At the end of the rainbow

// somebody told me that there's two sides to this life //

It was a concept she hadn't heard of before, though it made sense. Maea was reminded of a certain brand of generosity that had suffused the community while she grew up. Sure, everyone had to get by and take care of themselves, but more often than not she had seen her father hand over an extra sack of wool, another few bottles of cider or leg of lamb for no apparent reason. And just as often he came home from market day with a little something they shouldn't have been able to afford. Nails to mend the roof, a new pair of boots for her brother, a dress she never dared to ask for... It had been unspoken, not a rule or tradition or even necessary, but simply an expression of kindness. Something she had almost forgotten, between having nothing to offer and a certain reluctance towards accepting gifts.
"Hmm, well... I can try," she murmured, rubbing absently over a spot on the chest that ached at the idea. Whether sweet or simply painful she couldn't quite say, except it wasn't entirely a bad sensation.

Sinking into a pleasant silence for a while, Maea watched how the light shifted as clouds rolled across the sky. For a while the rain picked up, turning the sunshower into a proper shudder that hammered the ground. Beneath the shelter of the spruce tree the two women remained dry, if a bit harried by a growing number of biters. They kept swarming around Maea, buzzing in her ears and getting tangled in her hair - until she conjured a tongue of fire that made short work of a whole handful of gnats.

"Will you be working on any other projects, once Sascha is back?" she asked, reaching for a few spruce sprouts. Crushing them against her skin released a fresh, tangy aroma into the air, that seemed to help stave off the biters. It was an awkward question, she realized, trying and failing to politely summarise all the things she'd like to know about the other woman. What she liked and disliked, what she was passionate about, whether they had more things than Talyson and grief in common – all the personal stuff that wasn't exactly polite but by far the most interesting to talk about.

Maea

// I think I might've chosen darkness over light //

Silence fell between the two women, though it was companionable enough that Alys didn't feel the need to fill it with chatter. She could sense that Maea was thoughtful, and since the seer had her own considerations to make, it was comfortable to sit and be allowed to do so while simultaneously not being entirely alone.

The shower picked up; their tree was dry enough, though every now and then, Alys felt a few drops make their way through the spruce to plop upon her cheek or her shoulder. A growing number of gnats came to pester them until Maea summoned a bit of flame to chase them away - or burn them to ash. Alys wasn't sure which.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," she replied, once Maea finally broke their shared silence. "I used to be a traveling seer; I'll probably go back to that. I have shops in Halo and King's End to manage as well, although the day-to-day is managed by assistants. There's plenty to be done in the world. I suppose I'd like to find a way to make myself useful that is as safe as it can be, for myself and for my loved ones. I'm just not entirely sure what that is."

ALYS GLASSE

// somebody told me that there's two sides to this life //

Duly impressed by the little mercantile empire Alys had going on, the pale ancient hastily compared their situations and decided that the Fateweaver had her life together far more than herself. Instead of jealousy however, she was relieved to hear that there was some stability for her friend to fall back on; that the vagabondeering was a choice, rather than a necessity.

"Perhaps I will request another reading of you, for the next time we meet," she smiled, rather enthusiastic about seeing more of what the seer could do. "Might as well keep doing what works until you figure out what the next step will be." A line if thought she should embrace more, herself – but of course it was always easier to give advice than to heed them.

As they spoke, the rain thinned into stray droplets, then faded altogether. A sigh of wind through freshly sprouted leaves and evergreens raised the aroma of petrichor once more, and when the clouds parted the sun filtered down upon the forest floor in mottled rays of gold and green. Finally able to escape the shelter - and the gnats - Maea stretched her hands high over the head with a deep, contented sigh.

"It's been nice, catching up. I'll be heading back to the village... care to join?" If not, she spent another few minutes exchanging pleasantries and saying their goodbyes before heading off down the path that would hopefully take her back home.

[FIN]

Maea

// I think I might've chosen darkness over light //