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Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

She burst out from the Observatory with all the crackling energy of a barely contained tempest. Bright red patches mottled her cheeks and it took several deep breaths of freezing air before the urge to scream out loud was fully reined in. Gripping a frosty railing with hands licked by flame the snow hissed and melted away to her overheated touch, and Maea watched it creep further away from her without really seeing it, her mind still left in the room beyond, where all her plans and dreams had been thoroughly stamped into the ground. More than that; they were crushed, ground to dust by the stubbornness of a handful of traditionalist fae who wouldn't let themselves be reasoned with. How long had she been butting heads with them now? A year, or more? It felt like a lifetime, and now she'd finally had enough. 
"I give up," she hissed through clenched teeth, addressing her companion as Shii came bobbing towards her. "Have it their way. Nothing will ever change and good riddance to all of them."
The will-o-wisp pulsed its soft light, fluttering soft against her cheek and mind in sympathy for the hurt within that didn't make it to the surface. Maea cupped a hand around it, weathering the storm until, with a sigh, she finally doused the fire of her magic and let go of the bannister. Scorchmarks lingered in the wood, not deep but visible all the same. She grimaced at the sight. In that, the stubborn old fools did have a point. She still hadn't learned to think before she acted, and age had yet to make her wise. Hardly suitable traits for a prospective Guardian. 
"Question is, what do we do now?" Brooding and suddenly gripped by doubt, the slender woman tugged ger coat closer about herself and roamed, straying from the Observatory proper and off along the pathways leading to the skyport. Finding a sheltered corner near a brasier, she watched sailors load and unload cargo, mend sails and call jests and jeers to one another, wishing she could simply drop everything and join them on the next trip. No destination in mind, just... away. It could be nice, seeing something different for once. She hadn't left the Greatwood for a long time, hadn't done anything but study and attend meetings for... again, what felt like years. And why not? What held her back? Only a home, and a garden, and the anchor to which Liam could return. At the very least she couldn't leave without saying something to him. 

Then again... where would she go? Was anywhere really better than here? 
No. Not really. And that was perhaps the crux of the matter.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

Alys

As her partner moored their skyship at the Observatory, Alys leaned against the railing of the Peregrine, dark curls wild around her cheeks. She'd not left King's End for some time - indeed, hadn't often left her home save to go shopping - and it felt now that perhaps withdrawing from the world had been a mistake. Of course, it had seemed necessary at the time, to stay home, to nurse she and Talyson's wounds in the peace and comfort of their own home. But it was also isolating in a way that she hadn't expected. She'd never been one in her youth to have many friends, but as a fairly well-traveled adult, it turned out that she had people she'd come to miss in her time away.

One of her first stops was to the Greatwood. She'd make her way all around Caido, eventually, to make amends for disappearing. But for now, she'd start here, among the trees that had always felt so comforting. Pushing off the railing, she blew a kiss to Tal before disembarking, Sascha on her heels. She was certain that she and her partner would have their own explorations in time, but for now, he had deliveries to make, and she had an Ancient to find.

Luck favored her, it seemed, for it took no time at all to spot the familiar pale figure in and amongst the smaller Fae inhabitants of the Greatwood. Alys weaved through them, stepping aside politely to let a few workers pass before catching up to her friend. "Maea!" she called as she approached, hurrying forward with her companion trotting alongside. "Wait up!"

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

It was the cold that set her into motion again. Once the bite of the wind stopped being pleasant and the brazier no longer sufficed in keeping her limber, Maea tucked her hands into dee povkets and turned to leave. Hidden from view by the larger skyship she missed docking of a smaller, intimately familiar boat, and hearing her name called took her completely by surprpise. Wide eyed she turned around to see Alys come hasting towards her, and all thought of gloom and bad temper vanished.
"Alys!" Smiling, she opened her arms wide to sweep her friend into a tight hug. "It's really good to see you, you've no idea. All's well? Is Tal with you?" He would be busy, no doubt, tending to ship and messages, but perhaps when all the work was done they could all catch up. For now, Alys was plenty, more than enough - Maea didn't really want to let go of her, and not just because she was warmer than anything else in this place.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

Alys

Swept into a tight hug that she returned with equal fervor, Alys smiled as she withdrew from her friend's warm embrace. "All is well," she confirmed. "Tal's getting everything squared away with the Peregrine, but I'm sure he'd love to catch up later." Glancing over her shoulder at their little skyship, Alys smiled fondly. Her partner would have a lot of work to do while here, it was true, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be time to spend with friends.

Linking her arm through Maea's, Alys began to steer them from the Observatory, Sascha plodding along at her heels. "It's so good to see you," she said as they walked. "Are you going anywhere in particular, or would you have time to find somewhere to chat a while?" She rather hoped for the latter; she was eager to hear about the changes in Maea's life since they'd last talked. If her emotions - which had been riotous before seeing Alys - were any indication, there was something going on, and despite Alys's profession, she wasn't a mind reader. If there was something she could help with, though, she'd be glad to do so.

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

It hits you out of nowhere - a sudden wave of exhaustion dragging at your limbs and making it difficult to keep your eyes open. You suppress a yawn and consider, briefly, sitting down somewhere for a quick cat-nap. How strange - perhaps you haven’t been sleeping as well as you could. Maybe something to take note of when your head hits the pillow this evening.

Please note: this serendipity CANNOT be used for levelling purposes.

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

"That's wonderful to hear," Maea replied, and for once there was nothing awkward in a turn of phrase that normally tasted of platitude. "You've both been on my mind for a long time, just wasn't sure if you - and especially he - needed more space... And I'll admit I've been eather wrapped up in things around here." Dragging a hand over her brow with a grimace of recalled exhaustion, the ancient linked arms with her friend and had to stifle a yawn, glad for the support when the drop in energy staggered her mid stride. "Nowhere in particular, no, just indoors somewhere," she went on. "Are you hungry? There's a nice restaurant by the foot of the tree here, they've got a bit of everything." Close enough to be easy for Tal to find, once he was done with work, and hopefully not too busy this time of day.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

Alys

A sudden, overwhelming exhaustion crashed over Alys just as she started to respond to Maea, a yawn cracking her jaw as she lifted her free hand to cover her mouth politely. Strange - she'd been fine but a moment before, and yet now she felt as though she could fall asleep mid-step! Perhaps she would go to bed earlier than usual tonight in an attempt to bolster her waning energy.

But for now, she shoved the feeling aside, even as her eyelids began to ache from the effort it took to keep them open. "That sounds lovely," she replied. "I could definitely eat, and I wouldn't mind sitting down a while." And so they made their way towards the foot of the great tree, arm in arm, and by the time they reached the base, Alys's momentary exhaustion seemed to have passed.

"We've certainly been enjoying our solitude," the seer continued, as though their conversation hadn't been interrupted by yawns. "But there's something to be said for friendship outside of each other. I've missed that, and I've missed traveling." Just as she'd missed being kept up to date on the state of the world.

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Biting back a jawbreaker of a yawn, Maea welcomed the stinging cold against her cheeks for the way it kept her awake. Maybe she had been too tense for a while, if choosing to let go of a project made her crash out like this; it made Alys appearance doubly and triply welcome, and all the more reason to overcome the sleepiness and enjoy her company.
"Hm, same," she grunted, a wry smile twisting her lips at the mention of travel. "Or, rather, I miss it now. Been too wrapped up in something, but it's honestly been a nightmare - like bashing my head against a wall. Have you been flying far? Which way did you come? Not over Halo, I hope, in the middle of Deepfrost?"

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Maea led the way across a rope bridge to the glittering entrance of the restaurant. It had been carved into a giant hollow in the massive trunk, the doorway narrow enough that any but a fae would have to squeeze inside. Once past that hurdle, the space opened up to reveal a cavernous room divided up by folding screens, with settees and plush floor pillows grouped around low tables that suggested it was possible, even encouraged, to have a lie down while eating. A scent of spice teased the palate, and made her stomach churn loudly, reminding Maea that she hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast.
"Where do you want to sit?" Leaving it to Alys to choose a spot, the ancient accepted a pair of menus from a passing waiter. Eying her friend to maybe catch a glimpse of her initial reaction to the place, Maea savored the warmth of the room, already chasing the chill from her bones.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

Alys

Doing her best to shake off the sudden and strange exhaustion, Alys hid a yawn behind a hand as she fell into step beside Maea. The cold was a welcoming bite against her skin, further waking her, and as they made their way towards the restaurant, Alys focused again on her friend. "Oh, gods no!" she replied of their flight path. Not that it would be her first time visiting Halo in Deepfrost, but given that the last time she'd done so had resulted in Sascha's death, she wasn't keen to return during this season. "We came over the Grounds from King's End." Not a terribly far trip, but enough to refresh her love of travel.

Arriving at their destination, the women entered through a skinny opening in a massive tree trunk, squeezing through to the restaurant inside. It was a beautiful space, with cavernous ceilings and plush seating strewn about, and Alys quickly selected an open table near the hearth, keeping Maea's constitution in mind as she led the way towards the warmth. "Is here okay?" she asked, glancing at her friend for confirmation before settling in, shedding her coat and sitting cross-legged upon a comfortable floor pillow.

"Now," she said as Sascha curled up beside her. "What's this about a project that's had you bashing your head against a wall?"

funny how it all works out in the end
you dance with the devil and you lose your head