[SE] on a winning streak

This scene feels like what I once saw on a screen
I searched 'aurora borealis green'

Looks, Liam had learned, could be very deceiving, and he did his best not to judge someone based upon their appearance. Perhaps it was that he’d first seen Maea as a gore crow, but he hadn’t had to try very hard with her; there had always been layers and complexity to her, and he hadn’t had to remind himself not to make assumptions just because she was pale, or small, or even perhaps slightly frail looking.

Content with their meal and sated for now, Liam leaned back until he lay upon the ground, seemingly happy to lie in the sun and talk for a few more minutes before getting back to their search. He laced his fingers behind his head, gazing up at the greenery above and the sunlight filtering through them, as Maea described her gore crow shift. It made sense, and although Liam had never felt particularly stuck - not physically anyway - he could understand why having wings would alleviate that fear.

When she turned the tables on him, he didn’t hesitate. ”The fierwe,” he said. ”Don’t get me wrong, they’re all impressive, but the fierwe…” What was it about the doe that had so captivated him? ”It’s just - it seems - lighter than the others, somehow.” Not as serious. Dangerous in its way, perhaps, but not in an in-your-face way like the molten tiger. Light, and gentle, and tender. But he wasn’t sure how to put it into words.

I've never seen someone lit from within
Blurring out my periphery

Liam

MAEA

She could never feel offended over such a choice. Maea regarded the man in silence for a time, struggling against notions too vague for labeling. When they won, her gaze softened and she turned her face away, out towards the glittering water so that the silly little smile spreading across her lips wouldn't be so obvious.

"I see. It is a newer one, even to me... but I agree. It does feel different." And she was grateful that there was someone around who appreciated that light. She'd been aware of how darkness crowded her view of things lately. It had begun a long time ago, and the years spent in the Grounds after her suspension in stone ended had solidified it as a new normal; surrounded by drunkards and hedonists, blood and violence until it seemed the only way to exist and truly be free. It wasn't until she'd left that behind that she really began to recall that such had not always been the case; she had been lighter once, too, long before Dygra's children appeared in her life. Here, surrounded by the forest and in the company of one who looked at her without any expectations, Maea was reminded of other sunlit days, another springtime, of the thrill and delights that being attuned to the world had brought. No matter how brief the moment or how much grief had followed, it still remained within her; and gradually she was beginning to remember what it had felt like to be at peace with the world, and with herself.

Following Liam's example, Maea stretched herself out on the ground. In the warm sunlight and with the whispering, mumbling waters as a lullaby, she felt drowsy and content. "Let's nap for a bit, before we continue?" she suggested, stifling back a yawn. "I'm cat enough for that..." And drowsy enough that even if Liam had any objections, he would voice them to sleeping ears within minutes. It was to his credit, really – it said something about trust that a tiger would let its guard down enough around a person they'd met so very recently.

[FIN]

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