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[open se] if you only had time - Wessex - 04-11-2022
Death, death, and more death. Skulls and remnants and little else litter the shrine, just as Wessex remembers it. With a thoughtful eye, the Wraith starts to pick through the bleached remains, carefully selecting bits for her cage-like lantern.
A bone for Edrei.
A bone for Rexanna.
A bone for Clem.
A bone for Bastien.
A bone for Sam.
A bone for Aedion.
A bone for 108.
A bone for Adam.
A bone for Mabel.
A bone for Evelyn.
A bone for Robin.
A bone for Osozo.
A bone for Mara.
A bone for Edwyn.
A bone for those she assumes dead: Aamu, Letha and Elide.
And yes, even a bone for Morgan.
Her lasers bore small holes in the ends of her selections, with two scapulae as the lantern’s floor. Out comes a spool of twine, and she bends over her creation, intent on memorializing her siblings in a place that wasn’t meant for them.
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Maea - 04-12-2022
Perhaps she had gone a bit too far. This was stretching her promise to stay close to the Grounds beyond plausible excuse, and Maea felt guilty. Not much, but a little. She had to get out, had to move away from the bleak backwater she had once known as home, lest she drown in memories of times that hadn't been better, but certainly more fulfilled.
It was too bad that she had managed to get herself lost. A poor place for it, the Climb - she was not familiar enough with the various nooks and crannies and their secrets to simply teleport out. So she wandered the treacherous magma tunnels with careful steps, one hand to the wall, and tried her best not to imagine what she would do if the lava suddenly decided to return.
She didn't expect to see a familiar face, here of all places. And when she did, it made her pause, very much hesitant to approach. The woman looked extremely busy with very private matters that involved... bone?
[say]"Wessex?"[/say] Her voice carried over the distance, tentative and slightly concerned. [say]"Are... you alright?"[/say]
They had never been close. To Maea, the woman had always been the opposite to herself. Strong, confident and proactive - someone to admire from a distance, because standing too close began to demand things from herself that she didn't know if she even possessed. Amalia had not been so easily intimidated, if she recalled correctly.
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Wessex - 04-14-2022
Before she sees Maea, Wessex hears her footsteps - they’re hard to hide on the obsidian, and she’d paused in her laser-boring to determine if the approaching creature was a threat.
No; it sounded like human footprints and there was only one person she might have fled from. The odds of them being here were low, but not impossible, and so the Wraith puts a little urgency into her work until the person gets close enough to speak. She looks up through her eyelashes, surprise spilling out suddenly.[say] “Maea?”[/say] Of course she’d heard that the woman was back, but to see her, here of all places, leaves her feeling a bit unprepared.
[say] “I’m - Yes. I’m fine. I’m lantern making.”[/say] The General straightens, revealing the the bottom, top, and bones on string. It isn’t pretty or elegant, altogether speaking to the demigod’s lack of crafting abilities. But in the process of selecting her pieces, she has strewn the bones of the Shrine about and made a general mess of the area. Sitting in the middle of it all, the demigod seems quite unaware of it.
[say] "What're you doing here?"[/say]
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Maea - 04-14-2022
A tentative smile ghosted past her lips at the woman's surprise. [say]"The one and only."[/say] She approached carefully, stepping delicately around the bones on the floor until she could crouch down at a more comfortable distance. More suitable for conversation.
[say]"Ah, that makes sense. I forgot it's that time of year again..."[/say] Nestling her chin in the palm as her elbow came to rest on a knee, Maea studied the grisly lantern with some interest. Using bones was clever, and a very visceral reminder of what kind of festival it was made for. The bones did not cause any discomfort; she hadn't become a follower of Ludo by shrinking back from death and remains.
[say]"Hm? Ah, I'm... escaping. Just a little bit."[/say] Quite a lot. [say]"Amun wanted me to stay in the Grounds until the Stormbreak situation was settled... but I get restless there. So I went for a 'walk'."[/say] Pale fingers illustrated citation marks around the word. It was fairly quick work to move across the continent even with her limited teleportation, but she had still been gone longer than she meant to be.
[say]"What about you? This is a curious place to make lanterns in."[/say] Pale eyes roamed the obsidian walls, very aware that she and the bones were the palest things in here.
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Wessex - 04-15-2022
Her work slows but does not stop, as Wessex continues to try and tie everything all together. It would be a collapsible kind of lantern, unsteady but with good bones (ha), holding its shape from the top. Leafchange does seem to sneak up on her every year, and every year, she’s forced to add to to the mental in memoriam she has running through her head. The demigod keeps an accounting of their family in her head and now with Sam gone, that history book would likely never get made. The thought evokes a soft sigh, as she turns a glance towards her palest sister.
[say] “Well, that issue is more or less resolved, so you’re not breaking any promise. Long walk, though.”[/say] There’s a slight arch of her brow to accompany the arch in her voice. Even with the portal to the Climb, it’s hardly the hopping vacation spot that Torchline or Kings End might be.
[say] “I thought I’d give the Old Gods a good ‘ol harmless fuck you by memorializing our family at their altar. The mess -”[/say] she gestures aimlessly to the scattered remains - clearly, none of them are Ascended.[say] “- is a bonus.”[/say]
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Maea - 04-15-2022
[say]"I see. That's good."[/say] Some of the guilt lifted, but not all. She had still gone off again without saying where, or when she would be back. It didn't help much to know that Amun wandered too. [say]"Oh, well I teleport more than I walk, to be honest. Stick along until it's boring, and then..."[/say] Hands illustrated poofing into thin air. A sideways glance at the Wraith checked surreptitiously to see if she indeed would be jealous. The notion both tickled and disturbed. She'd never invoked envy in many people in her life.
Reaching down, she picked up what looked like a tibia of some four-legged creature and twisted it between her fingers. Or maybe two-legged; her knowledge of anatomy extended to edible animals. The way Wessex said 'we' somehow got to her. Like it had never been in question.
It should be.
[say]"But... you're still making a lantern,"[/say] she pointed out gently. [say]"Hate to break it, but that is Ludo's symbol. Ludo's festival. Doesn't that take away from your point? Especially given the bones."[/say] Collecting a few others, she began to arrange then in neat lines, ordered by size.
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Wessex - 04-15-2022
Confused for a moment, Wessex’s brow furrow.[say] “You… know there’s a portal to the Climb, right?”[/say] She can’t exactly point it out right now, but she tries to illustrate with some furtive directions.[say] “I can show you on the way out if you want.”[/say] If there’s any jealousy from the Wraith (there isn’t), she hides it by glossing over the teleportation fact.
Her siblings should have any and all powers they want - anything that will help keep them safe. The more the better. She strings the final bone in place and then starts on the top of the lantern, holding it up and turning a bit to one side to as to ensure that she doesn’t accidentally hit Maea.
[say] “No,”[/say] she says matter-of-factly.[say] “An abomination is at their shrine, taking bones from their people, to make something to honor other abonimations. I keep their memories alive. I say their names. I’m rubbing it in their faces, because these bones represent all the souls Ludo will never get its grubby cloak on. Never.”[/say] Placing a heavy emphasis on the last word, a satisfied little smirk creeps across the General’s features, giving her a very Cheshire-like air.
[say] “Then there’s the fact that the Voice brought you all back during Ludo’s festival, and, well…”[/say] one shoulder creeps up to her ears as she chuckles,[say] “As long as I’m alive, I’ll never let them forget that little trick.”[/say]
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Maea - 04-15-2022
Maea blinked. [say]"I... actually did not know that."[/say] She looked a bit sheepish. [say]"It's not like I've been keeping up. Or in contact."[/say] It wasn't as if her destination had been this place, either. Her meandering path had been without purpose or destination. Just a haunting of unfamiliar paths, in the vague hope that she might find something that sparked.... anything. Interest. Intrigue. Maybe even homesickness. As usual, nothing did.
The notion that her soul would never be guided by Ludo again made Maea look down. Her mouth was a desolate slash, downcast and tense - there was so much venom dripping that Wessex ought to have been the Viper, rather than the Wraith.
[say]"I'm sorry you've come to feel this way,"[/say] she murmured. [say]"I can't... bring myself to hate them. Ludo... you know it attuned me, before that whale hunt? Even though I was Abandoned."[/say] She had worn its rags. A piece of that grubby cloak had kept her warm for a long time. It would never not be painful to know that was all in the past, now.
Poking a finger at the bones before her, she chewed the inside of her cheek. A sinking feeling made her question what she did here. Wessex clearly grieved, and all Maea felt was numb. Uncaring.
[say]"How did it go? In Stormbreak."[/say] Amun hadn't told her about it yet.
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Wessex - 04-18-2022
Blinking in surprise, Wessex is also taken a little aback.[say] “Oh. Well then I’ll definitely show you on the way out.”[/say] She says it like it’s a done deal, because she can see no logical reason not to and it’s no imposition as long as Maea is willing to wait for her to finish.
In truth, she had forgotten that her sister once used to worship Ludo. Even then, it takes a moment for that information to come back to her, and only does so when she mentions the whale incident. Oops. It seems useless to apologize for that now, accident though it may have been.[say] “You don’t have to hate it, or any of them”[/say] she offers quietly, meaning the other heralds.[say] “That’s the beauty of free will and the choices our Lady offers us. You do you, so long as you don’t hurt the rest of the family.”[/say] If she wasn’t looking at her fellow Grounder before, she is now.[say] “I'm not sure where you were, but it'd be helpful if you kept showing up. We'll be fighting for our lives before you know it.”[/say]
And that’s enough of that lecture unless Maea presses it. Wessex, for one, is moving along as she fiddles with trying to make the scapulae lie flat enough.[say] “Well enough.”[/say] An overstatement, but Isla’s decision isn’t hers to tell - and their deception needs to remain secret.[say] “We got Nate back and there’s a ceasefire between Stormbreak and the Grounds. Hopefully it’ll hold for a bit.”[/say]
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Maea - 04-18-2022
The offer surprised her, but Maea nodded all the same. [say]"Thank you. That's kind of you."[/say] Maybe Amun was right. Maybe they had changed... both Wessex and herself. It might be time to let go of some perceptions she had of the Wraith - they were based entirely on a distant past, and might not be relevant anymore.
Of course, she had to hold very tight to that thought as the woman went on. Maea mer her gaze for a bit but eventually had to look away when guilt reared its ugly head. Was it better to say it now, or to keep quiet? It was true that they were in the same boat, and trust... It would be very important.
[say]"I... tried to run from the choice I made,"[/say] she confessed, in a guilty murmur. [say]"When it turned out I didn't actually have some great love or welcome waiting, it... It sort of snapped something inside."[/say] Focusing on the bones, on the ground, she made herself keep talking. Even though it probably wouldn't end well. [say]"I don't know if you heard about a fire, at Nate's hospital in Torchline?"[/say] She swallowed thickly. [say]"That... it was me, who did that."[/say]
There. It was said. Out in the open. She had no claim on Wessex' trust - it was unmade from the start. She had already tried to do harm to a family she did not feel a part of - with one notable exception.
[say]"So... I don't know if you'll want my help. I can't do much of anything, anyway."[/say]
She was only good at running, and breaking things.
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Wessex - 04-18-2022
Maea is full of surprises - over and over again, the Wraith has to keep readjusting her expectations. A confession certainly wasn’t in her plans for tonight, and it does actually stop her in her lantern-making tracks. Pursing her lips, she nods in consideration.[say] “I see.”[/say]
She doesn’t see, she has no idea why Maea would do that, or what great loves have to do with anything. However, Wessex does have a little idea of what it feels like to act out of anger, and she’d be nothing better than her Old God counterparts if she were to hold it against her sister.[say] “Do you regret it, now? Want to make it right? And - was the infirmary you too?”[/say]
One, she could forgive. It wasn’t in the Grounds and no one really got hurt. The second, the infirmary - that would be much harder. They might be similar institutions, but one had a serious threat and the other, an unfortunate incident. Eyeing Maea with an intense, but calm gaze, the Wraith finds herself waiting with a sense of dread - she doesn’t want to have to do anything about those fires, please don’t make her have to do anything tonight.
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Maea - 04-18-2022
Not sure what she had expected, it certainly wasn't this calm steadfastness. Scoldings, yes. Angry words, absolutely. Something cold and unforgiving - but not this steady gaze that seemed to cut to the deepest parts of her being and expose all the circumvention and bullshit for what it was. It was... humbling.
[say]"I... regret lashing out."[/say] The words came slowly, but with ample thought behind them. And honesty. Above all, there was honesty. [say]"And risking the lives of other people. I wish I had gone straight to the source, instead of using Nate as a scapegoat. It was Sunjata I was angry with, really."[/say] As for making it right... she rubbed the back of her neck. And nodded. [say]"I guess I do. Though I don't know how."[/say]
Mention of the infirmary made her look up, blinking with some confusion. For a moment mistaking it with the hospital in Torchline, and also with the Slagveld fire, until she realized what Wessex meant. [say]"What? No. No, I didn't go near the Grounds. Not for years. After the thing in Torchline I stayed in Rae's Fingers for a while, and then I set out for the Wilds. I was still out there when Amun found me, a while back."[/say]
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Wessex - 04-20-2022
They’ve both changed, then, for once upon a time, Wessex would have berated Maea for her lack of foresight and dangerous attempt at revenge. For not putting family above herself. Now? Now she knows that it’s easier to welcome the lost back with honey rather than fire and brimstone. Now she strives to be more like their Goddess - and as war creeps ever closer, the demigod knows that cohesiveness if paramount, and tries to maintain that kind of steadfast rock against which the others may bounce.[say] “Good. Then there’s nothing more I need to do about it.”[/say]
Maea seems to be sincere… and for the life of her, Wessex can’t remember the younger Grounder being terribly good at hiding her feelings.
[say] “Though when Nate returns, I might suggest talking to him about it, as a first step towards making things better?”[/say] Pausing briefly to give a very auntie-looking-over-the-rim-of-her-glasses look. Wessex resumes the final touches on the lantern, bringing it all together with a final knot.[say] “And I do want your help. We need it, Maea. We need everyone. If that means you want to train your ass off until things actually start up, I’m here to help with that. Or whatever else you might need.”[/say] And though she is multi-taksing, she hopes that her tone is sincere enough to convey that she means everything she says.
Pulling up the lantern and watching it clatter haphazardly into place, Wessex has to laugh a little at it before holding it aloft.[say] “There we go. A bone for everyone we’ve lost. Try as you might,”[/say] she says with a glance towards the shrine,[say] “they aren’t going to be forgotten.”[/say]
RE: [open se] if you only had time - Maea - 04-20-2022
She seemed surprised that there truly wouldn't be anything more. After a moment she nodded, and some tension drained from the shoulders. Even if there was a slight grimace at the mention of speaking to Nate. Even if she did not look thrilled - it was offset by the relief at having the truth out in the open. She met Wessex' gaze and for once did not look away, not until the Wraith resumed work on her lantern.
[say]"Thank you,"[/say] she said softly, and it somehow incorporated everything. The acceptance, this new tolerant attitude she couldn't recall seeing before - even the part where she was made to feel needed. [say]"If you don't mind, I could really use the training. And if you know how I might be most useful, please tell me. I - I need to start over, Wessex. And I have no idea where to even begin."[/say]
Shifting a foot, she half kicked at the bones before her and sent them skittering over the floor. Neat lines dissolved into a jumbled mess that reflected her state of mind all too well.