund did a happy loop as he regained altitude. Embers fell away like a fiery tail as he circled the Eye before diving back in. It was exhilarating to bathe himself in fire and see how high he could get the trailing embers to go before they dissipated into the wind. Childishly, Edmund wondered if this was what it was like to be a phoenix. Edmund dark wings, shadowed soul

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

It was bliss. The warmth from the pyre gave lift to the air beneath her wings and sent Maea shooting up much faster than she had expected. The sonorous caws rolling from her open beak sounded a lot like laughter, interspersed with 'ooh'ing sounds when she saw Edmund's play at being a firebird.

Mimicking him for a while, it was only the fatigue spreading through her muscles that eventually brought an end to the game. Circling down towards the ground, Maea shifted back to her usual self and rubbed at sore spots beneath her collarbones.

"No one told me that new shifts came with muscle ache," she lamented, offering her companion a rueful smile. "How long did it take you to get used to this?"

Maea

Edmund dove down and shifted beside her, letting out a small laugh. "My hypothesis is that because you don't have the same muscles in your normal form, the ones that you do have ache more to make up for it. Otherwise, your wing muscles would already be sore when you shifted at a later date." He didn't have any proof or even evidence, but the concept was how he'd wrapped his mind around the experience. "You get used to it as you gain strength. You've never worked yourself in this way before." Edmund smiled reassuringly, "It won't take too long, however." Edmund Reborn In Fire

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

"I already look forward to it!" she laughed. Rolling her shoulders and swinging the arms to ease the tension, Maea strolled curiously around the pyre. Either someone was feeding it regularly or there was something magical going on. It wasn't something that she could pick up on, but it intrigued the Loreseeker in her nonetheless.

"Is this what the guild does?" she wondered, looking over her shoulder at Edmund. "Simply going to places we haven't been before?" It was so simple in a way, yet also frustratingly aimless. Knowing the world was good, and simply having fun was also good, but what was it that kept these people together? It would be just as easy to head out on your own; perhaps not safer, but... well, she supposed safe was a good enough reason.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

Edmund watched the pyre with hypnotized eyes. If he squinted, he could almost make out shapes in the flickering flames. Reaching out, he ran a hand through as he listened to Maea with a soft smile, "Good." It was wonderful to see her so excited about being an Ancient. He chuckled at her question and reluctantly drew his hand out of the flames to focus on the conversation, "Partially. Exploring is the majority of it. But other parts include taking back knowledge and or items to the guild. Findings are documented when people remember to do so. And the items are either kept or put up for trade in the guild's shop. We also take commissions if an organization or government needs us to look into something. For example, Hadama and Torchline commissioned us not too long ago to investigate the crash site." Thad had been an eventful day of equipment breaking and constant teasing. His tone grew wistful, "I was hoping to build up a library of gathered knowledge in the guildhall, too. I actually wanted to talk to you about that." Edmund met Maea's eyes solemnly, "I'm not sure if I can stay the Guildmaster. My brother is...he's going through something at the moment, and he needs me. I don't have the time and energy to run the guild properly. I know you're new, but with your experience with the Loreseerkers, I think you would do a great job. What do you think about taking over for the foreseeable future?" It was a heavy ask, one that he didn't make lightly or without deep thought. But Jude needed him right now, more so than ever. Edmund Reborn In Fire

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

Maea stood stunned, struggling to process. Not because she didn't understand, but rather because... well, it really was a big committment. Did she even want it? Between the job she had assigned herself and the one she'd been entrusted with, she had to think about whether she even had time to spare.

"I... am honored that you would consider me," she replied slowly. "As you know, I have some prior committments that will take presedence... but if that is alright, and if the guild members don't object, I'll do my best to keep it afloat. Until you have time to come back. How does that sound?"

Scanning the young man's face, Maea admitted to being impressed by his decision. It wasn't easy to prioritize others ahead of yourself, and clearly this guild meant a lot to him.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!

It was a heavy ask and Edmund would entirely understand if Maea said no. He would have to come up with another solution then, but he would find one. Still, the guild deserved a present and dedicated Guildmaster and that was something that the young Ancient couldn't offer at the moment. He waited anxiously for the Loreseeker to make her decision. When it came, a tension in Edmund's shoulders deflated with a relieved sigh. "That sounds perfect. Thank you so much, Maea." He felt like he could finally breathe, secure in the knowledge that his guild wouldn't fall apart. He could focus on Jude and help his little brother heal his emotional scars. "Truly, thank you. When we get back, I can show you where all of the guild's documents are and explain what running a guild entails logistically." Edmund Reborn In Fire

Maea

I feel it in the wind, my dear
The sun is gonna reappear

"Please, that would be extremely helpful." His relief was so palpable that she reached out to pat him on thr shoulder. If anything, Maea felt bad for not being able to promise the guild her heart and soul."If it's not too presumptuous, I also feel that you should explain the situation to your - our - guild members. They deserve to know why a newcomer was put in charge over any of them."

The last thing she needed or desired was ruffled feathers and potential mutiny within the guild. It would be good to hold an in person meeting once the shift had become official too... A resigned laugh issued from her. "Looks like I'll be busy this coming year," she prophecised, following sparks from the pyre towards the sky.

Good days are gonna come along
Hold on, hold on!