A few marbles short

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." Tiring at a much quicker rate than her companion (because she had undergone no training, and had no previous experience in situations like these) Maea was struggling just to keep up. If she had expected a reply at all to her whining, it was certainly not kind words. Nor sympathy. Not after all that she'd said to him. And perhaps it was the weariness after her outburst, or the bleeding wound in her soul laid bare for him to see, or maybe it was just the right words from the right mouth at the right moment, but she felt them sink deep, and strike a chord. Like a soothing balm on sunburned skin, a quiet touch on a shoulder, a hand offered after a stumble. Looking up from under a tangle of milky hair, cheeks flushed and lips parted in gasps for air, her eyes sough his and found them waiting. Not soft, or warm, or gentle, but that wasn't what she needed either. Just the consideration. The thought. The notion that perhaps she wasn't in the wrong. Her reply was a tentative smile. Pulling herself together somewhat, Maea drew herself up and made her legs keep moving as Loren urged her to follow. She saw him leap and shift, body a blinding shimmer of light that shrank and altered. From man to goose, and up he went with flapping wings. Her scream mingled with his bugling cry when the thorns began to hail down upon them. Rushing forward, Maea dropped the few remaining rocks and lashed out with her mind at the thorns to swat them out of the air before they could hit Loren, wincing as several burrowed deep into her own arms instead, drawing blood. Sweeping a hand towards the attacking animals, she lashed out again, grabbing one of them with the telekinesis and hurled it onto the ground with all her strength, it's body breaking from the force of the impact. "Go higher!" she urged Loren, upon seeing him try to land. "So high they can't reach you! I'll follow."

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

As Maea smiled hesitantly, Loren smiled back even more tentatively, though it definitely didn’t reach his eyes. However, there wasn't time for further words as he took to the skies. Hearing her cry from below, he honked back in his best attempt at agreement.

Hopefully the fact that he pumped his wings furiously to gain altitude before flying over the paths he wanted her to follow conveyed that he'd heard her adequately enough.

Goose eyes weren't the strongest, but he felt his stomach plummet at the sight of squirrels massing on the route to the quickest path out. Letting out an alarmed honk, one that he hoped might warn the pale woman, he folded his wings. Although this form wasn't really designed to dive, he did his best, ignoring the stings as thorns buffeted him and the whistle of wind through his feathers.

Flaring his wings at the last moment, ignoring the tearing in his shoulder muscles as they moved in ways they weren't really designed to, he stumbled into a landing. Shifting to human, he grunted in pain. "Bunch of squirrels up ahead, with an exit just beyond. I'll handle it." With that, he sprang into motion, turning the corner with a wild cry.

One that was echoed by the dragon that he summoned in the path of the attacking rodents. It swiped at the squirrels with claws and tailed. Then it opened its mouth and lightning shot from it with a crackle, blackening the hedge. The squirrles scattered, with their trademark screams of "Yes!" "No!" "Follow me!" screeching through the air. The Launceleyn sped past his dragon, the exit from the Labyrinth now tantalizingly in sight. Somehow, he still had the sack with the herb on him.

His magic reserves felt dangerously low, but hopefully he had enough for this last stretch.

what goes, let go

LOREN

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." Following the goose as fast as she could from below, Maea tried not to consider the hilarity of the situation. Lost in a hedgerow, attacked by squirrels, with a duck for a guide... It was the kind of ridiculous story one might tell children to make them laugh. Maea realized that if ever someone wrote a story about Caido, she would be forever relegated to a side character after this. Who could ever take anyone seriously who spent their secondmost ever adventure clowning about like this? Speaking of. While she really did her best to follow after Loren had landed and warned her about the mass of enemies up ahead, the small woman was tiring rapidly now. Her legs felt heavy as lead as she forced them to press on, and that famous onrush of adrenaline that people talked about? It had been spent somewhere back when she'd been busy screaming at Loren. She barely registered the dragon he summoned until the chattering rodents scattered away, only to converge on her instead, seeing her for what she was; the easier target. Maea screamed in pain as a barrage of thorns hailed down on her, and swatted at the onslaught of squirrels that came directly for her. They were everywhere, leaping on her shoulders, her back, tiny claws digging deep into the skin of arms, legs and face. She stumbled, fell, and while she tried to shove the creatures off with both her magic and her hands... they were simply too many.

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

As soon as Loren dashed out of the Labyrinth, he spun around. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that Maea was not right behind him, as he’d thought, but still inside the maze. So he dashed right back in again, choosing to vary his strategy this time.

Ignoring the sting as a few squirrels stragglers or maybe lookouts assaulted him (“Follow me!”) with thorns, he flung himself onto the dragon. Ignoring the cuts from the projectiles and the dragon’s scales, he clambered on top of it, before ordering it back down the path. It lumbered along.

It didn’t take long to find the fallen woman, positively swarmed by rodents. The dragon roared with the summoner’s fury. One claw shot forward to gingerly grasp her in a firm, but gentle grip. Then, assuming it actually grabbed her, the dragon’s wings pumped ferociously, lifting them above the hedges.

The thorns, so potent on human’s flesh, couldn’t pierce its scales. However, the Launceleyn was almost out of magic, so he could only transport them a short distance from the Labyrinth before they had to land. He had the dragon carefully release Maea, before he simply dismissed it, falling the short distance to the ground with another grunt of pain when he twisted his ankle on the landing.

what goes, let go

LOREN

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." In her defense, Maea fought valiantly against the pests. Thrashing and kicking, protesting for all her lungs were worth, she spent her small reserves of magic recklessly in order to stave the creatures off. In hazy silhouette, she saw Loren's form disappearing behind the dragon. Safe. Gone. Their tiny voices rang in her ears, "YesNoYesNoFollowNoYes!" so that she didn't hear the beat of dragon wings even as it came all upon her. Only when claws scooped her up and she was lifted off the ground did she realize that Loren had come back - he came back! - and that she was being saved. In a last effort to shake off the last squirrels she lashed out one last time against the ones who had been clinging to her as she was lifted, throwing them bodily back into the Labyrinth. Afterwards, she would recall the sinking sensation in her gut and ponder the impossibility of flying. But when the conjured creature set her down and vanished, and Loren thudded to the ground beside her, all Maea could do was shudder and gasp, shaking too violently to do more than lie there. Breathe. Try not to move, so as not to aggravate the painful spots where vicious thorns were still digging deep into her flesh. Mind blank, she stared blindly at her own trembling hands, stained with blood from a thousand tiny cuts. "C-Came back" she gasped. "Y-you came b-back... Had she thought he wouldn't?

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

As Loren basically collapsed into a sitting position next to Maea, he stared at her for a long moment. His eyes were wild, and he was panting from both exertion and the last dregs of fear. The sack lay on the ground next to him, momentarily forgotten. "Of course I did." The words were almost outraged.

His eyes swept over her. Seeing the cuts, he scooted closer. "Here. Let me heal you." With that, he reached deep down, drawing upon the last dregs of him magic. Waving a hand, the thorns would remove themselves from the spots where they were embedded in both of their bodies. Then, unless he stopped him, he'd lay a hand on her. A wave of sky blue light would roll over both of them, sealing the cuts and bruises and whatever else they had sustained in their wild flight.

Then he would lay back, spent.

what goes, let go

LOREN

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." She did not resist. Did not fight him, although his touch made her flinch. It was only reflex, lingering instinct after the unwelcome intrusions of so many unfriendly ones, and she relaxed soon enough. Breathed into the soothing light, tremours slowly subsiding as pain ebbed away. For the longest time, she just lay there. The world outside the Labyrinth was just as she'd left it. Bright. Hot. Full of sounds. In the distance Maea could hear the murmur of people going about their business. Birds were chirping in thickets, and a cricket chirped somewhere nearby. Her head turned, checking on instinct to make sure it wasn't a flint-hopper - it wasn't - and just like that, she found herself able to move. To think. In a rustle of drying grass and moving limbs, the little woman turned onto her back, face tilting so that she could look at Loren. He too was covered in scratches, clothes torn and blood oozing where thorns and branches had cut deep. He hadn't healed himself, she observed. Noble, to waste his powers on her when he could have patched himself up instead. But she was beginning to understand that such things was par for course when it came to this man. He was the kind  of person who would run back to save someone at his own expense. Who would take the sorrows of all the world on his shoulders, and think himself weak for not being able to carry them all. With no patience for idiocy, but not without kindness either. He'd first offered her company, then understanding. Then he had saved her life. "Thank you," she said, voice quite soft, barely audible. "I'm sorry I yelled at you before. I didn't mean most of it..." So this was what a Loreseeker should be like. Boy, did she have her work cut out for her.

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

As Maea turned her head to look, Loren did the same, ignoring the protest from his shoulders as his neck twisted to the side. For a long moment after she spoke, he was silent, eyes distant. Then he sighed. ”You’re welcome. And there is no need to apologize. I know you didn't mean it." He paused for the briefest of instants."But...also, accepted” His voice came out quietly.

Biting his lip, he studied her features. Finally, he forced himself to sit up, muscles flaring in pain as he did. "Can I offer you some shitty and unsolicited advice?" He didn't look at her. Instead, he reached out for his bag and pulled it close to him, checking that the contents were undamaged.

what goes, let go

LOREN

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." Silence was not a problem. It had ever been a loyal companion to her over the years, and she embraced it patiently while Loren was lost in his own thoughts. When he broke it, chasing it off with his response, Maea smiled again. Small and grateful, it was all she could manage in her current state. Weariness weighed her down, bone deep, heavy enough to push her into the warm earth and bury her far from any distractions. If she fell asleep right then and there.... well. Perhaps not. It was still far too close to the Labyrinth for comfort. Rising up on her elbows with a grimace of discomfort - not from pain, mind, as her wounds were all but gone and only a few red streaks marked where the deepest of the cuts had been, but rather a soreness of strained muscles gone stiff - Maea watched as the other Loreseeker went over his pack. Had the Efas herb made it safely back? It would be very unfortunate to find it had fallen out somewhere along the way, because she was not going back in there anytime soon. Amalia or no. "After that daring rescue? Say whatever you like." She'd give him pretty much anything he asked for at this particular instant. Not sure what he was thinking, Maea waited with a brow raised, preparing herself for the worst.

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

The herb was fine, and Loren tied off the clasps of the pack to prevent it from further potential harm. He didn’t actually speak for a long time. Instead, he stared off into the distance, his eyes focusing on everything and nothing at the same time. Finally he sighed, and gave her a sad look. "Resentment is...it's really powerful. It makes you do some really stupid things."

Biting his lip, he rubbed his hands on his thighs. "Just try to...try to remember that even when it feels easier to push people away, to shut them out, it's really, it's really not. Not in the long run." His voice came out softly, and with a great deal of sorrow. "Because you never know when they might be taken away from you forever."

Then he shook his head, and his neutral mask slid back into place.

what goes, let go

LOREN

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." It was her turn to grow quiet. Staring off into the same distance, she let his words sink in. Just like before, there was something about the way he said it that struck a chord with her. As if he'd reached in and touched a very small, very hidden part of her soul, quite by accident. Maea tried to remember if anyone had bothered to offer advice like that to her before. Had she listened, the way she did now? Resentment. She called it bitterness, but in essence it was the same thing, and she had indeed been clinging to it for a long time. It was a comfortable constant that had been there in a world no longer static, a reminder of who she was, who she'd been and what once used to be true. Problem was, she was still trying to define herself by rules that no longer applied. It was... dangerous. Before long, she might find herself completely lost - not just in time and place, but out of touch with those around her. Unable to connect, even if she wanted to. Looking down at her hands, Maea tried to wipe some of the blood off on the ground. It didn't help much. Beneath the splattered red and the specks of dirt and strands of grass, her skin was pale and tender, begging to be split open again. A fine target for arrows, blows and harsh words. If she really wanted to become stronger, perhaps... she would have to risk getting some more bruises. Let go of old wounds, and open herself up for some new ones. "Sound advice," she said eventually, glancing back at him. "I will definitely keep it in mind." Considering, she tilted her head. "Does that mean it would be alright to let you in, too? Just a little bit?" A smile ghosted about her lips, faint glitter in her eyes.

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

As Maea took Loren's advice to heart (or at least said she would), he breathed a sigh of relief. However, when she asked if he could be a friend, or a confidant, or something he hesitated. Something haunted rose in his eyes, and he bit his lip. "I appreciate the...sentiment. But...trust me. I'm not a very good person to be around, especially these days. You're better off with pretty much anyone else."

With that, he stood up, wincing a bit though he quickly schooled his features into an impassive mask. Stooping down, he picked up the sack, and settled it onto his back. For just a moment, he looked back at the Labyrinth. "I enjoyed your company though, Maea." The faintest hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

what goes, let go

LOREN

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." She too stood up, unsteady yet on legs not used to so much running. Whatever she had been doing in the past year it had done little to aid her physique. Still small, still frail in body and mind, Maea had to look up to meet his gaze. He smiled at her and she returned it, albeit somewhat lopsided. Perhaps someone ought to take his own advice about shutting people out? But she would not insist. Too much had happened, and this encounter was still too young to call anything but an introduction. So far? Mixed impressions. Loren was impressively capable and equally imposing in his privacy, hinting at deeper depth but letting her not at all closer to see what was really beyond. In that they were similar, herself only marginally more open and only because of the unknown grounds she'd been treading. But still. Maea had a feeling that they might become friends, one day. If the opportunity arose. When some wounds were not so raw anymore and certain tragedies had been laid to rest. "I would beg to differ on that. You did just save my life. I don't know that it makes up for any of the losses you've had, but... It definitely made a difference for me." She smiled. "I'd say you are plenty good to be around, Loren." Of course, she did not mention that he'd most definitely see her again soon enough, whether he wanted to or not. They were members of the same guild, after all, and before long their paths were sure to cross again. She saved that tidbit of information, savoring it as a surprise for later. "Me too. I... want to say I had fun, but that would be a lie." She grimaced in the direction of the hedges, the entrance so tantalizingly close, so terribly innocent looking now that it no longer tried to swallow them whole. "Let's just have tea or something, next time?"

whatever comes, let it come

what stays, let it stay

Loren didn’t meet Maea’s eyes, or respond to her comment right away. Instead, he toyed with the sack, thoughts scattered and gaze far away. Finally, he sighed, and shook his head. "Not in the long run." He paused, staring at the ground. "I hurt people. I never mean to, but...it doesn't matter." His voice came out quietly defeated.

So he took a deep breath, then another, before finally standing up. Ignoring the pain, he slung his sack across his back. "I understand. If you want tea, or more likely need me for some reason, you can usually find me at either the Launceleyn Manor or the Loreseekers Guild." With that, he gave her a careful nod, before he turned to trudge back towards the Settlement proper.

what goes, let go

LOREN