"I can try," Maea nodded, with a wry smile. No doubt the vision would linger in her mind for some time... but hopefully it would not distract her from more important things. A mystery to ponder on late nights only, to keep her from dwelling too much on her tangled romances.
Jigano's retorts made her twist where she sat, uncomfortably reminded that, no, she did not know all there was about the regions that had opened up. His continuation had the flavor of gentle rebuke too, repeating a line of thought that Maea dwelled on as well... whether her desire for more was selfish, if she should limit herself to spare others a potentially deadly future. It's why she had phrased her notes the way she had. Urging others to ask the same questions, to seek more answers before proceeding...
Still. The notion that even unlocking all the areas of the continent would still have her trapped made Maea stand up, something anguished in her eyes. A tightness clasping down on her chest, like she couldn't breathe... "I don't know," she replied, jaws tightening, working silently as she chewed on the question. Having no answer. "I just know that the thought of barriers and borders make me feel like I'm suffocating. Maybe there is no escaping that... maybe it's really a problem of my mind, of trying to escape something else... But what? I don't know."
Wrapping her arms around herself as she stepped around the scrying table he had made for her, she tried to walk off some of the restlessness. Light shimmered to life on her back as she summoned her wings, and they flared into existence, bright white feathers gleaming even under the fleeting, dappled sunlight filtering down through clouds and branches. The weight of them as they folded against her back brought some comfort. Like a promise of another point of view, if she just kept working, kept moving onwards...
"I just hope it stays gone," she mumbled, distracted even as she responded to his well wishes. "What about you? You look tired again, Jigano... working too hard? Or is something else bothering you?" Turning to face him, Maea wore a concerned little smile. "I can talk about things beyond myself, you know... If you want to confide in me, I would be more than happy to listen."
It was always so onesided. He asked questions about her, and Maea answered, and then... time ran out, or other topics came along, and she never got the chance to ask things in return. Not ones that actually mattered.
Maea
this too shall pass
