[o] through heaven's eyes

// I tried to scream but my head was underwater //

The idea of roses growing in a tree felt far-fetched. Then again, the Greatwood was full of absurdity so Maea couldn't rule out the possibility. As the day waned and the western horizon began to blush, she withdrew from the company of fae and other travelers, dressed herself in feathers and lazily winged her way up into the canopy to check off another area she'd never been to. Swerving past branches wide enough for carts and circling the vast trunk of the tree that stood at the center of the Village, the eventually broke through into open air. Studying the observatory with mild interest, she paid more attention to the outside at first. Looking for Roses, for anything golden or red, she only gave up when it grew too dark to really see anything. 

Shifting back, Maea stretched out her arms with a sigh. Above her head stars appeared one by one, blinking at her in distant judgement. Perhaps she would have passed on entering the building itself, but with the setting sin, a deep cold resumed that made her bones ache. Blowing on her hands, Maea nudged the door open with an elbow, and paused just on the other side of the threshold to observe the space within. Behind her back the door snicked shut, closing against the night and the cold

Maea

// They called me weak, like I'm not just somebody's daughter //

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to say goodbye

The night had closed in on Soh as she walked through Sidhe Village, back from the forest and another failed hunt for Vi’s Roses. She’d spent the better part of the day searching only to come up empty handed, and with nothing better to do, she made her way to the Observatory. It was a beautiful, clear night, and she might as well stargaze as she considered what she would do next.

Entering the Observatory, Soh didn’t realize that someone was on the other side of the doors until it was too late. She nearly ran into the person, a soft gasp falling from her lips as she skipped to the side. ”I’m so sorry,” she said, offering a shy smile. ”I didn’t see you there.” The stranger, it appeared, was an ancient, and looked to be not much older than Soh. She also looked… cold? ”Are you alright?’

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to die

Sohalia

// I tried to scream but my head was underwater //

The sudden opening of the door and a person stumbling in took the Ancient by surprise. Hurrying further into the room she turned, finding a lovely young woman stuttering apologies where she'd just been standing. Her hands came up to ward them off, immediately wanting to reassure. "No no, don't worry, I shouldn't linger on a threshold."

Tucking her hands in beneath her pits, Maea cocked her head aside with a look of mild confusion. "Yes? Oh, you mean this?" She wriggled her arms, indicating her hands. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just underestimated the night chill." Her cloak was tucked into a pack outside the village, as the day had been bright with sunlight and quite warm.

Taking a second look at the girl, something about her niggled at her memory. "Have we met? You seem familiar, somehow..."

Maea

// They called me weak, like I'm not just somebody's daughter //

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to say goodbye

Sohalia took the stranger in: pale skin, pale hair - striking, and unforgettable. Soh thought she’d seen her around somewhere before, though she couldn’t quite place it. Satisfied that the Ancient was fine - and that Soh hadn’t caused too much of a ruckus by nearly running her over, she smiled, a friendly, open sort of thing. ”I don’t know. You look familiar, but I think I’d remember if we’d met before. I’m Sohalia,” she said. Perhaps the stranger - or not so stranger, as it were - had been to Stormbreak at some point during her reign.

Shutting the door behind her, Soh gestured to their surroundings. ”Have you been to the Observatory before?” Of course, most who visited the Greatwood had come through the Observatory, connected as it was to the skyport, but not everyone lingered to see the sights. ”There’s quite a remarkable view from up top.”

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to die

Sohalia

// I tried to scream but my head was underwater //

The name was, of course, one that all of Caido ought to have learned at one point or another. Who hadn't heard of the missing queen of Stormbreak? Eyes widening, Maea looked the girl up and down all over again, reassessing; no obvious signs of injury, she didn't reek of void aura and that smile suggested nothing was immediately bothering her. That was good. And clearly they had a reason to have crossed paths, even if only on a street somewhere.
"Nice to meet you, Sohalia," she replied slowly, "I'm Maea. Are the rumors of your disappearance exaggerated, or am I simply out of the loop?" If she recalled correctly, this was a friend of Tal's, and the girl Harper had said was like a daughter. Maea wished she had paid more attention; wished that she knew better how to say that perhaps they weren't entirely unconnected after all.

With effort the focused her attention back to the room they were in. Maea shook her head. "No, I've only walked past it," she said, confirming the trope. "Figured it was a good place to warm up a bit... Would you mind showing me around?" It seemed the young woman had passed through before, though Maea could be wrong.

Maea

// They called me weak, like I'm not just somebody's daughter //

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to say goodbye

Realizing that Maea had heard of her, Soh winced faintly. She hated being recognized, convinced that those who knew of her would think poorly of her if they knew that she’d been abducted and, thus far, failed to regain her throne. In truth, she didn’t even know where to begin with her efforts, and that lack of knowledge chafed. Her friends, she knew, forgave her for her disappearance - but a random stranger? What must Maea think of her?

”I’m afraid they’re very true,” Soh replied, her voice unsure. ”I was abducted by the Family and poisoned by the Void. It’s been a few seasons since I recovered. I’m doing much better now.” In some ways, anyway; in the ways she was willing to share with a stranger.

Changing the subject to that of the Observatory, she smiled. ”I’d be happy to. When I was younger, I spent a lot of time in the Greatwood, back before I went to Stormbreak.” She began to climb a staircase nearby at a pace that would be comfortable for both of them. ”The stars are so bright out here. I think it’s because there are so few man-made lights.”

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to die

Sohalia

// I tried to scream but my head was underwater //

Absorbing that bit of news with a sobering expression, Maea found herself relieved that the claims of the Family across various noticeboards was proved wrong. "I'm glad to hear that your torment is over. The void is a plague, and the Family..." She shook her head, grim expression saying all that she didn't dare voice out loud, given what may be listening in. "It's good to know there's a future for Stormbreak still."

Tucking her hands into the pockets of her skirt, Maea followed after Sohalia, gazing about with interest. The domed shape of the building was unusual in itself to hold interest, and made far more intriguing by the generous views offered of the sky.
"I think my favorite view of the stars has been from Halo, so far," Maea commented. "Out on the tundra on a clear night, it's like nothing else exist. It's dangerous, of course; way too cold to be pleasant."

Maea

// They called me weak, like I'm not just somebody's daughter //

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to say goodbye

Maea looked as grim as Soh felt, and the Luminary nodded her agreement in the Ancient's assessment of the Void and the Family. Soh was not generally a person who held grudges, nor was she particularly violent - but the sooner the Family took their plague and jumped off a cliff with it, the better, in her opinion. Better yet, she'd be the one to give them the push.

As for whether or not there was a future for Stormbreak... well, that was up for debate. If her home had a future, she was no longer sure that it was with her at the helm. Did she deserve it, after everything? After failing to protect them when they needed her most?

Fortunately, she was spared having to come up with a response as the pair wound higher through the Observatory, taking staircase after staircase as they talked. "I've never seen the tundra at night," she admitted. "I've only been to Halo a few times, and I stayed in Snowcloak. Perhaps I'll have to check it out sometime." With sometime being in the far distant future, after their eventual defeat of the Family - a task that seemed impossible, most days.

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to die

Sohalia

// I tried to scream but my head was underwater //

Unaware of the former queen's doubts about her suitability on a throne, Maea lost herself in counting steps and thinking of other starlit views she might recommend. Torchline from the deck of a ship, where the lights from the coast and the still ocean reflected light Endlessly, until you couldn't tell where ocean ended and sky began. Or perhaps a clear evening in the Meadowreach; she had spent many nights sprawled on her back in the area, watching the revolution of the heavens while time passed through her fingers.
"I wonder what the vew is like up in the Draig Cordillera," she mused aloud. "Ronin offered to take me sometime, but there's been so much going on, we haven't had the time."

Finally, when the thought her legs about to give up on her, they reached the topmost level. A large telescope stood at the center of the room, the ceiling arching high above their heads to accomodate its size, and all around Maea saw large windows that offered a spectacular view over the horizon. A door led out onto a perch if a sort with railings that seemed to reach all the way around the building; but really, she didn't need to step outside to feel part of the sky.
"Wow," she breathed, in quiet awe. Just... wow.

Maea

// They called me weak, like I'm not just somebody's daughter //

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to say goodbye

Of all the places in Caido, the Draig Cordillera was perhaps the one that was the most frustrating for Soh. As a cartographer, she'd been able to map much of the world, at least in part - but the Cordillera was the one place she'd never dared venture. What would it be like there? Was it pristine and untouched save for by a select few, or had it been taken over by the Family, too?

They reached the top floor and Soh shook off her musings, watching Maea as the Ancient took in the view. She seemed to be speechless, offering only a breathless wow as she stared at the massive windows adorning the dome, the large telescope in the middle of the room, the skyships anchored below. "It's amazing, isn't it?" she said. "There's nothing quite like it in Stormbreak. Even if you stand on the edge of the city in the middle of the night, it doesn't quite feel this... endless."

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to die

Sohalia

// I tried to scream but my head was underwater //

She believed it. Even flying wasn't the same, though it came close. Buffeted by winds and a need to keep her bearings, this place offered the luxury of just staring openmouthed at the vastness of the night.
"Maybe I can see why Safrin is so loved," she conceded, if a bit grudgingly. "Her stars really are something."

Drawn to the telescope, Maea put her eye to the lens and found herself hurled forward into the cosmos, out among blurry lights that swam in her vision. It took some adjustment, but once she found the right calibration the haze vanished and the was allowed to see more and further than ever before. It was truly extraordinary.

Maea

// They called me weak, like I'm not just somebody's daughter //

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to say goodbye

Soh chuckled at Maea’s assessment. She herself was, at best, wary of Safrin, who Sunjata had warned her was possessive and a touch cruel. While she herself had had very few dealings with the goddess, her friend’s opinion had counted for something. Personally, Soh was much more drawn to Frey, who she saw in the Greatwood’s breathtaking natural beauty.

The Luminary watched as Maea wandered over to the telescope, adjusting it in silence until she seemed to find something that she liked. ”It’s a good night for stargazing,” she said conversationally. ”Clear, with no moon - the stars shine even brighter when it’s like this.” She turned her gaze skyward, wondering what it was like amongst the stars.

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to die

Sohalia

// I tried to scream but my head was underwater //

Gazing until her eyes swam with gasping lights and swirling galaxies, Maea eventually extracted herself from the telescope. Offering Sohalia a turn next, she smiled at their luck in coming here during peak conditions.

"Do you know of any star tales?" she wondered, strolling off across the room. When eventually her neck began to feel the strain of looking up, Maea simply plopped herself down on the floor and sprawled onto her back, feeling every bit the warm, sheltered adventurer with the stars splayed above - safely on the other side of the window. Like reading a book and calling it experience.

Maea

// They called me weak, like I'm not just somebody's daughter //

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to say goodbye

When Maea offered her the telescope, Soh took it with a quiet word of thanks, gazing out into the cosmos in awe. It had always inspired her, and in another life, perhaps she would have been a follower of Safrin - but now, as she looked out upon the stars, all she could think of was how something so beautiful had to be just as dangerous.

Sitting back from the telescope, Soh hummed thoughtfully. ”Star tales?” she asked, looking to the Ancient sprawled across the floor. ”Like what?” She made her way over and, deciding that Maea had the right idea, plopped down beside her, laying back with her golden waves spread out around her.

Everyone wants to see heaven
But no one wants to die

Sohalia