Call the wind and let her know

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

Straightening up where she stood, Maea turned to face him, the weight of hard work and sacrifices in his gaze. "Work miracles," she replied simply, quiet and soft. "Are you really telling me there isn't more we can do?" The emphasis was on we, as she absolutely intended to squeeze it out from herself just as much as everyone else.

"So our people will be safe, in the bubbles we've been making. Then what? You've seen what isolation does to people before. Maybe this won't be exactly like the Hollowed Grounds, but if the risk of going outside is great enough, it might as well be. With one bubble in Halo, and one in Torchline, and maybe some others, we'll become scattered. 

"What will happen to travel if the Family wins? Can anyone set foot outside without being infected? That'd be an end to most quests. If we can't travel, we can't communicate either, or plan, or do anything but slowly wither into apathy. I don't know about you, but to me that really isn't any way to live." It wasn't to diminish any of the choices that had been made up to this point. Maea simply worried it wouldn't be enough.
"That's why I'm wondering what else to do. Because I have no intention of going back to live in a cage, no matter how safe it might seem." Her eyes glittered as she said it, with a calm certainty that mirrored her sentiment as she placed herself right in Dahlia's path. "What do you think would help? Portals between the regions? Better communications than ravens and letters? Of course the best outcome is to win, and I will keep scouring these woods for roses until I'm dragged out by the hair. But if the worst were to happen... how do we keep fighting to take back our home?"

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

He said "I bet you don't remember me"

Remi listens without interruption, his expression drawn but not cold. His sea-glass eyes stay on Maea, watching the shape of her conviction as much as the words themselves. And when she finishes—when that quiet certainty hangs in the air like a promise—he nods slowly, brow furrowing as he exhales through his nose.

"I don't know," he admits after a pause, his voice softer now. Less guarded. "I've never claimed to be the clever one, Maea. These days, I'm more strength than strategy. There are others—Ronin, Deimos...even Flora, though I doubt she'd enjoy being lumped in with the rest of us—who see the wider picture better than I do. I trust them to know where we're going." He offers a small, rueful smile. "Most of the time."

He shifts his weight slightly, the heat of the season still clinging to his skin. "There hasn’t really been a proper gathering in a long while," he adds, more thoughtful now. "Not a real meeting—of leaders, of demigods, of anyone who’s still standing on the front lines."

His gaze lifts back to her, steady. "If you called for one, I’d come. Ronin would too." A pause, then a faint quirk of his mouth. "You might not be able to make miracles happen on your own, Maea. But getting the people who can into one room? That’s not nothing. And it sounds like you're the one already thinking ahead."

and I said "only ever other memory"

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

Her eyes widened at the implication of what he suggested. Opening her mouth to say something, she caught herself, biting the inside of her cheek. "I could try," she said slowly, gaze turning to the pools with the absent look of one who was thinking very quickly. "There's still the problem of Vox, and we'd need a location... Haulani would be best but then Flora can't attend. Got any suggestions..? You say you're not the smart one, but you likely know more than me about the details of what's been done and not..." Despite the seriousness of the conversation, there was a note of mischief in the quick smile Maea offered the Bastion. He wasn't giving himself enough credit, in her opinion.

To call a meeting, though... Sunjata would likely come if she asked, as would Hadama. The big problem was Deimos and Dantalion. But, well. Leaning into some of the manipulation she'd been accused of lately should get her around that. There was always a risk of things going south again, but this time she would not walk away. No matter what.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

He said "I bet you don't remember me"

Remi exhales hard, ruffling a hand through his curls until they stick damply to his forehead, his expression drawn and tired in a way that Maea’s probably seen more and more of lately. "You can try," he says finally, his voice lower now, not resigned but realistic. "But if you’re asking the leaders or the demigods to plan for what happens if the Family wins..." His mouth pulls into something between a grimace and a frown. "I doubt you’ll get much of a reception."

He leans back against the mossy stone, arms folding loosely across his chest. "When Flora went to meet Dahlia in Stormbreak, she did it without asking, because she knew if she did, she’d be told it was a bad idea. Deimos mentioned that she brought up the need to create alternative plans to just going to Stafall to he, Sunjata, and Hadama, but they thought it was too risky." His gaze darkens at the memory of that conversation, because while Flora had pulled it off, sort of, she'd put herself in the sort of danger that not even he and Ronin could easily pull her out of.

For a moment, he lets the silence sit between them, heavy with disappointment. Then he shakes his head and blows out a breath. "Hadama could probably relay the meeting details to Flora if you called one. Her not going into Haulani is a choice she's made, so as mad as I am sure it'll make her, it's still her call."

He looks back toward Maea now, more firmly. "But if you want to know what the current plan is? It’s this: every flower we find, we take to Starfall and plant it. That’s what everyone’s agreed on. There’s no backup plan. No second front. Just—" His voice flickers, frustrated. "Just the one path forward."

and I said "only ever other memory"

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

In contrast to Remi's increasingly dour expression, Maea laughed at the image his reservations conjured in her mind. Not a happy laugh, mind, it was a rather dry and knowing sound. "No, likely not. Half of them can't be counted on to even consider the question if I pose it. But... perhaps it would be different if I'm not the only one who asks." A meeting could be arranged, but for it to have any impact, she might have to plant some seeds first. "The problem, as I see it, is that we aren't desperate enough yet."

Sliding down to sit on the ground, Maea plucked a strand of grass and twirled it around a finger. "Have you heard the theory of how to boil a frog? You can't just drop it into a roiling pot, it'll jump right out. Instead, if you put the frog in cold water, and then slowly raise the temperature, it'll get used to it. It'll think its fine, right up until the point where the heat kills it. It works on people, too. We've been shown the pot, and the fire. Now we're preparing our cold water with the barriers - and soon the temperature will start rising."

Flicking the grass away, she picked another stalk; green stained her nails as she slowly peeled it into one long ribbon. "Say that the Family has won this tug-of-war about the Wilds. We can no longer travel freely. Reaching areas like this is very dangerous or nigh impossible, and in many cases shrines are unavailable to the common person. We want to fight back, but are short on resources. What would you wish you had done while you still have time?"

Looking up at Remi, she made a gesture to keep him from answering right away. "Think about it, please? Ask Ronin, too. Ask anyone else you meet, as well - I'll do the same, and see about getting the call out for that meeting. It might be high time to start preparing for the worst case scenario, like it or not. You don't happen to know how much time we have left?" It felt like the height of irony that the paranoia that cost her two friends might be needed now to get people shift up a gear and get a move on. Most couldn't do anything about Starfall, but they could do other things; beseech the gods for aid, stockpile resources, ensure food and water supplies were safely within reach – in short, to prepare for a very long siege. Gods, but she hoped it wouldn't be necessary, that Hadama and Sah would return home safely with good news, that she'd keep finding Roses... but hoping for the best never kept a Grounder from gathering snowmoss and glowstones or from barring the doors and windows when LongNight approached. Sorry was too late when you were dead.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

He said "I bet you don't remember me"

Remi listens in silence, sea-glass eyes following the slow ribboning of grass between Maea’s fingers. There’s nothing in his expression that contradicts her—no scowl, no shake of his head—but there’s no spark of agreement either. Just weariness. The kind that pools behind the ribs and settles deep, where even anger can’t reach.

"You might be right," he says at last, voice quiet and even. "About the frog. About how things are warming, and no one’s moving fast enough." He doesn’t laugh—he can’t—but there’s a soft huff of breath, a ghost of wry amusement that never quite reaches his mouth. "But I’m not the one to stir the water anymore. Dahlia made sure of that."

His arms unfold as he scrapes a hand down over his face, then drops it to his side. "But maybe..." His brow furrows. "Maybe it doesn’t have to be the leaders or the demigods. The ones who’ve already been to Starfall, they’re committed, in many cases because of what the gods have told them to do."

He glances sidelong at Maea, tired but more focused now. "But you might be able to reach the ones who haven’t. The ones who haven’t fought yet because they don’t know how. or because they were told their strength wasn’t needed. Maybe it’s time to gather them. See what they’re willing to offer that isn’t just muscle or magic." He shrugs. "If they’re not going to Starfall, many might think that aside from gathering flowers there's nothing for them to do, but that isn't necessarily true."

Remi sighs before offering Maea a wry smile. "Maybe I was wrong before. Maybe going about this without involving the leaders or higher ranking demigods is best."

and I said "only ever other memory"

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

Habits died slowly, but at least she had reached a place where Maea could spot them in time. Listening to Remi, it became quite clear that she was on the brink of doing it again; getting hooked on an idea and leaping off without thinking it through to the end. Thank the Gods that at least one of them remained sensible in the face of hope.
"I'm sorry. You said you wouldn't get involved, and yet I still..." Dragging a hand over her eyes, she drew a deep breath and forced the already spinning cogs of plans to stop, to reassess. "Yeah... that might be the better way. I was thinking of big things like portals and two-way mirrors between regions, but perhaps that's not necessarily what we need." She considered for a while, contemplating the various regions and their colorful populations. "And perhaps it isn't one meeting, but several that I should arrange. Or just suggest - which would be a lot easier than cramming half of Caido into a single venue."

Returning his wry smile, Maea bumped her head lightly against the tree trunk, leaving silvery strands caught against the bark. "Looks like I have travel in my future. And you? I hope the rest of your quest won't involve quite as many depressing chats... it really wasn't my intention to dampen your spirits like this." Despite how useful it was, if it came at the cost of his smile then Maea wished she could have kept her mouth closed.

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay

He said "I bet you don't remember me"

With a small grin, Remi finally crosses to the edge of the pool; the water of the Eyes of Vi is clear and still, disturbed only by the soft dip of his canister as he crouches to fill it. The reflected sky shivers with the motion, sunlight catching along the rim.

"It’s alright," he says over his shoulder, voice easy. "I don’t mind being a sounding board. Even if I’m a bit of a damp one." The humour is dry, faint but real, and he glances back toward Maea with a crooked smile. "And for what it's worth, I don’t think portals and mirrors are bad ideas, but you'll probably second-guess yourself a lot less if it's just more than me who agrees with you." He lets the lid click closed on the canister and tucks it carefully into the pack at his hip.

"Maybe just...start with a few conversations. See what people are already thinking. Maybe they’ve got ideas of their own. You’re not wrong about the water rising—some of them might already be looking for a way to swim."

He stands again, brushing his hands on the sides of his pants as he chuckles at her last comment. "You didn’t dampen my spirits, Maea." His tone softens as he slings the pack back over his shoulder. "I’ve got more than a little travel ahead of me too. Still quite a few more places to visit before my anniversary." Turns out, he and Ronin had been all over Caido in their decade here.

He gives the pool one last glance, then looks back to her. "Let me know if you need anything?"

and I said "only ever other memory"

Maea

And I hope that you don't suffer
But take the pain

Drawing on a deep breath, Maea held it and made her shoulders come down as she let it out, intentionally expelling tension and racing thoughts until her mind cleared. It made every bit of sense, of course, to reach out to those not already involved in the fight. Instead of placing more burdens on them, it would be more efficient to spread the effort. Many smalll creeks, or however the saying went.
"Damp might be the best kind when dealing with me," she remarked, dry and cery aware of her tendency to forge ahead with the slightest bit of encouragement. "I do appreciate it... though it'd be nice to talk about less grim topics sometime."

Getting up on her feet again while Remi filled the canister, she dusted off her skirt and offered him a hug when it seemed that he was about to be on his way. "I will. And you too - if you ever need anything, I'm here. Good luck with the quest, too - I look forward to the celebration."

Lingering in the dappled light, she saw her friend off and watched him go until the forest had swallowed his silhouette. For a time she simply stood there, gaze distant while her thoughts kept churning around the depressing topics of defeat and underground resistance, until with a sigh she settled back into the crook of roots and fished the journal back out again. Turning it onto a fresh page, a list began to fill the paper, of names and ideas and any branching points of interest and concern – and though the blackbird kept singing from its branch, it serenaded to deaf ears.


[FIN]

Hope if everybody runs
You choose to stay