I've got some color back

Maeve

She doesn't sound all that convinced that her name is fitting. Maeve laughed quietly, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth as she considered the question. "Given that I gave myself the name... I would say it's fairly fitting. There are others who would likely agree." She replied easily, shrugging her shoulders as she looked over at the other woman. Of course, she isn't actually intoxicating. Not in the traditional sense. Not how the demigod might be thinking.

It didn't matter that Seren couldn't get it right because it was endearing to watch her try. Maeve arched a brow, head cocking to the side as she considered her words, "Well, it isn't prominent in Caido originally. I believe it comes from somewhere called Earth? One of my clients had a book on it and I learned from there." A lot of other worlds were common knowledge for the naturals of Caido at this point. Maeve didn't know all of them, but she did know of some. The response was curious, but Maeve didn't really find need to be concerned. Not until she said she came from the stars.

Her lips quirked, head cocking to the side, "From the stars and your mother... your mother is Safrin?" She finally put two and two together. The name and the eyes and not really knowing things. Fuck. Seren. Seren as in Ronin's daughter Seren. As in Ronin's daughter with Safrin. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Oh, she should stop. She should absolutely stop and leave things be and just say it was nice to meet here and go. Except Maeve really doesn't want to do that and there is a chance that she will absolutely pay for it, but she's not doing anything bad. Just flirting. That's all. Harmless.

"Well, isn't that a surprise." Maeve replied smoothly, playing it off because she really isn't interested in lingering on it too much. Especially with the way Seren's cheeks seem to flush a brighter shade of pink. It's incredibly lovely. It makes sense now. Why she's so beautiful. Maeve let her fingers brush through her hair, tucking a curl behind her ear along with the flower before her fingers trail over her cheek. "How lucky for me that you're gracing us with your presence now." She teased, lips curling into a smile as she tossed her another wink, leaning closer into her space.

Babe, there's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this
Oh what a sin

I saw a piece of heaven

Studying had sort of been her thing while she was with her mother, but of course there were blank spots yet to fill in. Seren did not actually know everything, as this encounter clearly demonstrated. The idea of giving yourself a name was new, and being propositioned in this manner... that was simply unheard of. And Seren's reaction to it was perhaps not the most graceful.

One moment she was sitting in the grass with Maeve, getting her hair tucked and cheek touched. The next Seren had bolted, shooting backwards like a cork from a champagne bottle. A soft 'whoof' escaped her as her back collided with a tree a few yards away. And there she remained. Hovering, inexplicably, with her feet far off the ground, light as a feather and very unwilling to come back down.

"Don't..! That is - thanks, but it's not..." Blushing furiously the girl stammered and tried in vain to produce anything intelligent. Failing that, she closed her mouth tightly. Wishing it wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to sink through the ground. She could, in a fashion... but yeah. This was overly dramatic already. So Seren thought, even as her heart hammered away in half panic.

Waiting, impatient, for me
 

Seren

Maeve

One moment she was there and the next she was gone. There was a rush of air and the sound of a back hitting a tree. Maeve blinked, eyes going wide as it took her a moment to gather what exactly happened. Her brows drew together in confusion, hand still hanging there before it dropped back into the grass, supporting her weight. She looked up at the other woman where she was currently hovering above the ground, blue eyes wide with panic. Maeve opened her mouth to speak, closing it, and then opening it again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." She said softly, slowly standing and holding her hands up, palms out as she took a step toward her.

"I don't care that your mother is Safrin. If that's what this is about. I was only teasing. I've met her myself and she's lovely. Absolutely wonderful. Not like you don't know that, but... It was a joke. I was-" Maeve cut herself off with a soft laugh, shaking her head as she drew her bottom lip between her teeth. "I was flirting. Which, you might not be used to. I don't really know what happens in the stars, but I would have continued to do it whether or not I knew who your mother was." She told her softly, not taking more than a few steps forward so she could look up at her.

"I'm sorry... Would you come back down? We can go look for those stones if you'd like. No funny business." Maybe a little funny business, but only if Seren wanted. She wasn't in the habit of forcing herself on unwilling participants. That wasn't her thing. Maeve crossed her heart with her finger, giving her another soft smile.

Babe, there's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this
Oh what a sin

I saw a piece of heaven

It was a very exaggerated response. Seren knew this. In her head she knew, and she did feel bad. Especially when Maeve started apologizing. She just couldn't help it; her heart was still racing and alarm bells were ringing in her mind - and throughout the rest of her - and it was weird. Not a reaction that was entirely welcome.

"No, I - that's not why," the girl stammered, her whole face scarlet with embarrassment. "Mother's got nothing to do with it. It's just... I don't know you. And you don't know me. Why would you... flirt, with someone you don't even know?" Seren reversed the lightening spell on herself anyway, though. Lowering herself slowly back to the ground, she remained with her back pressed to the tree, an arm hugged about herself as though it might shield her. From what? She wasn't sure. "You don't have to do that," she mumbled in response to the offer, blue eyes averting to look anywhere except at Maeve.

Waiting, impatient, for me
 

Seren

Maeve

She watched as the other girl finally lowered herself to the ground, feet sinking into the grass as her face continued to glow scarlet. Maeve's lips curled into a soft smile and she crossed her arms over her chest, head cocking to the side. "You don't have to know someone to flirt. It's harmless. Fun, really. Once you get the hang of it." She shrugged her shoulders, regarding her with kind eyes, but not taking a step forward to encroach on her space further. "Flirting can be a way of getting to know someone. I got to know you at least a little bit, didn't I?" Here she arched a brow, waiting to see if the other woman agreed before continuing.

"I learned that you're new to Stormbreak, that your mother is Safrin and your father is Ronin, you can apparently hover, and your name means 'star'." A laugh rose in her throat and she dropped her arms back to her sides. It was kind of cute how she really didn't know how things worked. If Maeve was a worse person she could take advantage of that. "I know I don't have to, but we can still look for them. You wanted to find them and I could use the exercise. I've been cooped up the last few days."

Babe, there's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this
Oh what a sin

I saw a piece of heaven

Shaking her head slowly, the young demigod seemed unconvinced. "Harmless..?" she repeated slowly. "Perhaps. But for how long? How much hurt and pain does one have to suffer before 'getting the hang of it'? You touch my cheek and ask me questions and treat me kindly... No harm done, yes? Unless I grow to love you. Or you me. Is it still fun when that happens?" Somehow, she did not think so. Inexperienced she might be, but Seren had seen the game played out between her parents. Parts of it, at least. None of it had seemed very enjoyable to her.

"You don't have to play games to get to know me," she said. "If you are curious about something, all you have to do is ask." As if to prove that, she pushed herself away from the tree and walked out onto the path. Glancing off at her shoes that lay discarded in the grass, Seren pursed her lips and made a little gesture with a hand; like stones dropped onto a watery surface they suddenly sank into nothingness, leaving only a slight ripple before that too disappeared.
"I think the stones were that way," she said, and pointed off in the direction she had been heading.

Waiting, impatient, for me
 

Seren

Maeve

This was unexpected. Seren's argument was valid, but perhaps a bit misplaced. Maeve crossed her arms over her chest, brows drawing together, "Yeah, actually. It is still fun. Love is fun. It can also lead to heartbreak. I won't lie." She shrugged her slender shoulders, shaking her head at the other woman. "Sure, you can get hurt and you're in a vulnerable situation, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth it. That's just me, though. Perhaps you don't feel the same." Hell, Maeve was going through it right now with her feelings around Sunjata. That doesn't mean it wasn't worth it. It absolutely was. She wouldn't change what happened between them. The feelings that developed. Even if it left her with a bruised heart.

Maeve let the conversation drop. It seemed Ronin wasn't going to have to give her a talking to. Seren already did it for him. She watched curiously as the shoes disappeared into the ground, but didn't comment on that either. Instead she went to pull on her own shoes before following after the other woman. "Lead the way."

Babe, there's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this
Oh what a sin

I saw a piece of heaven

Seren honestly did not know what to feel. The slight wrinkle between her brows suggested that she did not understand, though she listened quietly and mulled over Maeve's counter argument. The closest analogy she could find in her own limited experience was the act of climbing rocks with the knowledge that it would hurt if she slipped and fell, but even that did not quite seem to compare. Rocks were predictable, but other people? Not so much. They did not remain in place. Rocks stayed where they were unless shifted by wind and water and the movements of the earth, and those forces came with signs. Warnings. Visible cues that suggested where to step and leap and what part to go around. Now, was the flaw here in the unpredictability of human nature, or her own ability to read their signs?

"At the very least, I don't think it is something I should get mixed up in right now," she said slowly, tucking a coil of hair behind her ear. Perhaps it had not been a question, but Seren felt compelled to respond anyway. "I have so many other things to learn about... Love, I suspect, would be quite distracting." At least the kind that Maeve hinted at.

Taking the lead down the trail, the raven-haired girl seemed unphased by being barefoot. She picked the path on a whim, following only the sound of wind over shrub and leaf to where the hum of something else was heard the clearest. She was quiet for a time, thoughts turned inward in search of renewed equilibrium, and when she failed to find it Seren turned her attention back to the companion.

"You really know Mother?" she asked, tentative in case this was something the other woman preferred not to speak of.

Waiting, impatient, for me
 

Seren

Maeve

If the girl was truly just able to leave the stars then it might not be the best time for things like love. There wasn't anything wrong with that. There were plenty of other things to experience in the interim in Maeve's opinion. The Madame nodded in understanding, offering her a soft smile. There wasn't any judgment in her gaze. Just a gentle acceptance. "You have plenty of time for it. You're young. No need to rush anything." She hummed easily, picking her way along the path in tandem with the other woman. At the mention of it being distracting she laughed softly, nodding in agreement, "It can be rather distracting. In both good and bad ways." She had been plenty distracted the last few weeks.

They walked in silence for a bit, letting the sounds of the Celestine surround them instead as they travelled along the trail. Maeve followed Seren's lead, seeing as she was the one who was interested in finding these stones. Although, Maeve also found herself a touch curious. At the question, she tore her eyes away from the path to look at the other woman before nodding. "I do. Not well. Not like your father or Sunjata, but I've met her. I actually have a quest to complete for her. She was very kind to me. Understanding."

Babe, there's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this
Oh what a sin

I saw a piece of heaven

On any other occasion, it was a topic Seren would have gladly picked Maeve's brain about. The starchild was hungry for knowledge about everything, after all. In theory. But perhaps, as Maeve said, there would be time to talk more about it later, when Seren wasn't quite so rattled. Or perhaps she was simply chickening out..?

Oh well. No harm done.

"That's good. I know she can seem fickle at times, but there's so much more to her than that," the girl replied, more than happy to dive into this topic instead. There was a hint of defensiveness as she talked about the goddess, and no small amount of love. "What is the quest about, if I may ask? Is it something I can help you with?"

Here Seren stepped off the path and dove in between a pair of shrubs, courteously holding the branches away so that Maeve wouldn't get smacked on the backlash. The keening sound was growing more prominent in the air, and whatever unease Seren might have felt was quickly replaced with mounting excitement.

They were close now.

Waiting, impatient, for me
 

Seren

Maeve

She might have been chickening out, but Maeve didn't know one way or the other. Even if she did, the Madame wouldn't give her a hard time about it. If there was one thing she knew for sure it was that you couldn't rush things like this. They happened when they happened. Sometimes when you least expected it. It was easy to let the conversation shift to Safrin.

"I didn't find her fickle. In all honesty, she felt very... motherly. I didn't really have a mother growing up. I didn't have anyone to teach me about the gods. I wasn't even sure I was praying properly. She was patient with me. Corrected me gently when I said things wrong." Maeve explained, recalling her experience with the goddess. It had gone much better than she could have every expected if she was being completely honest. Safrin had not only treated her with kindness, but had even given her the opprotunity to gain something too besides her acceptance. "Well, I asked her for a way to be there for people when they needed me. No matter where they were. I don't have the ability to easily travel, you see. She offered to give me an item that would allow me to teleport to anyone, anywhere, at any time."

Maeve explained, taking a moment to recall what exactly she was meant to do. "Lets see... I have to learn about non-magical healing, train in a form of combat, kill something, and collect two things for my item. I don't suppose you know anything about healing, do you?" She asked, glancing over at the other woman with a smile before ducking through the push towards the sound that Seren was currently following.

Babe, there's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this
Oh what a sin

I saw a piece of heaven

Perhaps some other child might have felt jealous, hearing that their parent treated someone else in a 'motherly' way. Not Seren. She beamed with delight, and nodded that she understood Maeve's predicament. Of course, she herself had the added benefit of being able Safrin's actual daughter, so there had never been a need for formalities. That didn't mean they weren't there, and who better to learn from than the deity in question. After all, praying to Safrin versus praying to Ludo or Frey required slightly separate approaches...

"Oh, that's a very interesting request," Seren remarked, even more intrigued now. "I'm afraid I don't, that's something I want to learn to do... but I'm quite good at collecting things? You might even like what we're about to find." She pointed up ahead with a smile growing across her face.

There was something akin to a clearing ahead, where the trees and large shrubs had taken a step back. In their place lay a rocky outcrop where weathered stone had been polished smooth and into interesting shapes. The wind that whispered in from the sea had plenty of room to play here, and as it swept by a hum filled the air. Somewhere between sweet song and a desperate keen, it rose and fell and died away, only to pick up again right away.

Seren closed her eyes and listened for a time in quiet rapture. To her the sound was beautiful, so very familiar from her time spent among the stars. "Singing stones," she murmured, for Maeve's benefit. In case the woman didn't already know.

Waiting, impatient, for me
 

Seren

Maeve

Maeve nodded, "Well, I'm the Madame of an establishment. I have people that I take care of. I also have many friends in different locations. Should any of them need me, I wanted to be able to be there to provide aide. Your mother thought that was the most fitting thing for me." She explained, hoping that the demigod might gain some further insight. She wasn't sure if Seren knew how her mother came to those decisions, but it felt like it might be useful for her to see the process behind it either way. Maeve smiled softly at the other woman, "I have no doubt you are." There was a good chance that Maeve would like what they found, but she already had certain items in mind for the requirements.

The Madame hadn't seen anything like it before. The song was eerie and beautiful all the same. It sounded like a mix between lost souls wailing for their loved ones and the softest chorus. There wasn't a sound in recent memory that truly compared to it. She stood there in silence with Seren, merely listening for a time before the demigod informed her of what they were. "Huh... I've never heard of them before."

Babe, there's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this
Oh what a sin

I saw a piece of heaven

Seren nodded, agreeing with both the benefits and the suitability of the request. "What really matters is that you think it's suitable," she remarked cheerfully. "But what's a Madame? What kind of establishment?" The curious glance thrown at Maeve was blue-eyed and innocent in every sense of the term.  

With most of her focus on the rocks, Seren let her new friend appreciate them in peace for a while. She did the same, and crouched down with eyes closed. Simply listening, as the wind played for them. "Starwhales rub against the rocks until they become like this," she explained softly. "It sounds almost like their songs, when the wind blows over them. I love this sound." Looking up at Maeve, her smile was warm and easy. Affectionate, even, though it was not easy to tell whether it was because of the Madame or the rocks.

Waiting, impatient, for me
 

Seren