Home sweet home

MaeA ... and out on the other side. She blinked. Half blinded from the bright light of the portal, and dazed from too much walking on nowhere near enough sleep, the girl stared about for some time before the reality of what she saw truly sank in. Home. She was home again. Back to familiar rolling hills and faded green trees in the distance. They were a brighter shade of green than she remembered, but it might just be the contrast to the white tundra she had left behind. There was no wind here. No barren mountainsides, no drifting snow or looming clouds overhead. Only a gentle breeze that carried with it a scent of fresh spring greens, of water and flowers, and... mud. Gods, it reeked of it! Clasping a hand over her mouth, Maea took a few steps forward to clear the way, in case Amun were to follow behind her, and looked about to see if she could find the source of the foul smell. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

ADAM

Adam was flying around the spire as a blackbird, trying to see if it would work for his jump-off-it-for-kicks plan. So far, things looked good. The top was still open and there were plenty of spots you could jump from. Sure, it would be horribly terrifying for a moment, but then the joy of flight would take over.

And there was a lot of joy in flight. He spun in midair, trilling happily--and as he was upside down, he caught a glimpse of something bright down by the ground. Too bright to be anything normal. He glided down to check it out, carefully staying a ways above in case it was anything dangerous.

Upon seeing Maea though, Adam gave out a cheerful yell that began as a bird call and ended as 'hey!!' as he transformed back to his human self, dropping down before her. "Maea! Holy shit, it's been ages!" Not just for him either, if what Jigano had said was true. Walking up to her he put a hand on her shoulder, noting her uncomfortable body language. "You okay?? Where have you been?"

A wasted youth is better by far

Then a wise and productive old age

Base Code by Sky!

MaeA Maea wasn't sure what she had expected to find upon returning home. Something dramatic, possibly; signs of great change, of dramatic upheaval, of nothing at all... and what she saw as she looked around was a bit disappointing. A year had supposedly passed, and as she looked out over the wasteland that surrounded the Spire, she realized that nothing at all seemed different from last time she had been here. The tower still stood behind her, a looming shadow that sent a chill down her spine despite the warmth of the day. The ground was still dead, dusty and dry, and the rest... well. Trees. Buildings far off in the distance. The only thing that really struck her as unusual was a bird that came flying directly towards her at great speed, screeching off the top of its lungs. Just as she raised her hands to ward the face, it changed, took on the form of a man who practically launched at her with greetings and questions. Truth be told, it took her a moment to remember who it was. When the name finally came to her, it made her smile a bit, but without the exuberance he showed. "Hi, Adam. I'm okay. It's... has it been that long? Feels more like a week." It felt strange, to get such an intense reaction from him upon coming home. Had they been that close? All she could recall was a few conversations and a bit of help around the farm, but... did that warrant this happy reunion scene? Her hesitation showed through in the tension of her shoulders, the clenching and unclenching hands. She withdrew from his touch, taking a step back. "Is something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as she wrapped the ragged black shawl closer about herself. ------ OOC: For the sake of timelines, I'm placing this thread just before the Fiat Lux festival. Hope that's okay. :) you're so cold, but you feel alive.

ADAM

It seemed in the time she'd been gone, Adam had elevated in his mind the state of his relationship with Maea. Perhaps it was just an effect of the place; with so much hardship in the Hollowed Grounds, friends were things to grab hold of as soon as you found them, relationships formed quickly and strong because they were something precious indeed.

Though clearly she didn't feel entirely the same way. Stepping back and clearing his throat, he lowered his energy somewhat. "It's...been much longer than a week, yeah." Honestly, he struggled to remember when it was she'd gone missing; so many things happened after one another. "I'm fine, I just...where have you been? It's been ages and a bunch of us have missed you." Jigano had mentioned it only during their last drink.

"A lot of people haven't made it, through recent shit." Adam sighed, frowning and looking up at the Spire as if it were to blame. "I thought..." He didn't finish his words, but the implication was clear: he had imagined Maea simply deceased somewhere no one could find her, dragged off into the dark by a monster.

A wasted youth is better by far

Then a wise and productive old age

Base Code by Sky!

MaeA Something softened in her face at his words. It was still hard for her to grasp that she actually had friends now. People beyond her family who would miss her, who might worry. Who'd be happy to see her again. While Adam wasn't the one she'd been closest to, he was at least someone she appreciated, for all that he had been a strange hurricane of a man from the moment he crashed into her dinner. But it seemed she had caused both worry and sadness to these people, and for that... "I'm sorry" she said. "For disappearing, and for... everything." She gestured vaguely, trying to incorporate her lack of exuberance and general confusion into the apology. "It was not my intention, I just -" she fumbled for words to explain it "-got lost." Truth, in every sense. "Since when are you a bird?" She gazed at him curiously, not quite ready to leap into explanations. It worried her to hear that people had died, that 'shit' had happened... but Maea didn't want to deal with that either just yet. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

ADAM

"It's okay, I just..." Adam trailed off, confused about what was going on. Maea didn't seem to understand how long she'd been gone, or that people actually missed her. "You...got lost? How? Aren't you from around here?" He asked, trying to grasp what it was that was happening here - he knew she'd had problems with her eyesight, but surely with the limited land available to them, she couldn't have gotten so lost for so long...

At least he could answer her question. With a laugh, he held out his hands and they gradually covered with neat black feathers laying themselves over his skin. "Since about a week ago. It's cool, isn't it? Safrin did it for me - I don't really know why, I didn't even ask for it. But I'm not gonna complain. I can be a snake too."

A wasted youth is better by far

Then a wise and productive old age

Base Code by Sky!

MaeA It was true. Maea didn't know. Couldn't grasp it, had not fully understood yet what being gone for a year might mean. To her, it really was no time at all that had passed. Just a few days, hazy and confusing, spent in the wake of an extended bout of illness. Fever, twisting hours of hazy awareness where hallucination and dream blended into reality until she didn't know up from down, let alone when and where she was. And somewhere, in the middle of all this, she had left her bed and ventured out into the night. Had wandered blindly, following something she couldn't remember now. Impulse maybe, or some haunting song of the spirits, who could say. And she had kept walking. Onwards, amidst dark trees, into a storm, and out of a storm... into blinding sunlight, and a frozen tundra. A hundred miles away or more, and a year ahead of where she ought to have been. Timeslipped. Spirited away. Or perhaps she just didn't remember where she'd really been for all those months. Either way, how could she explain it to Asam so it would make sense? She already saw the confusion on his face, and knew it'd probably only get worse with every word she uttered. So she didn't try. It didn't really matter, did it? She was back now, anyway, and curious. Shrugging, Maea merely nodded and gave him a lopsided smile, a half apologetic 'what else can I say?' kind of look. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you... I hardly do myself. But you? Two shifts, and a gift from Safrin to boot! That's amazing. Show me the other?" If the smile turned a little strained, perhaps he wouldn't notice. Maea did her best to hide the pang of jealousy as he described the meeting with the Lady of stars, and admired the feathers. At least there she could be honest. They were beautiful. Dark and gleaming, as fully a part of him as the dark curls or the wicked gleam in the eyes that never quite disappeared. Automatically her hands went to stroke the rags covering her shoulders. A quiet reminder. Abandoned, but not unseen. Not unnoticed. Thank you, Ludo. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

ADAM

He wasn't going to get an answer about Maea's whereabouts for the last year, it seemed; Adam sighed and smiled back at her, not asking any more. Caido was full of mysteries, of things he was either not allowed to know or simply had not discovered yet; it was just another to add onto the pile.

"Yeah, it's cool, right?" He gleefully agreed, unaware of Maea's jealously (he rarely thought of the races, other than the Ascended, who could be marked out visibly by their teeth; he did not recall Maea as an Abandoned nor Accepted, had not considered if she had had a chance to speak to the Gods). At her request he shifted, quickly, going down to a snake at her feet. Long, but slim, with a smart nose, black with a white underbelly. He looked up and flicked his tongue a few times, then reappeared before her as himself. "That one's fun, but it's handier to fly."

This could all be said later though, when Maea had been settled. Adam looked back, over his shoulder, in the direction of the fields. "...Do you want me to walk you home?"

A wasted youth is better by far

Then a wise and productive old age

Base Code by Sky!

MaeA It wasn't something she'd ever told anyone about, but Maea did have a thing for reptiles. She found them elegant, somehow. In a 'I care about none of your opinions so leave me alone' kind of way. Had Adam remained in that long, sleek, slithery form, she might have been tempted to pick him up. So perhaps it was for the best that the preview was brief, and that she had a shawl to hide her itching fingers in. "I can imagine" she said, not entirely truthfully, and sighed wistfully. "It really is a blessing, in every sense of the word... One she'd give her right hand for. Or both her eyes. All the spark of magic in her soul, and then some. But... well. Some things were too good to come true. She'd just have to learn to be grateful for the little things. "Sure, that'd be nice. Don't feel like you have to come all the way though, it's quite far to go both there and back to... wherever you're staying." She grinned a little and started walking towards the Fields, counting on the rogue to join her at his leisure. "Speaking of blessings, where's Coffee? I thought you were together most of the time. Been up to any adventures?" you're so cold, but you feel alive.

ADAM

"Yeah - hey, maybe you could ask for it, if you wanted. It was pretty easy." After all, he hadn't even been looking to be come Attuned when it had happened for him; Safrin had simply asked if he wanted to. As far as he knew, it should have been just as easy for anyone else fancying an animal form.

Frankly, he didn't know why everyone wasn't doing it.

Walking with her, he shrugged. "Eh, it's okay. Not like I got anything pressing to be doing; I could do with the walk. I'm not seeing Pet til later this evening." Once he'd sneered at distances unless he had a horse to carry him there, but now he'd grown quite used to going places on foot.

At Maeas question he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loud, a skill held over from his days of riding. With a loud flap of wings Coffee appeared a moment later, flying out of some trees nearby. "Here he is! Sometimes he goes off to play for a bit nearby. We know where each other is, so. Hey look, it's Maea!" Adam pointed to Maea and Coffee obediently stepped forward to sniff at her hair and nuzzle her shoulder, always looking for attention.

A wasted youth is better by far

Then a wise and productive old age

Base Code by Sky!

MaeA She gave him a sidelong glance. If he knew how badly she wanted what he'd been so freely given, Adam might not have been so quick to say what he just did. Or maybe he would, at that. He did strike her as the contrary sort, and it was obvious he had no clue about certain... difficulties in regards to the nature of the races. Perhaps it was time someone educated him. Relaxing into a wide grin at the sight of the small dragon, Maea held her hands out for the dragon to sniff, and laughed when Coffee opted for her hair again. Happy to oblige the bid for attention, she petted him with curious fingers, again feeling that stabbing twist of jealousy inside. If only... "Has anyone told you about the differences between the races, Adam?" she asked, offering her shoulders for the dragon to sit on as they walked, should it wish to. "Accepted, Attuned, Ascended and Abandoned. What makes them different and how the gods view us each in turn?" It was the kind of thing all natural children learned without having to be told, with questions like 'why' being shrugged off and replied with 'it just is'. Something you simply accepted and learned to live with. At least, until the gods began to speak to the people again, and some questions finally received an answer. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

ADAM

Coffee, happy for the attention, would stay around Maea as long as she was willing to give it, flying around her head or trotting along by her feet, occasionally dipping closer for pets or to nuzzle her with his snout, happy little clouds of steam rising from his nostrils. When she offered her shoulders he gladly leapt up and curled around her, making soft noises that sounded almost like a purr. "Sop." Adam commented.

Maea's question caught Adam off guard, especially the way she asked it, as if he were a child in need of an education. Unawares of quite why she was asking, he nodded. "Yeah. Amalia told me all about it - I used to be Accepted, but now I'm Attuned, I think. An animal guy." Sticking out his tongue as if to accentuate his speech, he made it split as a snakes, wiggled it before his lips for a moment.

"Why d'ask...........oh." It seemed all of a sudden Adam picked up on the obvious and he cringed, glancing over to Maea with apologetic eyes. "Sorry. You're Abandoned, aren't you..?"

A wasted youth is better by far

Then a wise and productive old age

Base Code by Sky!

MaeA Maea was equally as happy to fuss as the dragon was for the attention. Happy enough that she could disregard Amalia's name (it really would crop up everywhere in the coming days, and grate on her to no end) and focus on Adam as he spoke, and respond to his apology with a wry smile. If only she could forget what she was as easily as everyone else seemed to. "Yes, I am. Don't worry, you didn't know... it's just something people can be sensitive about. There are plenty of people here that want nothing more than to come face to face with their gods... and for most, even that is a pipedream. To be blessed with a gift such as the one you were given so freely... it's more than a miracle." Petting the dragon with one hand, she touched the ragged darkness that hugged her shoulders with her fingers, drawing tension to the strange fabric. "I am more fortunate than most. Ludo showed for me, and I received this gift, and was able to get my eyes healed. But... I don't know if I will ever be allowed to see them again. No matter how much I pray, how often I visit the shrines or live my life according to their wishes, I will always have the spark of magic within me." Pale eyes grew distant, a bit sad. "And for that, I will always be Abandoned." She said that, not knowing that there were those who were both abandoned and attuned. She had not yet heard Peter tell her about his evolution, or discovered that others among her friends had been similarly blessed. It was the thing about being gone for so long. Maea was out of the loop, unaware, still stuck in the belief that all the rules of old still applied. Still stuck, thinking she was worth nothing, that it was only freak luck that had let her meet a god and grow attached to it. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

ADAM

Maea's reminder was probably one Adam needed, for the way he had been gladly going about in his animal forms in the last few days, telling anyone he met of Safrin's gift. While he had never been one afraid of bragging, this did seem pretty dickish; after all, he had not earned the blessing, had only happened to be the right race and at the shrine at the right time. "Yeah, uh...it's...it's pretty cool. It's unfair though, huh? You aren't any less deserving than me."

He looked over as she drew her cloak around her, wondering how it was the fabric stayed whole; it looked ready to disintegrate any second. Maea's confidence, too, with how she spoke of herself, seemed pretty weak. "Aw, hey. I've heard that Abandoned can get to be Attuned, sometimes. My own boyfriend, actually, did it. Just gotta do a trial thing, I think? Maybe you could ask him about it." Admittedly, Adam didn't know much about how it worked.

A wasted youth is better by far

Then a wise and productive old age

Base Code by Sky!