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+---- Thread: [SE] This life outgrown (/showthread.php?tid=11417)
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This life outgrown - Maea - 05-29-2025
A wind was in the trees, smelling sweetly of yellowing grass and sunwarm soil. Shadows threw themselves far from every snag and crevice that light tripped over, and in the golden glow of that magical light as day gave up a dying gasp, the meadow turned into an ocean of billowing grass. The drone from the sling in Maea's hand lay as a counterpoint to the silken rustle, singing out a dirge in honor of the life she was about to take - and she would take it, she knew, from the moment that she let the rock fly. The blink hare, seated outside its burrow with nose twitching and the fuzzy ears erect, leaped once, disappeared and reappeared a few feet to the side - and was hit squarely by the second stone Maea loosed, with all the precision of a farm girl who'd gone hungry a time too many.
She came running now, and pounched on the hare before it came to its senses. The small body was warm and impossibly soft beneath her hands, the heart beating so impossibly fast – and for a moment she hesitated.
[say]"I'm sorry,"[/say] she whispered, closing her eyes. [say]"Thank you."[/say] With a quick twist of her hands, the hare's neck snapped. Kneeling in the grass, with the now limp little body in her hands, Maea spared a moment to sit with the rising tide of emotions; comparing what she did to all the times she'd hunted in the past, sorting out real impulses and impressions from exaggeration and prejudice, until she understood which was which.
When her heart no longer raced, she slowly got back on her feet and looked around, scanning the landscape for a spot where she could prepare herself a meal. Eating it raw was an option, oof course, but she wanted to practice using herbs - or Hadama might accuse her of slipping back into bad habits. A crag surrounded by a copse of trees stood out against the setting sun, and with the hare in hand she began walking towards it. A wisp of light followed in her wake, dancing and bobbing on the wind to a melody only they could hear.
RE: This life outgrown - Alys - 06-01-2025
Alys wandered through Meadowreach, Sascha on her heels. The pair often went walking in the evening, enjoying the way the setting sun burnished the tall grasses. Today, Alys went barefoot, reaching to skim her hands along the tallest stems, enjoying the feeling of dirt between her toes. It wasn't often these days that she got to appreciate the small things in life, and she was determined at this moment to do so - if only to give herself something to remember when times inevitably turned dark again.
Nearby, there was a crag surrounded by a copse of trees, and Alys's attention was caught by a bobbing light disappearing into the shrubbery. Curious, the seer followed, and when she emerged from behind a tree to see a familiar figure - and, presumably, the companion the Ancient had lost - she brightened. [say]"Maea!"[/say] she called. [say]"Fancy seeing you here!"[/say] Sascha stuck her head out from around Alys's legs. [say]"How are you?"[/say]
RE: This life outgrown - Maea - 06-06-2025
Looking up from the stack of fallen branches she had begun to arrange into a firepit, Maea's face lit up as her name came drifting on the evening breeze. [say]"Alys! What a pleasant surprise - if I'd known you were back in King's End I'd have come to see you."[/say]
Noticing the pale shadow by the seer's feet, the ancient woman stilled with bated breath. Slowly setting down the burdens to free her hands, she turned while remaining crouched and took in the little ursur. [say]"Oh - is this..?"[/say] It had to be the companion, Sascha, beloved by so many and the inspiration for her own quest... Without really knowing why, Maea's eyes stung with tears even as she smiled. [say]"She's beautiful."[/say]
Drawn in by the surge of emotion in her, a light flickered in the shadow of the trees, bobbing over to drift over her shoulders. No bigger than a firefly one moment and pulsing into a torch's brightness the next, Shii's light was of a cool and heatless kind, and a soft murmur like distant voices expressed curiosity about the pair - inviting, mischievous, suggesting they should linger for a while.
RE: This life outgrown - Alys - 06-07-2025
Alys watched as the Ancient stilled, her breath seeming to catch as she noticed Sascha. The little ursur, suddenly shy, ducked back behind the seer's legs before peering out the other side, curiosity and wariness warring in her furry form. After a moment, though, the former won out, and Sascha crept out from behind her bonded and came forward, snuffling in Maea's general direction.
[say]"This is Sascha,"[/say] Alys said softly, a slightly tearful smile appearing on her face. Given that Maea had been instrumental in bringing her back, it was a strangely emotional moment for the seer.
A light flickered through the trees, interrupting, and Alys swiped a hand across her eyes with a quiet laugh. As the light neared, she recognized it as a will-o-wisp, and a quiet gasp left her as she turned her bright gaze back to Maea. [say]"Oh, Maea,"[/say] she said, thrilled for her friend - and, of course, for herself. [say]"We did it! The both of us!"[/say]
RE: This life outgrown - Maea - 06-08-2025
Extending her hands towards Sascha for the ursur to sniff or rub against, Maea's own heart felt full to bursting with a warmth that had no name. Blinking back tears from her own eyes, she laughed helplessly at the silly happiness shared between all of them. [say]"We really did,"[/say] she echoed, both proud and in disbelief - what had seemed impossible had been achieved, and bonds that should have been severed had been knitted back together.
Rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand, the moon-haired ancient gestured to the beginnings of a firepit and the blink-hare carcass. [say]"You wanna stay a while? We should celebrate... I can try and hunt for another hare if this one isn't enough for us all."[/say] And she'd need more herbs, maybe find some wild carrots and other condiments from the abundance of the meadow.
RE: This life outgrown - Alys - 06-09-2025
Sascha rumbled a greeting, sniffing at Maea's hands before headbutting an outstretched one - not unlike a cat in her methods, before eyeing Shii with interest. She'd never played with a will-o-wisp before, and she wondered how effective the creature would be at hide and seek given that they glowed. Alys sensed Sascha's playfulness and silently encouraged her to go invite Shii into some game or other. The little ursur had been stuck to Alys like a burr ever since returning from Mort's halls, and the seer had been encouraging Sascha's courage wherever she could.
To Maea, the Fateweaver said, [say]"That would be lovely!"[/say] She smiled tearfully. [say]"I can run home for anything else we might want. It's not far."[/say] Herbs, or vegetables, or drinks - whatever Maea wanted, they could find back at Tal and Alys's home. Within reason, of course.
RE: This life outgrown - Maea - 06-18-2025
Stroking the little ursur's soft pelt and scritching her behind the ears, Maea had the strangest feeling of meeting someone she'd known before. Perhaps due to the role she had played in reviving her, or because she cared for Alys, or simply because she had been invested in the outcome of this quest - either way it was odd in the best of meanings. Watching Shii invite the fuzzy companion to a game of tag among the trees, it was with a lingering smile that she eventually turned back to Alys.
[say]"Sounds great. Something to drink would be nice, and something to go with the hare? I'll leave it to you. Let's meet back here in, say, an hour?"[/say] Sneaking a quick hug before they split up to procure the necessary items, Maea returned to the hunt. Readying her sling again, she read the tracks back out onto the meadow, into the sea of wind and grass where fuzzy-tailed shadows were retreating to their burrows. The first one she tried to sneak up on vanished with a faint pop of shifting air. The second one she barley missed, as it ducked into the warren. At last, on the way back to the grove, Maea got lucky - the sling hummed, releasing the stone with a snap and clipped a big female blink-hare mid leap, then took out a decent sized babe as the stone riccocheted. That made a more than adequate meal for two people plus companions, and Maea whistled contentedly as she returned, to butcher the game and get the fire going.
By the time Alys returned, a merry campfire crackled within a ring of stones, and logs had been dragged over to serve as benches. A small pot of water warmed next to a kettle of tea, and Maea sat with her hands so close to the flames that they licked her pale digits, washed clean of blood and viscera.
RE: This life outgrown - Alys - 06-18-2025
Sascha took her ear scritches with a happy rumble before joining Shii in a game of tag through the trees. Alys watched them go with a smile on her face, pleased to see them getting along. They had a lot in common already, despite having just met, and she was sure that they would have stories of their own to share, in that way that companions had.
The seer accepted Maea's hug before running home, gathering up some herbs and spices and drinks, and returning to her friend's campfire. [say]"Well,"[/say] Alys said jovially as she sat down a basket full of items. [say]"You have been busy."[/say] The fire crackled merrily, surrounded by logs that had been dragged over to serve as benches. A kettle of tea had been prepared, and a small pot of water was already warming over the fire.
Alys began to pull bits and bobs from her basket, setting the spices and bundles of fresh herbs in front of Maea. [say]"I brought a little bit of everything,"[/say] she explained. [say]"So use whatever you'd like, and I'll take the rest home to dry out."[/say] Alongside the seasonings, Alys sat a large bottle of water, a red and a white wine, and a few glasses of various shapes and sizes. She hadn't been sure of what Maea would prefer, so she'd just elected to bring it all.
RE: This life outgrown - Maea - 06-19-2025
Responding with a cheerful grin, Maea watched with ever widening eyes as Alys dished up the treasures she'd brought. [say]"So have you,"[/say] she replied, duly impressed, [say]"this is going to be a feast."[/say] As cooking wasn't a forte of hers, the selection of herbs and spices she chose was eclectic and somewhat random. Choosing a stew as she was more comfortable with boiling than baking things, it was fun to throw things into the pot and comment on the aromas that soon began to rise along with the smoke and contentment of being in friendly company.
Leaning back while the stew puttered along, a comfortable silence stretched out like a warm embrace. Over their heads, the sky darkened faster now, and stars began to emerge. [say]"Do you ever get this feeling of unreality?"[/say] she asked after a while. [say]"Like you can't be sure something is real, because it's so different from what you're used to?"[/say]
RE: This life outgrown - Alys - 06-19-2025
A feast, it would be - an eclectic one, it seemed, as Alys watched Maea's herb and spice selections with an air of amusement. She nudged one or two items towards the Ancient in silent suggestion, but otherwise left well enough alone. The good news about a stew was that it was difficult to ruin.
Stars began to emerge overhead. Alys slid from the log to the ground, sitting cross-legged and leaning back against the wood so that she might look up at the darkening sky more easily. It was a comfortable, companionable silence that stretched between them as Shii and Sascha played amongst the trees.
After a time, Maea's question had Alys huffing a quiet laugh. [say]"Yes,"[/say] she said. [say]"I've definitely felt that way before."[/say] She rolled her head to one side, eyeing the Ancient with curiosity. [say]"What is it? The thing that's different?"[/say]
RE: This life outgrown - Maea - 06-19-2025
For her part, Maea preferred to stretch herself out along the log, balancing deftly with an ankle propped up on a knee. Dangling off to one side, her tail was drawing fish hooks in the air, coiling and unfurling like a contented cat. [say]"Mh, I'm not alone,"[/say] she replied, ticking the points off on her fingers. [say]"Shii is back. I think I'm getting out of a crisis or two... I have a house."[/say] Quiet laughter colored her tone, equal parts delighted and incredulous. [say]"The war aside, I feel... happy. Never thought I'd say that half a year ago, but it's true."[/say]
Tucking one arm beneath her head, Maea reached up to poke at Shii as the wisp drifted past overhead. A subtle flutter registered against the skin, like a caress of wind or the substance of light - and with a soft titter like many bells or children's laughter it darted off to play tag with the shadows cast from the campfire. [say]"Did you hear about that party the Family's throwing? I can't decide if it's worth going just to see the face or not..."[/say]
RE: This life outgrown - Alys - 06-19-2025
Alys watched her friend, content and happy to share space with the Ancient - especially given how truly happy Maea felt just now. It was a nice change from all the doom and gloom that seemed to surround them. The seer smiled in response to Maea's laughter. [say]"I understand what you mean. When I left the Grounds, I was alone - disowned by my family because of my magic, and I hadn't found Sascha yet. It was just me against the world. If that version of me could see what I've become now... she probably wouldn't believe it was possible."[/say] With friends, and family, and loved ones all around.
The seer turned her gaze back to the stars, winking in the sky above. Shii's soft, pealing tones washed over her as Sascha came to sit beside her, curling up near the fire and propping her head on her bonded's lap. Alys stroked the ursur's head absently as she considered. [say]"Yeah - I think we're planning to go. Just... in case something happens."[/say] She wasn't sure what, but any gathering hosted by the Family was bound to be messy, wasn't it?
RE: This life outgrown - Maea - 06-19-2025
Peering over at the upside down version of her her friend, Maea hummed like that settled any questions for her. [say]"Right, well if you're going then I'm going too. Probably not swimming though - I can't imagine it would be comfortable dressing down with so much purple potential around."[/say] Laughing only because the only other option was to cry, she rolled up to sit and checked on the stew. The meat was nicely cooked by now, and the vegetables soft with a little bit of bite to them.
[say]"Perfect. Dinner's ready,"[/say] she declared, already reaching for a plate to serve up. [say]"This is different too,"[/say] she noted, picking the previous thread of thought up like it had never been dropped. [say]"I hardly ever stopped to cook properly before. Just made jerky and called it a day. Then Hadama found out - you should have seen the look on his face. You'd think I'd admitted to doing something heinous."[/say] Passing along the filled up plate to Alys, Maea dished up a smaller one for Sascha and set it aside to cool down before helping herself. The aroma had her mouth watering - turns out, some of Dygra's quests were far from disagreeable.
RE: This life outgrown - Alys - 06-19-2025
At Maea's words, Alys snorted her agreement. She might dress the part for the party, but only if she could also carry at least one weapon and had an escape route planned. And she certainly didn't intend to swim - even if it was a pool party.
With the stew finished and ladled out, Alys sat back against the log with a bowl in her lap, Sascha already scarfing down her serving. [say]"I don't think one can survive solely on jerky,"[/say] the seer said teasingly. [say]"Although... you seem to be doing just fine, so what do I know?"[/say]
She took a bite of her stew. It was flavorful - good, but not the typical way that Alys would expect a stew to taste. Still, the eclectic arrangement of spices and herbs had worked out for them this time. [say]"This is good,"[/say] Alys said once she'd swallowed the mouthful. [say]"It's different. This flavor would make a really good rub, if we ever wanted to try grilling something with it."[/say]