I was going, Mother, to pick roses, to find death

MaeA Compared to the sweltering heat outside, the Atheneum was almost cold. Sheltered from a relentless sun by thick stone walls, it was a haven that Maea was grateful for having whenever the light outside grew too bright. She was not made for so much daylight. A pale daughter of the moon, her skin was want to redden and flake these days, lips constantly red and chapped. Using the salve Phoebe had given her did ease the constant burn, and kept it from becoming worse. But even so, she always felt better when she could retreat into the library. Going down the steps to the Loreseeker's Guild offered even more relief. Below ground the temperature was cool and the air dry at any time of the year. Good for the books. Good too for girls who tried to do too much at once, and only slowed down when others forced her to. Carrying a sheaf of documents in the crook of her arm, she slipped down the stairs and entered the guildhall with practiced ease. If she was tense and uneasy out in the open, amidst crowds and thrust into strained interactions, then here she seemed to finally breathe again. Inhaling the deep, musty scent of old paper, ink and the inevitable dust, she made her way towards the Provost's office, and knocked lightly on the door. As always she waited for a reply before attempting to open the door; it was always a gamble whether Jigano would be there or not, and she had no interest in rummaging through his office when he wasn't there. Even though some of the secrets he kept were decidedly curious in nature. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

SuNJATA

the flood

She’d asked him to come to talk to Jigano – part of that whole re-attaining trust that he was attempting to do. It works out in the end, however, seeing as he comes from the College after a refill of the medication he was relatively bad at remembering to take, relatively bad at remembering to follow. But he’d done it, considers it a win in his book, and sets them in a small pack he’s brought with him as he ducks into the dark interior of the Atheneum.

He doesn’t see her at first, but he makes his way toward Jigano’s office anyway, just in case he’s come early and has to wait for her – not minding a moment or two with the bard if he’s around regardless before Maea arrives and the conversation has to shift something akin to far more serious matters. Though it seems he doesn’t have to, not as he arrives at the base of the stairs, spotting her and the papers in the crook of her arm, offering a small smile and nod of his horned head.

“Is he here?” He asks her quietly, steel gaze slipping from her toward the door she’d just knocked at, unsure if it had been the first or one of many she’d attempted.

rely a bit too heavily on alcohol & irony

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

"He's here," Jigano confirmed wryly as the office door swung open. The room behind was as neatly organized as always, though the shelves were threatening to bow beneath the weight of the books on them. Isuma chirruped sleepily from her bed behind his desk, a questioning note at the interruption of her nap, but a journal that lay open on his desk with wet ink still glistening on the page revealed what Jigano had been up to before his unexpected guests had arrived.

Maea was a member of the guild, and her arrival was only to be expected as she came to practice her reading, research, ask questions, or offer suggestions. Sunjata, though, was entirely a surprise - though a welcome one. Jigano nodded to them both, glancing at Maea's papers and then back briefly as he considered the confines of the office, then motioned towards the great table in the main hall. "Shall I make tea?" He offered cordially. "It looks like the two of you have some plan in mind... or are you two separate appointment?" he double -checked with a grin. "Unless you've brought us a new member to join the Seeker's ranks today?" he teased Maea lightly with a grin.

MaeA Turning back towards the stairs at the sound of feet coming down the stair, Maea smiled at Sunjata, clearly glad to see him. Having his looming silhouette here within her refuge was new and rather interesting, an experience that made her stomach flutter traitorously. Both because of the reason he was here, and because, well... it was him, and that seemed reason enough for butterflies these days. Before she could answer, the door was opened and Jigano replied. Raising a pale brow, the girl indicated the bard with a gesture and a lopsided grin towards Sunjata; "So it seems,". Peering into the room beyond, she trailed her eyes over its contents with the same curiosity as usual. Always there was something new to look at, some recent addition to the collection of books, a curiosity or item of significance to inspect. It never ceased to amaze her how the Provost managed to juggle his guild with the other tasks he took upon himself. At his questions, she threw a thoughtful look at Sunjata, considering. "It's more a request, I would say... I asked him to come today. Perhaps... tea might be a good place to start." Maea was unsure how to broach this subject, knowing it would no doubt lead to quite the discussion. Rifling through the papers she carried, she picked out about a third of them and offered them to her guildmaster. "First, here is my report on our exploration of the mine," she told him, brisk and efficient - she wanted this out of the way before they focused on other things. "I added a section with personal reflections on our purpose in going there, as you asked." It was as neat and efficient as she was currently able to make it; compared to her earliest writing it was rather improved, and if the letters were a touch bigger and more uneven than they ought to be, it was already negligibel. Maea had worked hard, and had the callouses and ink-splattered hands to prove it. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

SuNJATA

the flood

Stepping toward Maea, Sunjata takes up the space at her side, looming largely over her yet not in an intentional way, simply just there, to offer his presence and mind should it be required. A bargain struck, at the very least. But it seems his question is answered as soon as Jigano opens the door, swinging it open with the confirmation of his voice that Sunjata’s steel gaze drifts toward with a quiet chuckle for an answer of his own.

Letting Maea in first, Sunjata follows behind, gaze flitting from here to there – having never actually been here before. He finds it not at all surprising what it looks like in the grand scheme of things. Still, he can see the pieces that remind him of Jigano very distinctly, stepping in and settling in a space that’s not in the way, eyes find their way back to Maea and Jigano when she speaks, catching the thoughtful smile, offering a small encouraging nod. “Tea would be great, Jigano.” He offers, stepping a bit closer, gaze drifting to Jigano with amusement. “First the Artisans, and now the Loreseekers?” A gentle tease, slight shake of his horned head with a quiet breathy chuckle, before Maea begins and he becomes silent.

Though he does watch Maea curiously as she goes over what she’s done, letting them dish out their Guild notes before he has a chance to bring up his own.

rely a bit too heavily on alcohol & irony

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

This time there was a shell on his desk, the sort of thing not usually seen in the Hollowed Grounds, along with the more usual eclectic collection of baubles, bones, strange rocks, dried leaves, feathers, and unusual manmade objects, each carefully catalogued and displayed on shelves in front of the lesser-used books with a notation underneath each one stating what it was, where it had come from, and when he'd acquired it. The sight wouldn't be visible for long, however, as he motioned them away from the office and back into the main Hall and the great table there, where there was much more space to lay out any forthcoming paperwork.

He accepted Maea's report with a warm smile and a nod of gratitude. "Thank you, I can combine our reports and give the Warden a more thorough rundown of what we saw." He skimmed the first page quickly, impressed at how swiftly her handwriting was progressing, and his smile broadened. "And your lessons with Sam are paying off! You'll be ready to write your own entries into the Guild Chronicle soon, at this rate." He beamed proudly at her, returning briefly to his desk to set her papers down beside his journal before he began to bustle about near the fireplace to ready the hot water and pot. "I just brought some more scones and biscuits down yesterday," he offered. "Not as good as Amalia's, but they'll do until she's up again." He winked at Sunjata. "What do you say? Loreseekers get the best catering around here." Friendly teasing was all it was though, and once the water was set to heating in the kettle he turned to regard the unusual pair with his patented arched brow and a more serious expression.

"So. Happy though I am to see both of you, this doesn't seem to be a merely social visit." He nodded to the papers still in Maea's hands. "Is this personal, Guild, or Council business?"

MaeA "Thank you! It's been a motivation, to be honest... I don't want to bother you or Sam with it if I can learn it myself." She flushed at the praise, unable to entirely hide the pleased smile. Impressing Jigano was not always easy but always worthwhile and in her opinion, a simple but effective way of keeping motivated. His work ethics bordered on perfectionism at times, and seeing as he was the one they all looked up to as an example... well. Lazing about on the job was not an option, in Maea's eyes. Though perhaps she took it a bit too far sometimes, which her thin frame suggested; even though it had been a while since she returned, the girl still had an underfed look about her, as though she ate too litte, moved too much and slept poorly, if at all. Straightening herself a little once the easy part was over, she followed the Provost out into the main hall went to collect cups and plates for the refreshments, waving for Sunjata to make himself comfortable at the large table. Once settled in herself, she waited for the question she knew would come, and took a deep steadying breath, grateful for the dark-haired man's quiet support as she plunged headlong into the reason they had come. "A bit of everything, I would say," she began. Pushing her hair back from the face and back behind an ear, she chose her words carefully, knowing fully well how little Jigano would like them. "I was approached by Zariah Launceleyn a while ago. She plans to start an academy, with the goal of training Abandoned in the use of magic." Looking up at the bard, the provost, the master of her guild and her friend, she met his gaze, with as much calm confidence as she could muster. "I considered it for some time... and have decided that I want to accept her offer. For several reasons." Steeling herself, she did not even dare to look at Sunjata; fully focused on the silver-haired man, to see what kind of reaction her words might bring on. Prepared for the worst. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

SuNJATA

the flood

It’s an added little tidbit over the handwriting that surprises him slightly – but he makes no comment or show anything on his face of it. He supposes it makes sense in the end, pleased that Maea’s taken the steps to work on it and improve in places that needed it, especially being a Loreseeker in the end. But he follows them out, makes himself comfortable at the table, long legs stretching out beneath the table as he leans back somewhat.

He hears Jigano’s tease, and Sunjata offers a quiet rumble of a chuckle to that. “I do have a figure to keep, unfortunately.” A quiet amused feeling is sent toward Jigano through the Attuned bond, as he makes a show of placing a hand over his stomach. But they’re here for business, and Sunjata sits up a bit straighter, focus sliding toward Maea who sits beside him, offering up the thing she dreads, and Sunjata can’t help but to get some sort of feeling that the protection Jigano offers is almost fatherly in nature.

But when she pauses, steeling herself, watching Jigano, Sunjata’s slate eyes travel to the bard with an easy smile. “You and I both don’t trust Zariah. But I’ve been training her and I have Advocates in Halo that will be there as well.” Honesty shining through his face, shining through his end of the bond. That he thinks that she can handle it, should be given the chance to. Especially to learn about her magic in the end.

“I think she should go. She can help me keep tabs on what Zariah might be doing that I can relate to you, and she learn how to better control her magic.” His gaze slips over to Maea at that, a quiet support to lean on.

rely a bit too heavily on alcohol & irony

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

”It’s not a bother,” he assured Maea with a warm smile. ”Though I certainly appreciate the desire to learn it on your own.” It was exactly the sort of initiative he hoped to see in his colleagues, and he didn’t try to hide the pride in his eyes at the pale woman’s resiliency.

A glance at Sunjata’s illness-raddled figure earned a raised brow and a polite snort of disbelief. ”Healing takes energy, which takes food,” he pretended to scold the bar owner, as if the bard were a worried old mother. ”If you don’t eat at least one scone while you’re here, I’ll be forced to assume you don’t like my hospatility.” A pulse of amusement through the bond would hopefully reassure Sunjata that he was only joking.

Well, mostly.

Maea drew his attention back to her as they worked together to set out the tea service and snacks, but at the mention of Zariah’s name Jigano’s expression grew neutral, a mask of polite distance slipping over it and the Attuned bond grew suddenly frigid. He didn’t interrupt or say anything else at first, listening to what Maea had to say as he pulled out a chair and sank into it, watching her steadily.

Blue eyes flicked to Sunjata when the bartender spoke, an unexpected addition to the conversation, and his brow lifted slowly as the Devil’s Advocate listed his own reasons. Indeed, it seemed he would be getting quite a bit out of Maea’s presence in Halo. But as for Maea…

”What reasons are those?” he asked her first, withholding further judgment until he heard what she had to say for herself.

MaeA The neutrality on the bard's face was as good as a shout to Maea. She recognized it for what it was and bit her lip, teeth worrying at it as she tried to steady herself. Oh, she had come prepared for this. The papers on the table before her was a careful battle plan constructed for this purpose, her arguments lined up in precise lists - pro's and con's examined in as much detail as she was able to produce. Still she wavered under the question. It was a little too calm, a touch too neutral. If he'd at least shown some emotion she would know how better to approach him, but as it was... Breathing in deeply she felt Sunjata's gaze on her like a bulwark, the support he'd promised tangible even though she only spared him a brief glance when he spoke. He was helping merely by being there, in truth; and this part she would have to manage on her own. "Three things," she said, pressing the palms of her hands into the cool table to steady herself, keep the tone even. As resolute as she could manage. "First, because Zariah implied that I would have to move to Halo in order to attend the school. It made me wonder why she would want to keep the students, what reasons there might be for a school in the first place. You told me that she once tried to control the Hollowed Grounds by magic, threatening to use it against people who disobeyed... What if she is seeking to gather up a force of people to do just that?" She paused to breathe, knowing she was speaking too quickly - too eager to get it all out before he could interrupt. "I want to know what she really intends, and since I was invited personally, I would have a good vantage point on the inside to see what she does." Moving on, she sought Jigano's blue gaze and tried to appeal to the loreseeker in him this time, the curious one who always wanted to know more. "Secondly, I would like to gather information about what kind of training she would provide. Magic has rules and laws but there is still much we don't understand about it. I would like to make it a project to study it, learn how it differs from world to world in the places where it has appeared, and perhaps also learn more about the nature of it here in Caido." "As for the third reason..." Here she looked away, hands closing into white-knuckled fists as she looked at Sunjata with something a little haunted in her eyes, before they flicked back to her Guildmaster. "I... really need to learn what she has to teach, Jigano." Maea's tone changed, grew more quiet, subdued. "I've... come into abilities I can't control. Without a teacher... I might hurt someone. Again. I've already... caused damage." you're so cold, but you feel alive.

SuNJATA

the flood

There’s a playful groan that comes from Sunjata, leaning forward in his seat with a slight smirk of amusement toward Jigano, as the Loreseeker comments on hospitality and eating to restore his energy and healing. “Yes, Dad.” He rumbles with a brief quiet chuckle, amusement sent to the bard from the Attuned bond, reaching for a scone regardless and breaks a piece off while Maea speaks.

He interjects to add his two cents, falling silent again as his gaze slips toward Maea, seeing the internal struggle written along her face while she lists her reasons — good ones, Sunjata thinks, as he focuses on her and then Jigano. Maea’s eyes drift over to him and Sunjata refrains from reaching up to brush the faint scar along his cheek, glancing over to her to offer her a reassuring smile before looking back to Jigano.

“Nothing that couldn't be fixed…” A quiet reassurance between the lines to Maea that he was fine. ”But it would be good to have her learn her own limits, surrounded by others in a similar situation.” He doesn’t look at Maea, his steel gaze seeking the face of the bard. There was a slight accident in training and she lost control. She needs to learn and test her limits in a place where nobody cares if she does end up hurting someone. He offers to Jigano down the bond, a deeper explanation, but there’s no outwardly sign that he’s sending anything down the chilly, frigid bond. She really wants this, Jigano. It would be good for her even if Zariah is there.

rely a bit too heavily on alcohol & irony

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3

He made no attempt to interrupt, giving Maea the time and patience to state her reasons all at once. His gaze remained steady and his hands still, though there was a sharpness to his gaze that revealed how intently he focused on every word. Barely had she finished before Sunjata chimed in again, and only then did Jigano notice the fresh scar on the Flood's cheek. Finally his neutral expression cracked; a brow rose slightly and he tilted his head as the Attuned bond filled with explanations.

She will care, he thought back to the bartender on the question of 'no one caring if she hurt someone,' mental voice soft with worry for the pale girl who had only ever wanted to know.

He still didn't respond aloud right away, letting silence fill the hall as he considered the points that had been raised. Considered, too, the consequences of his decisions. How many people had he driven away with his stiff-backed self-righteousness? Too many by far... and today might add another name - or two - to that list. It twisted in his heart, deep and painful enough to give him pause and make him reconsider his words two and three times before he finally began to speak, attention returning wholly to Maea for the moment.

"It may be paranoid, but I've been assuming her intention is to create a personal army of loyal followers since she started coercing more people into joining her little cult-family, even before she disappeared into that portal," he said slowly. "What she did to Rex and Peter... she was trying to set up a breeding program for mages, with herself controlling the lines - and, one assumes, the loyalties of the children." He paused, frowning as he thought back to Edrei's words that long-ago day in this same Hall. "On their world they had a way of controlling mages. A geas-spell of some kind, ensuring their loyalty - or their death, if they betrayed their master. I wouldn't be surprised if Zariah was researching a way to recreate that here. I also am not entirely sure how to counter such a thing," he added with a faint grimace. "Not until I could see it in action and study its effects."

Now he looked from Maea to Sunjata, eyes grave with concern. "If you go to ingratiate yourself to her side, do you have a way to defend against such a thing? Some trinket from Deimos or the gods to offer you protection from geas-spells?"

The rest of her points he would address later. This, first, though so that the conversation didn't get too strung out and timey wimey.

MaeA Unaware of the quiet conversations going on between the two men, Maea waited with bated breath for her Guildmaster to speak. His silence was not as painful as she might have expected, and something about what they said - was it her words or Sunjata's? - made his pale eyebrows rise up. Her loss of control, perhaps? Regardless, the little show of emotion made her breath a little easier, because it meant he was reacting, at least. Not already set in his decision before they'd had a chance to speak. Considering the question, and the information about this awful sounding magic Zariah supposedly possessed, Maea shook her head. "I do not. Ludo's rags only give shelter from the cold and it's effects, from what I can tell. But now that I know that there is a risk of it, I can see if Deimos has any such things, or could make them. "Unless you know of anything?" She turned to Sunjata, eyes considering. He had far more secrets than her, after all, even though it was still hard for her to think of him in that way. To be honest, just seeing him here in the guild, casually and confidently talking business was... different. Very interesting. "As for the other part," she resumed, frowning in distaste at the idea of breeding people like horses or sheep, "I wouldn't worry. I've no intention of agreeing to anything of the sort, and even if they managed to force me... they'd get nothing out of it." Though she shuddered to even consider the idea that it might go that far. Become that kind of dangerous. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

SuNJATA

the flood

The pulse from Jigano is met with an oceanic stare. She will need to learn to shut it out. What’s better? Having her worry over accidentally hurting her friends? Or having her worry about accidentally hurting someone we may consider a threat when they’re aware it’s a possibility to start? He sends back to Jigano, understanding the worry, yet finding that it is one that needs to be dealt with rather than left to fester.

It only made things worse after all.

But his attention slips from the bard back to Maea when he hears Jigano’s explanation — keeping the information close to heart and hand, a pulse of wonder if Zariah would try to get her claws into Maea to reproduce. Sunjata knows it will not work, that she wouldn’t be able to be held as a child bearer for her magic alone when she couldn’t bear them in the first place. But he stays silent, until Maea’s pale gaze flits to him.

He considers her and the information for a moment. “It could be possible.” He offers a bit roughly. “Rumor has it that our queen has an Ascended upgrade that does just that at the cost of disabling her own magic for a time.” A considering look went to Jigano. “If that can be done, perhaps a piece of unassuming jewelry could have the same affect?”

rely a bit too heavily on alcohol & irony

BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3