{SCENE} winter a year after
CHARACTERS: Maria, Sheifa
SETTING: Airyglyph, at the Nox's mansion. Post-Econtra, applies to both timelines.
SUMMARY: Maria realizes just how much she'd had - and how much of it she'd let slip away.
It was snowing, and yet there she was, standing out in the cold with only a shawl to keep herself warm. She'd come to associate the snow with Airyglyph - hence why she'd come that evening - but it wasn't like she was really there. Her thoughts, her heart, they were somewhere else, somewhere far away, in some place that she wasn't sure even existed in her universe.
"Maria!" A red-haired woman about her age burst into the balcony, looking horrified. She hadn't been expecting to find anyone outside considering the weather, let alone her. "Gods, why are you- it's freezing out here! Come quick, come inside!"
She allowed the other woman to usher her in. She really wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her, apart from the snow; it was almost as if there was something there that fascinated her. The next thing she knew, she was sitting by the fireplace of a cozy room, and a friend from a world and time beyond their own came to give her a steaming mug of hot chocolate, which she accepted gratefully.
Sheifa sat down across her. The redhead had clearly put on some pounds; either she was, or had been, pregnant. "Albel should be back soon," she started to say, no doubt trying to figure out why the Offworlder had come so suddenly.
"I'm not here to see him."
She was surprised. "You're... not?"
Maria helped herself to the hot chocolate, grateful that the other was considerate enough not to say or ask anything after that. She really wasn't sure why she was there, but what she was certain of was that it had nothing to do with the man she once loved and was now the other's husband. They'd sorted out that little mess a long time ago. "I wanted... to talk to you," she said finally. "How are you, Sheifa?"
"Well... still adjusting, I guess. This kind of life is harder than I expected, with all the politics and drama... but I'm not complaining. They've been very good to me, and... w-we have twins, actually." She kind of looked sheepish admitting that, if only because she wasn't sure how Maria would react to the news. "Nausicaa Selphie and Solomon Marcus. Obviously named after some people we know. I gave birth just around a month ago."
Maria smiled. "That's great. Congratulations to you both."
"T-Thanks. Um, how are you?"
Her visitor fell silent again, and Sheifa looked away, quietly telling herself that she shouldn't have asked. Something was bothering the other woman, that was without question, and the redhead decided that she'd simply wait until her friend was ready. After all, didn't she say that she came to talk? So she leaned back against her chair and waited. For a moment she considered running to the other room to bring her kids over for a proper introduction, but she decided against the idea almost immediately. I don't want to upset her any more than she already is.
Maria set her mug down on the table and looked at the redhead. There was a strange expression on her face, one that the other was unfamiliar with. And everyone else would probably be unfamiliar with it, too; it wasn't like a lot of people knew that Maria Traydor wasn't exactly all-powerful and invincible, despite what the stories say, and how she carried herself.
"I..." She was staring at the mug now - staring through it, to be precise. "I made the biggest mistake of my life, that day we left Econtra."
"What do you mean...?"
Maria fell back against her seat, shaking her head. Unshed tears glistened within her eyes. "I should've gone with him, I should've asked him to stay with me, but I... I was stupid and I didn't." She buried her face in her hands, her body shuddering as she fought the urge to cry. "So here I am. Cold and alone and bearing his child - and he will never know. He will never know..."
Sheifa hesitated, but only for a moment. She then got up from her seat, crossing the room to give Maria a hug. She'd never had a moment like this with her before, but it didn't matter; what was important was that she needed a friend, someone to comfort her. That was what she'd come for. "It's Aligoté, isn't it?" she asked, very quietly.
The other woman nodded. "And he will never know that I really do love him. That it wasn't just a stupid phase, that I'd been a coward and ran away..."
"He won't know unless you tell him. Hey, you've got a spaceship - eh, you probably have an entire fleet. Why don't you look for him? Aquavitae shouldn't be too hard to find." Even as she tried to remain cool about the whole ordeal, she knew deep down that it really wasn't as easy as she made it sound... but, really. This was Maria Traydor. The woman who ran an intergalactic revolutionary organization when she was 16, who blew up battleships and fought gods and destroyers of worlds. The woman who got the Warden to talk, who fought for her ideals and the Alliance even as the war brought out the worst in people, who helped vanquish the threat of the Entropi.
She'd done the impossible countless times - why would this one be any different?
And Sheifa told her that.
"I... I don't know," Maria said helplessly. "I don't know if I can. I-I mean, I can try, but what if-"
Sheifa cut her off. "You know what Aligoté told me once?" She honestly didn't remember a lot of things about that conversation - mostly because she'd been drunk - but something Aligoté had said definitely stuck. And now she repeated it to Maria, with the same resolve and emotion he had back then. "We try, because it would be wrong not to. Because if we never try for anything and just let it all pass by, it's not worth it."
"..."
"You love him, right? Then fight." The redhead smiled. "I'm sure he's out there, fighting, too."
Maria nodded, but still she said nothing. At that, Sheifa sighed softly and stood up. She'd give her time, and space. "I have to check on the twins," she said. "But tell me if you need anything, absolutely anything, okay? You can stay here the night, too... or for as long as you need, really."
"... Thanks, Sheifa."
"Don't mention it. Will you be having dinner with us, or do you want me to just send it up here...?"
"Just... here, please."
After the redhead left, Maria went to stand by the window again. It was dark outside, but through the emptiness and the winter chill shone tiny lights, casting a soft glow on the falling snow. She opened the window, holding out one hand in an attempt to catch the drifting flakes; an attempt that she knew was futile, but she had to try anyway. She knew the snow would melt in a matter of seconds, but it didn't matter.
We try, because it would be wrong not to.
"Aligoté..." she whispered, closing her eyes and putting a hand on her belly. She'd thought it was simply an expression, but she could really feel life in there... a little miracle of love. She had to smile. I love you. Both of you.
And then her expression hardened, once more resolute. For that love, she was willing to give up anything and everything. She would search all her life, to the ends of the universe and back, to the forsaken realm of the gods and beyond, if that was what it took.
Wait for me.
SETTING: Airyglyph, at the Nox's mansion. Post-Econtra, applies to both timelines.
SUMMARY: Maria realizes just how much she'd had - and how much of it she'd let slip away.
It was snowing, and yet there she was, standing out in the cold with only a shawl to keep herself warm. She'd come to associate the snow with Airyglyph - hence why she'd come that evening - but it wasn't like she was really there. Her thoughts, her heart, they were somewhere else, somewhere far away, in some place that she wasn't sure even existed in her universe.
"Maria!" A red-haired woman about her age burst into the balcony, looking horrified. She hadn't been expecting to find anyone outside considering the weather, let alone her. "Gods, why are you- it's freezing out here! Come quick, come inside!"
She allowed the other woman to usher her in. She really wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her, apart from the snow; it was almost as if there was something there that fascinated her. The next thing she knew, she was sitting by the fireplace of a cozy room, and a friend from a world and time beyond their own came to give her a steaming mug of hot chocolate, which she accepted gratefully.
Sheifa sat down across her. The redhead had clearly put on some pounds; either she was, or had been, pregnant. "Albel should be back soon," she started to say, no doubt trying to figure out why the Offworlder had come so suddenly.
"I'm not here to see him."
She was surprised. "You're... not?"
Maria helped herself to the hot chocolate, grateful that the other was considerate enough not to say or ask anything after that. She really wasn't sure why she was there, but what she was certain of was that it had nothing to do with the man she once loved and was now the other's husband. They'd sorted out that little mess a long time ago. "I wanted... to talk to you," she said finally. "How are you, Sheifa?"
"Well... still adjusting, I guess. This kind of life is harder than I expected, with all the politics and drama... but I'm not complaining. They've been very good to me, and... w-we have twins, actually." She kind of looked sheepish admitting that, if only because she wasn't sure how Maria would react to the news. "Nausicaa Selphie and Solomon Marcus. Obviously named after some people we know. I gave birth just around a month ago."
Maria smiled. "That's great. Congratulations to you both."
"T-Thanks. Um, how are you?"
Her visitor fell silent again, and Sheifa looked away, quietly telling herself that she shouldn't have asked. Something was bothering the other woman, that was without question, and the redhead decided that she'd simply wait until her friend was ready. After all, didn't she say that she came to talk? So she leaned back against her chair and waited. For a moment she considered running to the other room to bring her kids over for a proper introduction, but she decided against the idea almost immediately. I don't want to upset her any more than she already is.
Maria set her mug down on the table and looked at the redhead. There was a strange expression on her face, one that the other was unfamiliar with. And everyone else would probably be unfamiliar with it, too; it wasn't like a lot of people knew that Maria Traydor wasn't exactly all-powerful and invincible, despite what the stories say, and how she carried herself.
"I..." She was staring at the mug now - staring through it, to be precise. "I made the biggest mistake of my life, that day we left Econtra."
"What do you mean...?"
Maria fell back against her seat, shaking her head. Unshed tears glistened within her eyes. "I should've gone with him, I should've asked him to stay with me, but I... I was stupid and I didn't." She buried her face in her hands, her body shuddering as she fought the urge to cry. "So here I am. Cold and alone and bearing his child - and he will never know. He will never know..."
Sheifa hesitated, but only for a moment. She then got up from her seat, crossing the room to give Maria a hug. She'd never had a moment like this with her before, but it didn't matter; what was important was that she needed a friend, someone to comfort her. That was what she'd come for. "It's Aligoté, isn't it?" she asked, very quietly.
The other woman nodded. "And he will never know that I really do love him. That it wasn't just a stupid phase, that I'd been a coward and ran away..."
"He won't know unless you tell him. Hey, you've got a spaceship - eh, you probably have an entire fleet. Why don't you look for him? Aquavitae shouldn't be too hard to find." Even as she tried to remain cool about the whole ordeal, she knew deep down that it really wasn't as easy as she made it sound... but, really. This was Maria Traydor. The woman who ran an intergalactic revolutionary organization when she was 16, who blew up battleships and fought gods and destroyers of worlds. The woman who got the Warden to talk, who fought for her ideals and the Alliance even as the war brought out the worst in people, who helped vanquish the threat of the Entropi.
She'd done the impossible countless times - why would this one be any different?
And Sheifa told her that.
"I... I don't know," Maria said helplessly. "I don't know if I can. I-I mean, I can try, but what if-"
Sheifa cut her off. "You know what Aligoté told me once?" She honestly didn't remember a lot of things about that conversation - mostly because she'd been drunk - but something Aligoté had said definitely stuck. And now she repeated it to Maria, with the same resolve and emotion he had back then. "We try, because it would be wrong not to. Because if we never try for anything and just let it all pass by, it's not worth it."
"..."
"You love him, right? Then fight." The redhead smiled. "I'm sure he's out there, fighting, too."
Maria nodded, but still she said nothing. At that, Sheifa sighed softly and stood up. She'd give her time, and space. "I have to check on the twins," she said. "But tell me if you need anything, absolutely anything, okay? You can stay here the night, too... or for as long as you need, really."
"... Thanks, Sheifa."
"Don't mention it. Will you be having dinner with us, or do you want me to just send it up here...?"
"Just... here, please."
After the redhead left, Maria went to stand by the window again. It was dark outside, but through the emptiness and the winter chill shone tiny lights, casting a soft glow on the falling snow. She opened the window, holding out one hand in an attempt to catch the drifting flakes; an attempt that she knew was futile, but she had to try anyway. She knew the snow would melt in a matter of seconds, but it didn't matter.
We try, because it would be wrong not to.
"Aligoté..." she whispered, closing her eyes and putting a hand on her belly. She'd thought it was simply an expression, but she could really feel life in there... a little miracle of love. She had to smile. I love you. Both of you.
And then her expression hardened, once more resolute. For that love, she was willing to give up anything and everything. She would search all her life, to the ends of the universe and back, to the forsaken realm of the gods and beyond, if that was what it took.
Wait for me.