My best enemy

Maea

The worst of all blessings

That wry, lopsided smile of his was one of her favorites. The kind that would make her a bit weak at the knees, thoroughly reminded that this man was so much more than the warm benevolent aura behind her back she sometimes remembered his as. His own person, very much tangible and real - and for some mysterious reason, entirely hers to adore.
Returning his smile, she shrugged with one shoulder. "The hospital fire," she revealed. "I was ascended at the time, and very flammable, so when I lit the fire... this happened. I could remove them, I suppose, but... I'm not sure I should." They were a reminder of what could happen if she let the darkness inside win. How bad it could get, the debts she had yet to repay - and the sins she could never atone for.

"Good. I'd hate to see you held back by the past." Sinking back down into the couch, she stretched out her legs that had begun to cramp, and relaxed again bith a contented sigh. Then snorted in amusement, reminded of something she'd meant to bring up. "You have, actually. I kept feeling like you looked familiar, and as it turns out - do you remember fighting living palms with Deimos back when the void first started spreading?" Voice quivering with suppressed mirth, Maea scanned his expression with anticipation, wondering if he would remember – not that she would blame him if he didn't. Clearly they hadn't left much of an impact on one another at the time if they didn't even recognise the other earlier this year.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

Liam hummed a soft note of understanding. Some scars were worth bearing, if only for the memory of the lesson that created them in the first place. He brushed his fingertips against the burns once more before his hand stilled, resting gently atop hers.

As Maea relaxed, stretching out on the couch, Liam once more wrapped an arm about her shoulders, tugging her in close. He might have been content to sit like that for a while, had his partner not brought up something else entirely - a memory that Liam had long since forgotten. He blinked once. Twice. Then realization dawned on his face and he laughed. ”Gods, I’d forgotten about that,” he said, wonder and awe in his voice. ”I can’t believe I didn’t remember as soon as I saw you again.” How could he have forgotten Maea, of all people?

Feeling perhaps a bit guilty, he looked sheepishly down at her. ”I don’t remember being particularly useful in that fight,” he admitted. It was all a vague blur, now. ”Did I make a complete fool of myself? Can I be forgiven now for any earlier transgressions?”

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

Marveling at the ease with which they'd gone from anxiously hovering around each other to being glued to the other's side, Maea hummed playfully, thinking back. "You did fine," she assured him, "especially considering how under-equipped you were. Actually, I feel like I should apologise for giving you attitude... You made me nervous." He'd been staring at her, she recalled, and to compensate for how self-conscious it made her she'd responded with sass and dismissal. Her loss, as it turns out; a year or more of potential happiness had been wasted by a moment of hasty judgement.

There was nothing to forgive from her, anyway. It just goes to show how whimsical the fates were and how important it was to meet at the right point in time. If they had forgotten about that first encounter so easily, it simply meant they hadn't been aligned. But they were now, and as she nuzzled her cheek affectionately against his shoulder, Maea was beyond grateful for this second chance. "I doubt I'll forget anything about you from here on," she said quietly, hoping it made up for the initial blunder. "I dare say you've made quite the impact on me, mister Dawson." An unforgettable one, as it were.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

”I made you nervous? If I remember correctly, you used your molten tiger shift - it was quite intimidating.” But he grinned fondly all the same, now used to her myriad shifts and quite sure that she wouldn’t use them against him. It was strange to think that they’d met in passing so long ago, and now they were curled up together on Maea’s couch like it was the most natural thing in the world.

As Maea nuzzled against his shoulder, Liam smiled that crooked smile down at her, amazed by how easily they now fit together. He would be quite content to remain like this for as long as they reasonably could, and he fully intended to do just that. ”You’ve made quite the impression yourself, Miss Valair.” He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten their initial encounter, now that he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

A companionable silence fell then, in which Liam was happy to just hold her, shifting slightly to lean back against the couch himself. He should really offer to help clean up, but he couldn’t be bothered to move just then, as comfortable and happy as he was. ”What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to try, but never had the chance?” he asked after a while, his voice soft beside her ear. Curious, still, to learn as much as he could, even if one night would never be enough time.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

Ah, she had done that, now that he mentioned it. Waved her tail in his face as though daring him to yank it, or complain about the heat as she passed him by. "Ugh, sorry - " Squirming and mortified at her behaviour, pale hands covered her burning face. He could laugh - Liam wasn't the one who'd acted like a brat over a simple lingering gaze. "Why were you looking so much, anyway?" she wanted to know - fully aware that he might not remember after so long.

Washing dishes was perhaps the furthest thing from Maeas mind right now. Night had blanketed the forest in a peaceful stillness, the day's heat lifting enough for a cool breeze to stir the curtains through the open windows. An owl hooted and was answered from far away; the rustle of moths against the porch lanterns a subtle background noise nearly drowned out by the steady rhythm of Liam's pulse against her ear. She could hear him breathe in the stillness, heard the small swallow before he spoke, the deep drone of  his voice. Her surname sounded different when he said it. More respectable somehow, as though she was made more than a sheep farmer's daughter from a backwater land. Maybe it was the Breaker accent. Maybe it was simply because he remembered it.

Closing her eyes against any reminder that time even existed, she hummed thoughtfully to let him know she heard the question. It was a difficult one. So many things could fall under that umbrella, and she quietly sorted through wild dreams, discarded plans, projeects begun and left unfinished. Scratching an itchy spot by the root of a horn, she dared to slip her arm across his chest so she could fit herself better against him, and finally said, "I think... being in charge of something." Which sounded vague when she said it aloud. "I never tried to make anything that was my own. After my family died, I tried running it like we used to - how my parents and grandparents had done it. I joined a guild run by someone else, then attended a school headed by another. I tried to help a friend open a bar that she would own, worked under various rulers..." Trailing off, she considered. "Maybe that's why I never stuck to any of it. Because I never felt like I was... needed, or necessary." She glanced up at Liam at last, curious as to what had prompted the questions. "What about you?"

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

"Aside from the fact that you're beautiful?" Liam asked, quirking a brow at Maea playfully. "There's no need to apologize - I was staring. I think - if I remember correctly - I think you were the first Ancient I'd ever seen." He flushed as he said it, fully aware of how rude it sounded in retrospect. "It was terribly rude of me," he added, reaching to rub the back of his neck. "I'm sorry." What an impression he'd made. At least now he'd gotten a second chance with which to prove he wasn't a complete ass.

Maea shifted, slipping her arm around his chest, and Liam began to trace small patterns upon her back with a fingertip. It was peaceful here, with night falling in the forest outside, and the soldier felt far more at ease than he had of late. "You could be in charge of something here," he said. "The Greatwood is basically a blank slate at this point. Whatever you want - you could build it. I'll help, however I can." Whatever she wanted, whatever she needed; if it was in his power to assist, he would.

Liam leaned his head back against the couch, relaxing further into the cushions. In truth, he wasn't sure why he'd asked the question outside of simple curiosity, and it took him a moment to find an answer of his own. He'd spent so long living one day at a time, and it had been only recently that he'd started to look forward again - longer still since he'd considered what he might do with his time if he had the opportunity. "I think I'd like to learn to build things," he said finally. "Carpentry and such. I've never had the chance to try it, but..." He shrugged. "There's something about creating something new that just sounds rewarding."

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

Apparently, being comfortable in his arms was not the same as being immune to flirtation. It was probably a good thing she already had her face covered, because the heat radiating off her cheeks at the compliment would have been unmistakable. Even her ears reddened, leaving her wiith conflicting urges of either melting through the floor or giggling like a school girl. Possibly kick something. Maybe kiss him.
"It's okay," she murmured sheepishly, retreating back to her nest against his shoulder where she could hide and contemplate this new power he had gainned over her. "You can look if you want to." It was said very quietly, so soft she wasn't sure he'd actually hear it.

Half tempted to doze off in the stillness that followed, his touch trailing across her back prevented any real sleep from setting in. It flared like light through the thin fabric of her shirt, warm and tingly as though his hands contained barely suppressed lightning. Not wishing him to stop, she lay still as could be, hardly daring to breath in case it distracted or was mistaken as an objection.
"Mmh. Sounds like we want similar things. Maybe we should have ignored Flora's reservations after all..." But they had not. And while the Family remained in Caido, for as long as they held sway over Liam's heart and soul, the safety of the Greatwood would come before any self-realization projects she may wish to undertake. "Want to help me build a bookshelf in here? The one in my room is full." Overflowing, really, with books on glassblowing and medicine, gardening instructions and simple recipes for beginners in the kitchen, to name a few.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

Liam had thought he was the only one who blushed at the slightest compliment, but he found now that it was actually quite fun to be the one causing the blushing. He did his best to hide his smile as Maea burrowed into his shoulder, but it was his turn to flush as he heard her soft response, so quiet that he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. Opting to save them both from turning further crimson, Liam merely tucked himself more comfortably against Maea, holding her close.

"There's always the future," he pointed out, but without any real oomph behind it. He was starting to grow drowsy, as the night got darker and the pair on the couch got closer. Talk of what they could or should attempt to accomplish together here could wait until tomorrow.

Liam considered a bookshelf and, in the end, had to believe that he would be able to manage something like that. It seemed relatively simple, in theory. "I think I could do that," he murmured. "I'd like to try, anyway." Stifling a yawn, he added in a voice heavy with sleep, "What kinds of books do you have?" Most of his were on history - mostly of battles long since past - but he suspected that Maea had more variety on her shelves than he did on his.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

"Mmh." The future, indeed. A jaded part of her found it difficult to trust anything beyond tomorrow. An all or nothing mindset born from too many interrupted attempts to plant seeds and set root got in the way, tempting her to rush, leap impulsively at the first glimmer of a plan or wish before it could disappear. But maybe with Liam beside her, it would get easier. His quiet confidence and easy going nature was the perfect foil for her flighty dreamer's approach. The rock to her windstorm. Sunlight to her mercurial april weather heart.

Biting back a yawn as his drowsiness spread to her, she found it increasingly difficult to keep her thoughts in a straight line. It had been a long day, hectic in her struggle to make the evening perfect. Now that all difficult parts were over, the aftermath settled over her mind like a fluffy woolen blanket. "Mmh... bit of everything. Flora and fauna guides, Fae history, a few on crafts and plants, cookbooks... herbs..." Buying when she could, borrowing from the Undercroft when needed, hers was an eclectic collection of dry encyclopedias and flowery prose, fiction and fact mingling together to reflect the varied topics she found interesting.

"Can you... play any instruments?" This idle game of twenty questions was all that separated her from sleep and this blissful calm from the inevitable matter of dishes and partings and sleeping arrangements. She didn't want to get up, or him to leave, yet the request to take things slow sort of hinged on staying away from bedrooms and temptation... for a while. At least for tonight. Given the effect a simple touch to her back was having...

Yeah, no. Don't think about it. Do not. Think. About it.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

Maea’s eclectic collection of books didn’t surprise Liam in the slightest, and he smiled sleepily as he imagined working with her to build a bookshelf to house them. ”Sounds like an interesting collection,” he mumbled, his eyelids growing heavy and his breathing beginning to slow.

He really should get up; there was cleaning up to do, and he should go home, lest he overstay his welcome. Hadn’t he just promised to take things slow? And yet here they were, tangled up in each other, only a few moments’ silence away from him spending the night. As much as he liked the sound of that, it wasn’t in line with the ground rules they’d established, and Liam was determined to keep his word.

So he did his very best to rally, to stifle another yawn and muddle through the answer to Maea’s question. ”No,” he said. ”I never had a chance to learn. I like listening to music, though.” It was one thing he was content to admire without any desire to learn to play himself.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

Warmth. It seeped through cloth and leeched into her bones, like this golden form of his held a core still molten. No wonder she thawed like this just from being held, when other hands inevitably had her shying away. As a breeze from the night beyond the windows stirred the air within, all the points of connection between them accentuated until the rise and fall of Liam's chest and their hearts beating in synch became her entire world.

Ah, it was no good. She was drifting off. Somewhere between asking and receiving the answer, sleep claimed her and a fleeting image of Liam strumming lute strings of liquid gold faded into the substance of dreams; one where the lute was actually her heart, and the kind of music they made together glowed brighter than stars.
The grip around his chest eased as her breaths slowed. The nature of her silence changed but subtly, from thoughtful to absolute. It wasn't often she allowed herself such complete defenselessness around people, and spoke louder than any words of her trust in him. In his word, his sincerity - in the absolute safety of his presence, that would not betray.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

Liam was dimly aware that Maea must have drifted off; her breaths had slowed, her grip loosened, until the even rise and fall of her chest against him was a kind of hypnosis that called him towards his own oblivion. The soldier smiled softly to himself, a sleepy sort of expression that was entirely for the woman in his arms, even if she wasn’t awake to see it; and then he was gone, drifting off into his own slumber.

The next morning dawned bright and clear, a shaft of sunlight piercing through the open windows to land squarely on Liam’s face. He stirred, unused to sleeping until the sun was well above the horizon, and suddenly froze, his arms still wrapped around the warmth of Maea’s form, still slumbering beside him. Damn. He’d meant to go, but now he couldn’t bring himself to regret staying.

The soldier stayed still, watching Maea sleep, memorizing the way her white lashes fluttered as she dreamed, the steady sound of her breathing, the way she felt in his arms. If he woke up every morning exactly like this, he’d be a happy man indeed.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam

Maea

The worst of all blessings

Dew beaded on the floor beneath windows left open to the elements. A bumblebee droned over the poots of lavender placed upon the windowsill, and the bright, obnoxious drills of a blackbird in the branches of the very same tree chased Maea from the depths of slumber, out of a dream she couldn't quite recall. The dredges of it tasted golden, though; honey-sweet and precious beyond mortal treasure. The kind of dreams the gods might ask for to weave miracles and sunrises from.

Motions right next to her drew her awareness back to wakefulness as suddenly as it had faded. An ache had built up in a shoulder from lying too long in the same position, and she was uncomfortably aware of the fullness of her bladder. Liam... was still there, though. Still holding her like he never intended to let go again. And maybe she'd let him.
White lashes fluttered butterfly quick against creamy cheeks, before slowly opening. The room was the same as they'd left it; dishes discarded on the coffee table, leftover pie drying out next to the melted dregs of ice cream. A faint scent of sugar in the air was far more enticing than the taste in her mouth; rather risking to let morning breath escape, she simply smiled softly as her eyes finally made the journey up to find his face - realizing with a little start that Liam was already awake only when they locked eyes.

The most beautiful of curses

Base by Skylark

Who was it that led you on
And makes you want to hurt me so?

There was a muscle starting to cramp in Liam’s shoulder, and one of his arms was still asleep, the tips of his fingers tingling in a rather unpleasant manner; but for all that his body longed to move, he was determined not to disturb Maea unless he absolutely had to, and any momentary discomfort on his part was not a good enough reason to move.

It wasn’t long before she was stirring, pale lashes kissing creamy skin in a quick flutter as she woke. He took in the soft smile that appeared on her face before her eyes met his; she seemed to start, and he smiled sheepishly in return, perhaps a little embarrassed to have been caught staring yet again.

Now that she was awake, though, movement called; so Liam reached up to brush a lock of hair away from Maea’s face before gently extricating himself from their tangled pile. ”Good morning,” he said shyly, once he was far enough away that perhaps she wouldn’t smell his morning breath. ”I… didn’t mean to fall asleep.” He shot her a questioning look, searching for any sign that she might be unhappy with the accidental arrangement.

Who do you want to forget?
Who forgot you long ago?

Liam