My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room
It's a small relief to know that she can at least do this for him. That she can take away his one thing off of his plate. Even if it wasn't a real worry of his. She had taken over the process as soon as she came back from her stint in Stormbreak, making preparations, working on fathering materials, organizing the construction. It's been a long process and she's glad to be close to finishing. "It's the least I can do..." Maeve murmurs, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth as their conversation shifts, focusing on his daughter instead.
The smile that finds the way to his lips is barely there, not reaching the steel of his eyes beyond a faint spark, but Maeve accepts it nonetheless. "I know you didn't, but I think she's been good for you." Even if he was worried that the fact that she had a part of him would do more harm than good or that Safrin was the only good part of her. Maeve didn't think that was true. Kamaraia was one of the best things that had happened to him in a twisted way.
This is a conversation she wasn't looking forward to. It would be a tough one, potentially straining their relationship more than it already was, but it was one they needed to have. A heavy breath pushes past her lips as she nods, trailing after him, Aidon hot on her heels. "Of course." She murmurs, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, unable to keep the nervousness off of her features. They find their way to an abandoned fire, still burning and sparking, sending embers up against the darkening sky. Maeve lowers herself into the sand, drawing her knees up as her toes dig into the still warm shore, arms wrapping around the tops of her knees. Her companion trills softly, sensing her discomfort and doing what he can to soothe her, dropping his head against her arm.
"I'm sure Aurelia has told you what I told her, but I wanted to talk to you too." Maeve knows they've likely put the pieces together. Hotaru, while safe for the time being, would likely be brought back to Torchline. The former queen told her to expect as much, knowing that Atlas was recognized, while minute it would be enough to place her there. "I supposed I should start at the beginning... The night of I was coming back from the Halenani when I saw the smoke. I was heading back to Locke's and it was already late. I noticed Atlas outside the door and saw as he was stabbed." Maeve feels the sudden ache in her chest, recalling the cry of pain that came from the unicorn, the blood that ran down to soak his coat crimson. "I didn't know what was going on, but I rushed to help him. At the time, I wasn't aware of the fire inside. It wasn't coming out of the windows yet."
She reaches up to trail her fingers along the top of Aidon's head, needing to ground herself before she presses on, swallowing thickly as her eyes flick to him. The firelight casting his face in severe shadows and making him look harsher in this moment. "Everything happened quickly after that. Aurelia pushed me out of the way, stabbing Atlas in the eye as he tried to stand and I tried to stop her. I- I didn't know if Hotaru was nearby, but I couldn't just let Aurelia kill him. Not when I didn't think he'd done anything wrong." It was so complicated. None of it really making sense to her. She still didn't understand why Hotaru did any of it, but it was done and there was no going back now. "Seren appeared shortly after, trying to intervene as Aurelia sent up a wall of flame, engulfing Atlas before she transported him to her pocket space. It was too late at that point. He was gone. I was outside when Adam arrived and there was an attack on Aurelia. I couldn't see anyone. I just heard her cry out."
Maeve lets out a breath, bottom lip back between her teeth, biting at the chapped skin there. Her pulse rabbits in her chest, racing in comparison to the lapping of the waves against he shore, but her voice doesn't waver. "They ran after that. All of them. I retreated to the beach with Adam, telling him what I knew of you and Peter's departure, offering him one of the spare rooms I had a the inn for him to stay in. I went home after that. Locke came home too, having been at the Society when it was attacked, but I helped patch him up. The next morning I tried to find Hotaru. I wanted to tell her that I tried to help Atlas. I- I wanted to talk to her and ask why he was there. If she was involved. I didn't think she would do anything like that. When you told me about her leaving you said it was on good terms." She shakes her head, drawing in a breath as she prepares for the part that might be hard for him to hear, knowing that it won't be easy to say either. "Before monsoons, she stopped to help with Halenani.. We didn't talk much, but I reached out before the monsoons hit asking for help with my quest. I knew that she worked with glass and I thought we could make something suitable. I went to see her in Halo, she showed me the work, and I gave her a night of my company in return for her work. We didn't talk much about anything beyond the project and where she came from before. There was no mention of you or Nate or anything of the sort. She told me she would help with the construction of the Halenani. That was the last I spoke to her."
The smile that finds the way to his lips is barely there, not reaching the steel of his eyes beyond a faint spark, but Maeve accepts it nonetheless. "I know you didn't, but I think she's been good for you." Even if he was worried that the fact that she had a part of him would do more harm than good or that Safrin was the only good part of her. Maeve didn't think that was true. Kamaraia was one of the best things that had happened to him in a twisted way.
This is a conversation she wasn't looking forward to. It would be a tough one, potentially straining their relationship more than it already was, but it was one they needed to have. A heavy breath pushes past her lips as she nods, trailing after him, Aidon hot on her heels. "Of course." She murmurs, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, unable to keep the nervousness off of her features. They find their way to an abandoned fire, still burning and sparking, sending embers up against the darkening sky. Maeve lowers herself into the sand, drawing her knees up as her toes dig into the still warm shore, arms wrapping around the tops of her knees. Her companion trills softly, sensing her discomfort and doing what he can to soothe her, dropping his head against her arm.
"I'm sure Aurelia has told you what I told her, but I wanted to talk to you too." Maeve knows they've likely put the pieces together. Hotaru, while safe for the time being, would likely be brought back to Torchline. The former queen told her to expect as much, knowing that Atlas was recognized, while minute it would be enough to place her there. "I supposed I should start at the beginning... The night of I was coming back from the Halenani when I saw the smoke. I was heading back to Locke's and it was already late. I noticed Atlas outside the door and saw as he was stabbed." Maeve feels the sudden ache in her chest, recalling the cry of pain that came from the unicorn, the blood that ran down to soak his coat crimson. "I didn't know what was going on, but I rushed to help him. At the time, I wasn't aware of the fire inside. It wasn't coming out of the windows yet."
She reaches up to trail her fingers along the top of Aidon's head, needing to ground herself before she presses on, swallowing thickly as her eyes flick to him. The firelight casting his face in severe shadows and making him look harsher in this moment. "Everything happened quickly after that. Aurelia pushed me out of the way, stabbing Atlas in the eye as he tried to stand and I tried to stop her. I- I didn't know if Hotaru was nearby, but I couldn't just let Aurelia kill him. Not when I didn't think he'd done anything wrong." It was so complicated. None of it really making sense to her. She still didn't understand why Hotaru did any of it, but it was done and there was no going back now. "Seren appeared shortly after, trying to intervene as Aurelia sent up a wall of flame, engulfing Atlas before she transported him to her pocket space. It was too late at that point. He was gone. I was outside when Adam arrived and there was an attack on Aurelia. I couldn't see anyone. I just heard her cry out."
Maeve lets out a breath, bottom lip back between her teeth, biting at the chapped skin there. Her pulse rabbits in her chest, racing in comparison to the lapping of the waves against he shore, but her voice doesn't waver. "They ran after that. All of them. I retreated to the beach with Adam, telling him what I knew of you and Peter's departure, offering him one of the spare rooms I had a the inn for him to stay in. I went home after that. Locke came home too, having been at the Society when it was attacked, but I helped patch him up. The next morning I tried to find Hotaru. I wanted to tell her that I tried to help Atlas. I- I wanted to talk to her and ask why he was there. If she was involved. I didn't think she would do anything like that. When you told me about her leaving you said it was on good terms." She shakes her head, drawing in a breath as she prepares for the part that might be hard for him to hear, knowing that it won't be easy to say either. "Before monsoons, she stopped to help with Halenani.. We didn't talk much, but I reached out before the monsoons hit asking for help with my quest. I knew that she worked with glass and I thought we could make something suitable. I went to see her in Halo, she showed me the work, and I gave her a night of my company in return for her work. We didn't talk much about anything beyond the project and where she came from before. There was no mention of you or Nate or anything of the sort. She told me she would help with the construction of the Halenani. That was the last I spoke to her."
Maeve
