And i kept running for a soft place to fall

"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.

It was easy to laugh at his little show of force given the juxtaposition of his form and what he was suggesting, but she knew he meant it. Even if he didn't exactly look the part. Likely didn't matter when you had more than enough fighting spirit to go with it. At least in his case. Reedy he might be, but Maeve knew that Adam wasn't lacking in strength. "I'll keep that in mind."

With a nod of her head, Maeve let it go, offering him a small smile in return. "I'm glad that you two are working it out. If you ever want it, though, just let me know. I have plenty of space there." And she did. There were rooms to spare for new workers or anyone who really needed it. She was looking to prepare it to be a safehouse for a reason.

Maeve felt him stiffen beside her and her heart sank just a little more. She wasn't close to any Ascended outside of Adam. The only other one she had relations with was Nate and there wasn't any love to be found between them. The Nightshade was admittedly fairly removed from it all, but it didn't change the fact that she was a follower of the Old Gods and he was a follower of the new. No matter how unwilling that following was. Adam didn't ask to Ascend. It's what happened and now he was dealing with the repercussions of that. It didn't stop her from grimacing as she glanced up at him, a line forming between her brows, "As long as I can help it, I won't let anything happen to you and if Safrin does make us bar Ascended from Torchline, I vow that it will be done peacefully. I don't want to hurt anyone Adam."

Especially not you. That part was silent, but it was clear with the way tears pricked at her eyes again and she quickly looked away, drawing in a trembling breath.

Maeve

Adam

Speed up to the precipice and then slam on the brakes
Some people crash two or three times and then learn from their mistakes

Conversations about who he might beat up or how he and Pet were doing felt inconsequential in the face of the war, in the face of the rising hatred against the Ascended. It was unfair, in the way the prejudices in his own world had been, and they were no closer to fixing in here than they had been there.

Maeve didn't want to hurt anyone (though she still admitted she'd considered having them escorted out, which a part of Adam found hurtful enough to have to grit his teeth, so he didn't say anything cruel in return); an honourable goal, but pretty impossible in the long run, he thought. Sighing, trying to let go of the tension in his chest, Adam nodded and played with some pebbles on the rock next to him, tossing them up and catching them.

"I mean you...you don't believe that we're like, evil, right?" He finally asked, speaking out into the darkness of the ocean, surprised by the vulnerability in his own voice. "Cos I don't get it. Everyone uses the portals. Biting is fun. Whats the harm? Like...I don't love the Voice, but I don't get everyone's hate boner either."

We are the ones who don't slow down at all
And there's nobody there to catch us when we fall

"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.

All of it hurt to think about. This was never what she wanted. She adored Adam. She cared deeply for him and the Ascended she knew hadn't done anything wrong really. The war against them, the hate, all of it made her sick to think about. Except there was nothing to be done for it. They didn't have an option. All of them pawns in the grand scheme of things. Maeve made a pained sound at his question, turning to look at the dark silhouette of his face, shaking her head vehemently. "No. I could never. I don't think you're evil." This wasn't something she understood much about. Everyone had opinions and Maeve wasn't really sure what all the Voice had done, but it was enough to have people scared.

"I don't hate her either, but she hurt a lot of people. I- I think people are scared of what she can do. They don't understand and things that we don't understand are frightening." Maeve ventured a guess, pursing her lips as she dropped her head against his shoulder, not thinking that he might resent her touch now. "She can slip into your mind at anytime. Make you do whatever it is she wants. That's terrifying and we don't understand it or know how to possibly stop it." She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing on the already abused flesh as fresh tears stained her cheeks, reaching up to wipe them away from her cheeks.

"I hate all of this, Adam. I- I understand if this changes things with us. If you don't feel like you can trust me anymore." Because she was a part of the Old Gods. The enemy. There was no other way to put it.

Maeve

Adam

Speed up to the precipice and then slam on the brakes
Some people crash two or three times and then learn from their mistakes

Maeve seemed quite upset at the idea she might consider him evil, which was both a comfort and an insult, in a way: she didn't think the Ascended were worthy of the fates planned for them, yet she might allow herself to become an instrument in those plans. Adam swallowed down that bitterness and any more that wanted to surface as Maeve continued to talk. He knew none of them had the answers. He knew none of them were in their ideal situations.

Still hurt like a bitch to have to hear it, though.

"She won't even talk to me, never mind slip into my mind. I don't really...see how it's all that different to the Old Gods. They still control people. Some people I've seen are like, Safrin's bitch." Perhaps he shouldn't speak quite so frankly in front of another follower of Safrin, but they were laying out their cards on the table.

Still, with that said, he ultimately sighed and after closing his eyes tight for a moment, shook his head and held Maeve's shoulder. "No, you've got that kid that needs help coming up. I don't give up on my friends that easy."

We are the ones who don't slow down at all
And there's nobody there to catch us when we fall

"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.

All of it was fucked and a part of her knew that the signals she was sending were likely mixed. She didn't hate the Ascended, but she was willing to follow Safrin in potentially pushing them out of Torchline should it be asked of her. It was better than killing them. Something that Maeve planned to avoid at all costs. That didn't change the fact that they were both on opposite sides now. Both pitted against one another whether it was what they wanted or not. Maeve never saw herself in a place like this before, but it was where she was now and she had to work with what she had.

She bit back a bark of a laugh, lips pressing together to keep her smile in check at his observation, wondering if he was referring to Ronin or Sunjata specifically. Likely it was Ronin, the Safrin's demigod of choice. Her brightest star. Adam wasn't wrong, though. It wasn't all that different. Whether the gods saw it that way or not. "It's like I said before... We're all pawns. Even if we don't choose to be. There isn't any escaping that fate in a world like this."

His reassurance lifts a weight that was slowly crushing her off of her shoulders and she sighs heavily, leaning into him as her own arm snakes around his waist, "Thank you, Adam. M'glad I still have you. Despite everything." And maybe it won't last all that long, but for now, she has him and for that she's grateful.

She's not sure how long they sit out there on that rock, enjoying the breeze and listening to the crashing of waves, but eventually he escorts her back home to leave her to the thoughts that continue to plague her mind. Sleep never comes.

~FIN <3~

Maeve