are you safe from yourself?

NOE

So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames

The Mathair was far larger than Noe had assumed that it would be - and that was saying something, as the girl had assumed that it would be quite large indeed. What she knew of the tree was that it stretched the breadth of the Greatwood - and that it housed the Leafchange seasonal goddess within its bark. Her bark? Was the tree the goddess herself, or was it simply somewhere for her to stay when other seasons held the world in thrall?

Noe picked her way through the root systems, having to crawl over carnivorous flora as she went. Sometimes, she encountered a root that was so tall that she had to double back and find a way around. Eventually, she neared the trunk of the tree - and that was where she found a clear spot to sit, nestling into the roots and simply observing the world around her.

And if she found a rose? Well, that would be all the better. A big fuck you to the Family. And isn't that what they all needed just now?

You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain

Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck

One conclusion reached over the past seasons spent chasing roses was that it was pointless to look for them. She could strain her eyes for days to no avail; the flower wouldn't be there until it was, and at that moment she couldn't avoid noticing. Of course, knowing that didn't keep her from haunting the woodland in dogged pursuit of a miracle. Spending most of her time as a gore crow, it wasn't often that she paused to acknowledge the few people she came across, in no mood for small talk when days kept passing, stealing precious time away from her friends.

Ah, but the sight of a figure perched among the roots of the Mathair was so familiar that she couldn't help herself. Gliding over towards the woman on white wings, Maea shifted mid air and dropped down onto a nearby branch with feline agility. Liam had been sitting like that too, the first time she took notice of him. Now, in his place, was the very person who had revealed his affliction.

"Are you Noe?" she asked, quite certain of the answer despite the question. Maea wondered if she'd remember her; it had been a bit hectic last time they met.

Maea

NOE

So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames

The sound of something dropping onto a nearby branch had Noe looking up - to find a pale figure perched, watching her. The girl scrambled to her feet, suddenly feeling very silly for having come out here alone, with nothing and no one to protect her. Her unease remained as the woman - an Ancient, by the look of her horns and tail - asked her name.

Noe thought about lying, considered making up a fake name and a false history, but the girl thought that the woman looked vaguely familiar. She was... at the pool party, Noe thought, trying to keep that infected man out of the fight. "Yeah," Noe said after a moment's silence, shifting uncomfortably under the Ancient's scrutiny. "You were... at the pool party, right?"

You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain

Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck

Maea held her hands up in a reassuring gesture as the woman sprang to her feet, palms up and empty. "Easy, I'm not here to hurt you. Just meant to ask - " Interrupting herself, she bit her lip and started over, tail coiling around the branch to steady her where she crouched. "Yeah, I was. I'm Maea. You said that my friend is infected... Could you tell me how you knew that?"

Not really doubting it, given the conversations she'd had with Liam, it was nevertheless a rare chance to ask about things she had yet to learn. Normally she would hesitate to bother a stranger, but considering the circumstances... it felt safest to seize this chance while she could.
Belatedly, a speck of light joined her on the branch. A faint grumbling of a half imagined voice cared nothing for the tension in the air, too busy complaining about how the wisp had been left behind by its bonded again, for like the third time today.

Maea

NOE

So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames

As a wisp of light appeared next to the Ancient in the tree, something in Noe softened. She'd seen will-o-wisps before, on her trips here with Sohalia. But she'd never seen one bonded to someone. This one sounded awfully disgruntled as it zoomed up to its bonded, drawing the faintest of smiles to Noe's face.

But she was getting distracted. The Ancient - Maea - had asked her a question.

Hugging herself around her middle, Noe swallowed hard. She didn't like seeing infected people, and she hadn't really talked about what they looked like before. Not even with Koa. "It... was his face," she whispered after a moment. Then, clearing her throat, she forced herself to speak up. "I was a Friend of the Family, and now that I'm cured, I guess I can... see what they really are. And their effect on others. Infected people have, like... too many eyes, and tentacles where their faces should be, and they look purple tinged."

The girl shuddered. Then she peered up at Maea, softening. "I'm sorry about your friend. Is that why you're out here? Are you trying to cure him?"

You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain

Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck

Noticing how the woman relaxed, Maea shifted to sit more comfortably on the thick branch. Choosing to keep a bit of distance for both their sakes, it made talking a touch awkward, but doable.
Closing her eyes against the imagery Noe conjured with her description, a pained expression passed over Maea's face. "Yeah, that's right," she replied, small fists tightening over the knees. "He says he's fine, but he also wants me to to go Stormbreak with him... so it feels a bit urgent."

Any lingering doubts were gone. The description of tentacles and too many eyes matched what Sunjata had told her. All that remained was finding a rose... and hope she was able to get it near Liam without wither of them getting hurt.

"Say... while you were a, uh, Friend... You didn't happen to learn anything about them? Something to be used against them?"

Maea

NOE

So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames

Noe didn't miss the pained expression that crossed Maea's face, even as the woman moved to make herself more comfortable upon the branch. The engineer swallowed hard; to be the bearer of bad news to an infected person's friend was more painful than she'd imagined it might be. "Yeah, that tracks," she said glumly. "When you're infected, the Family feels like... well, like your family. Like your very best friends. Or at least, that's how it was for me."

She pushed aside memories of things she'd done with Vox. Things that were totally normal friend things to do, except for the fact that they hadn't really been totally normal friends. Had they?

It was a question that haunted her thoughts every day since.

As for whether or not she'd learned anything useful, Noe shook her head, shame coloring her cheeks. "No, I'm afraid not." Then, almost defensively: "When you're a Friend of the Family, you don't really ask a lot of questions. It's like, everything they say and everything they are just... makes sense. And arguments against them don't, because you feel like there has to be another explanation to excuse whatever it is they've done."

She shifted, suddenly uncomfortable under Maea's scrutiny. "I'm looking for roses, too. D'you wanna look together? I haven't searched that way yet..."

fin

You can tell me when it's over
If the high was worth the pain