Ill-Made Martyr [Open]

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. It was the only thought Peter had time for before his whole world erupted into flames and noise. It was almost a relief, if he was being truly honest. Dying like this made the short, sad existence he’d led worth something, helped with something bigger than himself. I’m the end, that was all he really wanted, to be a part of something bigger than himself, somwthing good. Heat surrounded him, and then nothingness, like he was falling back off a ledge. Or actually falling, if the painfully hard smack of the ground against his back meant what he thought it did. For a moment, he kept his eyes closed tightly, afraid of what he would see when he opened them. If he still felt pain, then he had to still be alive. He had to keep moving. In a single fluid motion, Peter rolled onto his feet and opened his eyes, looking around an empty bedroom. He patted himself down, taking stock of the burns and other injuries that would need to be looked at at some point, then crept around the bed towards the door. If he didn’t know where he was, he probably wasn’t supposed to be there. He didn’t want to be punished for this on top of everything else. The bedroom door has led to another room that he moved through quickly, not bothering to look around now but driven by a single minded need to get to somewhere he was supposed to be. The next door led outside, and Peter had to stop at the threshold, panic blooming in his chest like a cancer as he looked around. This wasn’t anywhere he recognized. There was green, more than he’d ever seen in his life, and a sky that seemed so so big without buildings blocking the horizon. Between how he’d slammed the door open and how he now stood frozen, Peter had  attracted a few stares. The eyes on him only served to pin him down more, his own gaze searching frantically around for someone who could help him. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

MaeA Maea too paused and stared, the sound of the door slamming open having brought her sharply from her own thoughts. Just as well, too, as any moment spent unoccupied had her brooding and grim faced, feeling as lost and desperate as the young man in the doorway looked. The girl hesitated, looked about to see whether anyone else would do anything, but when no one seemed inclined she took a hesitant step towards him. This was the second time in a very short while that a dark-haired stranger appeared in front of her, and though this time was less dramatic, it had more the sense of urgency to it she expected from an arrival. If indeed this was the case... but somehow Maea though it vad to be. "What is wrong?" she asked him, gently as she could. "Do you need help with something?" General questions, but they would spare herself embarrassment in case he was less lost than be looked. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

His unspoken cry for help seemed to have been answered, a ghost drifting from the staring crowd to approach him. Peter stared at her, taking in every part as he tried to determine if she was a threat or not while he still had time to run. Something about her though... it didn't seem safe, or even familiar really, but sympathetic, like some of their scars might match. "I need... need to..." Peter stumbled over the words, trying to decide on them while they came out of his mouth. What did he need? Was he even expected back? He had never been told what to do if something like this happened. Maybe this was... "Is this a... a test, or a pu-punishment?" It had to be, nothing else made any sense at all. He must have ruined something, some minor facet of their plan, and now he was here. His eyes grew distant, hands that were more scar than skin wringing together in front of his chest. He seemed to snap back into himself suddenly, focusing back on the pale girl in front of him, and leaned in so he could speak quietly. "Do you, can you tell me where... where am I supposed to go. I can... I can explain it all, I don't know what I did wrong but I'll fix it, I promise, I just... I need to get back to him. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

MaeA He seemed so lost. Desperate, so serious in a staggering opposite to the casual witticism Adam had fallen back on in face of the unknown. Maea wasn't sure where exactly this person thought he had wound up, but it was clear he really wanted to get back. An ache settled in her chest at the thought; she knew what that feeling was like. If there was even the slightest chance that she could go back in time and change things, spend the week with her family... But even if the gods decided to listen to her prayers, even if she knew that Isla had died and been brought back.... She still meant what she said to Jigano when he told her about it. Sometimes, not getting what you wanted was better. Not for you, but for them. For everyone. Her family was dead, and she would let them stay dead. They did not have to suffer anymore now, if Mort was merciful. But this... this was different, and the midst of a busy street was not the place to have this discussion. Smiling towards the dark-haired man she offered him a hand and indicated that they should go back into the house. A quick glance around the room suggested it was quite unoccupied; the dust lay heavy on the floor and there were cracks in the wall through which bright sunlight spilled in, illuminating the dustmotes his hasty departure had stirred up. What a dreary place to end up in... and yet it could have been so much worse. "My name is Maea" the girl said, upon turning her attention back to the Outlander. That he was one was beyond doubt now, and she had a lot of things to break to him. But where to begin... "Where... where do you think you are now?" she asked, careful as if he might break if the raised her voice or made a sudden movement. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

It was easy to be soothed by his new companions calmand qyuet demeanour. Not that it was enough for Peter to completely drop his guard, but even The hand she offered out didn’t make him flinch away like he would normally. Peter regarded it for a moment, then slowly reached out to put his hand in hers and let himself be led back into the house. She spent a moment looking around, and Peter took the opportunity to do the same. He had been in such a hurry to leave before he was discovered that he didn’t even notice there was no one to discover him in the house, hadn’t been for what looked like ages. If he’d known, he could have taken a breath longer to make some kind of plan, but hindsight was twenty twenty, and he had never been one for coming with plans anyway. Peter was more of a follower than anything else. ”Maea.” He repeated her name back, nodding while he did, so he could be sure he had it proper, and yet negelected to introduce himself, not thinking his name to be important. Maea spoke again, a question that had Peter looking around to try to find an answer. He still thought his was some kind of test, maybe this was where the test part actually came in. “I think... I think I’m... I’m in s-s-someplace I sh-sh-sho... in a place I’m not allowed.” Peter felt the fear begin to rise in his chest that the words. They weren’t right, weren’t acceptable, he was supposed to have answers when people asked things of him. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

MaeA Poor man. What could he have been through to make him so afraid? She probably should not fault him for it, nor the gods for putting him in a place like this, but Maea had to wonder what the high lords were thinking sometimes. It looked to her as though this man had been through enough bad things, without having to endure Caido. "I see. Well... I don't know if this is a punishment, but it is not a test. You are not unwelcome here. Quite... quite the opposite." She struggled with how to break it to him, but decided to simply explain what she could and leave enough room for questions. She was a part of the lorekeepers now, or would be soon after all; what was the point of gathering knowledge if they did not also spread it to others? "You are on a world called Caido" she said, eyes lingering on the man's face to try and gauge his reactions, so she could stop if things became too much. "More specifically in a region called the Hollowed Grounds. The gods of this world have brought you here, for a purpose I do not entirely know... but you are here because they need you, and so are many others just like you." you're so cold, but you feel alive.

Peter chewed his lower lip as Maea began her patient explanation, his brows rising when she said he was welcome here, in more words. Surely, if she knew what he was, the thing's he'd done, she wouldn't be saying that, but he knew better than to correct a person talking to him. Instead, he just listened, endlessly patient as she paused to find her words. It was clear that her words rocked him though, his eyes widening in shock when she revealed he was on an entirely different world. Everything else only served to add to the dizzying spin of new information. New worlds and Gods and others who had had this happen. Quiet stretched out between them for a long moment after Maea had finished speaking. Peter seemed to be trying to digest what he had learned, his eyes low but his hands moving in mostly nonsensical gestures. Not being in Vita anymore meant... so much, too much for him to really be able to digest. No more Alex, no more rebellions, no more near suicide missions or arbitrary punishments for things he had never, ever had any control over. No more orders, or having a warm room and a command to slink back into when he was losing himself. "What am I... what am I supposed to.. to do?" Peter's words were slow, confused still, but growing in urgency. "I don't know... I've never had to... who... tells me what to do?" He could be alright with all of this if he still had that order to fall back onto, without it, he was lost, adrift in a foreign sea. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

MaeA The silence was painful. She had come to hate it during this cursed season of Flowerbirth. Every moment of peace, every second that was not spent with her hands occupied and her thoughts safely focused on the task at hand. That was why she frowned herself in work, why she threw herself into situations like these, where all her comfort zones were tested and pushed until the Maea of last year could hardly be recognized anymore. She did not really know what to do either, when there was no Noah to give her jobs, when there were no Arnje to demand songs, no mischievous nephews that asked for games and stories. Who was the without her family? "I wish I could tell you" she said. "But I don't know either. There are no leaders here, no one to give orders or tell you what to do. You will have to figure that out yourself." Of course, Maea could have taken that role upon herself. If she told him to follow her and do what she said... would he do it? The idea was as tempting as it was frightening, and she shoved the urge back into the recesses of her mind, shocked that it vad occurred to her at all. "Just... find a job. Help those who need it. Survive." Pulling a strand of hair behind her ear, she considered him; taller than her but only just, dark of hair and eye, with something lost and edgy about him that could be dangerous, but might just be the shock. "If you need a place to stay... I have a farm some way away from the settlement. I could use extra hands." And he might break the silence of the place. If he wanted to. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

The thought that there would be no guidance in a new world was one that terrified Peter, a hollowness growing in his chest as the fact struck him. He looked desperately at Maea, hoping that she was lying, that she would take it back, offer him so purpose, some way to go. She did, but it was not the clear answer he wanted. All he knew how to do was obey and survive, with only one half of the equation he would spiral into self destruction. Sad, scared eyes searched Maea’s face, hoping to find a shred of comfort or familiarity in the pale girl, Peters gaze following the motion of her fingers on her hair before returning to her face. It was a small mercy, he supposed, that his guide was so gentle and soothing. The feeling of kindred he had felt upon first seeing her had returned, helping to keep him grounded, and calmer than he had been, by at least a breath. The offer of a place to stay was met with surprise, and a quiet wave of gratitude. A place to stay and things to do were at least a step in the direction of normalcy for him. And it sounded simple. Nicer than Peter thought he deserved, at any rate. ”I’ve never done um... done farm things.” The words were shy, almost reluctant now. Peter didn’t want to give her reasons to reconsider, but he didn’t want her to waste any of her time either. Still he couldn’t help but follow it up. ”But I learn fast, and I... I’m good at listening.” He even tried to offer a smile. The corners of his lips barely quirking up before he grew too self conscious and looked down. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

MaeA Compassion for the impossibility of his situation constricted her throat in a painful lump, and though she kept smiling it was a sad cast to it that did little to cast cheer over the situation. "You learn soon enough, I'm sure. Should we go back outside? I can show you around, tell you more about this place. The seasons have changed just recently, and everyone is busy preparing for a festival that will be held soon..." Maybe fresh air and seeing the sky would help ground him, make the experience less frightening. Maea gestured for the door, offering him the chance to take the lead, and then headed outside herself. With her mind racing over all the things she would have to explain, she remembered att ge last moment that she had det to find out what he was called. "Do you have a name I could call you by?" she asked. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

Peter nodded at the offer of outside. His head was spinning enough without the dusty air of the broken down house they were in adding to it. He stepped back out through the door when Maea gestured, obviously uncomfortable in the lead, and turned around to watch her follow as soon as he was past the threshold. She was the most familiar thing he had to grasp onto now, and kinder than most people had ever been to him. Of course, now that he had realized he wasn’t in immediate danger, Peters eyes wandered around the settlement more than they had the first time he’d burst out into the open air. There was so much green here, and more liveliness than he had ever been a part of. He nearly took a step away, following some small thug that had caught his eye and been lost again almost immediately when Maea’s voice drew his attention back to her. ”I’m sorry.” He said automatically, not sure if he was apologizing for his distraction or for forgetting his introduction in the first place. ”My name is... is P-P-Peter, but you... you can call me whatever you want.” It didn’t seem an odd power to offer Maea, after all she’d done for him already. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

MaeA She did not notice his drifting attention, just wrote it off as taking in the scenery. The apology was similarly waved off, a habit she too was guilty of when feeling nervous. Indeed, rather than focus over much on Peter, as he named himself, she began to walk along the rows of houses, pointing out landmarks and explaining how anyone could just pick a ruin and repair it if they needed a new house or storage. "Most people live here, so the area is called the Domicile. The huge dome over there is the Atheneum, where you find the Lorekeepers guild and a library. Over there is the Temple, ut you get hurt or need some entertainmentbthey have an infirmary and a tavern housed within. And a shrine, if you ever need to commune with the gods." If ever there was anyone who could give Peter the orders he so craved, it would be the gods. Better them than any of the humans that lived here... though she had to wonder about that really, if the conflict between the old and new gods really existed still. If one party har erected the dome and the other tried to tear it down... things could get messy. Returning to the task at hand, Maea went on to explain about the barrier that kept them looked inside, the Spire, the Long Night that had recently passed and the Fiat Lux that was rapidly approaching. By the time she paused, her throat har gone dry and she had lost track of how many corners they had turned around, until they wound up pretty much where they started. "Any questions?" she finally asked, the smile a bit lopsided; if he didn't have more of them than she had answer to, she was a Magna. you're so cold, but you feel alive.

The tour of the settlement was overwhelming in a strange kind of way. Things were so different it was almost easier to simply stay calm and let everything hit him at once. The settlement was small, simple compared to the city Peter was used to, and so so alive. Things were growing, and growing, and growing in this place. Not to say he wasn’t also focused on the things Maea pointed out. On the contrary, he followed close at her heels, eyes moving from sight to sight as they were pointed out. Much of it was confusing, things he had never heard of, or that he didn’t know the use of (truthfully the only one Peter could say he knew for sure was the infirmary). Before too long, the area began to look familiar to him, their meansedin, circling .org helping Peter to put together a map of the settlement in his mind. It didn’t take long for him to feel confident navigating to everything big Maea had pointed out, he let his gaze wander again, his eye sliding over buildings and nature until it landed on the pale girl. He’d explanation moved on, praise the settlement and onto even more Peter couldn’t begin to fathom. Demons and magic and monsters? It sounded like a children’s story. And yet, it was all apparently here. They had come full circle by the time Maea wa finished, and Peter couldn’t be sure if it was by design or coincidence. He did have a dozen questions buzzing around in his head when she asked though, each of them fighting to jump to his tongue first, curiosity overpowering the nerves that came with having to ask a question. ”What is the... no, no, um, d-do the gods um... what do they do? There’s um... people who haves gods, where I... where I was, but they... I didn’t get it there either.” Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

MaeA Of all the questions he could have asked, that was not one Maea had expected, and it took her slightly aback because she had never considered it before. Sitting down on the rubble of a ruin not far from the house where Peter had first appeared, she tugged a strand of hair behind her ear and gazed thoughtfully out over the Sanctuary. "The gods created the world" she said, falling back on the theology she had been taught as a child. "Caido created the world, it was named after the Creator, and the Creator also brought the Older gods into being. Their names are Vi, Rae and Mort, life, nature and death, and they in turn created man. I suppose... they govern the laws of the world, uphold them and serve their own purposes. But what those really are I don't know." Explaining about the races, the rise and fall of the Abandoned - or Acquired, as Jigano had called them - and the New gods took its time, but the girl was diligent and did as best she could, pausing every once in a while to make sure her new friend was keeping up. "I know it's a lot to take in" she eventually said. "Just take it slow, there won't be a test on any of it, åt least not for a while. Just keep your wits about you and be smart, and you'll be fine." you're so cold, but you feel alive.