Maea
Stars, hide your fires
She tensed at the tone, back stiffening at the unspoken implication that she was stupid for even considering that some people really might be that brave, or foolish, depending on ones level of empathy. It sounded so haughty in her ears, like he had no responsibility to be careful even in a shift like the dragon - and even when Sunjata ameliorated his tone, her expression remained doubtful, though she managed to bite her tongue and remain quiet. It was there again, that bubbling anxiety in her gut that demanded she keep her head down and not make waves. If she had a dragon's form to utilise... she had to wonder if she ever would. Fearing the kind of mistakes she might make, the fallout of taking someone's cattle, hurting someone's fields, or family, of doing harm that could never be undone... How did he live with that deadly potential coiled against his spine?
The offer to help caught Maea off guard, and she turned wide lavender eyes on the Flood. Her expression warmed several degrees, softening into something close to what he might have been allowed to see all those years ago. She hadn't changed much. Frozen in time by ascendancy and petrification, time had done little to carve its passage into her body. It was only her eyes that differed; the weight of experiences behind her glances, and that weariness - because few of them had been positive or worth taking pride in.
"That's a kind offer, and I appreciate it," Maea replied. "I would accept, but... I'm just not sure what you - or anyone - can do? Most of my issues come down to emotions and my need for control..." Was it not her own job to figure out how to manage those? It was an olive branch she didn't know how to accept, though surprisingly, the will was there.
The offer to help caught Maea off guard, and she turned wide lavender eyes on the Flood. Her expression warmed several degrees, softening into something close to what he might have been allowed to see all those years ago. She hadn't changed much. Frozen in time by ascendancy and petrification, time had done little to carve its passage into her body. It was only her eyes that differed; the weight of experiences behind her glances, and that weariness - because few of them had been positive or worth taking pride in.
"That's a kind offer, and I appreciate it," Maea replied. "I would accept, but... I'm just not sure what you - or anyone - can do? Most of my issues come down to emotions and my need for control..." Was it not her own job to figure out how to manage those? It was an olive branch she didn't know how to accept, though surprisingly, the will was there.
Let not light see my black and deep desires
