[SE] summer days drifting away

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment

Having the briefest sensation of becoming a doll, moved and tended by eager hands, Seren suppressed a smile as she let Maeve tie her hair back. A soft shiver of goosebumps traveled down the spine as fingers threaded through the dark tresses; Seren tried to ignore it and focused on the dance.

"I guess we'll just have to see," she agreed cheerfully. Copying Maeve's movements as best she could, Seren was able to angle herself fairly well. The girl spun once, and twice... and then got awkwardly stuck halfway through the third spin as the momentum fizzled out. Staggering off and flailing wildly to keep from falling, she burst out laughing.

Seren

Maeve

Maeve could say one thing for sure about Seren and that it was she didn't mind looking a little foolish while trying new things. A hand came up to cover her mouth, suppressing her laugh as the girl spun awkwardly before her. To be fair, she did rather well considering that she had no real training in the art. It wasn't until she got half way through that third turn, arms windmilling wildly to maintain her balance that Maeve couldn't hold in her laughs any longer. They rang out through the air and she braced her hands against her knees, "Oh my gods.." She managed the words through her laugh, shaking her head as she finally straightened up.

"Okay... That- That wasn't very good, but good effort!" Maeve shook her head, tucking a stray curl behind her ear as she met the other girl's bright blue gaze. "We can keep working on it. If you really want to learn. I could give you lessons." It had been a while since she taught anyone properly, but she wasn't opposed to it. Especially if it was Seren. "I think for now that's a good place to stop. You can practice those first three positions and the demi plié. We'll have to see about getting you some pointe shoes."

Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin' scares me anymore
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment

Safrin's daughter endured the laughter with elevated dignity for about three heartbeats. Then she too fell into it, until she had to clutch her stomach to stay upright. Gasping for breath she wiped at her eyes and tried to reply, only to fall back into hopeless mirth.

Only the threat of shoes made her snap out of it. "Oh, no, please. No shoes. I'd love lessons and and learning more, but let's not bother with pointy shoes." Already the name sounded terrifying. "Thank you, Maeve. That was fun. Time for your reward, now?"

Once Seren could breathe properly, she straighened and made a gesture in the air, as though it was no more than a veil to be parted. Reaching a hand forth as the space before her began to shimmer and distort, it vanished into nothingness, as if the whole hand had been cut off.

Extending the spare hand towards Maeve for her to take, blue eyes sought hers while a confident smile lingered on her lips. "Do you trust me, my friend?"

Seren

Maeve

She had forgotten of Seren's extreme dislike of shoes. The woman had been barefoot the first time they ran into each other. It really shouldn't be a surprise that she as uninterested in the idea of proper ballet slippers. "Pointe shoes." Maeve corrects with a smirk, rolling her eyes at the younger girl, "You'll need them eventually if you want to do things properly, but we'll hold off for now. I promise they are lighter than your boots." To her it felt as if she was barefoot while wearing them, but they kept her ankle supported and allowed her to stay on pointe like she was meant to. Eventually she'd warm the other girl up to the idea of them.

"I suppose it is. You promised me something beautiful." She reminded her with a wink, the smile on her lips not faltering until Seren was outstretching her hand into nothingness. Maeve blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what she was seeing exactly. The question pulled her eyes back to the starchild as she took a steadying breath, taking her free hand. "I guess I'm going to have to on this one, little star." She finally said, stepping closer to Seren's side as if it might give her a better view through the veil.

Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin' scares me anymore
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment

Nodding encouragement as she noticed the nervous expression, Seren closed her fingers around Maeve's hand, warm and reassuring. "Good. It is only a step, and it's easy as breathing. Come." Blue eyes stayed locked with green as the starchild backed into the void, guiding her friend along.

Dazzling sun and azure waves gave way and on the other side of a heartbeat, night welcomed them with a cool embrace. There was still sand and sea and an endless horizon, but the sky was hung with stars now. Bright and close enough to touch, they blinked and gleamed, casting starlight shimmer upon a beach that was blinding in its whiteness. Each light reflected in a sea that was as dark as the heavens above, and whispered onto shore with a voice that could almost be understood.

Scattered here and there upon the beach lay stray items. A pair of boots, Stormbreak Dragoon issue. A curious white-washed tray inlaid with mirror mosaic, that may or may not have belonged to the Halenani. Stray pieces of clothing, and other unassorted brick brack nestled side by side with blue seashells in the sand. Untouched by the water - if it even was water - it could have looked messy, but only appeared curious. Like treasures washed up on a secret island.

Seren waited in silence for Maeve to look around in peace, expectant as the watched for a reaction.

Seren

Maeve

Maeve held her breath as Seren pulled her through the veil and the darkness that greeted her has her steps faltering. She dropped Seren's hand, blinking to encourage her eyes to adjust to the lack of sunlight. With a few cautious steps forward, Maeve began to look around, green eyes going wide as her lips parted in a silent gasp. She spun slowly, drifting across cool white sand as her eyes filled with stars. Unable to resist the childlike urge to reach towards the heavens, fingertips yearning to brush against that tangible starlight as she lifted onto her toes. They were just out of reach, but how she longed to cup one in her hands, drawing it close to her chest. It was almost like Remi's dream world he made for her, but not.

The heavens didn't sing, but they seemed to whisper sweet things into her ears that she couldn't exactly understand and yet they made perfect sense. Maeve found herself drifting towards the water, toes dipping into the waves as she came to a stop. It was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen before. The contents on the beach didn't hold a candle to everything else surrounding her.

Slowly she turned back to Seren, a smile spreading across her face as she held her hands out for her friend, "This is amazing. Where are we? What is this place? I've never seen the stars so close." Awe was clear in her voice, coloring her words with adoration for the starchild. If she could bottle up just a portion of this sky and keep it for herself she would. Just as a reminder of its beauty.

Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin' scares me anymore
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment

If Seren had ever worried that her surprise wasn't surprising enough, then a look at the Madame's expression eased those fears. Delighted, she watched her friend explore the night-veiled island, and when Maeve reached for her, Seren took her hands with a happy laugh. "I'm glad you like it," she said warmly. "It is... well, my world. A piece of Mother's realm, perhaps? Or maybe a figment of my imagination... I'm honestly not sure. I just know it's always there, wherever I go, and all I have to do is reach for it."

Reaching down, she picked up one of the shells so recently added, and lobbed it out into the dark ocean. It sank with a plop into the void, and was gone for a breath, or perhaps an eternity - it was difficult to measure time here - until a sudden wave carried it back to nestle upon the sand. "Nothing I put here is ever lost," she mused, watching the wave retreat. "I keep having this feeling that I could do more with it, but I don't know what, yet."

Casting a glittering look at her friend, Seren wiggled her eyebrows slightly. "Want to get closer to the stars?" She extended a pulse of gravity-reduction towards Maeve, who might suddenly feel as though she weighed next to nothing. "Try jumping as high as you can!"

Seren

Maeve

Seren explained and Maeve was sure it made sense, but she was too caught up in existing here that it was hard to wrap her head around at all. Maeve held onto the girl's hands when she got close enough, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze, "Talk about storage space." She laughed, grinning at the starchild as she drew her close into a loose waltz of sorts. Maeve was just about to lead them in a dance along the shore, splashing through water and swimming through glittering stars, but Seren's question brought her to a stop.

Dark brows lifted towards her hairline and her head cocked to the side, "We can get closer?" It didn't seem possible, but neither did the way she suddenly weighed nothing. There was little keeping her tethered to the sand besides the fact that she hadn't pushed away. Maeve held tightly to Seren's hands, her grin growing wider as she suddenly leapt, lifting off the ground with ease. She yelped, squealing in delight as she drifted up and up and up until her grip on Seren was the only thing keeping her from going any higher. Bare feet kicked through the air, toes pointed daintily as she looked down at her friend. "Let me guess... Another gift from your mother?"

Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin' scares me anymore
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment

"It is very practical." Following along easily in the dance, pliant if not exactly graceful, Seren's face felt ready to split from the wide smile. Seeing Maeve so giddy was lovely, it was as though she had shared a piece of her own inexhaustible energy with the woman. This place truly was a starry wonderland, a perfect reflection of her own perspective.

Sharing the gravity pulse allowed them both to become lighter, and when their hands threatened to part, Seren too kicked off from the sand. Up they drifted, spinning in a slow pirouette that took no balance or effort to maintain. And the stars were all around them, big and bright and just out of reach, no matter how they might stretch to touch them. "Yes," the demi-god agreed. "They all are. Everything I can do, and all I am is my mother's gift to me." Every syllable breathed of her love for the goddess; never would it occur for the star-child to be ungreatful. Not even on the occasions when the why of it eluded her.

Love and willful desire was enough of an answer, wasn't it?

Eventually their ascent halted, and they began to drift downward again. Not weightless, but made lighter, there were limits to how long Seren could keep them aloft. On the way down, she impulsively tried to wrap her arms around Maeve in a hug.

Seren

Maeve

Many times Maeve has danced beneath the stars, but never among them. Her eyes were shining with them. The soft white glow reflecting in the green of her irises and across her pale skin. She seemed to glow as she was bathed in their light and in this moment it seemed that they could actually be sisters. Dark hair, light eyes, and skin bathed in starlight. Twin constellations. In this sliver of Safrin's realm, they were Gemini, intertwined in the stars as they danced together.

For this one moment, everything was perfect and Maeve had never felt so light. Easily she accepted Seren's hug, wrapping her arms around the other girl and cradling her close to her chest. Her cheek rested on top of the starchild's head, for once taller than her friend, as their hearts seemed to beat in tandem together. "When I see your mother again I'm going to thank her for you." She murmured softly against her curls, eyes closing as they drifted down towards the sandy shore below. "She gave me the gift of a dear friend and I am forever grateful for that."

Safrin hadn't brought Seren back to Caido for her. It is likely the goddess didn't even think of their paths crossing, but it didn't matter. Seren was here for Maeve even if that wasn't the original intention. They were somehow connected now. It wasn't something the Madame really understood, but she felt it in her heart.

Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin' scares me anymore
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment

Tangled into warm arms and warm hair and a warm heart, Seren could only hum happy nonsense. What did she even say to something like that? Thank you? I agree? Love you too? All of it was true, and right there as she squeezed Maeve just a little bit harder. "I'll always be here for you, whenever you need me," she murmured, just for her friend to hear.

It was almost unfortunate that their feet had to touch the ground again. Seren was tempted to launch them back up again - she could keep them weightless for hours if she really wanted to - but a quiet rumble from her stomach suggested that other games were in order. Like, who can eat more cream puffs without licking their lips.

"Want to go back and get some lunch?" she asked, and rather reluctantly let her arms drop back to the sides. "If there's one flaw with this place, it's that nothing grows. No fruits to be picked here." There were no trees either, or plants of any kind. Water... Seren had never tried to drink the star-sea, and suspected that it would be a very bad idea.

Seren

Maeve

Maeve sighed softly, squeezing her in return as she swallowed thickly, "You have no idea how much that means to me." She confessed, the words quiet in their quieter world. It seemed as safe of a place as any to let them out. Seren won't ever use it against her. She knows this in her heart. The daughter of Safrin would guard her and keep her in whatever way she needed.

Their feet finally found the shore again and Maeve drew back from the embrace at the sound of Seren's stomach growling, her own answering in return. "Lunch sounds like a perfect idea." Maeve confirmed, pressing a hand to her own growling stomach before taking her hands again. "Back to the sunshine then? I packed us some food since I knew we'd be out here for a bit."

Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin' scares me anymore
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment

Tilting her head, Seren gazed back at the green-eyed girl. Because mature as the Madame may be, that's all Maeve really was, and right now it sort of showed. "If there's anything you want to talk about, I can listen?" she offered. It was true that she did not know what went through Maeve's mind, but she would be true to her words if given the chance.

It was all up to Maeve though, and perhaps a topic best washed down with lots of food. "Good thinking. Back we go then." Opening the way, Seren led them out into a sun that seemed all the more blinding in comparison to the cool dark of the star-island. Warm winds greeted them welcome back, along with the cry of Hels who had discovered the bags and belongings left behind on the beach. A whole nag of them was flapping and pecking at the items, and had nearly managed to get into the contents of the packed lunch.

"Hey! That's ours!" she cried out, and started off towards the thieving birds with arms flailing.

Seren

Maeve

The offer caught her off guard and her smile faltered for the first time since they got here. The events of the last few days ran through her head and the wounds they left behind flared angrily. Maeve winced as they pass back through the veil, the sun glaring into her eyes, "Maybe over lunch." She said softly, blinking a few times as her eyes slowly adjust to the sunlight once more.

Before she really has anytime to sort herself out, Seren is suddenly yelling, darting across the beach towards the Hels that are trying their best to get at their lunch. "Oi! Get the fuck out of here!" Maeve called out, running forward with the other girl and waving her hands, chasing the Hels away with a glare.

They cawed and cried, flapping their wings before finally dispersing away from their bags and taking to the air to retreat. Maeve huffed, flopping down onto the blanket for a moment before sitting up to start pulling out the various treats she packed. A small melon, bread, cheese, some mulled wine, water, and of course sweets (thanks, Locke). What picnic is complete without sweets? "It's all a bit complicated honestly. Are you sure you want to know?"

Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere
Nothin' scares me anymore
Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness