a hard day's work

Don't paint wonderful lies on me that wash away

It was a curious question, and she had no answer. Could only shrug helplessly, and accidentally slipped him a smile that wasn't the least bit hostile. Only bewildered and tired and full of acceptance.

"When has love of any kind ever made sense?" was the simple response she offered. "I hated the Voice for believing she caused all the misery in my life. But if it wasn't for her, I never would have met the people that mean most to me. And now that I'm Ascended, I'm supposed to hate the gods that I was taught to worship? Who in fact helped me when I needed it most. Where... where is the sense in any of that?"  

She didn't expect him to have an answer, of course. The whole argument had the flavor of a sandbox game, where lines were drawn in the sand and immediately smashed by sticky hands, until buckets were thrown and fury was the only thing that could be heard. Whose tears would mean more when it ended? What soothing words or sharp reprimand would ever suffice to smooth this over, when the combatants were gods with mortal pawns for toy soldiers?

These were not the kinds of hurts that could be mended.

Alexander

I can hear it in your voice while your speaking
you can't be treated

It clicks for him then. Love. Love. His expression softens and he regards her with a curious light in his eyes, catching the faint smile that manages to find her lips before she can stop it. When has love ever made sense? It didn't. People did crazy things when they were in love.

He's quiet for a moment, letting her words sink in to him, settle somewhere in his bones and around his heart. It made a strange sort of sense. Why would she abandon the Old Gods when that was her upbringing? Why would she blindly follow the Voice just because she was an Ascended. Besides, wasn't the whole point of the Voice the fact that she accepted them for everything they were?

"I suppose there isn't any sense in that. I just thought that you would have let it go... I would imagine it hurts. Being shut out by it." He says softly, regarding her with gentleness in his eyes as he reaches forward, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. "I am sorry, Maea. For your loss." And he didn't just mean the loss of her family. He meant the loss of everything.

Mr. Know-it-all had his reign and his fall
At least that's what his brain is telling all

Don't paint wonderful lies on me that wash away

It was quite possibly the kindest thing he had ever said to her, and the girl blinked at Alexander in stunned surprise. The tone, the look in his eyes - calloused hand on her shoulder aside, who was this and what happened to smarmy old Winters who laughed at everyone and everything?

She bent her neck in a quiet gratitude as a confused smile fluttered past. Then she gently leaned back, out of reach.

"Thanks. But there's no need. All this... it's my own fault, really." A quick gesture to herself indicated both the Ascendancy and the loss of her gods, incorporating every problem she'd ever had while at it.

A fierce bit of scrubbing ensued then, drowning out anything Alexander might have thought to say in a torrent of metallic sound.

Alexander

I can hear it in your voice while your speaking
you can't be treated

It was perhaps out of character for him. A lot of things were out of character for him these days. The Ascended trying his best to turn over a new leaf of sorts. He didn't miss the smile, confused as it was and he didn't hesitate to return it. Alexander dropped his hand as Maea leaned back from him, unwilling to keep her in a position that was uncomfortable, knowing this likely already was.

Before he can speak, she starts scrubbing at the lanterns again, effectively ending the conversation before it can go further. He turns his attention back to the task at hand, shifting towards the forge to start melting down the iron for the parts, setting each mold up to be poured. The rest of the work is done in relative silence. The two of them hardly speaking other than Alexander giving a few instructions and making sure she didn't get too close to the forge.

It takes them hours, but soon they have all of the lanterns in working order, only the assembly left which is taken of too. Alexander helps her load the lanterns back up before watching her disappear with the cart the same way she came.

~FIN~

Mr. Know-it-all had his reign and his fall
At least that's what his brain is telling all