Echoes Through Eternity [SE]
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#15
He nodded slowly, remembering the tale of how she had been a sickly child, unable to play with the other children and her appearance causing even more hesitancy as something different in the community. It wasn't hard to imagine that few had been brave enough to pay court to her, especially if she spent much of her time working on the Valair farm, away from the Settlement.

"Only in the poetry you use to describe it," he teased gently, but there was a warm sort of sadness in his eyes. She deserved better than Sunjata, in his estimation, but Sunjata was the one she had chosen, and with his warning given there was little else he could do but hope for the best for them. Matters of the heart could only be learned by firsthand experience, in his estimation. "So long as the joy outweighs the pain, I think. And so long as you remember that your happiness is worth just as much as his. Don't be the only one to sacrifice for this, Maea. And... don't forget, either, that there are more kinds of love than just romantic. You can still love and support him without pinning your hopes for a partner on a man whose heart rests with a dead lover."
Maea Valair
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Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#16

Her smile warmed a touch, and some color crept over her face at the tease, gentle or not. She never was very good at concealing her emotions at the best of times, and with Jigano, Maea didn't even try. His concern was too genuine, his support much appreciated... and she only really knew half the depths of his sentiment. Had she known his thought, the girl might have cried from gratitude as well, for being allowed to make her own mistakes.

"I'll... try to keep that in mind," she promised. "It's hard though, when I never looked for this kind of thing, or even really wanted it. I had a plan, I had goals, and then he swept in like... like that Flood he's named for, and suddenly I can't think straight. I forget everything else when he's around, and when he's not... it all feels so pointless. Why did I go to Halo, why do I stay at the Academy, why do I do anything at all..." She made a hapless gesture with her hands, sounding more than a little frustrated. Which was a welcome change from the sadness, because it let her question things. Both her motives, and his.

She was coming dangerously close to pinning the meaning of her whole existance onto another person... and that was not a trap Maea ever wanted to fall into. People died. People left. People could hurt you far more than any natural disasters Caido could manage... and it was so hard to stay away from them, when they also were capable of bringing more joy than anything else.

Pushing a lock of wet, white hair back from her face, she looked up at her friend. "Do you ever feel lost? Lose track of what you are doing, and why?"
Maea
this too shall pass
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#17
He nodded ruefully as she described her feelings for Sunjata that in a way echoed his own experience with Rory. He hadn't sought love, either, and yet... "You should remember why you did those things and made those choice," he encouraged her. "The arguments you made to pursue them haven't changed, have they?" He remembered Sunjata supporting her in them, too, though perhaps back then things hadn't proceeded quite so far as they had now.

Her frustration was reassuring, revealing the backbone she'd shown since her bid for rulership the last spring. She was strong enough to carry herself through challenge and heartache, but what Sunjata offered was closer to temptation than trial. He might not even have been that bad a vice to indulge in, if he could have let Lusea's ghost go. Or, if he was still grieving, to at least not toy with young women's hearts while he mourned. "Perhaps a little distance wouldn't be such a bad thing," the bard murmured thoughtfully, glancing down to run a finger across the surface of his captured puddle, sending ripples across the water. The sky above was beginning to lighten and the rain had fallen off to a light drizzle. "Even if you end up living together you'll still have your own lives to lead. Though in the beginning it's hard to remember that," he admitted wryly, glancing up at her again with a faint smile.

Her question earned a quiet bark of laughter as he sat back and tilted his head up to the sky, grinning at the raindrops that landed on his nose. "More often than not, really. Zariah's power grab followed by the Blight... then Safrin's punishment..." he sighed, shaking the water away as his smile slipped. "I lost my way for a long, long time last year. I don't know that I've found it again yet, to be honest. But in some ways I'm happier than I've been in a long, long time."

He tilted his head back down to watch her with his ever-curious bright blue eyes. "What do you think of the concepts of 'fate' and 'destiny'?"
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#18

She had to think to even remember what those arguments had been. Rubbed her temples against the soft pounding of a headache, brought on by too much gnashing of teeth, and counted them out, for Jigano to hear. Had she ever told him?

"To become strong, so that I won't cause grief and pain to others by needing to be protected. Strong enough that my friends can't hurt me, even by accident. Skilled enough to be useful, so that I won't lose a place to belong to... so that perhaps I can help the people I care about. Yes... those reasons are still true." Her arguments had been about keeping an eye on Zariah, on gaining control over herself so she wouldn't harm others, and becoming the best version of herself she could possibly be. That much was still true as well.

Unfortunately, Jigano's talk about distance being a good thing only made the girl sigh. If only it was that simple... "There's more to it than just wanting distance," she said quietly. "He's not one for sticking to rules or standards, and I'm... not as free spirited as that. There are certain arrangements I just can't wrap my head around... and it's come to the point where I'm either accepting his terms or losing him entirely." Her cheeks reddened, not entirely comfortable with the turn of the topic. Maea didn't know how open-minded Jigano was, where his morals pointed. In many ways he was strict and proper, and in others... He did keep the Advocates a secret.

But Jigano went on to answer her questions, and it was a relief to shift focus to him for a moment. As always, it was both a relief and very unsettling to hear that her hero and rolemodel didn't have all his sheep together all the time. If he didn't know what he was doing... how was she supposed to?

The question had Maea shake her head, thoughtful. "I... can't say I believe in either," she replied. "They imply that there is some greater plan with creation, that there is a right and wrong way for things to turn out.

"I hold more to the idea of action and reaction. A water drop makes the surface of a pond ripple, causing waves, that causes water to overflow, and it spills to the ground. There, an ant drowns, but the grass will become greener for it, and something will survive because it could feed on the dead ant. Cause and effect."


She pointed to the bowl, to the ripples his finger had created.

"I suppose the question becomes, where did the drop come from, and why did it land where it did? Was it fate, or coincidence? Do the gods have a plan, or do they simply react to what goes on around them? Are they chess masters, or children playing marble?
"I would prefer to think there is a plan... because then there would be someone to blame for everything that goes wrong. But that would take away all personal responsibility for our actions, and lead nowhere."
 

Maea scratched her nose. Looked at Jigano, as curious as he. "What do you think?"
Maea
this too shall pass
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Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#19
He nodded at her recounting of her reasons for going to Halo, perhaps a little disappointed to hear that she hadn’t changed her mind… but glad she hadn’t done so over a man who was anything but a constant heart. And hearing that Sunjata wanted ‘arrangements’ that Maea was uncomfortable with made that quiet rumble of a growl in the back of his thoughts all the louder. ”So he expects you to change and compromise to his wishes… while being unwilling to do the same for you?” he asked gently, trying to pursue whether his anger at the bartender in this matter was fully deserved.

Gods least fortunate, Sunjata was making a proper mess of not only his own life, but all those who tried to help him lately.

A change of topic to, if not lighten the mood, at least shift it to something a little less dangerously personal and painful brought a question to his lips on the nature of these puddles that she had mentioned before, and he listened with bright interest to her own thoughts on the matters of preordained fates.

He nodded agreement at several parts, and his expression grew thoughtful at others, but when she turned the question back on him he grinned ruefully. ”Well, my world once had prophecies, or so the stories go, but the god of prophecy died and ever since then all of the older prophecies had failed to come to fruition. Certain divine magic users could still get glimpses of possible futures – my mother was one of them, in fact. She had the gift of augury, at least for events in the near future. But here on Caido…” He hesitated, then shrugged. ”I don’t know. From my own experiences with the gods so far, I don’t think there’s a ‘grand plan’ at play. The gods each have their domains that they oversee and care for, but beyond the needs of the moment or perhaps the very near future it feels as though we mortals are left to make our own way in our lives.”

He exhaled a breath, glancing down at his puddle and realizing that the water was almost still, only a drop every now and then still rippling across the surface. ”I suppose the gods themselves could be bound by a powerful enough chain of Fate… But I don’t think that’s the case here. The near future may be limited by the number of likely possibilities, but each choice made, each possibility chosen out of all the others available in the moment, only shifts the branches of the path ahead, not sets any of them in stone.”
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#20

The way Jigano framed it, the situation looked quite messed up indeed. Like she really was being taken advantage of, used and made to bend... as if none of this had been her choice.

"He's always been honest about how he is," she replied softly. "He's told me everything about his past, about his time here, about the mistakes he's made, and what it cost him. What it's cost others around him. And every time he gave me the option to leave, to turn away before I inevitably got hurt. But I didn't listen. I stayed, and I stayed, and I promised so many things...
I never walked into this blindly, Jigano. Please don't place all the blame on him... I'm hardly innocent myself. There are plenty of flawed and hateful parts about me too, and I've done things he's not likely to forget. Or forgive."
 

Turning focus back on the topic of fate and fortunes, Maea listened with interest to what Jigano told her about his homeworld. It was rare for the man to bring it up at all, and her attention was rapt, expression lightening as soon as focus was drawn away from her own problems.

"I've had the same thought," she told him, almost eagerly, as he talked about the threads of fate branching with choice, with action, with possibilities defined and solidified into reality. "I don't know if you saw the message I put up on the Notice Board recently? I had another dream, or vision, or whatever you call it... and this time it was a lot more clear than before. I think, to answer a question we asked ourselves before, that it's not any power or divinity that granted me the information, but more that I was somehow able to look back on the past, to see what had happened." Maea's hands became expressive, weaving through the air to emphasise her points.

"I wonder if its similar to what your mother could do... only I'm looking back, and not forward? And I have no control over it. At any rate, I had the feeling that I was following a path back towards a certain point, like a finger tracing the weft of a tapestry... Behind was a clear picture, but ahead lay only varying possibilities. All uncertain, all possible, all existing at once... until something makes them solidify. Which is pretty much what you just said."

She offered him a lopsided grin. It was all conjecture, really, and diffiucult to prove or even explain properly, as it was only a sense granted in the memory of a dream...
Maea
this too shall pass
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#21
Jigano listened to her defense of the man who was giving her an ultimatum of ‘my way or the highway,’ but he kept his expression attentive rather than showing his frustration. Had Sunjata really told her ‘everything’? Or did she just want to think he had? And had he described his mistakes the way others – the ones who had paid the prices for them – would have? And yet, as in love with him as she sounded, she could hardly do anything else. ”But are you the one telling him that to stay with you he’ll have to do things he’s uncomfortable with?” he asked gently. Is he willing to exert himself to stay with you, to make the relationship work, or has it become all one-sided?” General morality had little enough to do with it; it was a question of whether he was treating her as an equal in their relationship or if he was expecting her to do all the emotional heavy lifting and sacrifice.

Their talk of fate was at least a lighter topic, but the mention of the message board faded the smile from his lips. As Outlander Advisor, he was left dealing with the aftermath of her decision to post her dream about the putative cloning device, and not everyone was taking it well. The other notification was, at least, less inflammatory and he nodded as he listened to her talk of dreams. It was a curious thing, these visions she had, but the lack of a known source troubled him deeply. ”I did see… It’s very different from augury as I understood it, from what you’re saying – mother asked a specific question about the near future, and received a vague answer - but it also doesn’t make much sense to me,” he admitted carefully, not wanting to hurt her feelings. ”Four portals have already been opened, allowing us to access Halo and Torchline, as well as the Wildwood. What does one more portal matter when we can already move between different regions?” he mused thoughtfully. ”Though Rae is the god I understand least, admittedly.”

He glanced down, seeing his puddle reflecting the grey sky above even as a few streaks of blue began to appear between the clouds. But something was strange about the colors, a shifting that might have been the wind, except the air had gone still and quiet around them...
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#22

"I have," she admitted simply. "I made my expectations plain from the start, and kept my distance until he agreed to follow them." Well... at least she had tried to. "When I asked him what we were... it sounded very much like he really wanted to give us a chance. To really try and make it work. But we probably moved ahead too quickly, and that's why he began to feel... I don't know. Trapped, maybe? I was probably too intense with how I feel. As you've no doubt noticed, I tend to get... overenthusiastic.

"It could have turned out fine, but... we got into a row. And things... very much spiraled. We've only exchanged letters since then... and nothing is resolved."


From pain yet love and understanding, to tense questions and lacking answers, into anger and spiteful words. Unnecessary roughness, and a parting without resolution... and they were both so very stubborn. There was nothing simple at all about her relationship with the Flood.

Still, on the topic of auguries and visions, Maea did not at all take offense to being corrected. It wasn't a topic she was familiar with, and honestly she wasn't that easy to offend. She hoped. "I don't pretend to understand the why or when of what I saw," she shrugged. "Perhaps it is merely a fact, and not of greater importance. I just felt that since I received the vision, it was my duty to share it. I don't really have any forum to do so, other than the Notice Board however... not so that it may reach everyone.

"Do you..."
She hesitated, biting her lip. "Do you really think it doesn't matter, if we open more portals? I keep asking myself why the Old Gods would go through all that trouble to create the prison and the storms to keep The Voice locked in, only to do nothing when the barrier fell. All those lives, all the sacrifices... was there ever a purpose to it? What did she even do? No one seems to know the answer. Not even the Ascended."

Maea brushed her hair away from her face. Realized that rain had stopped pattering onto her head some while ago, and looked up, realizing the sky had cleared. She stood, curious, and took a few steps towards the 'puddle' Jigano had made for her.

"Want to check if we see anything?" she invited, noticing his glance to his scrying table.

Maea cast a glance into the waters of her own, and blinked. Found that she wasn't looking into blue sky or her own lavender eyes, but something... very different indeed. She grew very still, staring.
Maea
this too shall pass
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 3,914 | Total: 7,219
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#23
Maea’s defense of her lover brought a sad smile to Jigano’s lips, and he nodded ruefully at her mention of over-enthusiasm. ”Not as much as Quanil,” he murmured wryly, but there was fondness in his tone for both the former and current Loreseeker.

A fight, though? That would explain things, and he grimaced in sympathy. ”Whether to mend it or end it, you both need to make that decision together,” he suggested gently. ”At some point you’ll both need to sit down and talk again… or risk remaining in this limbo and misery instead of finding joy in the world. Whether that’s with him, or someone else, or on your own… It doesn’t sound like your heart will be able to more forward until you talk to him again. Though I understand not wanting to push him, either, if he’s not ready to talk.” Which brought them right back around to the problem of how long it was fair of Sunjata to make her wait on him… and whether he would ever be willing to find a compromise instead of running away from his problems in booze or fights or fucking other women.

He nodded at her choice to share her vision where she had, even if he wasn’t convinced of it – or at least, not of the sense of the storms waiting for ‘just one more portal to open’ when so many were already available. Her question brought a heavy sigh to his chest, however, and he looked down at his puddle with a grimace. ”I think it does matter,” he admitted. ”And the Old Gods don’t want it happening, but for some reason they’re keeping more… hands-off, while the Voice is given free-rein. Or at least, that’s how it feels. They asked mortals to stop the opening of the portals, but when the Ascended Goddess herself is the one doing the opening of them, what chance do we have?” He shrugged in answer to his own question, as much to Maea’s follow-up. ”What she did, near as I can tell, was take power and rise to challenge the Old Gods – something they didn’t take too kindly to. Her ambitions grew too great and her pursuit of more and more power brought her into conflict with those who… well. I feel putting words into their mouths would probably count as hubris, too,” he finished lamely, with a rueful smile. ”But I suspect that no one likes being challenged. Especially when the Old Gods are the gods of the world – all of it, from Fae to humans to hanging snakes to merfolk to… to dragons. They might favor certain individuals, but I haven’t seen anything to indicate that they favor a particular race above any other. The Voice, though… she was a human, once. And her attentions are for those humans who chose to Ascend beneath her. She has shown no concern for non-humans, and not much for those who can’t or won’t accept her dominion.” He grimaced, looking to Maea gravely. ”I think she unbalances the world by that favoritism, whatever her initial purpose was. And by making a demigod of Wessex, creating a stronger servant to counter those of the other gods, I don’t think he ambitions have run their course yet.”

It was a distracting speech, and it was only by chance that he glanced down as the colors began to shift within his watery mirror. At Maea’s question he only hummed, eyes riveted now to the shifting pool and the images that started to coalesce within. Light and shadow, water and fire. Blue lightning and sharp teeth and scales dyed black as LongNight…

A few moments more the images danced, and then a whisper of a breeze blew across the clearing, sending ripples over the gazing pools in their fancy birdbaths. When the ripples stilled the puddles reflected only the sky above and the thinning clouds revealing blue sky beyond. Jigano blinked a few times to clear his vision and then sat back with a deep breath, brow furrowed as he sought to memorize every image he had seen.
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 2 - Strg: 22 - Dext: 22 - Endr: 25 - Luck: 20 - Int:
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#24

Should she be grateful or concerned that someone had appeared that caused Jigano more headaches than her? Maea grimaced in sympathy at the man's rueful comment.

"I think you're right," she replied, on the subject of Sunjata. "I suppose all I can do right now is to be patient... and try to figure out where to go myself." Keep her own dreams and plans in mind, and hope that they both wanted enough of the same things to make it work.

His reply to her questions on the portals and gods gave Maea a lot to consider, and she saved her thoughts for a while, as she leaned in to take a look in the Wonder 'puddle'. Rather than her own face however, or the cloud-strewn sky above, something else stared back at her. For a moment, gazes were locked, neither moving or blinking... then a breeze rippled the surface and the image was gone.

Maea let out a slow breath, taken aback, chills crawling up and down her spine... and there was an odd look on her face as she turned back towards Jigano.

"I... think I saw eyes," she told him, shakily. "Big yellow eyes, in a fur clad face... like a cat, but much bigger. It... was staring back at me." She laughed, a little uncertain why. There had been something... familiar, about it. Like she should know who it was. But... no.
Maea
this too shall pass
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
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#25
He nodded at her decision over Sunjata, hoping he had helped her find some ease from the chaos and confusion the Flood had left her in - even if it only lasted until the end of their conversation. He knew all too well how quickly the second thoughts and second-guessing could return at the drop of a hat, even after something was supposedly decided in the moment.

But then the magic of the wonder puddles sparked to life and drew both of their gazes to the water and what they could see within. He hadn't known what to expect, but this wasn't it. He exhaled sharply, silent and lost in his own thoughts until Maea spoke up, and he nodded slowly. "A new Attuned friend or lover, perhaps? Or another companion that you've yet to meet?" He remembered Bobi, Edrei's little bobcat kitten, with a pang of grief. "Mine was black scales and blue lightning. And... something to do with water and darkness." His brow furrowed again and he tilted his head, not seeing an obvious connection. "I wonder how accurate these are... or how far into the future the might show?"
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#26

Jigano seemed as taken aback by the visions as she was, which... honestly was a bit of a relief. The image of those bright eyes wouldn't leave her, like an itch down the spine, so tangible she had to twist and shift and actually reach back to scratch a spot beween her shoulderblades.

"Maybe," she said slowly, doubtful but not ready to reject the idea. At the very least, Maea wasn't open to accept the idea of a new lover, that suggestion made her bite her tongue to hold back a scoffing 'as if!'. "I suppose... only time will tell. Unless they were simply dreams... Not prophecies at all."

Sitting back down on the damp ground, with surpreme disregard for the mud and grass that would cling to the skirts afterwards, Maea's thoughts wandered. To the subject they had been discussing before, to all the questions she'd had wanted to ask Jigano before they actually ran into one another... Things she wanted to tell him, happy and sad and everything in between.

"The gods... they asked mortals to stop the opening of portals?" she asked him, slowly focusing on one of the issues closest to her mind.
Maea
this too shall pass
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Jigano Silversmith
the Sage
Provost of the Loreseekers Soul Shepherd
Portal Guardian
Age: 36 | Height: 6'2" | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
Level: 12 - Strg: 30 - Dext: 45 - Endr: 38 - Luck: 42 - Int:
ISUMA - Mythical - Griffin (Venomous)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#27
"Dreams or nightmares or possible futures that will never come to pass... is there much difference between them?" he asked wryly. Though if they did come to pass, well, they hadn't received enough to know what it all meant. Not for now, at least. Augury always looked better in hindsight, though, vague answers suddenly taking on additional meaning when placed in a greater context that wasn't generally visible at the time. "Dark waters could mean anything, for me; the Oasis, the Drop, the ocean... though black scales might mean the rise of some rival or... Coffee..." he trailed off at the memory of Adam's dragon, shoulders sagging a little at the reminder of the loss.

Shaking his head he turned to look at Maea as she traded her clean (if damp) faux-stump seat for the muddy ground. Her question brought a faint frown to his face and a slow nod. "They did. To keep the portals from being used for ill, and to stop further portals from being opened." He shrugged wryly. "Though so long as the storms remain in place, I can understood why most people want to use them anyways, regardless of their association with the Ascended."

He smiled down at her, looking at her closely for the first time in what felt like a season. "But using them has certainly given you a youthful glow," he teased gently. "You look like you've shed years since I saw you last!"
Maea Valair
Hollowed Grounds Ambassador / Loreseeker

Age: 29 | Height: 156 cm / 5'1 ft | Race: Ancient | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Hollowed Grounds
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#28

Maea too felt a pang of grief at the thought of the little dragon. She'd been very fond of it, and knew the loss would haunt her for a long time, no matter that she and Adam hadn't been as close friends as perhaps others could claim. Leaning in towards him, Maea reached a hand to touch his, briefly. A small offer of sympathy, rather more outgoing than she usually was. Touching others... wasn't quite as scary as it once had seemed. "I just hope it's not a sign of something bad," she said. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, if I were you. Just live in the present, and if the day comes when that vision catches up with you... well, then you will just have to deal with it all the same."

Sitting back again, Maea leaned her back against the stump, quite content with sitting on the ground like a child. Felt closer to the nature around her like this, somehow. More grounded... pun not intended. "The storms will not let up until a portal has been opened between neighboring regions," she told him. "It's why there weren't any between the Ground and Greatwood when the barrier fell. One had already opened... there was no longer a point in trying to lock the place away. I'm afraid the only way to see what else Caido has to offer, is through opening more of them." It made her sigh, very torn. "On one hand, I want to do as the Old Gods say, and hinder the spread of The Voice. But... I also want to see more of the world. I can't help but think that it's a mistake, to try and keep us locked in. I don't think anyone who lived in the Hollowed Ground will ever settle for another cage, no matter that it's growing bigger, nor will the Outlanders who come from worlds far more free... Or what do you say? Are you really content to never see more than what we have now?" She arched a brow at Jigano, wondering what he thought. Was he itching to see more? To know more, learn new secrets, see what lay beyond the edges of the map?

His smile did brigthen her expression though, and Maea laughed at the gentle tease. She shook her head. "I doubt it has anything to do with the portals, really," she grinned. "More the fact that I've been receiving healing from Loren almost daily since I left for Halo... We've found the underlying cause for my frequent illness in the past, and have been nipping it in the bud so far. I've been sick all of once since the beginning of Longheat, and I've never felt so hale and whole in my life." Maea spread her arms wide in an exuberant gesture, some of the light and life of the past season returning to her, shining through the temporary gloom of dark clouds.
Maea
this too shall pass
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦


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