Maea
And time it waits for no one
It heals them when you die
It heals them when you die
Thank the gods for Nate. Fuck Nate to all oblivion. Pale fingers stilled as he began to speak, and whatever superfluous imitations of biological functions she had been simulating ceased. Married. The volcano erupting, a war brewing. Battles fought, lands uncovered. The house had burned down. It was more akin to being clobbered in the head than having a bandaid ripped, and Maea didn't know what to do. Or say. The lack of physical reactions only left more room for her emotions to roil and seethe - jealousy, anger, relief, disappointment, hopes shattered and a soft, bittersweet, selfless something that was genuinely happy to see that neither of these broken men were entirely unhappy. If only she did not care so much about them - the man she loved, the other man she might have learned to love if things turned out differently - it would have been so much easier. Merely succumbing to anger and hate would have been such a relief.
But that wasn't her, it seemed. And so Maea was left with these conflicting thoughts, gaze lowered to the floor while she examined the shattered pieces of the future she had once dreamed of. Realizing, that there really was no salvaging it.
"I see," she eventually said. It felt inadequate. "I... well. Congratulations. I am happy for you." Not a lie. If only it could be a lie.
She forced herself to look up. To look at Nate properly, and really take in all the changes. Not only the physical but the deeper scars that showed through as their gazes met. There was fragility there that had not been before, and new strength. No doubt stemming from the hand on Sunjata's knee. There was something desperate about it, as if the Flood was an anchor preventing Nate from being swept away. Or maybe he simply wished to keep being swept along in the same direction? She could relate to that sentiment.
Turning finally to Sunjata, she had to smile a little. Despite everything - the bruises, the weariness in his entire being, despite how he really didn't seem thrilled to see her - it was good to be in his presence again.
"I remember everything from before," she told him softly. "After... is hazy, and fading quickly. I don't think Death is something the living should recall too clearly. It is too... pleasant a dream. I remember being happy. And being too restless to stay." A slight shrug of thin shoulders broke the stillness, as if to emphasise the point.
"It is strange. Yes. Both being back, and being so different. It will take some getting used to." Maea held upp a hand and examined it with a distant curiosity. Any scars or defects accrued over time was gone. Small imperfections smoothed over, callouses and wear erased. No, it was more accurate to say that they had never existed. This body, while it looked like hers, was a very good forgery. A new frame and chassis for an old engine. With a few tweaks.
"Did you... ever receive my message?" she asked, somewhat hesitant as she turned her attention back to Sunjata. "I asked her to leave some words..."
But that wasn't her, it seemed. And so Maea was left with these conflicting thoughts, gaze lowered to the floor while she examined the shattered pieces of the future she had once dreamed of. Realizing, that there really was no salvaging it.
"I see," she eventually said. It felt inadequate. "I... well. Congratulations. I am happy for you." Not a lie. If only it could be a lie.
She forced herself to look up. To look at Nate properly, and really take in all the changes. Not only the physical but the deeper scars that showed through as their gazes met. There was fragility there that had not been before, and new strength. No doubt stemming from the hand on Sunjata's knee. There was something desperate about it, as if the Flood was an anchor preventing Nate from being swept away. Or maybe he simply wished to keep being swept along in the same direction? She could relate to that sentiment.
Turning finally to Sunjata, she had to smile a little. Despite everything - the bruises, the weariness in his entire being, despite how he really didn't seem thrilled to see her - it was good to be in his presence again.
"I remember everything from before," she told him softly. "After... is hazy, and fading quickly. I don't think Death is something the living should recall too clearly. It is too... pleasant a dream. I remember being happy. And being too restless to stay." A slight shrug of thin shoulders broke the stillness, as if to emphasise the point.
"It is strange. Yes. Both being back, and being so different. It will take some getting used to." Maea held upp a hand and examined it with a distant curiosity. Any scars or defects accrued over time was gone. Small imperfections smoothed over, callouses and wear erased. No, it was more accurate to say that they had never existed. This body, while it looked like hers, was a very good forgery. A new frame and chassis for an old engine. With a few tweaks.
"Did you... ever receive my message?" she asked, somewhat hesitant as she turned her attention back to Sunjata. "I asked her to leave some words..."
And soon you are forgotten
A whisper within a sigh
A whisper within a sigh
