change the fates design

Maeve

It all starts with a letter requesting Milo meet her at the Court of Stars with a request for help in the regional quest, but also with the promise of some information from Aurelia too. Maeve has yet to meet Milo. Not in an official capacity. She knows of him from Aurelia and her time at the Halenani. He used to spend many a night in their company, but never before had they had the pleasure of meeting. A part of her is nervous. An anxious fluttering in her chest keeps her from sitting still, instead making her pace back and forth in front of the fountain, the sound of the waves seeming to keep tempo with her steps.

It's a simple task. Not one that she thinks they can even mess up. This isn't the part that has her worried. No, it's the fact that it's Milo. That he's attached to Aurelia. That Aurelia has asked her to give him a message. Something she's willing to do, but feels wrong coming from her when she has her own feelings that she's harboring for the queen.

It doesn't matter either way. Aurelia asked her to do this and she's going to do it. All of it. So for now she waits, sunlight dappling through the stained glass ceiling, casting down a myriad of colors upon her as she paces.

So come on, give me a taste
Of what it's like to be next to you
Won't let one drop go to waste
Your metaphorical gin and juice

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

So much had changed before he’d come back, and when he had? Well, he’d felt immediately lost. There goes the plans of sleeping in for weeks at a time, of rarely having to leave the confines of his home, of having Aurelia there beside him the entire time and not having to do much of anything else. Gone was the Governor, gone was the ‘Armbiter’, and now? Now his home had abandoned the entirety of the idea of Governors for a set of Queens. Safrin’s appointed.

As much as he loves Aurelia, the idea of Queenship only leaves a sour, bitter taste on his tongue.

To receive the seal from Maeve from this Court of Stars only has him sighing that morning, but agreeing nonetheless, slipping on a short sleeved shirt, half buttoned, and a pair of shorts. He’s tanned quite a bit, but his hair has only lightened a fraction, further signifying the fiery red of his hair as he slips through Torchline’s streets to where Maeve had said to meet her.

Honestly, he can’t help the slight frown as he peers at the essential courthouse, lips pursing before he pushes himself through toward the fountain he was supposed to help with, finding Maeve standing there as expected. He dips his head in greeting but doesn’t give her anything more than what he’d give everyone else. “Heya Maeve.” He greets, coming to stand beside the fountain, his bronze gaze scanning one of the Queens as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. “So… What kinda stuff ‘m I tryin’ t’do? How’m I tryin’ to purify it?” Red brows pinch curiously as he looks around the stones of the fountain, wondering what it was that needed healing and if it was something he could even do.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

Maeve

The Nightshade turns quickly towards him, jade eyes widening slightly before she offers a small smile, secretly grateful for the informal greeting. Despite her ease of slipping into this role, the formalities of it were still a bit hard for her to stomach, each one making her a touch uneasy whenever they were used. Unaware that his choice of greeting has more to do with proving a point than anything else, Maeve returns it. ”Hello Milo.” She says softly, unsure if she should go ahead and mention what Aurelia told her or wait until after, but after a moment of consideration she pushes forward. ”Aurelia wanted me to tell you that she was sorry that she couldn’t be the one to do this all with you. She’ll be back soon and when she is she’ll come find you. She also said that she loves and misses you.”

If she feels awkward saying any of this, it doesn’t show, instead it comes out smoothly and without hesitation. Maeve clears her throat, straightening as he comes to stand by the fountain, finally stopping her pacing to focus on the task at hand instead. ”The fountain and the surrounding area are the main focus. Truthfully, I’m not very familiar with magic. I just know that it needs to be light. Perhaps we can start by attempting to infuse the fountain?” She suggests, suddenly feeling a bit more lost than before, bottom lip catching between her teeth in thought.

So come on, give me a taste
Of what it's like to be next to you
Won't let one drop go to waste
Your metaphorical gin and juice

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

He straightens up the second that Aurelia’s name is on Maeve’s tongue – his bronze gaze scanning over her as he raises a red brow, wondering why Aurelia couldn’t have left a letter back home for him to read rather than having to hear it from Maeve. Still, he swallows hard, nodding, ducking his head a bit as his shoulders remain tight. “Thank you.” He says a fraction hoarsely, clearing his throat before he’s stepping away from her while they focus on the grit of the situation.

They both don’t know what they’re doing, the magic is still so new to Milo. All he knows how to do is heal people, he’s never tried to heal water, never tried to infuse or imbue his magic into a fountain. His hands leave his pockets and he stretches out, the brief edge of a tattoo on his bicep visible as he nods and moves to plant his feet in front of the fountain, taking a deep breath before he holds his hands over the fountain.

“’ve never done this ‘fore.” He pauses, brows pinching as he focuses his attention into the magic he’s supposed to summon. His hands glow, a vibrant pale hue as he holds them over the water, and tries his best to heal the water, even if the thought seemed wholly strange in comparison to what he was used to.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

Maeve

Maeve doesn't miss the way his shoulders tense or how he doesn't meet her gaze. She watches as his throat bobs with the swallow, words feeling thick on her tongue despite how smoothly she delivers them, knowing that he doesn't want to hear this from her. Maeve can't help thinking that Milo might prefer to have nothing to do with her at all, but that's not really possible anymore. Not with her connection to Aurelia. There is no avoiding it now. "You're welcome." She murmurs softly, jade eyes following him as he steps away from her, moving towards the fountain instead.

"That's okay. Just try. If this is what she asked for then I have no doubt that it's possible." Maeve is quick to reassure, giving him space to work, focusing on the glow that comes from his hands. The water itself is infused with light, seeming to shimmer with the same hue that comes from his hands, spreading out like ink through the fountain. It doesn't fill the entire pool and he'll likely need to keep going. "That seems to be doing something."

So come on, give me a taste
Of what it's like to be next to you
Won't let one drop go to waste
Your metaphorical gin and juice

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

He steps away from her, silence overcoming him as his bronze gaze focuses on the fountain, hands outstretched above him as he focuses his glimmering healing magic into the water, wondering whether or not it’s even going to do anything. He watches, curiously of course, as he focuses more and more of the magic to infiltrate the liquid. The water shimmers with the same color as his magic and Milo suddenly begins to ignore everything else around him.

His eyes are glued to the fountain as he pours his magic into it, sweat beading up on his temple – dampening his red hair into a copper brown as it sticks to his forehead. “How long do I gotta do this for?” He asks, muscles feathering in his jaw as he tries to keep his focus and it continues to weigh on him the longer he sends the magic out.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

Maeve

Maeve shifts to the opposite side of the fountain, watching as the magic sweeps out in tendrils, swirling through the clear water like shimmering ink. It slowly starts to bleed to her side from his, "You've almost reached the other side. Just a little longer and then we can take a break." She tells him, reaching down to trail her fingers through the water, the tips just barely skimming the surface. The magic warms the liquid, sending a feeling of comfort through her as the light follows the tips of her fingers, slowly spreading through the entirety of the fountain.

It doesn't all turn the same color, but it's a start. A damn good one at that. "I think we're good for now. Rest for a moment." She finally says when the surface of the water mostly has the same shimmering appearance, the bottom of the fountain only slightly visible now. Maeve offers him a small smile, straightening up with a breath, "This is a good start. Thank you for helping out with this."

So come on, give me a taste
Of what it's like to be next to you
Won't let one drop go to waste
Your metaphorical gin and juice

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

Gritting his teeth, Milo hears as Maeve says he’s almost reached the other side of the fountain. He continues to pour his magic into it, continues to throw everything he can into the fountain when it comes to his magic, before he’s finally panting by the time she says they can take a break. His chest rises and falls with heavy breaths, and his hand rises to wipe the back of his hand along his forehead, moving immediately to sit on the edge of the fountain, working to regain his strength.

“Yer welcome.” He says quietly, his heart thundering in his ears as he closes his eyes against the Leafchange sun, letting himself recoup the best he can. It’ll take some time, though, having used a majority of his willpower to keep up the healing until Maeve had called it off for now. He wasn’t very strong with it yet, hadn’t had a lot of practice with it aside from saving Aurelia’s life and fixing his own little minor cuts and bruises.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

Maeve

While she’s not a magic user herself, she knows that it can be rather draining to maintain for long periods of time. She winces as Milo slumps on the edge of the fountain, moving over to a small table that’s been set out in the garden, pouring him some cool cider from a pitcher. With a tentative smile, Maeve approaches, offering him the drink before taking a seat down beside him. ”So… I heard that the Ark fared fairly well this past season. That’s always good, yeah?” She used to be so good at small talk, but today she’s struggling. Maeve has a feeling it’s simply because it’s Milo.

How is she meant to talk to her counterpart’s romantic partner when she and Aurelia have their own feelings to sort out about each other? Especially when Aurelia hasn’t even had a chance to talk to him. To tell him that she’s going to help take care of her baby. That they’re going to be partners too. All of it makes her anxious and she makes a conscious effort to breathe slowly, smoothing a hand over her belly in an attempt to keep from fidgeting. ”If you want to concentrate on the area around the fountain next we can do that…”

So come on, give me a taste
Of what it's like to be next to you
Won't let one drop go to waste
Your metaphorical gin and juice

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

She returns, handing him the glass of cider that already condenses on the sides when he glances up to take it from her. He takes a small sip from it after a nod of thanks, before letting it try to replenish himself. His breathing calms but his heart still thunders and he pauses as he hears the small talk she tries to start. His jaw works again and he doesn’t respond immediately, instead he downs the rest of the glass and stretches his legs out in front of him. “It did, yeah.” He comments quietly, his shoulders rising and falling in a small half shrug.

When he finally feels like he has recovered enough, he moves to stand, nodding to her suggestion. The sooner this is done with the sooner he can go home and crawl into bed for the foreseeable future. He loosens his shoulders, twists his head this way and that to loosen up his neck, and brings that glowing power to his hands again, the stream of pale light focusing on the stone surrounding the fountain, the bench they’d sat on.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

Maeve

He leaves her to flounder in silence, not giving her much of anything to work with as he sips his juice and lets her question hang. Maeve does her bests not to fidget, unsure of how to handle the nerves that are building in her belly, struggling to make any sort of connection with him. It vaguely occurs to her that he likely doesn't want to connect with her at all. Maeve doesn't try speaking again. Instead she gathers up the empty glass, taking it back over to the small table as he stands, keeping out of his way.

She watches silently as he begins to imbue the stone of the fountain with that same light, forcing his magic into the very foundations of it, bringing warmth to the marble. This goes on for some time again, a soft glow infusing the marble, spreading through the veins of the stone and branching out to encompass it all slowly but surely.

So come on, give me a taste
Of what it's like to be next to you
Won't let one drop go to waste
Your metaphorical gin and juice

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

She doesn’t say anything else and Milo truthfully doesn’t have anything to add. He’s not much for small talk when he’s in a mood like this, and the sooner he can get through with the healing the sooner he can go back home and curl up under the covers of his bed and pass out for what he hopes to be a very long time. So for now, he focuses on spreading his hands out before him, letting his magic infuse the bricks and stones of the surrounding area.

More sweat beads up on his forehead, and his breathing grows heavy again, the exhaustion weighing heavily on his shoulders and causes him to lag a fraction as he moves from section to section, and when he’s almost needing another break he thinks he can push through it completely. So he turns to glance at Maeve over his shoulder, red brows pinched together as he continues to warm the stones. “Where else?” He asks, waiting for her to guide him.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more

Maeve

She's quiet as she watches, noting the way that the magic sinks into the marble, filling the veins and imbuing it with light. They continue like this for a number of minutes. Both of them silent. Maeve afraid to chance small talk again for fear of earning his ire or distracting him from the task at hand. She's about to suggest he take a break before he speaks again, asking where to turn his attention next and she has to think hard for a moment. "Maybe another dose for the water? I doubt the flowers need it."

Maeve attempts a joke, huffing a small laugh, but it quickly dies out when it's clear that he isn't going to return her half smile. "After this we're done... Thank you again for the help." She says softly, once more staying out of his way as he starts working.

So come on, give me a taste
Of what it's like to be next to you
Won't let one drop go to waste
Your metaphorical gin and juice

MILO

this is for the snakes and the people they bite
for the friends i've made, for the sleepless nights

His magic infuses the stones and warms them and it drains him even further, but he works and works because if he does this well the first time he hopefully won’t have to come back to fix it up further. But his energy wanes further, evidenced by the sag in his shoulders, the trembling to his hands when he withdraws with her instruction, swallowing down a decent amount of air to fill his heaving lungs.

A few moments later, and he’s turning toward the water again, moving to the other side from where he’d initially put the majority of his magic, and those hands slip out again, filling the reservoir with that pale light again, the veins in his hands dark against the glowing of his hands. And as soon as he’s done with that, he sinks back to the bench of the fountain, sitting in the shade of the middle of the fountain, panting and red and slick with sweat.

for the warning signs i've completely ignored
there's an amount to take, reasons to take more