cinaed

Session 180: Day 33 of Saedan (1/30)

As the news sinks in, Maeve takes the bow into her hands and stares for so long that it seems like the greater world grinds to a halt. Everything comes into slow motion. When Hava says her name, Maeve says she doesn’t know what to say. He’s just gone?

Hava says yes. It happened very quickly.

Maeve asks if she’s okay.

Hava says she’s fine. She’s had some time. There are other things too, and they can talk about that later. Maeve starts to ask what, as Hava says it’s important for her to know that she doesn’t think they can bring him back.

Maeve says she’s a cleric now, and besides, they brought Aria back and she’d been dead for quite some time.

Hava says it has to do with how he died.

Maeve asks what she means, and Hava explains the soul steel to her. Maeve listens through all of it, though it’s clear that in her eyes it builds like a kind of anger. When she finishes, Maeve says there must be something to be done. They can’t go in and get the souls back? Hava is just giving up?

Hava says she’s not giving up. But they’ve spent a lot of time fighting this person and everything they have learned seems to suggest it will be impossible to get him back. If there is a way, she’ll find it, but she wants Maeve to be prepared. She won’t make promises she can’t keep.

Maeve says she’ll help her and do whatever it takes.

Hava says if there is a way to bring him back, then they’ll do that. She just doesn’t know what that looks like.

Maeve says she got the scroll for Aria from a woman in charge of a crime syndicate that they did a bunch of things for and they did a lot of work for Abrisolm. There’s always a solution. There is nothing in this world that money can’t buy and favors can’t be cashed in for.

Hava says she guesses she doesn’t think like Maeve does, so Maeve will have to show her.

Maeve says that it’s all in the life of pirates and mercenaries. She asks if Hava wants a drink, and when Hava declines, orders herself a very heavy drink. Then she asks what else Hava wants to tell her.

Hava says that in their childhood, they always told them what their purpose was, what they were supposed to do and who they were supposed to be. When Maeve was gone, Hava was alone. And then there was Luna. Hava wants her to meet her. She’s wonderful. Hava hated her for a long time, but she’s wonderful.

Maeve asks how she wants her to meet her.

Hava says she’ll figure it out. But what she meant is when Luna was born, Hava thought that Luna was meant to grow up to take their mother’s place, but that wasn’t it at all. She was an accident. When Hava went home, Luna was training to be a healer.

Maeve says that’s stupid.

Hava says their mother had a twin. He disappeared or died. Their mother thinks he’s dead. He died before Maeve and Hava were born. Someone must always be a high priestess, and since it won’t be Maeve, it’s going to be Hava.

Maeve lets out a quiet oh. She says that makes a lot of sense. Why should people cling to the past and wait around for someone who won’t come home? She’s glad that the island isn’t waiting for her anymore and knows Hava will be a wonderful leader and prophet.

When she starts to ask about Hava’s visions, Hava asks if that’s all Maeve is going to say about it. Maeve asks what she wants her to say about it. Hava says she doesn’t know. She says that she waited for her because it didn’t feel hopeless and it didn’t feel stupid to wait. So she waited for years like a fool. And now because Maeve has the privilege of choosing, Hava doesn’t.

Hava isn’t angry to serve. She loves her people and their home. She understands the duty and responsibility. But she is once again the one who is left behind while Maeve has her freedoms. She’s glad Maeve has them, but she thinks Maeve doesn’t understand the weight she has carried without her. And now the weight that she will continue to carry. She cannot even go back, Maeve apparently cannot even fathom a world where she can see Luna.

She says that Maeve doesn’t have to make that choice, but Hava feels like she’s always being left behind. She needs to walk.

Maeve sits there with her drink in her hand. She starts to say something, but Hava is already walking away.

When Audacity steps out of the bar to follow, Hava tells him that she wants to be alone.

The rest of the party watches Maeve sit there for a long time before she goes upstairs, leaving her drink untouched.

At the table, Cassone whistles from where she’s been sitting cross-legged and says that’s awkward. Audacity tells her to shut up and Cassone says that it is. They can’t pretend that it’s not. She says they’re welcome to stay here.

Yolov has been forlornly using Prestidigitation to clean up the dive bar and looks horrified even as Galowen says that they’d rather go to the Magnificent Mango. Cassone snorts at this, and says at least the bar isn’t secretly funding something.

Yolov narrows his eyes at that, asking who they’re funding. Cassone says that she doesn’t know, but they always buy up local stores and buildings wherever they build a Magnificent Mango.

Audacity walks outside to get some air and uses his Sending Stones to see if Ambition and Mastery have received theirs yet. He reaches out first to Ambition, not pressing her and getting a laid back response and asking when they’ll be in Port Sci. He can’t immediately respond so he Sends to Mastery who sounds cheerful and says to see him soon.

Audacity takes a walk.

Yolov looks a little desperate to leave this bar and says that they should find lodgings elsewhere but also should deliver that package.

Cassone perks up and asks where they’re delivering. When they say it’s private, she pouts. They warn her not to cause problems and she says that she won’t cause problems, at least for another ten minutes.

She jumps down and says that it’s a good thing they’re bringing her along. If not, she would have just followed them and stolen stuff from them.

Az says that means they should pass her off onto someone else. She pats his leg and says that then she would have stolen from him. She asks where they’re going, and Az tells her the name of the shop, which turns out to be in a shopping focused area of town.

They weave between stalls and food stalls. There are rugs and small animals and creatures in cages, some recognizable, some not, chittering strange sounds. There are people selling everything and anything. Most of it is probably a knock-off.

There is a built structure of two shops combined. It’s open in the front, with the only thing separating the two shops some gauzy fabric hung up. On one side is a vendor sending very nice and beautiful hats. On the other is a sign for the Stitchery.

There is a young tiefling woman leaning against the counter, working on some embroidery, while two lizardfolk are trying to get a family of halflings to look at their work and their embroidery.

The two lizardfolk lock beady eyes on them, especially on Az. One spreads his arms, wearing a beautiful hand embroidered tunic, and gestures wildly as he declares that he’s finally found someone with good taste.

Az says he’s in luck because they were already coming to the Stitchery.

The lizardfolk asks if he realizes his stitches are coming undone. Az looks down and realizes it’s true– the vest is looking worse for the wear after all the fights they’ve gone through. As the lizardfolk fusses over him and his scuffed buttons, Az says that is something they’ll discuss after he delivers this.

He maneuvers around the lizardfolk and peers into the shop. While the tiefling doesn’t look exactly like Careful, being more muscular, this slender and slight tiefling has glasses and has purple skin with a passing resemblance to him.

She doesn’t seem bothered by the salesman.

Az steps up to her and asks if she knows Careful, because he has a package from him. As she claims not to know him but will keep hold of it for this Careful, he realizes she’s lying through her teeth out of a sense of trepidation. He accepts that and nods and says in that case he’s grateful if she can hold onto it.

She accepts the package and asks his name. When Az tells her he’s Azeldonne Turen, she thanks him and asks how far this package has traveled. He stays vague and says it’s traveled quite a bit but the original owner is doing well with his shop.

She thanks him again and asks if she owes him anything.

He says no, it was already settled. But if she could assist him with fashion advice, he does want to check to see if his outfit is truly that ragged. She assures him that Salvo is prone to exaggeration, but she’ll look over his outfit free of charge.

As she begins to stitch up his clothing, she asks if he came here only to deliver the package. He says no, it was one of the things they needed to do in the city. She says it’s surprising he would do that for a stranger and Az says they were fast friends. She says that it sounds like Careful was the kind of person to make fast friends.

She asks if they are staying around for long and he says no, unfortunately not. She asks him to tell the person who sent this that she’s certain whoever was meant to receive this is grateful to be remembered. She asks when this was given to him, and he gives her the date.

When she finishes, his tunic and vest are like new. Then she opens the box. He can see a folded note, some fine sewing supplies and threads and a few hand carved animals. She remarks that it’s funny that it was sent a month before her birthday.

Az says it was. When she asks if she can give him a hug, he says yes, and she gives him a very tight hug. She tells him thank you. He says that she’s welcome. She says that if he and his friends ever need repair work done, some of this thread is enchanted meant for imbuing certain clothing with certain protections. She’ll need some time to work on them and designs but she’d be more than happy to provide some pieces to him and his companions.

Az says when they have more time, he’s certain they’ll be back.

She says they are always welcome at the Stitchery. Just ignore the lizardfolk outside, they are simply intent on selling. They’re very good at it.

As Az looks out, he can see the lizardfolk circling Yolov, criticizing his gray robes and hat, the mending and burn marks and complaining about his boring palette and trying to get him into colors better suited to his skin tone, reds and yellows and purples. They tell him that his spellbook is 25 times nicer than his clothing.

Yolov is looking harried, thinking of his mother seeing him look so tattered, and gratefully lets Az whisk them all away. He does ask Az to help him pick out a nice headscarf for Asa, earning wails of despair from the lizardfolk at a lost sale, and Az helps him find an amethyst and gold one with charms already dangling from it.

Az asks Diana if she wants to get something for her girlfriend. Diana looks startled and then hands him her entire bag of gold. He hastily shoves it back, trying to figure out if she understands how money works, before he helps her find some potential jewelry and weapons that Diana thinks would be good gifts.

Diana eventually chooses an ostentatious necklace and a jewel-encrusted dagger, though Az doesn’t let her spend too much money. Az knows this is all fake. They’re not even particularly good fakes, except to the untrained eye.

He barters with the shopkeeper, earning a gasp from Diana as he easily pops out one of the fake stones. Az tells them this is ridiculously made and refuses to budge on the price, eventually earning Diana the knife, the cloth, and cleaning oil.

The tabaxi curses Az out in Infernal.

Galowen has avoided shopping by taking himself to the Magnificent Mango and enjoying the cocktail of the day, which is a mango margarita. It’s got a tahini and sugar rim and a pickled jalapeno.

Meanwhile Hava has only gotten a street away from the bar when she hears Jax talking behind her. He says that he isn’t supposed to let anyone out of his sight but especially not her, because Kiva would be furious.

Hava says that she can take care of herself, she’s just angry at Maeve. When Jax says he could eat her, Hava says no, she’s her twin and it’s just complicated. He says clutchmates are often complicated. His did try to eat him, but only once when they were younger.

Jax says it’s easier to comprehend when someone tries to kill or eat him than anything else. When she says Maeve left her, Jax makes a sympathetic noise and asks how old she is. When Hava says 119, he says then if she’s an elf, she has plenty of time to be angry.

Hava says she is angry at her. Angry and jealous.

Jax asks why she’s jealous and Hava says Maeve got to go off and have this incredible life and do everything she wanted. Jax says that seems to be what Hava is doing now. The last time anyone rode on his back was a hundred and forty years ago when one of the villagers needed medical aid.

Hava says she gets it, she should be honored and appreciative.

Jax says no, if anyone should be, it should be Maeve.

Hava says she just wishes she could have done all this with Maeve, that’s all. And she can’t tell if Maeve doesn’t want to acknowledge it or what, but she just doesn’t seem to understand what it felt like. She doesn’t know how to make Maeve understand. But she doesn’t want to live in the past and dwell in it. She just wants Maeve to understand that she has to live with this for the rest of their lives. It will always be there, even when she forgives Maeve.

Jax asks if she told her this.

Hava says no, whenever she tries to, Maeve just says it would be stupid for people to wait.

Jax says he usually talks his way through things, but he’s at a loss here.

Hava says he and Maeve would get along. She sighs and says she’ll go talk to her. Jax follows her, talking the entire walk back. When she gets there, Maeve’s crew wordlessly point up to the second floor and then to room three when Hava calls them stupid and says she needs more information than that.

Maeve lets her in, remarking about the dry weather.

Hava doesn’t let her distract with small talk. Instead she looks at Maeve and says that she spent the entire time expecting Maeve to come back. She was sure it was a misunderstanding and she would come back. It’s not fair for Maeve to act like what happened doesn’t still affect Hava. She doesn’t know if Maeve is over it or not or is just pretending to be, but if she is, that’s fine. If she’s pretending though, that’s mean. It’s mean and Hava doesn’t deserve this.

She spent years thinking she was the reason Maeve left. She tells Maeve everything is different from the way they thought, and Maeve just shrugs it off, because she can, because she’s never going back. Hava doesn’t expect her to return. But they have to be there for each other.

Maeve asks what would be there for her if she went back.

Hava says their home.

Maeve says Hava’s home. She understands that Hava loves the island, but it will never be Maeve’s home. Hava says she’s not asking her to come home.

Maeve says she left because she couldn’t stand it anymore. She left because she couldn’t take the pressure from their mother and their people and hearing the voices and the faces. She hated it so much and now Hava tells her that it didn’t have to be like this. That it wasn’t fated after all, that it could have always been Hava and not her.

Maeve thought leaving their gods behind was what stopped the voices, that letting Aralya kill her is what stopped it. But instead it just didn’t have to be this way. She knows Hava is angry with her, she can be as angry as she likes, Maeve deserves it. She didn’t take Hava with her. And the reasons don’t change that fact.

Maeve didn’t feel like she had a choice to stay there. The moment she left she knew she couldn’t go back or see their mother or go back to the island because she’d turned her back on it. She thought she would be the one who took care of their people and she left them. It was selfish and she did it anyway.

She’s not a good person, she tells Hava. And she’s sorry.

Hava says she doesn’t think doing something selfish makes her bad. Ever since they found each other again, Hava has had this terrible, ugly feeling in her. At first she thought it was just anger. And she is angry at her, but she’s also terribly jealous that Maeve thought of it first. Hava wasn’t brave or smart enough to figure out how to do it.

Maeve says it’s not that Hava wasn’t brave or smart enough. Hava has just always been kinder than Maeve, and felt more deeply and for other people. Maeve knew what it would do to everyone if she left and she still did it. She doesn’t think that Hava is the type of person who could do to her what Maeve did to her. And the world is better for that.

Hava says she just wanted them to be together again. She just wanted them to be what they were before. She’s okay that they’re something different now, that’s fine, but she hasn’t had a chance to grieve that version and memory of the two of them. She says there’s a Hava still on the beach waiting for Maeve to come back and she doesn’t know how to tell her that Maeve is never coming back.

Maeve says she doesn’t know how to tell her either, but she likes the Hava standing here.

Hava tells her she loves her.

Maeve says she loves her too, she really, really does. Every day without Hava is agony. When Maeve asks if she can hug her, Hava says yes, and Maeve embraces her for a long time. Eventually she pulls back and brushes Hava’s hair and her tears and says that eventually they do have to go. Maeve has to take her ship to Port Sci for work.

Hava says for her job.

Maeve says they could join her on Maeve’s ship. She knows they flew in. Hava says right, Jax is probably right outside. When she opens the door, Jax is standing in the hallway, and tells her that he can hear her heart from a distance.

Hava tells him that’s a weird thing to say to her and he says Kiva can do it too. She says that it’s not weird when he does it. Then she turns back and asks Maeve how often she works for the Col’Far.

Maeve says not often, mostly through an intermediary. One of the things she had to do was work on their behalf to get the Sanctuary allying with the Col’Far. The woman in charge of that is really scary, and so is her girlfriend. Hava says she doesn’t think the head of the Sanctuary likes her very much.

Then she sighs and says she should probably collect her friends.