Home sweet home

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.