maiasalfi

[maiasalfi]

Generally speaking, Maia liked people. To listen to someone's experiences, to know their life plans, funny anecdotes and sad stories, she enjoyed all of that. She always felt lonely whenever she had no one to hang around, and it was lucky that she wasn't sent to this world alone– though her twin might beg to differ, the little shit.

By all means, such a personality should translate into being good at working with people. Should. Alas.

"Sweetheart." There was no endearment in the term, which came out forced and impatient. "I'm on a time limit here, please try to hurry, will ya?" Maia lowered her voice to a menacing whisper. "If this damn ethereum gets to St. Vladimir's only an hour late, I am not sticking out my neck for you."

The threat seem to have very little effect on the merchant, who went on in the same pace as before, and Maia was read to throw some more words at them when a blur of black and golden yellow nearly bumped into her. After narrowly avoiding the collision, she glared at the confused-looking stranger, feeling less than cordial. "Holy– watch it, Goldilocks!"

When: 08.09.22//Late afternoon Where: Trading Post Who: Open [Availability 0/3]

Lys felt as though they’d been circling this portion of the city for ages, realistically, it had probably only been an hour. Though they weren’t entirely sure what they were looking for either. It would have made the entire trip easier if they could have simply walked up to someone and asked. Even though, if they did have any ideas it’s not as though they really had the money to afford it. But none of that really mattered because Lys was sure when he saw it, he’d know. Surely they’d know, it would speak to them. Or call to them. “Or..something…” He muttered to himself as slid past a couple who had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. 

[maiasalfi]

""I–", Maia stopped herself just short of saying I can imagine, because truly, she couldn't. She couldn't even begin to process, in fact, what it must feel like in Tristan's shoes after everything that had happened with his brother. "Yeah. I mean– of course you don't have everything sorted right now, that's only fair."

She was actively trying to sound just a little more supportive, it wasn't her intention to pressure him or anything. "It's just... you're not locked up anymore. You're free. And I don't want to see you becoming your own prisoner now that that's finally behind you." Maia considered saying his brother wouldn't want that, but immediately shot down the idea; she hated when people used that on her, and Tristan would have even more reason to.

maiasalfi​:

“What are you afraid of?” She asked sincerely, unapologetically. “I’m not trying to be rude, but–” Maia shifted in her seat, leaning forward in an attempt to look closer at Tristan, “–what keeps you from, I don’t know, trying?” She did know part of the answer to that, but could that really be all? “I’m not saying go and hop on a boat tomorrow, you know. But you’re too young to be stuck in a life you hate, Tristan.” Maia didn’t use his first name often, and the fact that she did showed how honest the concern was.

.

Few people were so bold as to be so upfront and ask something like that directly. Then again, so few people were willing to be so bold with Tristan. “I don’t fucking know,” he said with a shrug. “’Ve just got out of prison. S’fucking hard to figure shit out after that. And besides, ‘m still trying to…” Tristan’s words faded. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to do, really. Trying to figure out if he did murder his brother? Trying to figure out how to make peace with idea that he did? Simply trying to recover memories of him that were long gone? “Just trying to figure out lie, I reckon,” he finished. “I know it sounds corny or cheesy or whatever, but s’true. S’fucking hard just trying to be after years locked away.”

[maiasalfi]

walledupward​:

“Definitely mentioned a time or two,” he nodded. “Hey, I only act old because ‘m basically at my mid-life crisis.” Tristan firmly believed his lifespan was shortened. There were too many factors at play for him to make to be old. He had made peace with it, though. “Maybe that s’what ‘ll do when I retire. Just become a pirate, sail the seas and enjoy a life of pillaging. I could pull that off, yeah?”

"What are you afraid of?" She asked sincerely, unapologetically. "I'm not trying to be rude, but–" Maia shifted in her seat, leaning forward in an attempt to look closer at Tristan, "–what keeps you from, I don't know, trying?" She did know part of the answer to that, but could that really be all? "I'm not saying go and hop on a boat tomorrow, you know. But you're too young to be stuck in a life you hate, Tristan." Maia didn't use his first name often, and the fact that she did showed how honest the concern was.

[maiasalfi]

walledupward​:

“Wouldn’t say changed so much as sober,” said Tristan. At least for now. It had been easy enough so far, though. It was a matter of mind over matter when it came to alcohol. He shrugged as she posed the question back to him. “Wonder what else is out there, I reckon. Same as anyone else.” He wasn’t even from here. He supposed he had a greater tie to the outside world than most, though he could barely remember it. He spent most of his life here, anyway. “Just think about how things might’ve been different if I were somewhere else, I think. Course, I think ‘ve managed to plant some seeds here, so I’ll probably die here one way or another. Bury me at sea when I do.”

The smile on Maia’s lips now was a lot more tender that before. “I did always tell you you’d make a good pirate, didn’t I?” She understood that pull more than most, that will to see more, to be in motion. “You still got time, you know. You’re not that old just yet, even if you act like it.”

[maiasalfi]

alexanderives​:

Alexander’s lips drew a long drink from the straw he’d punctured through the plastic flask. Mmm. Uncomfortable as the chair was, Alexander relaxed into the waiting room seat in spite of it. “It might just be you have a very trustworthy face.” No one here with any wits about them would trust on looks alone, but Alexander felt he had little to lose in the gamble. “What’s the worst you could do?” No, genuinely he wanted to know. His body shifted forward in anticipation of the answer. Another mouthful of blood slid down his throat, easing the pesky burn of thirst that had begun there that morning. 

.

“A trustworthy face? Can’t say I’ve gotten that before.” Maia couldn’t help herself from laughing at the idea. But credit were credit was due, he was right that she wasn’t one to uphold the law herself. “Let’s just say I’m not exactly in cahoots with our dearest authorities at the moment.” She shrugged, watching him suck the blood bag dry. As a rule of thumb, vampires, like the fae, didn’t get the most trust out of her from the get-go. “So I suppose your ‘trustworthy face’ assumption wasn’t entirely wrong.”

[maiasalfi]

lixinzhou​:

“You might not believe me, but I know what I’m getting myself into. Why else would I bother becoming a doctor? The point is to help when I can, and I’d like to believe that philosophy extends well beyond the hospital walls.” Do no harm meant more to Lixin than just avoiding making something worse in someone’s life. He actively wanted to assist those around him in whatever capacity possible. Medical related or not. “I take it he had something to do with a business dealing gone wrong?”

.

If Lixin didn’t have a needle threading through the neck right now, Maia would have shaken her head with amusement; instead, she opted for a light chuckle. “You almost care too much for your own good, kid.” She wasn’t trying to be condescending; it simply was that Maia, for as much of a front she was usually put, did care every so often. “Listen, I can’t and I won’t stop you from buying my stuff,” her tone became more serious as she spoke, “but you really shouldn’t get yourself any deeper into this business. You’re smart enough to know that you can’t care for others if you don’t keep your own head on your shoulders.”

[maiasalfi]

It took everything in her to not break down as soon as Nadia sat by her. "She's awake, they told me. But they haven't let me see her yet. Something about getting exams done first." No matter how much Maia refused to budge, her voice seemed to break a little more with every sentence. Her eyes were still elsewhere entirely, too afraid to face the pity in her friend's eyes.

"Fuck, Nadia, she's just a kid." Once the words tumbled out, they refused to stop. "We thought it would go away as she got older. But it didn't and I'm fucking terrified. I can't– I can't see her die too." At that point she had to take a shaky breath, before repeating the same thing she had said before. "She's just a kid."

maiasalfi​:

The attempt at swallowing down the lump in her throat was nothing short of futile. Maia’s gaze fell to the vinyl flooring, unable to meet Nadia’s. “It’s Lara again”, she admitted, her voice sounding weak. 

Anyone else and she might have kept her composure, withheld the information, but this was Nadia. Nadia who actually knew Lara, who had known her since her youngest years and first struggles. “Blacked out at home, early in the morning. It hadn’t happened in a while. I thought– we really thought it wouldn’t anymore.” Maia hugged her own waist, trying her hardest to keep the dam from bursting. She still wouldn’t look at Nadia.

.

“Again?” Nadia knew now she would have to put her anger to the side, she could go back to stewing in it, and taking that out on Munro, later. “Shit.” She came to sit in the chair next to Maia. If she’d known the woman next to her for almost twenty years, then the girl currently in a hospital bed she’d known her whole life. “Have they said anything?”

[maiasalfi]

"Yeah, yeah. Changed man and all that." Her expression softened slightly. Though she enjoyed pushing his buttons, Maia did respect Tristan a lot. If it was her in his place– she wasn't sure what would end up happening. He was a stronger person than her, not that she would ever say that to him. But she had a feeling that he knew either way.

"Not really. We've always been here, you know. Can't see us anywhere else." Maia ignored the sharp pain in her chest as she said the word we. No, don't even think about that. Lara would live in Port Grave many years more, she had to believe it. "Why? Do you?"

maiasalfi​:

“It means getting yourself into trouble because you can’t help that big ol’ vigilante heart you got there. Oh, don’t give me that look, you know it’s true.” Despite what the words might sound like, Maia’s small smile was an affectionate one. It faded slightly as the topic circled back to herself, but she managed to hold the unbothered facade. Mostly, anyway. “Yeah, I’m still hanging around these old men and their old boats.” It wasn’t that simple, of course, but she didn’t have to say it. Tristan knew, and there were no judgements between them. “Can’t complain about it, though. It’s been serving me fine.”

.

“Oh, come on, ‘ve been staying out of trouble. Haven’t made a single violation since ‘ve been let out of prison,” he pointed out. “Well, no, I s’ppose I drove a car without a license recently, but I didn’t get caught. Still here, aren’t I?” He gave her a dry smile that was typical of him. 

“Yeah? You ever think about leaving this island?” he asked. He wondered how many people once they were here, ever actually left. It felt either you were born here and died here, or somehow made it here and died there, anyway. 

[maiasalfi]

Maia raised an eyebrow, equal parts impressed and and in disbelief of this person's lack of self preservation. "You didn't even consider making something up?" Her tone wasn't accusatory at all. "Or do you just enjoy the thrill of not knowing who you might be spilling to?" That was a possibility too, she figured. People, especially the rich ones, got off on the strangest things.

maiasalfi​:

The casual honesty managed to draw an amused chuckle out of her. “Figures”, she shook her head, though not in disappointment. Maia Asalfi of all people wasn’t exactly in a position to throw stones. “In that case, you really shouldn’t be divulging this information to the first stranger who asks.” Her tone was more amused than reprehensive, however, and if this man had more than one working braincell, he would probably figure out that Maia wasn’t exactly there to enforce the law.

“Ah,” a smirk not without its charm parted his lips, “but you’re the second stranger to ask,” he bluffed, “so surely you can’t judge me too harshly. Though you know what they say about the third time being the charm.” Alexander tsked at himself. 

[maiasalfi]

lixinzhou​:

“And how would I have managed that?” Lixin asked, taking the opening where there was one. He wouldn’t had prodded had it not been there, out in the open, ripe for picking. While his focus was primarily on the shallow cut itself, he couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Maia had gotten herself into today, and how there was even a knife wound on her neck to start with.

.

“You did see the guy who was after me, right?” The wording came out more accusatory then she meant it, and Maia immediately regretted it. “I appreciate the help, doc. Don’t get me wrong.” She did her best to contain a wince as Lixin worked on her wound. “I say it because you’re a good kid. Promising, too. And if someone had followed us, it could have ended really poorly.” Lixin was the kind of client that Maia felt the closest to remorse about. Almost Lara’s age, young and with a good heart in their chest. There weren’t many of those left around Obsidian City.

[maiasalfi]

walledupward​:

“What s’that even mean? Gone Tristan?” he asked, looking mildly amused. “But what can I say, ‘m full of surprises. ‘Sides, trying to lay low nowadays,” he admitted. It was true. Given that he was still within a few months of being released from prison and already involved with a shady organization, it didn’t make sense for him to put himself out there.  “You still doing your thing, though? When you’re not here, of course.” 

.

“It means getting yourself into trouble because you can’t help that big ol’ vigilante heart you got there. Oh, don’t give me that look, you know it’s true.” Despite what the words might sound like, Maia’s small smile was an affectionate one. It faded slightly as the topic circled back to herself, but she managed to hold the unbothered facade. Mostly, anyway. “Yeah, I’m still hanging around these old men and their old boats.” It wasn’t that simple, of course, but she didn’t have to say it. Tristan knew, and there were no judgements between them. “Can’t complain about it, though. It’s been serving me fine.”

[maiasalfi]

alexanderives​:

A moment hung between comment and reply where Alexander considered perhaps he’d be better off lying. He didn’t much feel like it though. “Strictly speaking, I’m not sure that they do.” His voice was the worn velvet of a whisper. “At least, I haven’t known them to advertise it. The squeaky wheel gets the oil though, isn’t it?”

.

The casual honesty managed to draw an amused chuckle out of her. “Figures”, she shook her head, though not in disappointment. Maia Asalfi of all people wasn’t exactly in a position to throw stones. “In that case, you really shouldn’t be divulging this information to the first stranger who asks.” Her tone was more amused than reprehensive, however, and if this man had more than one working braincell, he would probably figure out that Maia wasn’t exactly there to enforce the law.

[maiasalfi]

nadiacattaneo​:

Stupid. Stupid fucking men. Nadia was practically seething as she paced back and forth. Bringing her men to the hospital was always the last thing she liked to do. Especially when they got themselves injured through their own recklessness. Risking others, risking the ship. But she was always the one to clean up the mess. When she’d known most of them since they were children, how could she not? It was her weakness, her crew were.

She needed to calm down, lest the doctors let her in and she cause more injuries than he’d originally had. So she let out a breath and turned, heading down the hallway to another wing of the hospital. She’d let him sweat, and return when she felt better. 

She stopped when she saw a familiar face. “Maia?”

.

The attempt at swallowing down the lump in her throat was nothing short of futile. Maia's gaze fell to the vinyl flooring, unable to meet Nadia's. "It's Lara again", she admitted, her voice sounding weak. 

Anyone else and she might have kept her composure, withheld the information, but this was Nadia. Nadia who actually knew Lara, who had known her since her youngest years and first struggles. "Blacked out at home, early in the morning. It hadn't happened in a while. I thought– we really thought it wouldn't anymore." Maia hugged her own waist, trying her hardest to keep the dam from bursting. She still wouldn't look at Nadia.

[maiasalfi]

alexanderives​:

Alexander was at the hospital for the same reason any vampire might be: blood. Power outages and useless freezers had made the task of finding it more difficult than it typically was for him. So, the hospital with it’s blood bags and generators it was. Was he permitted to buy blood from the hospital? Alexander wasn’t sure, frankly. He’d never been told no, but that didn’t mean much when you wore the Ives names. What was permitted and what was allowed were not always the same thing. 

He was just shoving a straw into the lip of the bag, taking a seat in the waiting room, when he caught a stranger’s eye. “I can drink this somewhere else if you’re bothered,” he offered. Alexander was nothing if not polite. And besides, she seemed like she was already having a rough time. 

.

Maia raised an eyebrow, might even have laughed if she had the energy to do so. If only her biggest problem was existing in the same room as a different species. "'S okay. Doesn't really bother me." Crossing her arms under her chest, Maia took the time to actually look at the stranger sitting across the room. It was a welcome distraction from all the anxiety in her stomach. "I didn't realize they sold these", she commented, nodding at the blood bags he was holding.

[maiasalfi]

lixinzhou​:

Everything happened in a flash, and Lixin didn’t mind. Better than an event that was long and drawn out. Torturous. They were in one place, and then another, Lixin still missing his shirt. “It shouldn’t be too deep, it’s likely just being agitated right now by all of the movement.” He still wasn’t sure if stitching her neck was the smartest solution, and given that somehow he had managed to find himself in a not so dissimilar situation last month, Lixin really did think he better not leave his own medical bag anywhere from now on.

“Sit. Please. We’ll need to worry about disinfecting first, and then putting as much pressure on it as possible before I go in for stitches. I’ll try to make them neat.”

.

"Aye aye, captain", Maia joked as she settled on the stool, trying to ignore the slight throbbing in her neck. One hand came up to grab her long hair and pull it aside, giving Lixin more space to work with. "You could have gotten yourself in trouble today, you know." She commented, but quickly snapped her mouth shut. Shouldn't talk, she pondered. It will be easier that way.

[maiasalfi]

walledupward​:

“Money s’always a good motivator if you got it,” he pointed out. And it wasn’t as if that was a false statement to make. This city was run on bribes and based on who had the most to offer. “But, reckon they’ll figure it out. Might just be overworked, what with the heat wave and people having heat strokes and dehydration. Might just take a while.” Hospitals never seemed to have enough personnel. “Oh, s’just my dad. Fractured his wrist, so they’re patching him up. Didn’t think it was a good idea to let him go on his own when they were done.” 

.

"Yeah, that makes sense." She tried to sound hopeful, tried to be hopeful. They hadn't figured it out before, when there was no heat stroke to blame, but maybe Tristan was right and this would be it. Maybe.

She welcomed the subject change. "Sounds like the sensible thing to do. Which is suprising." The usual smirk tugged at the corner of her lips again, more an attempt to distract herself than anything, but at least it was there. "I can't lie, though. I was half expecting you to have gone Tristan again." Even in these circunstances, she couldn't help but push his buttons.

[maiasalfi]

walledupward​:

“S’hard to know what to say to people in this situation.” At least he could only hope that no one had actually died. Then he might actually feel bad. Tristan also was no good with words, anyway, and even less good at comforting anyone. He was sure she would know at least that much. 

“Hospital s’the place to be worried, I reckon,” he nodded. It wasn’t as if anyone came to St. Asclepius for a good reason. “Do you suppose the doctors actually mean she s’fine or they just using it to hold off on you bothering them? Fine s’very vague.”

.

The question actually managed to get a snort– if a weak one– out of Maia. "Thank you, Tristan. That's very reassuring." There was no malice in her voice, however. She knew Ward too well and too long to know he was trying. "She's conscious, though. Going through exams now. I just hope they figure out what's wrong." The last part came out much more vulnerable than she intended, and Maia's gaze dropped to the ground for a moment before deciding to change the subject. "I didn't even ask about you. What happened?"