Wrap your teeth around the pavement

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." It was growing late. The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon a long time ago, and only a blue shimmer still hinted at light far off in the west. The skies were high and bright with stars, and revelers streaming out of the bar were gathering on street corners and carousing on the squares, music filling the air with all the fervor that usually preceded festivals. Even if the Fae tradition was not really theirs yet, and even though it was a long way off to the Midnight Gathering, the spirits were still high in the LongHeat eve. The tragedies of LongNight and Fiat Lux were slowly fading from their minds, and perhaps for the first time in a long while, they were smiling. Laughing. Maea did not share the sentiment. Dragging a heavy bag in one hand, with a backpack and another bag slung over her other shoulder, she was a raincloud in the making as she trundled up the path to the VlamVloed. Waiting impatiently for a group of drunkards to clear the doorway, she proceeded to drag her burdens into the tavern, across all of the floor and up to the bar. There, she let it all fall to the ground with a rattle like the roof was about to come down. With a groan she slumped down in one of the chairs by the counter, and rubbed her hands over the face. "Something of the stronger sort, please?" she murmured, not even bothering to see who was standing behind the bar at the moment. They were all familiar to her by now, and all would be equally surprised to hear her request. Maea kept her hands over the face, hoping to be spared any comments. She was really not in the mood.