Maea’s yawns were a good indication that it was almost time for him to leave, though he wanted to stay long enough to ensure that she would not revert back to stone unexpectedly. She was in front of the fire and likely out of danger, but…
The tilt of her head caught the firelight perfectly, a line of gold limning her cheek and glowing through horns the hue of finest porcelain. His fingers sought to reach for his tools, to capture the moment in silver and gold, crystal and glass, but he kept them resting in his lap, still and outwardly serene. His tools were not here, and the urge was, as he would tell Flora some day in the near future, unwise.
As Ronin and Sunjata could perhaps attest.
So he remained where he was, seated on a chair that, like the cottage, was cozy and comfortable, and the small line between his brows eased, smoothing out at her smile. "I am glad I was here with you." Even if the cold would not have killed the Ancient, being turned to stone would not have been a good outcome. Even if her roommate had found her within the day it did not sound like a comfortable experience to undergo. He tilted his head in acknowledgment of her honesty, warmed that she would share it with him. "It is not easy to forget a lifetime of habit." Mistakes would be made, as much by the once-Mer as the once-Abandoned/Ascended. Tonight, at least, the mistake had been harmless and easily fixed with some time in front of the fire.
Their conversation was light, with long stretches of comfortable quiet filled by the crackling of the fire until the Mer King found himself joining his hostess in an unexpected yawn. It was the usually-unflappable Tidebreaker's turn to look a little embarrassed, and after a shared laugh at their tiredness he bid his dear friend farewell and made his way out into the moonlight to begin the journey of teleportation hops necessary to cross the continent and return home.
~Fin~
The tilt of her head caught the firelight perfectly, a line of gold limning her cheek and glowing through horns the hue of finest porcelain. His fingers sought to reach for his tools, to capture the moment in silver and gold, crystal and glass, but he kept them resting in his lap, still and outwardly serene. His tools were not here, and the urge was, as he would tell Flora some day in the near future, unwise.
As Ronin and Sunjata could perhaps attest.
So he remained where he was, seated on a chair that, like the cottage, was cozy and comfortable, and the small line between his brows eased, smoothing out at her smile. "I am glad I was here with you." Even if the cold would not have killed the Ancient, being turned to stone would not have been a good outcome. Even if her roommate had found her within the day it did not sound like a comfortable experience to undergo. He tilted his head in acknowledgment of her honesty, warmed that she would share it with him. "It is not easy to forget a lifetime of habit." Mistakes would be made, as much by the once-Mer as the once-Abandoned/Ascended. Tonight, at least, the mistake had been harmless and easily fixed with some time in front of the fire.
Their conversation was light, with long stretches of comfortable quiet filled by the crackling of the fire until the Mer King found himself joining his hostess in an unexpected yawn. It was the usually-unflappable Tidebreaker's turn to look a little embarrassed, and after a shared laugh at their tiredness he bid his dear friend farewell and made his way out into the moonlight to begin the journey of teleportation hops necessary to cross the continent and return home.
~Fin~
