My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room
Seren recoiled and Maeve stumbled. She rocked back on her heels, thrown off balance by Seren's sudden movements, starlight billowing darkly around the starchild. The Nightshade fell backwards, barely catching herself with her palms, wincing as her back hit the coffee table behind her. She pressed her lips together, feeling a sting of tears at being so callously rejected, but she tried her best not to take it personally. Seren was upset and Maeve's own emotions were on a hair string trigger these days.
Despite her best efforts, the tightness that coated her throat couldn't be ignored, causing her words to strain as she spoke, "Okay, Seren. If that makes you happy." The words mumbled and just edging on broken as she shakily pushed herself up, rubbing at the small of her back as Aidon moved to brace her, concern slipping along the bond as he blinked up at her. The queen placed a hand on his back, using him to keep herself steady as she took a few slow steps towards the fall, intent on getting in bed.
"I'm going to lay down... You're free to share the bed if you want. It's plenty big enough. Otherwise, you can have the couch if you'd prefer that." Maeve gave her friend one more look, not daring to reach out and touch her again, knowing she wouldn't be able to take the way that Seren flinched away from her. The Nightshade knew when her presence wasn't wanted anymore. Plenty of people had done a good job of showing her that recently.
With that, she slowly made her way down the hall, pushing into her bedroom and not bothering to close the door behind her. Instead, she left it ajar before climbing into the too big bed, burrowing beneath the covers and burying her face in her pillow that had done a good job of catching majority of her tears. A job it would continue to do even now. Unable to help the visceral response, hormones running too high these days, Maeve let them come as she knew eventually these would fade too.
Despite her best efforts, the tightness that coated her throat couldn't be ignored, causing her words to strain as she spoke, "Okay, Seren. If that makes you happy." The words mumbled and just edging on broken as she shakily pushed herself up, rubbing at the small of her back as Aidon moved to brace her, concern slipping along the bond as he blinked up at her. The queen placed a hand on his back, using him to keep herself steady as she took a few slow steps towards the fall, intent on getting in bed.
"I'm going to lay down... You're free to share the bed if you want. It's plenty big enough. Otherwise, you can have the couch if you'd prefer that." Maeve gave her friend one more look, not daring to reach out and touch her again, knowing she wouldn't be able to take the way that Seren flinched away from her. The Nightshade knew when her presence wasn't wanted anymore. Plenty of people had done a good job of showing her that recently.
With that, she slowly made her way down the hall, pushing into her bedroom and not bothering to close the door behind her. Instead, she left it ajar before climbing into the too big bed, burrowing beneath the covers and burying her face in her pillow that had done a good job of catching majority of her tears. A job it would continue to do even now. Unable to help the visceral response, hormones running too high these days, Maeve let them come as she knew eventually these would fade too.
Maeve
