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+---- Thread: love, death and robots (/showthread.php?tid=11002)
RE: love, death and robots - Maea - 03-28-2025
[say]"Perhaps not,"[/say] Maea acknowledged, inclining her head to concede the point. It still begged the question whether that had been the intent or not – but that was not a question Flora could or should answer anyway. Choosing to drop the subject as she really didn't wish to argue about it, Maea flinched at the sudden laughter.
Casting another sideways glance at the young woman, she recognized the tone all too well, and knew the pitfalls of letting that kind of bitterness take over. [say]"Mhm, and if you succeed you're a hero, while failure makes you a martyr. Yet doing something is the only way to make peace with myself..."[/say] Breaking off before she went off on a tangent, Maea shifted aside as someone reached past her for a napkin.
[say]"I do hope you find more to live for,"[/say] she added, [say]"even if it takes time. I've actually... started talking to someone about my issues. A therapist from Halo - it's only been a few times so far but I think it's helping."[/say] You know, just in case Flora ever wanted to give it a try.
RE: love, death and robots - Flora - 03-28-2025
[say]"Exactly that,"[/say] Flora agrees with a brassy smile. [say]"Sort of like how if someone ugly hits on you it's harassment, but if they're hot, whatever they do is totally fine."[/say] Rolling her eyes before realizing Maea was trying to make a slightly more sophisticated point than that, the queen pauses and nods. [say]"I mean, no matter what you do, you're always doing something. Even if it's doing nothing."[/say]
When Maea mentions talking to someone, the Doubletake immediately envisions it being Liam given how quietly supportive he'd been of the ancient in a way that spoke of intimacy. That it was a therapist had her raising her brows in an expression that probably looked far more judgemental than Flora intended it to be. [say]"Oh? That's cool. I don't think I'd be into that sort of thing, but whatever works, y'know? And I mean..this is genuinely more than I've heard you talk in a long time and considering we aren't fighting...I guess that means it's working?"[/say]
RE: love, death and robots - Maea - 03-28-2025
Sofistication or not, the point was the same; the only thing separating the hero from the fool was the outcome of their actions, not the intent. To the fae and the Greatwood the queen was a hero. To anyone who had been in that office of hers last Deepfrost, it would be hard to think her anything but foolish. Harsh though it was, it was the reality of the situation, and Maea had a lot of work to do bedore she could swear it wouldn't happen again.
Turning slightly to face Flora more fully, Maea looked amused despite the judgy look she was given. [say]"Contrary to popular belief, I talk a lot. I just... take a while to open up around new people."[/say] Especially with confident and outgoing people like Flora, and definitely after the abysmal circumstances they had met under so far. [say]"But yeah, this is a vast improvement. I'd even go so far as to say I'm having a good time."[/say] Despite the depressing topics of death and despair, the conversation flowed much easier than Maea had feared.
RE: love, death and robots - Flora - 03-30-2025
Flora leans against the bar, her posture casually elegant despite the intensity of their conversation. [say]"You? Chatty?"[/say] she teases with exaggerated disbelief, one hand pressing theatrically against her chest as if scandalized. [say]"Next you’ll be telling me water is wet and Hadama has terrible taste in hats."[/say]
But there’s a softer, more thoughtful undercurrent beneath her playful sass. Her gaze skims Maea again, assessing without sharpness, genuinely considering the other woman's admission. Her fingers toy absently with the rim of her glass, tracing idle circles that seem to mirror the subtle easing of tension between them.
Finally, Flora lets out a breath, a smile—genuine this time—lifting the corners of her mouth. [say]"So you're really gonna stay in the Greatwood, huh?"[/say]
RE: love, death and robots - Maea - 03-30-2025
Did Hadama wear silly hats? The idea was so intriguing it lured a grin to her lips that was very sharp and entirely mischievous. Now she had to find an excuse to lure him away from the water, someplace where she'd be able to see this sight for herself.
Not sure what to make of the long look Flora was giving her, Maea drank from her glass in silence while it lasted. She had the strangest sensation of normalcy while gazing at the mingling people. Here, in the midst of fae and outsiders alike, she didn't feel at all odd or unusual. While her pale complexion and colorless hair would always draw people's gaze, it was nothing remarkabke compared to the many varieties of colorful wings the fae sported, nor did she tower over the crowd or struggle to fit into furniture built for far slighter bodies. For maybe the first time in her life, Maea felt perfectly ordinary; and she liked that feeling very much.
[say]"Yeah, I am,"[/say] she confirmed, a calm surety suffusing her answer. [say]"Even if Liam hadn't asked me to, I probably would... there's something about this place that speaks to me. Not sure what, yet, or why... but I haven't felt this peaceful in years."[/say] Turning soft lavender eyes upon the young queen, quietly considering. [say]"Perhaps I can be of use to more than just one region from here, besides."[/say]
RE: love, death and robots - Flora - 03-31-2025
Flora tilts her head, a playful pout tugging at her lips, eyes glittering with exaggerated disappointment. [say]"Oh, Hadama will be crushed to hear you aren’t planning on gracing our shores permanently,"[/say] she teases lightly, swirling the remnants of her drink around the bottom of her glass. [say]"Torchline could always use more mysterious, pale ancients skulking around. I think we only have...the one? And Isla doesn't really skulk."[/say]
But then, with a swift change that practically screams gossip, Flora perks up at the mention of Liam’s name. Her eyes widen in obvious delight, her body angling closer like she's about to dive straight into Maea’s business. [say]"Hold on,"[/say] she announces dramatically, raising one finger as though pausing an invisible conversation. [say]"Did I hear you right? Liam asked you to stay? Like, hot soldier Liam?"[/say] Flora’s grin spreads wickedly, entirely too intrigued. [say]"Is this one of those ‘come live near me because we're super platonic buddies,’ things, or are we talking something a bit more..."[/say] She waves a hand through the air, bracelets glittering playfully, leaving the implication hanging deliciously unfinished.
But her tone sobers slightly at Maea’s mention of the Greatwood feeling peaceful, her expression becoming gently serious beneath the lively facade. [say]"You know, if the Greatwood starts making waves, you'll absolutely wind up on the Family’s radar like the rest of us have."[/say] Flora’s voice lowers, tinged with a subtle gravity even though her posture remains effortlessly casual. [say]"I know it’s peaceful now, but if things change... just keep that in mind, yeah?"[/say]
RE: love, death and robots - Maea - 03-31-2025
Even if the lament over her decision was exaggerated and said to apply to Hadama alone, Maea would have to be forgiven for the incredulous look at Flora. Was that really coming from the same lips that accused her of pseudo-stealing Flora's sister's chance at life only a few weeks ago? Not only did it sound like an attempt to make her change her mind, it wasn't even a one-eighty, but a full summersault in attitude. What was going on?
[say]"I couldn't possibly intrude on Isla's role as the resident ancient,"[/say] she murmured in return - perhaps a little too humble, with an undercurrent of inferiority complexes - [say]"and as for Hadama... I'll add it to the list of things to make up for some other way. He'll be comforted just to know I live on more than raw meat and jerky, I suspect."[/say] Maea did feel bad about disappointing the Tidebreaker, but not enough to break a promise. At least she had a home now, and would be easy to find by letter, or for impromptu visits; he could teleport, after all. She might as well be next door.
But then Flora was changing the entire tone of the conversation, and Maea suddenly had the feeling of being caught red-handed. For a long moment she managed to meet that glittering blue gaze without shifting expression – until a slow flush of color began to creep up her neck into the cheeks. Hastily looking away, she cleared her throat. [say]"The first. Definitely the first. Anything else would be... weird. Given I've known him less than half a season. He's just a friend – I don't have a lot of those, so..."[/say] Please don't make it weird, her eyes pleaded. She had too much going on to complicate her life even further right now.
Like deciding whether to rule a region or not, with all that it brought of danger and tough decisions. Sobering at the caution in Flora's words, Maea sighed and turned her pensive gaze to the thrum of activity around the Bodega. Here an entrepenurial fae was trying to convince a leery posse of tourists that the shiny rock fragments in his hand really was dried rose petals. There a group of adventuring youths were talking animatedly over a map of the Greatwood, debating where roses were most likely to grow. It wasn't a very good map, but they didn't seem to care, too wrapped up in dreams of finding the grail before any others. A huddled trio of fae elders sat brooding over their tankards, weathered faces grim as they eyed the outsiders; Maea couldn't make out what they were saying, but figured it wouldn't be very flattering.
[say]"Are we not all making waves already, just by being here?"[/say] She shrugged lightly. [say]"Don't get me wrong, the safety of Torchline is very tempting. I was one rose away from settling as far from the Void as it's possible to come these days, and just focus on my own life. But then... how different will my life become from my childhood, where I lived behind another kind of barrier? If nowhere else is safe to go, is it a haven or just another cage?"[/say] Maea rubbed her neck, shrugging awkwardly. [say]"I've already made my stance on this war clear to Dahlia. What's to say moving into Torchline won't put another target on your land? On the other hand, if you are building barriers and Halo is healing the infected and King's End and the Grounds are rallying, and the Greatwood comes alive again... where will they focus? Will this small backwater place really be a big enough threat to warrant dealing with right away, when there are larger problems on their hands..?"[/say] Raising her hands in a balancing motion, illustrating the shifting weight of priorities, Maea really hoped she wasn't underestimating the significance of the forest realm. [say]"But I hear you. I just.. would like to do what I can for this place, and these people. Even if that simply means picking flowers for others to plant."[/say]
RE: love, death and robots - Flora - 04-03-2025
[say]"Half a season is absolutely enough,"[/say] Flora says, her voice bright with mock innocence, but the smile she shoots Maea is all sly, sparkling implication. [say]"Plenty of time to start doodling your name with his last in the margins of your map collection. Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about it at least once."[/say] She lifts her glass to her lips, but there’s no drink in it anymore—just the theatrical swirl of nothing, which she pretends to sip anyway, gaze lingering over the rim.
But as the conversation shifts again, the queen’s grin fades. She lets Maea’s words settle between them like silt in still water before giving a slow, thoughtful shake of her head. [say]"Honestly? No. Running around the Greatwood probably isn’t enough to register."[/say] Her fingers tap lightly against the base of her empty glass, nails clicking against the wood. [say]"And Halo isn’t healing the infected. The Springs were destroyed during the attack, and even before that, they could only do so much."[/say]
She leans in a little, voice softening, low and measured. [say]"Look, I get it. I really do. This place is beautiful. It's quiet and green and dripping with magic. But if you think this 'small backwater place' isn’t worth targeting, you're not thinking like someone trying to take over."[/say] She lifts a brow, lips quirking faintly but without humour. [say]"The Cordillera and the Desert are already gone. Stormbreak’s compromised. Torchline is doing our thing—but the Greatwood? All the way up here, all alone without any allies and bordered by the void?"[/say] Because Flora could just about guarantee Danta wouldn't come running if the Greatwood needed help.
Her voice doesn’t rise. If anything, it dips, like a current pulling just beneath the surface. [say]"You say you want to help the Greatwood and its people."[/say] Flora’s fingers lace together, resting in her lap, though there’s a stiffness to them now—tense, coiled. [say]"And that’s great, it really is. But I was born here. Grew up here. Fought the void here, saved the Mathair, got murdered here for trying to keep it safe."[/say] She blinks, once, slow. [say]"And honestly this all seems like some cause you're championing to try and make up for the past, but..Like you said, it's only been half a season."[/say]
A breath, long and quiet. [say]"Just...know what you're getting into, and what you're getting the Greatwood into. And maybe don’t call it a backwater next time."[/say]
RE: love, death and robots - Maea - 04-03-2025
Sucking in a breath to protest that she'd done no such thing – which was entirely true, Maea hadn't thought further about Liam than possibly wanting to hold his hand, which no doubt made her a hopeless prude in Flora's book – but held off, as Flora's expression changed and the conversation took a turn. Intensified, in a way that felt too familiar. It was the tightening in her gut, and the prickly feel on the back of her neck that suggested she would have to start breathing again, to stay calm as that old fear of conflict reared its ugly head again. This time it was easier to recognize that it was get own response that was the problem, not Flora's words or even her tone, so low with warning against a perceived insult to her homeland Maea had not even recognized.
Turning slowly to face the bar, she set the drink down, the last dregs tepid and slightly bitter on the tongue.
[say]"I meant no offense by calling it that,"[/say] she said as she looked at Flora, wanting to make that plain before it had a chance to spiral. [say]"It was a poor choice of words; if anything it was a hope, that the Greatwood would be seen as such and thus be spared any further notice."[/say] Though perhaps it was naive, given it was the source of one of the rare antidotes to the Void infection. [say]"I'm not entirely sure what you are trying to say, if I'm to be honest. That I should not stay here? That I can't care about the region because I have been here for such a short while? If you mean that I am too weak to do anything in case something does happen here – I am fully aware. I just... don't know how to become a stronger, better person if I stay where and who I've always been. Gods know it hasn't done anyone any good so far."[/say] Not Torchline, nor the Grounds, and certainly not herself.
[say]"Do you really think my being here is going to bring ruin on your homeland?"[/say] It came out far more pleading than she'd intended; like a deep fear had been voiced out loud, that she really was some kind of jinx just waiting to strike any person or place she ever began to care about.
RE: love, death and robots - Flora - 04-07-2025
Flora’s expression softens slightly, her lips pursing in quiet thought as she studies Maea’s tense posture. She exhales softly, the sound nearly lost amidst the bustle around them, before offering a gentle shake of her head. [say]"I’m not saying you shouldn't care or that you don't belong here,"[/say] she clarifies, her voice softening with deliberate care. [say]"All I mean is... right now, the Greatwood is about as safe as any place can get. We fought the Void off here already, planted the lily, made it secure."[/say] There’s quiet pride in her tone, edged with a hint of hard-earned bitterness because it was Flora who had fought for the land, and Flora who had provided the lily. [say]"Believe me, it took a lot to get it that way."[/say]
She pauses, drumming her fingers lightly on the bar, thoughtful. [say]"But pushing to rally the region, especially right now, will just put it right back on the Family’s radar. Leadership makes waves, and waves draw attention."[/say] She tilts her head, curls cascading messily down her shoulder. [say]"I get that part of this probably comes from wanting to make up for past mistakes—"[/say] Flora’s voice is gentle here, surprisingly without accusation, more understanding than judgement, [say]"—but if you want the Greatwood safe? Leaving it quiet might be the best move in my opinion."[/say]
The queen offers a small shrug, smile wry and self-deprecating. [say]"Take it from someone who learned the hard way."[/say]
RE: love, death and robots - Maea - 04-07-2025
Maea was silent for a long time. Staring hard at the wood grain of the bar like the winding patterns held some riddle she had to puzzle out, the muscles of her jaws kept clenching and easing as she worked through what was being said. Separating her own wants from the good of the region, sorting out and discarding bitterness and ire that had no place in this conversation. It wasn't Flora, she decided, but the Family that was the source and recipient of it. Because of the Family, a perfectly wonderful region was prevented from flourishing just because of the attention it 'might' draw, she was denied a chance to build rather than merely destroy, and ignoring the warning just to try it anyway would be no different than what she'd done at that stupid meeting; just forging ahead without thought, leaving others to clean up her mess. Because who could fix what wound up breaking in the end? Not Maea or Liam, that was for certain.
[say]"Make it, you're a hero, break it and you're worse than a martyr,"[/say] she muttered mostly to herself, like a mantra. A harsh sigh expelled some of the tension, though the grim expression didn't lift from her face. [say]"And? What do you recommend I do instead? Go back to Torchline to keep hiding while others do the heavy lifting in this war?"[/say] It wouldn't be that different from anything she was doing here, granted... and the taste of that was beyond even bitterness. It smacked of shame so thick and vile it twisted her lips in revulsion.
RE: love, death and robots - Flora - 04-08-2025
Flora blinks at Maea’s bitter phrasing, her aqua eyes flickering with surprise before narrowing slightly. The Ancient has always had a particular knack for twisting words until they're tangled knots of worst-case scenarios, and this time is clearly no different. Flora sighs softly, a quiet exhale that brushes away some of the tension, her fingers tapping restlessly against the bar as she considers her next words carefully.
[say]"I'm not suggesting you hide,"[/say] she replies gently, but with a firmness beneath her tone that doesn’t waver. [say]"You could just keep doing what you've been doing—finding roses. Honestly, that’s a bigger help than you probably realize."[/say] Flora’s lips twist faintly, not quite into a smile. [say]"But if you're serious about wanting the Greatwood back on the political map, then maybe you need to start by mending fences with the leaders of the other regions. Because, believe me—right now, if something does happen here?"[/say] She lifts one shoulder in a small shrug, a rueful tilt to her mouth. [say]"I doubt anyone's going to rush to the rescue."[/say] If anything they'd likely just point out what Flora had, only in harsher terms: that Maea had made the Greatwood a target and now it was hers to defend and protect.
RE: love, death and robots - Maea - 04-10-2025
For a lack of pockets to hide her hands in, Maea kept fidgeting with the counter, with the puckered scars that covered them, with the sleeves of the dress that suddenly seemed too short. Too many things crowded on her tongue pressing to be spoken, yet very little seemed relevant. How Flora seemed under the impression that she was itching to cram a crown onto her own head and play at royalty, when she still doubted her suitability for such a role, for example. How she even had leaped from 'staying' and 'helping' to 'leading' Maea didn't know - yet objecting smacked too much of insincerity, when she really had encouraged Liam to do those very things. Did it matter why she was doing anything, when the results would end up the same?
[say]"You say that like I haven't tried,"[/say] she sighed, as the subject touched on her relation with the other leaders. [say]"I'd like nothing more, but there's only so much I can do when words are all I have to offer. So far, only Hadama and Sunjata has even acknowledged the letters of apology I sent - if Deimos or Danta won't even reply, how am I to change anything?"[/say] She was banned from the Dusklight, barred from Halo by the deadly cold, and even if she was not it would help nothing to simply show up on their doorsteps without anything to show for her sincerity.
[say]"The thing is, even if I am sorry for the danger I placed us in, fundamentally I don't believe I did anything wrong. My error, as I see it, lies in expecting someone else to be proxy in the challenge I issued. That I can apologize for. But standing up to a bully? Speaking the truth? You cannot make me believe those things are ever wrong, no matter the time or place or how 'convenient' it would be to play along. I don't play those kinds of games. Can't, honestly, because I suck at them even when I try."[/say]
Showing her palms in a shrug, Maea had no answers for how to do what the Doubletake suggested. She was not the kind of person who could lie or bend the truth to accomplish a goal. The best she could manage was saying nothing at all, and they'd both seen how good she was at that. [say]"I'm the first to admit I suck at diplomacy. I realize that apologies don't amount to much without a change in behavior. But if my truth doesn't matter enough to even warrant a response, then... I don't know that anything else I do ever will."[/say]
RE: love, death and robots - Flora - 04-11-2025
Flora listens, letting Maea's words settle like silt in deep water. She doesn't interrupt, even as her fingers curl against the edge of the bar and her jaw ticks ever so slightly. She knows the kind of frustration Maea is describing. The kind where you feel like you're shouting into a void and all you get back is silence—or worse, condemnation. She gets it, probably more than Maea realizes. But knowing it doesn't mean she agrees with it.
So when she does speak, her voice is soft, but edged with steel. The kind of steel that gets forged under pressure. [say]"I know what it's like to stand by what you believe in, even when it feels like everyone else is ready to string you up for it."[/say] Her aqua gaze cuts sideways toward Maea, sharp and unwavering. [say]"But if there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way, it’s that you don’t lead from a cave. You don’t lead by yourself. And you definitely don’t lead by just being right."[/say]
She lets that sit there for a moment before continuing, fingers drumming idly against the counter. [say]"If over half the regions won’t work with you—if you’re already starting out from a place of isolation—then maybe the question isn’t whether or not you’re capable of leading the Greatwood."[/say] Her eyes narrow, not unkindly, but with deliberate weight. [say]"It’s whether doing so is actually best for the region."[/say]
There's no venom in her words, just a bluntness that cuts clean. Flora isn’t trying to twist the knife—she’s trying to keep Maea from stabbing herself with it later.
[say]"I’m not saying it’s fair. Gods know most of the shit in this world isn’t. But the Greatwood is already protected from the Void. We fought a KQ here. We planted the Lily. It’s stable—for now. So if you’re going to bring it back into the political spotlight, there should be a damn good reason for it beyond just wanting redemption. Or wanting to prove something."[/say]