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+---- Thread: We just keep coming back (/showthread.php?tid=11301)
We just keep coming back - Maea - 05-10-2025
A shadow moved along sun-scorched streets like a specter. Draped in black velvet from neck to toe, her pale skin seemed like porcelain, pale and flawless, without a single drop of sweat in sight. If that failed to catch anyone's attention, the attire or the parasol that blocked out the worst of the light certainly did. For one who generally disliked being at the center of attention, Maea had never gotten the hang of dressing for the region she was in. From walking barefoot along the icy streets of Halo's Citadel to wrapping up in a gown at the peak of Torchline's hottest season, onne could be led to believe she was trying to stand out.
Alas, her head was simply occupied by other matters. Like finding the healing house where Isla worked. The directions she had been given by a merchant was turning out to be very general – 'take a left by the big fountain, go down a level and then you'll see it' – as there was a number of big looking fountains and a veritable labyrinth of levels that made up the towering city. She'd thought she knew Haulani, but clearly there was a difference between a frequent guest and the locals.
Hazarding a guess at the third and largest of the water-features in a row of intersections, Maea began a winding descent down well-worn stairs until it leveled out onto a small square. Here the ground had been paved with cobbles - must be back on solid ground again - and a cluster of smaller shops painted a picture of tidines, accentuated by green trees that provided welcome shade to the neighborhood. Smiling in quiet delight, the ancient took a closer look at the signs - a tailor, a bookshop, an artisan studio that appeared closed off and unused - and meandered down the street until she found it. The clinic, hospital, house of healing... and with only a brief pause to steady herself, she knocked lightly on the door before folding up the parasol and stepping inside.
RE: We just keep coming back - Isla - 05-10-2025
[say]"No need to knock - come on in!"[/say] Isla's voice will echo through the open windows of the clinic, letting in what little cool breeze there might be from the sea. It sets the drapes to fluttering inside the waiting room of the clinic, bringing with it the scent of mint and jasmine and any other herbs and flowers from the window boxes she's set up outside. Maea will find the space empty for now - Isla rarely gets emergencies unless someone is too far out from the healing fountain - and her next appointment isn't for some time.
It's just the Remedy today as well; having given her other medics leave to enjoy the sunshine, she doesn't feel any of the pain of remaining cooped up in the heat. A study in opposites, Isla comes to the front desk clad in a light, floral sundress, her golden hair lifted up into a high tail, her glamour in place as it almost always is. Were it not for the combination of shifts and magic in her blood, she might have just been another Accepted.
[say]"Maea,"[/say] she trills in greeting, able to recognise the pale Ancient anywhere. [say]"Long time no see. How have you been? Is everything alright?"[/say]
RE: We just keep coming back - Maea - 05-10-2025
The still air beyond the door carried a familiar scent of herbs and cleaning solutions, at once rich and sterile in a way she recalled vividly from childhood and faintly from her time spent working with the Remedy in the past. Breathing deeply of it as she took in the space - comfortable and fraught with tension like all official spaces seemed to be - her gaze was drawn to Isla, a smile warming the cool palette of her face. [say]"Hello, Isla. It really has been a while. How have you been? I'm good, better than usual - I was actually hoping to talk to you about something, if you have the time?"[/say]
Extending her arms to either side to prove that she wasn't hiding any ailments, the petite young woman indeed looked better than she had in years. Some of the gauntness had faded from her figure, a result of the regular hunts her new body required no doubt, and she moved with the lightness and ease of one who didn't neglect her exercise. If she had anything to remedy, it was scars of the soul... one in particular that the golden-haired healer actually might be able to help her with.
RE: We just keep coming back - Isla - 05-10-2025
[say]"I'm doing well too,"[/say] Isla says, and there are no stormclouds brewing in her eyes to suggest the contrary these days, either. [say]"I was going to say that you looked healthy, but I don't like to assume before I know,"[/say] she adds as the other Ancient spreads her hands to show a lack of obvious injury. [say]"And you are in luck - I don't have an appointment scheduled for another thirty minutes. I was just trying to get ahead of my paperwork, but it's tedious enough that I can welcome a distraction."[/say]
Smiling and beckoning her through to her office, Maea will find the back of the clinic as airy and clean as the front, Isla's office streaming with light from the windows, her shelves organised and alphabetised, her desk clean but the stack of files she'd been working on. [say]"Tea?"[/say] she offers as she moves to sit in a soft chair off to the side of the desk, gesturing for Maea to take the one opposite. [say]"What can I do for you?"[/say]
RE: We just keep coming back - Maea - 05-10-2025
[say]"Thank you, that's a true compliment. My mind is finally starting to catch up with the body, and both are better off for it,"[/say] she smiled. A year ago the assumption would likely have been off the mark, but lately her good days had begun to outnumber the bad. Today was one of them, leaving her brimming with a quiet energy that was far healthier than her usual anxious restlessness.
Following after Isla into the office, she took a seat and arranged her skirts around the knees. [say]"Yes, please,"[/say] she replied to the offer of tea. Looking around the space with bright interest, her gaze lingered on the documents for a moment before politely turning back to address her reason for coming.
[say]"I've been granted a quest from Mort, to revive a companion I lost many years ago,"[/say] she explained. [say]"Part of the requirement is to hear about the experience from someone who has been through the process themselves. So. I wanted to ask, if you would be willing to help me? I realize it's a difficult subject to talk about, so if you'd rather not, I understand."[/say] Maea's expression reflected only quiet interest. Despite her excitement to be nearly done with her tasks and so close to regaining what had been missing for so long, the last thing she wanted was to pressure the other woman. Just like she hadn't insisted with Zavien, she would accept whatever answer Isla chose to give with whatever grace she possessed - and try again somewhere else. Grit and luck, as Remi had said, were the things she had going for her.
RE: We just keep coming back - Isla - 05-12-2025
[say]"That's very good to hear. So often I feel as though we prioritise one over the other. They work in harmony at the best of times, mind and body,"[/say] Isla says with a smile, already shifting again to approach the teaset on a little table in the corner, filling it with water and using her fire magic to heat things up as she prepares the mugs for the tea. [say]"I'm guilty of it as well,"[/say] she adds with a soft chuckle, [say]"as someone who works primarily with the body."[/say]
Once the water is hot enough and the tea is set to brewing, she brings the tray over to set it between them and returns to her seat to hear Maea out on her visit, eyebrows softly raising to hear about her quest. [say]"That's quite a noble thing to do,"[/say] she says softly. Or selfish, some might argue, but given that Isla has been on all sides of this - that is, alive, dead, and a companion for a time - she feels as if she's got some extra context.
[say]"Of course I can help - ask anything you need to know. I went through the process twice in very different circumstances, so I don't know if you'd prefer for me to focus on one over the other...?"[/say]
RE: We just keep coming back - Maea - 05-12-2025
Isla didn't look like someone who neglected anything, and it was a testament to Maea's admiration for her - and perhaps to how little she truly knew her - that the admission surprised her. [say]"I've been fortunate to make friends with a therapist,"[/say] she offered in way of explanation, [say]"otherwise I likely wouldn't be as well off as I am."[/say]
Inhaling the fragrance of the steeping tea as she gathered her thoughts, Maea nodded slowly. [say]"Mmh, well... it's at least as much for my own sake, I admit. I've missed them terribly. And if I can offer them the kind of choice I've been given in the past... there's really no reason not to."[/say] And she was beyond grateful that Isla was so willing to help her. Maea's warm smile showed as much, and as she reached for the pot to pour tea for them, it was Isla's cup she filled first.
[say]"Perhaps a comparison, then? I've heard the broad strokes of what happened from Remi, but no details. How did you pass away, and how did you feel about being brought back? Especially as a companion... that must have been incredibly different?"[/say] She tried to imagine it, and felt almost claustrophobic at the notion of being robbed of her voice and tied to another soul, be they ever so much a friend.
RE: We just keep coming back - Isla - 05-13-2025
[say]"A therapist?"[/say] Isla echoes, quietly impressed both by Maea's forethought in taking care of her own mental health, and for the profession in general. [say]"That's a very good friend to have,"[/say] she agrees. [say]"It always seems like quite a difficult job, having to try and keep your own feelings and experiences separate from the people you see. I have a great admiration for anyone who can do it."[/say]
Once she's given the tea enough time to steep, Isla reaches out to pour them both a cup, only for Maea to beat her to it. With a grateful nod, she accepts her tea, and a rich aroma of chai spice fills the air. [say]"In my experience of companions, it's very much a two-way street. So even if it's for your sake, arguably it's always for theirs as well,"[/say] she says slowly, sitting back with her cup to take an immediate sip.
A comparison, then, seems the best approach considering her own forays into death, Isla frowning as she considers how to put it into words. [say]"I was killed the first Longnight we came here to Caido. A monster had infected a luxere, and it attacked me. Remi found out, begged Ludo to have me back, and I was returned as his companion in the form of a unicorn. At first things were clear, if not... difficult, in that new shape. But over time it felt as though I became less, as if the person I was had gone to sleep. All that was left was the part of me that cared for Remi and his wellbeing."[/say] Which, she imagines, was exactly the price of Ludo's gift.
[say]"When he realised that... Remi killed me - out of mercy, let it be understood. I stepped back through from Mort's halls as myself only when The Voice laid claim to the Festival of Lights that one year."[/say]
RE: We just keep coming back - Maea - 05-13-2025
Maea could only agree, and so far Elizabeth had been both helpful and skilled in the balancing act between professional and friendly. It struck her that introducing these two skilled women might lead to interesting things in terms of healthcare... something to ponder and discuss at a later point.
For now, she leaned back with her cup nestled between slender fingers and listened to Isla's tale, fascinated as much as she was disturbed by whar she heard. Nodding as the night of their revival was brought up, she absently traced the rim of the cup with her thumb. [say]"I remember."[/say] She had been one of the last to cross over, the memory of seeing a stunned crowd splitting into groups around the beloved dead now returned as vivid as it was painful. Setting her own experience aside, she thought she'd at least found an answer to another quandry.
[say]"You know, I've always kept asking myself why we don't just stay shifted. The way problems seem to shrink is very appealing. But perhaps what you experienced is the drawback and downside to the animal form. That we could lose ourselves entirely in them, and never come back."[/say] In that light, what Remi had done was absolutely a mercy, though she couldn't begin to imagine how he must have felt at the time. [say]"Do you think the opposite is true for the creatures we bond with - that their sense of self expands through the connection with us?"[/say] She hadn't been bonded long enough to tell if Shii had changed during its time with her. Perhaps she would have a chance to find out soon.
[say]"When you came back as an Ascended,"[/say] she went on, returning to the main topic, [say]"what was that like, for you?"[/say]
RE: We just keep coming back - Isla - 05-14-2025
Sipping at her tea as she lets thought and memory settle like ripples in a still pond, Isla tilts her head to consider Maea's point about their shifting. [say]"Mm, I imagine a lot of Attuned would agree with you,"[/say] she says, offering her a small smile. [say]"Perhaps something for your therapist friend to explore in more detail? I know that some of us - Attuned, Ancients, hybrids, even demigods - retain some of our instincts from our more dominant shifts. I've never really noticed it in myself, but I know Ronin suffers quite badly, for example. It would probably be even more difficult for them, if they stayed shifted for too long."[/say]
Carefully slipping off her sandals, Isla tucks her feet beneath herself in her chair, settling in for their conversation and hoping Maea feels comfortable enough to do the same. [say]"Having been a companion, I can confirm it's the case,"[/say] she says with a quick flash of teeth. [say]"Though I imagine Remi would argue I was always quietly sassy as a unicorn."[/say]
But then it's back to her resurrection, and Isla gives the question due consideration. [say]"Well,"[/say] she says, [say]"I was an Ascended when I died the first time, so from that perspective it was quite easy to adjust. And I'd had enough time in Mort's Halls to come to terms with myself, my soul, my body and so on. So I was just... overjoyed, if I'm honest. I could go and reconnect with all those who had missed me when I was gone."[/say]
RE: We just keep coming back - Maea - 05-15-2025
The thoughtful expression overtaking Maea's features suggested she really might do just that. She was sure Elizabeth would have something to say about the effect of shifts upon the mind - and who knows, perhaps even a solution for issues Maea still struggled with.
It certainly was comforting to know that she brought Shii something beyond what they otherwise would have been able to experience. It only strengthened her resolve to complete the quest, not that it had ever faltered, and the smile she offered Isla was grateful for the insight, downright eager as the conversation returned to the matter of resurrection.
[say]"I'm glad,"[/say] she replied softly, once the initial sting of jealousy and regret had passed. [say]"It seems a bit obvious, but I'll ask anyway; did you prefer one resurrection over the other? And would you do it again, if you ever found yourself in the position to make that choice - between staying with Mort or returning?"[/say]
RE: We just keep coming back - Isla - 05-16-2025
Nodding softly, Isla sips again at her tea and lets her fingers glide around the edges of the cup, as if to leech the warmth from it despite the weather and the season. At Maea's next questions, she doesn't hide the laughter that chimes out of her, ringing cheerfully about her office. [say]"Categorically, I preferred the resurrection where I was able to return to the world with thumbs,"[/say] she agrees. [say]"I will give my time as a companion its dues, of course - part of the reason I was so glad to come back was because of what I had experienced with Remi as a unicorn - but this is far preferable."[/say]
And she doesn't even need to think about the follow-up, Isla nodding gently. [say]"Things have been far from easy since coming back, don't get me wrong. I have loved and lost a few times. But you only get that opportunity through living, and peaceful as Mort's halls were, I was nowhere near ready to stop doing that."[/say]
RE: We just keep coming back - Maea - 05-16-2025
Isla's laughter filled the room like sunlight flooding in through an open window, bright and heartening. It eased any concerns the pale little ancient might have harbored of forcing her to relive unpleasant memories or opening old wounds. Smiling widely in return, she nodded in understanding, in full agreement.
[say]"I know what you mean. While I can't deny that I miss that peace at times, there is far too many things left to see and experience before I can rest. Hopefully, Shii will feel the same way."[/say]
Remembering the teacup in her hands, Maea took a deep draught of the brew and hummed with delight at the combination of herbs and floral notes dancing across the palette. [say]"Thank you - I believe I have heard what I need to. This means a lot to me, I'm very grateful for your help."[/say]
Relaxed and in no hurry to leave, she lingered to chat for a while longer. When the time came for Isla's next appointment, she gathered up the parasol and bade the Remedy goodbye for now; not quite skipping on her way out, but close.
[FIN]