[SE] So many things I need to say to you

Maea

Her mouth formed a little 'o' as comprehension dawned on her. "Alright, I'll go get the flowers!" Skipping and lurching wildly down the steep slope, she was struggling to get the robe in place over her soiled dress but fortunately managed just before reaching the lava pool. Going around would have been boring; with happy abandon the drugged up ancient dove straight into the bubbling pool. It sizzled and bubbled around her, burning away any material no covered by the robe; reducing blood and gore to ashes wiping clean the pale hair and the red lining her nails until she emerged on the other side like one reborn from the fire.

She picked nearly all the flowers she could find. It took a while, mostly because she kept getting distracted and at one point lost herself in the shape of clouds drifting by overhead. Liam pulled her back like a magnet though; with arms full of crimson flowers and the pockets of her robe stuffed to bursting with glowing petals and a hastily bound laurel that lay askew against one crescent horn she came dart!ing back to him with a smile and clipped her eyes owlishly against the light.

"Look at all the pretty flowers!" she cooed, blissful like she'd never seen anything quite as beautiful before. "Say, Liammmm, what are you grateful for? I am for so many things. You, and that the war ended, and you, and my friend Tal is well again! And I have a house and we don't have to fight anymore and I don't actually hate being ancient after all, and we could do anything we want with the Greatwood now - well, mostly anything because the fae need to not hate it,  but still – " Interrupting herself to draw a deep breath, the pale little woman lost track of her train of thought. "What was I saying?"

And I am the monster that startles me
in the mirror

Table base by Skylark

LIAM

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
You and I drink the poison from the same vine

With Maea off to get flowers, that left Liam to watch nervously as his partner teetered towards the lava, swearing under his breath as the Ancient slipped in as though it were simply a pool of water. On the upside, he supposed, now she was clean of dirt and blood and grime; but on the downside, he'd have to go around the pool to get to her if something happened, and that would take time he didn't have. Instead, he waited impatiently, arms crossed over his chest and a small frown on his face, until Maea dart!ed back to him, drawing a smile in spite of himself.

Turning to go back to the dead Lial, Liam listened as Maea rambled on, opening his mouth once or twice to comment before realizing that she was just going to keep going. Deeply amused by this turn of events, he chuckled as she seemed to lose her train of thought. "You were listing what you're grateful for," he said. Then, teasingly, he added: "You said you were grateful for me twice." Not that he was complaining. He was doubly grateful for Maea, too.

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
Hidin' all of our sins from the daylight

Maea

"Oh, only twice? That's weird, I was thinking about you loads more than that." Laughing freely, she was terribly torn between holding on to the flowers and dropping them so she could kiss him - he looked so very charming, smiling at her like that - and it was only the sight of gore crows gathering over the lial carcass that distracted her from maybe dropping more than simply flowers at his feet. Un?Fortunately they outraged her enough that she took off with a furious screech, scattering scalding blossoms in her wake; "NOOOO that's not for you get OFF!"

Half sprinting back to the fallen beast, half teleporting in jarring increments she appeared by its side and began throwing flowers at the thieving birds, with mixed results. When she realized they were merely hopping out of the way beforee continuing their lunch, she turned to Liam in helpless rage, gesturing at the travesty before them like she was a starving artist mocked by the ignorant masses. "Make them go away! I can't work like this!" She wanted to make a pretty offering for the gods, not a feast for crows.

And I am the monster that startles me
in the mirror

Table base by Skylark

LIAM

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
You and I drink the poison from the same vine

Liam grinned as Maea laughed, the sound light and infectious - but before he could do anything else (like sweep her into an embrace, burning flowers be damned), she suddenly tensed. The smile fell from her face as suddenly as it appeared, replaced by something like rage as she screeched angrily at a flock of gore crows that had descended upon the dead Lial. At first, Liam tensed, too, certain that something had come to attack them - but then, as Maea took off, half-sprinting and half-dart!ing, he paused, entirely bemused by the situation at hand.

By the time she turned to him helplessly, he'd made his way to her side and stood with his arms crossed over his chest as though considering a particularly challenging puzzle. When the Ancient shouted for him to make them go away, he raised his brows and looked from the birds to Maea and back again. Running a hand through his hair, he considered for a moment before holding out a hand. "May I borrow your chakrams?" he asked, serious in spite of a mad urge to laugh; he had a feeling that chuckling at Maea's expense wouldn't go over well just now, though later, he was sure she would join him in laughing at this bizarre turn of events.

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
Hidin' all of our sins from the daylight

Maea

As Liam held out his hand she grabbed hold of it, instinctual as a turtle crawling for the sea. Even in her befuddled state Maea felt the pull of him like a magnetic force, like the flame to her moth, the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel that had once seemedd endless. "Mhm," she nodded, because she'd give him anything, entrust him with all she had and all she'd ever loved. The chakram were heavy with meaning and sin, but Maea was no longer afraid to share that story with this man. Though perhaps another time would be better - right now, for some reason, she couldn't seem to string more than two sentences together at the same time.

One chakram was in her belt, where it should be. The other remained lodged deep within the hip of the lial, and she unceremoniously dropped her armful of flowers to go pry it loose. The gore crows didn't budge even when she hissed at them, baring sharp fangs and lashing her tail like an angry cat. It wasn't beven that she begrudged them their meal - it just wasn't ready yet!

With a nasty sucking sound, finally the blade came loose and sent her staggering backwards until her back thumped against Liam's chest. It was a very pleasant place to be; arching her head back so she could look up and up at his face, a soft, infatuated smile playing on her lips as she offered him the disc. "Here. Go wild ~" She looked forward to seeing him in motion, all that honed muscle and grace employed towards a purpose. Come to think of it, she hadn't really watched him fight like this before; usually they'd been side by side, or back to back, her eyes and hands too busy with doing her part to truly appreciate him.

And I am the monster that startles me
in the mirror

Table base by Skylark

LIAM

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
You and I drink the poison from the same vine

As Maea grabbed his hand, Liam had to fight the urge to pull her into his embrace; it wasn't safe out here, and with the smolder blossoms in hand, he'd likely end up more than a little burned, besides. Still, it was an effort to be mindful of such things when his partner was looking at him like that. Instead, he squeezed her hand before she went to retrieve the second chakram from the Lial's corpse. It took a few moments for Maea to free the disc with a rather disgusting squelching sound. She thumped into his chest, and he plucked the offered disc from her grasp with a smile. "Thank you," he told her, then pressed a quick kiss to her upturned lips.

Once he had both discs in hand, he considered the best course of action. He hated to hurt the gore crows - after all, they were just scavenging for a meal - and so his initial approach was to try to startle them into flight. Taking a step back, he lifted one of the chakram. Aiming carefully, he sent it flying through the air to thunk into the Lial - shaving a hair's breadth of feather from a gore crow's tail in the process. Hopefully that would be enough to send the bird flying. If not... well, he supposed he'd be lucky if they didn't simply turn and attack.

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
Hidin' all of our sins from the daylight

Maea

Left breathless by the kiss, too brief and too soon reduced to a lingering aftertaste on her lips, the impulse to follow him for more left her weak at the knees. Sinking down to sit right then and there, Maea watched Liam deal with the crows, adoring the kindness that wouldn't harm them needlessly even as the playing musculature beneath his clothes kindled low embers within her, a smolder more insistent than the red flowers scattered around her feet.

Absently she began weaving a garland out of them, a quick daisy chain so familiar to her hands that she hardly needed to look away from the mesmerising silhouette of her man. What a marvel it was, to be able to, allowed to think of him like this. Hers, to impose upon and confound and make silly demands of. Hers to ply for help and to admire and adore. Just look at how he sent the crows scattering like he'd done it all his life! Emotions welled up from all the deep places of her soul, moistening eyes soft as hazy lavender fields at dawn; and maybe it was the lial blood singing in her veins that lined her perception with gold, or maybe she was simply so perfectly attuned to herself in this moment, but the world had never been more beautiful.

Rolling onto her feet once the crows seemed to get the message and began keeping their distance, she dragged the wreath alog and wound it around the lial. Circles, spirals and windings soon covered its body, punctuated by the remaining smolder blossoms - except the ones lying forgotten at the bottom of her robe pockets - and finally Maea deposited her own flower crown on the dead animal's head.

Backing up to stand side by side with Liam, she fumbled for his hand to hold. "Thank you, Vi, and Mort, and Rae - for giving us life, for not taking Liam with the rest of his family, and for the resilience that allowed him to adapt and overcome the tragedy of the war. Thank you Heralds, for all the strength and guidance you bless us with, that help us grow in all the ways that matter." Squeezing Liam's hand, she leaned closer to him, resting a cool, smooth horn against his arm. "Thank you, Dygra, for blessing me with this new body that can experience all the joys and pains of being alive. And thank you Caido, for shaping this world that we stand upon; it has allowed me to find Liam, and for that I will always be grateful. Thank you."

Falling silent, she allowed the words to sink in, to be absorbed by a briney wind that sent clouds racing across the sky. Leaving space for Liam to speek, if he should wish to, before finishing off the simple (and somewhat chaotic) ritual. It felt good; reminded her of the years of her youth when her faith had been unwavering. Perhaps she could still find her way back to that... slowly, like a knot untangling.

And I am the monster that startles me
in the mirror

Table base by Skylark

LIAM

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
You and I drink the poison from the same vine

Oblivious to Maea's stare, Liam concentrated on driving the gore crows away, though his gaze flickered every once in a while out over the terrain to make sure their kill wasn't attracting any other, more dangerous scavengers. All they needed was for something like the Lial or another pack of Fyrhunds to make an appearance - although with Liam's Oakblade at his side and Maea's dragon shift, he was rather less concerned than he might have been otherwise.

Once the crows seemed to have gotten the message (and Liam had worked up a light sweat in the process), the soldier retrieved the chakrams from where he'd last thrown them, plucking them from the Lial's corpse and turning to hand them back to Maea. When he turned, though, and saw her dragging along a wreath of smolder blossoms and bedecked in a flower crown, his heart fluttered happily in his chest. That she was his was still a novel idea, and for some reason, it struck him at this particular moment just how lucky he was.

Once the Lial was decorated to Maea's liking, the Ancient backed to stand with him, grasping his hand as she began to speak. He squeezed her hand as she leaned against his arm, smiling crookedly down at her as she gave thanks to the gods. When she fell silent, he cleared his throat self-consciously; he wasn't sure how to follow up her gratitude with something that felt as pure and beautiful. But for her, he would try.

"Thank you for the world we live in," he said quietly. "Thank you for bringing Maea back to life, and for bringing us together." He released her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders instead. "Thank you for bringing me through the dark times so that I could find light again - in the Greatwood, and with Maea. And thank you for all that you've blessed us with." Gods and heralds alike, they had all had a hand in the lives that they'd led up to this point, one way or another. Squeezing Maea in a one-armed hug, Liam leaned to press a soft kiss to her temple. Now she could finish off this strange - but oddly endearing - ritual in whatever way she saw fit.

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
Hidin' all of our sins from the daylight

Maea

Melding into Liam as his arm came to rest around her shoulders, she heard his prayer like an echo through his ribs, simple words given depth and meaning  only when you knew the internal workings of the man. A bit like the land they were standing on, there was more to him than meets the eye.

Humming happily as his lips brushed her temple, Maea drew upon her abilities and kindled a spark of fire over palm of her hand. Controlling it with her mind, she allowed it to expand, take the shape of fiery silhouettes trekking across a rocky landscape - and like a shadow puppet show drawn out in flame she illustrated their adventures. The fight with the fyrhunds, their time in the cave, and finally this victory against the lial. When the great beast fell in her story, it didn't stay lying on the ground; instead it consolidated all the sparkling embers into a single fireball - and erupted, painting the sky with shapes and explosions like silent fireworks.

"Now that is what I call more," Maea finally murmured, smiling to herself as the last of the flames died out. Sagging a bit where she leaned into him, the surge of energy was starting to wear off and left a void in its wake, raw and salt crusted. "I'm done now... thank you for helping me with this. It felt important."

----------

Scorch (Ancient): Can generate and manipulate flames within a 30ft radius, pulling heat from the environment or their own body.
Type: Dark | Rank: Mastered

And I am the monster that startles me
in the mirror

Table base by Skylark

LIAM

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
You and I drink the poison from the same vine

Liam watched, arm around Maea, as fire flared into existence, dancing through the air to form images of flame. The depictions followed their journey from the time they touched down in the Climb until their defeat of the Lial, and seeing their deeds recapped in such beauty and detail had Liam speechless. They’d seen and done so much since their arrival, and suddenly Liam understood Maea’s desire to memorialize it with something big, something grand, something that was worthy of the time they’d spent together here.

Maea sagged against him, and Liam tugged her closer as the last of her fireworks died out overhead. ”Anything for you, love,” he murmured. And now that they were done, and Maea’s energy seemed to be waning, they could go back to their cave or perhaps go home. ”Where to now?” Wherever it was, as long as Liam was with Maea, he would be content.

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
Hidin' all of our sins from the daylight

Maea

Love The affectionate address dropped so easily from his lips. Did he know how it made her melt to hear it? How her insides came all aflutter - not with lust necessarily, though that certainly was part of it - but with something warm and soft that stole her breath away. Nestling into his side, her smile concealed against Liam's chest, it would never cease to amaze her that they had reached this point. Hadn't she given up on love, disparaged it as stupid? Joke's on her, really. Thinking back on it now it was only bitterness talking, a pitiful attempt at shielding herself from the pain of rejection. It had taken a lot of work to move away from that kind of thought, and no small amount of faith in Liam to let him in past the surface level of friendship. Faith he kept returning in kind, over and over, until this point.

"Let's go home?" she requested, softening more and more as the effect of the potent blood wore off. "I've had my fill of adventure for now. Unless... is there anything else you want to do?" She missed her bed, missed the normalcy of routine and looked forward to those small, insignificant thrills of doing something for the first time. Like showing Liam her bedroom. Sharing breakfast in his house, setting off to morning workouts from the same place...

Ah, she couldn't wait for the rest of their lives to begin, well and truly.

And I am the monster that startles me
in the mirror

Table base by Skylark

LIAM

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
You and I drink the poison from the same vine

The endearment came so easily that Liam didn't even have to think about it. Perhaps it was that he had been starved of love for so long - indeed, starved for any meaningful human interaction - but it was almost like now he needed to make up for lost time. Hadn't he given up on love, not because he didn't long for it, but because he no longer felt he deserved it? Hadn't he thought he'd been granted his one great love in this life, and that that was all he'd ever have? And yet, somehow, here he was, his partner tucked against his side, just as in love with her as if she was all he'd ever known. He was blessed, truly - and it was that thought that he reflected on as he watched the last of the flames die out.

"Home it is," he agreed, and began to steer her gently away from the remains of the Lial, back towards the way that they'd come, where they could charter a skyship to return to the Greatwood. While he would have been content to fly upon her back in dragon form, he wasn't so sure that she'd be up for it just now, and he was more than happy to arrange everything on her behalf instead. "Honestly? I look forward to being home with you. We can always find more adventure after a rest."

And they would - on a different day, after some time in the Greatwood to simply exist.

fin

Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
Hidin' all of our sins from the daylight