MAEA
Again the weak response. The hollow word, the empty promise that was no promise at all. But Maea could only cling to it, because at least it was some kind of response, some kind of sign that he heard her, that he knew she was there.
What more could she say? What more could she do? If he was drowning in real water she could have saved him. Pulled him to the surface, drawn the liquid from his lungs and breathed him back to life. But how did you save someone who drowned in their own mind? She had no healing touch, could not soothe the black despair in him. No magic could fix this. She could hold him and listen to him breathe, listen to the crack as his heart kept breaking, and that was it, it was all.
It felt so hopelessly inadequate.
After a while, she fumbled for the soap again. For the washcloth. Lathering it, she resumed the work of cleaning him up. Sniffling occasionally, feeling all kinds of numb, she brought the temperature up as high as she could one final time, so hot it was a bit painful. Then she rinsed the blood from his skin. Scrubbed it gently from his jaw, from the stubbled cheeks, the chest. One by one, she found his hands and cleaned off his hands, pressing her lips to the bloody knuckles before rinsing them clean too, even picking his nails clean. If her mouth tasted of blood and soap after a while, she didn't notice. Didn't think about it.
And somewhere in the midst of all these ministrations, the slow, almost ritual cleansing, she began to sing. An old song, a fragmented lullaby she had sang to him once before. Only, she recalled some of the words now. Not all of them, but a few.
".... and what shall I do when the LongDark has passed,
when in memory only I glean you?
And what shall I give for to twirl you again,
When darkness has hidden my true love?
Make a lantern for Ludo, for Ludo, my love
Bring it yonder when leaves are a'falling
and perchance you'll see me to dance one last time
Make a lantern and light it for Ludo... "
Her voice was breaking and trembling, and so very quiet... but Maea did not care about that either.
Did not care about anything other than him.
What more could she say? What more could she do? If he was drowning in real water she could have saved him. Pulled him to the surface, drawn the liquid from his lungs and breathed him back to life. But how did you save someone who drowned in their own mind? She had no healing touch, could not soothe the black despair in him. No magic could fix this. She could hold him and listen to him breathe, listen to the crack as his heart kept breaking, and that was it, it was all.
It felt so hopelessly inadequate.
After a while, she fumbled for the soap again. For the washcloth. Lathering it, she resumed the work of cleaning him up. Sniffling occasionally, feeling all kinds of numb, she brought the temperature up as high as she could one final time, so hot it was a bit painful. Then she rinsed the blood from his skin. Scrubbed it gently from his jaw, from the stubbled cheeks, the chest. One by one, she found his hands and cleaned off his hands, pressing her lips to the bloody knuckles before rinsing them clean too, even picking his nails clean. If her mouth tasted of blood and soap after a while, she didn't notice. Didn't think about it.
And somewhere in the midst of all these ministrations, the slow, almost ritual cleansing, she began to sing. An old song, a fragmented lullaby she had sang to him once before. Only, she recalled some of the words now. Not all of them, but a few.
".... and what shall I do when the LongDark has passed,
when in memory only I glean you?
And what shall I give for to twirl you again,
When darkness has hidden my true love?
Make a lantern for Ludo, for Ludo, my love
Bring it yonder when leaves are a'falling
and perchance you'll see me to dance one last time
Make a lantern and light it for Ludo... "
Her voice was breaking and trembling, and so very quiet... but Maea did not care about that either.
Did not care about anything other than him.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
