MAEA
It was a measure of the trust she had for him that he was allowed to keep her hand. The brush of Harper's calloused palm against her scarred, puckered skin grated against her consciousness, reminded her of all the worst things those hands of hers had done - sins he knew of. She had told him about them, and yet there he was all the same. Reaching out. Offering to help. Forgiveness wasn't something she'd ever asked for, nor would she, but this acceptance... it weakened her resolve to steer clear of people.
Drawing a deep breath, she closed her fingers lightly around his. "It's difficult to explain," she said, drawing out her words as she sought some comparison that would make sense. "It was like... a connection. Like having a piece of light nestled next to the heart. If I let my mind drift, I could feel all the water in the land around me. Without it, I am cut off and disconnected. I only feel myself." And she didn't much care for what she felt when reaching inward. Something dark was lurking in the shadows of her being, hungry and restless, waiting for her to let her guard down so it could come out. No, swimming wouldn't really cut it... but the offer was gift enough. And she was startled to hear that he still kept the ring she had given him.
Craning her neck to try and catch a glimpse of it, Maea then peered up at her friend. She'd forgotten he had children. Found that it fit him, somehow, even if it was the farthest thing from what she'd ever desired herself. The understanding in his gaze as their eyes connected rendered her speechless for some time, moments spent plucking with the tankard and finally fishing up a slice of cheese to nibble on.
"... I don't know either," she admitted. "I would accept your offers in a heartbeat, except I don't know what to do with anything I asked for. Even if my magic returned, I honestly don't know if it would solve anything. People... The people I know seem to have so many things they dream of. Skills, family, work, passions that they lose themselves in and work hard for. I don't have any of that. I don't even care for my own homeland, or the faceless mass that is 'the people'. Doing something for others, the thought just makes me annoyed. And then guilty."
Frowning at the cheese, she set it back on the plate half eaten. Her grip on Harper's hand tightened, a flare of temper rising - or at least frustration - and then it was gone again.
"I'm sorry Safrin let you down. Is that... why you are here? Like this?" Touring the bars. Losing himself in others. Maybe she ought to send a prayer of thanks to the Lady of stars, if she was reason why Maea had been able to meet Harper again, even for just a moment.
Drawing a deep breath, she closed her fingers lightly around his. "It's difficult to explain," she said, drawing out her words as she sought some comparison that would make sense. "It was like... a connection. Like having a piece of light nestled next to the heart. If I let my mind drift, I could feel all the water in the land around me. Without it, I am cut off and disconnected. I only feel myself." And she didn't much care for what she felt when reaching inward. Something dark was lurking in the shadows of her being, hungry and restless, waiting for her to let her guard down so it could come out. No, swimming wouldn't really cut it... but the offer was gift enough. And she was startled to hear that he still kept the ring she had given him.
Craning her neck to try and catch a glimpse of it, Maea then peered up at her friend. She'd forgotten he had children. Found that it fit him, somehow, even if it was the farthest thing from what she'd ever desired herself. The understanding in his gaze as their eyes connected rendered her speechless for some time, moments spent plucking with the tankard and finally fishing up a slice of cheese to nibble on.
"... I don't know either," she admitted. "I would accept your offers in a heartbeat, except I don't know what to do with anything I asked for. Even if my magic returned, I honestly don't know if it would solve anything. People... The people I know seem to have so many things they dream of. Skills, family, work, passions that they lose themselves in and work hard for. I don't have any of that. I don't even care for my own homeland, or the faceless mass that is 'the people'. Doing something for others, the thought just makes me annoyed. And then guilty."
Frowning at the cheese, she set it back on the plate half eaten. Her grip on Harper's hand tightened, a flare of temper rising - or at least frustration - and then it was gone again.
"I'm sorry Safrin let you down. Is that... why you are here? Like this?" Touring the bars. Losing himself in others. Maybe she ought to send a prayer of thanks to the Lady of stars, if she was reason why Maea had been able to meet Harper again, even for just a moment.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
