With a hop and a skip

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 had come to the point where Maea had to hide just to get a moment for herself. The farm, the Guild and her Council projects was eating up every second of daylight, most of her meal times and a good portion of the evenings as well. The strain of doing too much was beginning to show; her thin frame was tightening with muscles she never used to have, the face slimming and cheeks turning hollow, matching the bags under her eyes in making her look more and more like a ghost. Especially on a night like this, where a thick mist was creeping in from the surrounding fields and turned the crumbling ruins of the ancient city  into fantastical sculptures, and she wore Ludo's ragged scarf pulled up över the hair to stave off the damp chill. It was quiet, calm, and could have been peaceful, but Maea had been wary of lingering outdoors at night ever since she was cornered by an Ascended. Having stolen an hour for herself to practice with the sword, she was making her way back to the Settlement when something caught her eye in the gloom up ahead, where the pale Bone Bridge arched up and over the chasm. That in itself was remarkable enough, and made all the more so because of the location. Maea stopped at the foot of the bridge and peered ahead, her fingers tightening around the wooden practice sword. Was it a figure, or just the fog playing tricks on her? "Hello? Someone there?" she called out, voice low and laced with caution.