[SE] on a winning streak

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Days passed after meeting Maea, and each morning found Liam at her camp, ready to accompany her on her search for the ever-elusive roses. He’d made her promise to send him away if he became a hindrance, but she had yet to do so; he rather thought they each enjoyed the other’s company, whether they spent their time in conversation or in comfortable silence.

This morning had been no different from any other, and Liam had appeared at Maea’s camp to find her ready to face the day. On one arm, he carried a basket stocked with food for lunch: bread, fruits, cheese and a few jams and jellies made up the majority of the meal. It would be easier than either hunting for their lunch or returning to the village, he reasoned, either of which would cause them to lose precious daylight on their search for Vi’s Roses.

He’d chosen the Saltkiss Estuary for today’s search. It was a place along the Stone Symphony they had yet to visit, and he hoped that perhaps the unique biodiversity along the estuary’s shores would yield some success in their hunt. Besides that, it was a beautiful location - with no cliffs threatening to crumble from beneath their feet at the drop of a hat.

When they arrived, Liam placed his basket beneath a large tree, then looked around for the best place to begin their search. ”So,” he said as he began to walk towards the water’s edge. ”You find a rose, and what then? Going to save us all from the Void by yourself?” He quirked an eyebrow at her, his voice teasing. He wouldn’t put it past her to try, but he hoped she was learning that she didn’t have to.

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

MAEA

Day after day Maea awoke to lingering frost, light drizzling rain or brilliant sunlight warming her blankets, wondering if this would be the day she returned to her solitary quest. And just like the days brought a new dawn, there came Liam, strolling into camp like he'd never done anything else.
As the days passed, Maea began letting down her guard, such as it was. Setting aside the beautiful but wildly impractical dress for sturdy trousers and a well worn coat, she began relying on his extra set of eyes to watch her back, for practiced hands to pitch in in case of trouble, for an answer when she commented on the landscape or a thought that crossed her mind. It felt... good. Warm, somehow, in the way she had come to associate with friends.

Todays lunch basket had earned Liam a raised brow and some teasing - did he think this was a picnic? - but given the practicality of it, Maea absolutely didn't mind. 
Ranging out beside him now, Maea grinned back - oh he was picking up on her personality fast, wasn't he? "You know, I actually didn't think much beyond showing up on Flora's threshold to shove the thing in her face," she admitted, sharp fangs flashing in a rare display of ire. For the most part she tried to be fair about the whole situation, but some days she didn't feel very forgiving. "I figured it was her problem after that. But now that you mention it..."

Scanning the area, both looking for the telltale colors of red and gold and admiring the rich diversity of the landscape, she thought about the next step. "Someone will have to go plant it where it can do some good," she murmured. "And that someone will need to be quick, because I doubt the Family will let such a venture slide without getting involved." Grimacing faintly, she had no illusions about standing a chance; not when a mere look from Dahlia had sent her running in the past.

I see a new horizon, holding on to hope
Say goodbye to all my pain when it's time for me to go

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Liam, in his long, self-imposed exile, had grown used to solitude, so much so that he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed companionship. He might not have been a social butterfly, even before losing his family, but he’d had friends. He’d cared about people. When had he grown so self-absorbed that he’d become a hermit, burying his head in the sand and ignoring the problems plaguing Caido in favor of nursing his own wounded heart? Maybe that was why he threw himself headlong into the hunt for roses, because in helping Maea, it meant that he was still, deep down, capable of doing more than languish selfishly, alone in the woods.

Liam laughed at the flash of Maea’s fangs. He’d met Flora once, a long time ago, before she’d risen to leadership. He didn’t know her well, but if she was determined to keep Maea out of Torchline, Liam thought that was her loss. She’d seemed young to be a queen, and the soldier wondered if time upon her throne would make her more or less likely to hold a grudge. If she would even honor the promise to allow Maea refuge if she brought back a flower. 

Saving the area for red and gold, Liam moved along the riverbank slowly. ”Even if we succeed, war is coming,” he said frankly. ”I can’t imagine the Family will take kindly to being bested. We need to be prepared, whatever comes.” And if the Greatwood was the place to find Vi’s Roses, Liam would need to be prepared for when they inevitably came for his home.

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

MAEA

Leaning down, Maea picked up a rock and turned it between her fingers, perfectly healed from the scrapes of the earlier misadventure. Smooth and black as jet, she tried to figure out what kind of mineral it might be, but soon gave up. Geology had never interested her much.

"I know," she murmured, letting the stone fall back onto the riverbank. "It will be the second time I end up watching from the sidelines while good people waste their lives... if we even get to fight at all." 

Frowning at something purple that slurped past in the shallows, she cocked her head aside, assessing Liam with the beginnings of concern. "What do you mean when you say 'prepare'?" Surely he wasn't thinking of fighting too? He was three years removed from the dragoon's, and even if they both trained like mad in the coming year, what good would that do?

I see a new horizon, holding on to hope
Say goodbye to all my pain when it's time for me to go

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Even having retired from the dragoons, Liam had never been one to sit on the sidelines while others risked their lives. He’d done that long enough, hoping that those stronger and more capable than he would manage to cleanse the Void and send the Family packing. For a while, he thought it might be working - after all, hadn’t someone come to cleanse the Greatwood, seasons ago? But now it seemed they were in just as dire a position as before, and he was done waiting.

He watched Maea’s stone fall back onto the riverbank, then met her gaze squarely. ”You know as well as I do that innocent people get caught up in wars, Maea,” he said. It had happened to his family. It had happened to her. He stooped to pick up a round, flat rock and tossed it; it skipped three times before plunking into the water. He wasn’t sure what to do with the concern he could read in Maea’s pale face.  ”I’m not saying we rush off and take the fight to the Family, but if they come for us… I just think we need to be ready for the possibility that we’re going to have to fight, before it’s all said and done.”

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

MAEA

She did know. Better than he might suspect, because while they'd talked on and off about the past, she hadn't shared more than tidbits of her life. Nothing about death, or ascension, or why she was an Ancient now when she'd been born and raised long before Dygra woke from her long slumber. It hadn't seemed relevant as of yet, not was it fun to talk about, and perhaps part of her still worried what Liam would think. A look at her hands - scarred from some great heat, the skin puckered and melted like wax - was all the reminder she needed that he was by far the better person between them.

What concerned her even more was how quickly I and me was becoming us and we. They were casting the term around without thinking, but somewhere it had begun to imply... what? What did it imply, that 'we' had to prepare, even though she would be leaving the Greatwood the moment a rose was discovered?

"I'm all for making a stand or helping where I can, I'm just not sure what could actually be accomplished from here," she murmured. "I've met Dahlia, and Vox – and I don't even know where to begin. Just making a plan is difficult when they can peek into our minds at any time, listening in on every conversation."

I see a new horizon, holding on to hope
Say goodbye to all my pain when it's time for me to go

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Liam had slipped into saying we and us without really thinking about the implications. Was he talking about Caido as a whole? The Greatwood? Or did he mean he and Maea? And if it was the latter, what did that mean, for either of them? Somehow, he’d gotten sucked into her quest - not through any fault of hers, but because he just couldn’t leave well enough alone now that there was something concrete he could do to help.

He would be the first to admit that he didn’t know their adversary well. He certainly hadn’t met any of them - except for that brief, unsettling encounter with Vox. He knew he needed to heed Maea’s advice, but it still chafed that there wasn’t more to be done. ”I suppose that’s true,” he admitted. It was disheartening, really, to be defeated before they had even begun to really fight back, just because somehow, the Family was always one step ahead of them.

”I wonder if there’s a way to block them?” Liam mused. If he had any relationship with the gods, he might ask one of them for help. As it was, he had no one and nothing to turn to - except for Maea, and anything she might know.

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

MAEA

Pausing in the midst of throwing a rock into the water - more satisfying than failing to find flowers - Maea tilted her head, the cocked angle exaggerated by the wireless of her horns. "There might be," she said slowly. "Maybe... hang on."

They hadn't gotten far from the lunch basket yet. Rushing back, she dug through her own bag for a piece of paper, just a scrap with a few words scribbled down. Hurrying back, she waved it victoriously before handing it to Liam. "There was a test done by our allies, to find what elements bothered the invaders most," she explained, of course referring to the Family. "A friend of mine, Tal, was there and told me what they discovered." On the note was written only two words; Air and Gravity. "Neither are very common, but perhaps with the help of a god, something could be arranged."

Being able to talk and plan without the eavesdropping would be potentially huge. Definitely the kind of preparation she could get behind.

I see a new horizon, holding on to hope
Say goodbye to all my pain when it's time for me to go

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Liam was preparing to skip another rock when Maea rushed back to where they’d sat their lunch basket, startling him. He dropped the stone, turning to follow her, taking the offered bit of paper and reading the two words written there. His mind started turning the information over before Maea had the chance to finish. He didn’t know much about gravity magic, nor was he creative enough to contemplate its many uses. Air, though… that had potential.

”I think I have an idea,” he said slowly, handing the paper back to her. ”But it would take a god to make it work, like you said, and I’ve never…” For all that he admired the gods, he’d never dared to ask them for anything before, and he couldn’t be sure that he would be answered if he asked. ”But I’m willing to try.” It was something to do, anyway, besides a suicide mission.

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

MAEA

Watching the wheels start to turn and that spark of inspiration light up his eyes was incredibly satisfying. That Liam was able to process that small tidbit of information so quickly spoke of the intelligence concealed behind those charming golden locks of his, and it raised her respect for him several notches. Not just capable hands, not just a pretty face, but with the smarts to back it up. And to think he'd been out here in the woods for three years.

When he tried to hand back the paper, she shook her head and indicated for him to keep it. "Our gods love the accepted," she assured, grinning with renewed brightness. "I've no doubt that someone will answer your prayer - just watch out for spirits, and you'll be fine." If she personally hoped Safrin wouldn't get her divine claws in him, it was a thought Maea kept to herself.

I see a new horizon, holding on to hope
Say goodbye to all my pain when it's time for me to go

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

Liam tucked the paper into a pocket. He wasn’t sure if his plan would work, and he had no way of telling Maea what he’d thought of without potentially compromising it. If the Family actually had eyes and ears everywhere… well, he’d just have to see what he could do about that.

”And how do you know I’m not Attuned?” he teased, flashing a smile. Seeing as he was from Stormbreak, it made sense that he wouldn’t be an Abandoned, but there were plenty of Attuned in the city. Then he sobered. ”Let’s hope they answer - and that they can help.” Even the gods, after all, had their limits. More importantly, Liam had limits, and even if he could get help from the gods… he had to be strong enough to carry out his plan for it to work.

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

MAEA

"I don't," she admitted, refocusing on Liam with a renewed interest. "I did assume dragoons were all accepted though? Given the dragons, and all. Those I've met before have been." Koa and his companion, Zavien... Come to think of it, two was more coincidence than a rule. "Are you?" she wondered, suddenly curious. If he was attuned, what shift might he have? It was a shame she'd never be able to share that famed attuned bond if that was the case... all he'd get from listening for her was a deafening silence.

"Did you know I managed to attune, once? It was only for a short time, but Ludo accepted me..." Smiling wistfully, she recalled the feeling of wearing that shift. It had been lighter than her tiger, but just as sleek and deadly a feline.

I see a new horizon, holding on to hope
Say goodbye to all my pain when it's time for me to go

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

'Cause she's a cruel mistress
And a bargain must be made

"No, I'm Accepted," Liam admitted with a grin. "Most of us are, but it's not a rule. There were a few Attuned during my time with the dragoons. They were always interesting to work with. Stellar for search and rescue missions, depending on the shifts. I was always jealous of the ones who could fly." Of course, he'd also been jealous of the dragoons who'd managed to bond a dragon, but that was neither here nor there.

"What was your shift?" he asked upon hearing that Maea had managed to attune. He didn't know that much about her, he realized - only a little about her current mission, and a bit about her brother, and bits and pieces that he'd managed to pick up over the last few days.

But oh, my love, don't forget me
When I let the water take me

Liam

MAEA

Pleased to have guessed right after all, Maea resumed the search while they spoke. Keeping a leisurely pace so that no nook or cranny would be missed, her mind was only half on the search. The rest had her imagining life in Stormbreak before the war, before the Void and the Family - she'd been there briefly before Sohalia was ousted from the throne but never long enough to feel at home.
"Oh, yeah, I can imagine. I was so happy to discover my own wings... it changed my entire outlook on life." The crow had awarded her e a sense of freedom that banished a trauma, forever freeing her from a memory of bars and cages. While the memory still lingered, it didn't haunt her the way it used to.

"It was a jaguar," she revealed, looking rather proud. "Considering I was born Abandoned, I'd say I did pretty well. Growing up, I always wished for that easy acceptance though... and a dragon. We didn't have many in the grounds, but occasionally one did bond and it was a huge thing." Enjoying the conversation too much to pay attention, she didn't quite realize how much she was revealing. It seemed harness, and perhaps it was, after all.
"Were you ever tempted, to make the change?"

I see a new horizon, holding on to hope
Say goodbye to all my pain when it's time for me to go

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3