#[[That Little Kiss You Stole It Held My Heart and Soul - Hayate x Maggie (mcuntainbcrn)]]

[ever-winter]

@mcuntainbcrn continued from [X]

Honestly, usually he'd suggest they get as far from crowds as possible, but last time they'd gone he'd actually found himself enjoying it...and maybe he just wanted an excuse to have some time with Maggie again. They'd been through hell and back that year, they had come such a long way - yet there were still so many years laid out before them. An eternity in which to make new memories...would she ever grow tired of having him by her side?

"It'll be nice to spend a little time in a different climate too. I may like Sumeru - but the sticky air can get irritating", he frowned slightly, summoning a small breeze to wash over them, the air still warm but at least it was something. Turned out that the summer time inside a rainforest was not fun at all. But it was quiet here - that's what he liked - that and Sumeru now held the majority of the memories that he truly treasured - those with Maggie.

"Alright, lets leave tonight then. Much cooler weather and gives us time to talk with Buer too". It was best they didn't just up and vanish on the small Archon, after all.

[ever-winter]

Shipping Tag - @mcuntainbcrn

[[That Little Kiss You Stole, It Held My Heart and Soul - Hayate x Maggie (mcuntainbcrn)]]

[ever-winter]

He'd only been attempting to fill the silence, but her honest answer left him a little surprised. Usually with such questions there would be the usual response of watching something or reading a book - something that seemed socially 'acceptable' for the hour in question, yet Maggie was admitting that she might even just drink herself to sleep. With the night that awaited him, he might actually follow in her example.

"It's rude to listening into phonecalls, you know", he smirked slightly, sitting back with a sigh, "I mean you've met him - he's an annoyance to deal with the majority of the time...but he's also one of the best manager's out there...", as his mother liked to constantly remind him. Honestly - he didn't even want all this fame. It'd just been expected, and now he was stuck in this dumb role with no sign of any way of which to escape from it easily.

"Let's see. I'll go home, argue with mother until her girlfriend drags her away", he tapped on the cover of his phone as he spoke, gazing off as though picturing everything he was saying, "Then I'll grab a drink, my sister no doubt will complain about that, so I'll storm off to my room and either play a game or watch something till I pass out...oh. Guess I should at some point message Niwa too. No point keeping him up all night". Well, she'd been perfectly honest with him, and so he'd just decided to return the favour. Manners - just as his 'dear' mother would expect. "...you though should get some sleep. You've looked tired the last few times I've run into you..."

She wasn’t all that surprised to catch him staring - it was natural after all; the scar was quite blatant after all…to her, it was almost amusing how despite the best efforts of makeup teams and hours worth of effort, all it took was discarding a few pins to undo it all.

The tablet made another appearance as he took a call, pulling up her drafts to begin editing the pieces down…while doing what she could to tune his conversation out - it would seem her impulsivity had gone and stirred the pot to make his night unnecessarily complicated, though she couldn’t help but notice that Hayate said he…and that his mother was easier to deal with…the caller was Niwa so, was he referring to Zandik Dottore?

Interesting…she would have to make a mental note of that.

“Not particularly - after this, I’m most likely going home myself; I may do more work on your collection, work out a bit…or simply drink myself to sleep - the night is young, so I suppose I’ll be playing the evening by ear.” she gave him a wry smirk over the lip of the tablet, “How about yourself? Anything other than dancing around your manager’s wrath?”

[ever-winter]

As Maggie sank down, Hayate gently pulled himself and Nahida down with her, careful not to break the embrace that he held them in, his head taking turns in resting ontop of early of the girls as he tried to regain control of his own surge of emotions. It really seemed weird to be crying for the sake of another like this, but maybe that also just showed how much Maggie had come to mean to him. He was quite aware of the design of eternity, aware of the toil of time, even if in the grand scheme of things, he was still pretty young. And wasn't there a time were he too had wished for death? Where he'd pleaded with the God's to just allow for his shattered body to fade away? Immortality seemed like a concept that those who wanted it would never receive, while those who had it, wished to be rid of it - another cruel law of this world. Too many of the laws seemed designed to be cruel in nature, his hands gently gliding across the length of Maggie and Nahida's spines, trying to comfort them, a weak smile forming as Maggie gazed up at him. "Like I said - take all the time you need", he sighed, reaching over to gently wipe away her tears, hand gently resting within her hair as she burred into the side of his shoulder, Nahida having curled up in his lap, crying against his chest. He was going to be covered in tears and snot by the time all this was done with - but he surprisingly found that it didn't bother him all too much - plus would simply be an excuse for a bath...which he'd been somewhat avoiding while he'd been watching over Maggie like he had.

Even some of the aranara's had wondered a little closer to their little knot of limbs, obviously growing concerned about them, their gentle song soon filling the air as though in an attempt to bring some comfort of their own.

She nodded silently, throat far too tight to speak and she allowed herself to sink to the ground with the pair, sobbing quietly as she buried her face against his front; she'd existed for hundreds of years at this point, long enough that she should have known that death was most likely an impossibility for her, but she had always held on to that scant sliver of hope that she would one day be free, to go to a similar space as her loved ones, even if it wasn't the same.

Even if it made perfect sense to her, she still couldn't help but mourn the loss of that hope as she released the white knuckled grip she'd held it with, so tightly that her palms no doubt would have bled were it in a literal sense; but even as she wept, the chill of this crushing reality wasn't able to take root...not in the wake of the warmth she was surrounded with.

It was devastating, crushing...but as badly as it wounded her, the love the dendro archon and the demigod wrapped her in kept her sane, allowed her to remain grounded; that they stayed with her, cried with her...it was amazing how much deeper it struck than the despair did with the reality that death was no longer anything she could touch.

Her head raised, tears still spilling over as she gazed at Hayate, a weak laugh leaving her that broke into another sob at the sight of his and Nahida's crying faces, using the strength she managed to summon up to pull them both closer to her, pressing a kiss on the crown of the little god's head and another on the corner of the divine construct's mouth before she nuzzled her tear streaked cheek into Hayate's shoulder again, "I'm s-sorry...I'll c-calm down, p-promise."

[diverse-hearts-ocs]

"...he insists that all security staff has some dumb app installed on their phones - so I started using multiple phones and yet he still bugs them somehow...I'm not that fascinating of a human being!", he glanced over the list that was appearing on the screen, rolling his eyes slightly as the list just continued to grow, pulling out his personal phone and setting it to the side to be checked next. Even if he felt as though he knew for certain that one had been with him all this time - it was better safe than sorry.

Meanwhile, Hayate had taken a seat near the laid out food, happily helping himself to the warm food to have just arrived, still not quite sure as to why he'd been taken along to the office like this but honestly not minding at all. It was much more peaceful here - and though Niwa was making them both flustered, he still found it cute to watch the way in which colour flooded Maggie's face.

"Things are pretty hecticbut I bet things are just as busy for you", he finally said once he'd felt a little more full, glancing over the food for his next victim, "...these are pretty nice", he paused, "You've had time to eat though, right?", he asked, eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed across the room, Niwa laughing lightly - "Aww, you two are sweet. Are you coming to the concert next week?"

She took the device and pulled out a drawer, plugging it in to a laptop dedicated to locating spyware and started the scan, noting an almost immediate response, the list of spyware quickly growing - Mr. Zandik certainly didn't waste any time, "Well, at least you had the foresight to think to check...after I get whatever programs he's utilizing off your phone, I'll see about updating the security scripts and adding password requirements to make it at least somewhat more difficult for him to do so again."

At the comment about missing the idol currently trying to use his coffee cup as cover, her freckled face took on an obvious pink tinge - she couldn't even say she hadn't as that would be lying, "Th-that's neither here nor there, Mr. Niwa." her ears were starting to burn at this point and she went out of her way to avoid making eye contact with either of the men in her office.

Thankfully, the kitchen staff arrived with trays of proper luncheon foods - if nothing else, it was a well timed distraction tactic, "At any rate, help yourselves - I'm sure neither of you have been able to eat with any regularity...best to take advantage while you can."

[ever-winter]

With the need of always having to be observant, he had noticed the scar before, but he hadn't been this close to her - and now he couldn't help but to stare slightly, glancing quickly away as his phone loudly cut through the silence of the small enclosed space, Hayate clearing his throat as he quickly answered the call. "Hey - yeah I'm with her now. Hmm? I know, I just didn't want to deal with his bullshit right now. Is he mad? Yeah, thanks Niwa. I'll get dropped off at home. Mother's easier to deal with. Yeah, yeah - I'll make it up to you later". Sighing, he hung up and leaned over to give his address to the driver, before sitting back and watching the night pass on by. He maybe shouldn't have stared - hopefully he hadn't caused too much unease...though why was he even caring if he had? He'd pretend it was about keeping up his image, but he felt Maggie had seen through him long before now. Silence was usually a rather calming environment for him, but for some reason it only made him feel uneasy, as though he should be saying something to fill the void. Weird that.

"...I hope I'm not holding you back from anything important...". As conversation starters went, that had to be one of the lamest he could have come up with, inside flinching as he quickly gazed back outside again. Maybe the uncomfortable silence had been better after all...

The sound of the car engine could barely heard over the screams of the idol’s adoring, somewhat feral, fan base as it quickly pulled away from the rear of the venue; there was no denying his star power, that was for sure, even if she may have unintentionally picked up on the truth of his current circumstances without ever truly meaning to.

That said, when he smiled, when he laughed now…somehow it felt far more genuine than it had when he was on stage, and a strange twisting sensation gripped her from somewhere inside her chest; odd…what on earth was that?

“Eh, I’ll put it on your tab.” a small smirk curved the corners of her lips as he pulled himself up into a seated position and she pulled out her cellphone to send a message along to the idol’s head of security to let him know that his charge was safe and that her people would see to his safe return home; a soft hum left her as she relaxed back in the seats and kicked off her shoes, “Let Ryuuji know where you need to be dropped off and he’ll take you straight there - I on the other hand will be making an effort to not hear anything I shouldn’t.”

Fingers were already at work locating and removing bobby-pins from her hair, allowing more and more of her unruly locks to flow freely down her back and over her shoulders; it always felt so pointless - her stylists always took such great pains to dress her up for affairs like these when there was just no point…she would never be any great beauty, the efforts made to hide her unsightly scar and blind eye from the cameras was more or less useless to - all just a waste of resources and manpower in her opinion.

With most of the pins removed, and the floral hairpiece discarded on the floor, she raked her fingers back through her hand, exposing the ugly blemish that cleaved through the right side of her face, “Hopefully the remainder of your evening will be somewhat peaceful.”

[ever-winter]

Ame couldn't help but to giggle at the 'charming mother' comment. She was quite aware of how difficult it was to get along with her mother on most occasions, nevermind if it was another strong woman and they'd met in such a manner too. She knew her mother could feel rather entitled to certain favours, given her place within the industry, but that also placed more stress upon herself and her brother in giving the 'correct' public appearance. It was rather exhausting having to act the entire time you weren't behind closed doors - but she'd found Maggie rather easy to speak with, though wasn't sure as to why. Most woman that carried themselves like her mother, scared Ame in one way or another.

And why was she even thinking on this? A small polite bow was given as Maggie moved to leave, a warm smile forming, "Thank you very much for coming. I'll make sure to pass along your message", and which that she hurried over to where Niwa and Yae were waiting for her, her mother having vanished to who knew where - no doubt there had been something about the concert that she wished to nit pick over...

Hayate had hurried out the back exit as soon as he'd spotted his mother heading in his direction, pausing long enough just to grab his bag and phone, before stepping out into the chill of the night. He was quite aware he couldn't stay there for too long - it wouldn't be the first time that fans had climbed around to the back of a venue, hoping to find a way inside somehow - but given how cold it felt, he'd been somewhat counting on no one being there. No such luck though - and why should he be surprised? When was the last time that Lady Luck had greeted him with her presence? The idol quickly leapt over the low fence, having the idea of hurrying towards the car park and to the safety of Niwa's car - but that plan was soon ruined as more fans poured into view. How the heck had word got to them as quickly as that? Ah, what a pain. He had to act all shy and nervous as he backed away, muttering apologises - though at some point he'd felt himself be grabbed onto.

His eyes sharpened at once, but the words he was about to throw out were swallowed back as he met Maggie's gaze, yelping instead as he was tugged inside the car. This was the second time now that she'd helped him out like this. "...we really have to stop meeting like this", he laughed weakly, carefully untangling himself from where he'd fell against her lap, sitting upright with a sigh, "...thanks".

"Indeed." her tone was somewhat vague, as though lost in thought as she had already begun to scour over the notes she'd taken, leaving annotations to refer to later; she had to wonder, given what she observed, if the performer's heart was really in this - his smile had a manufactured, mass produced air, his movements were graceful and well practiced, but still...something was decidedly off here.

There was no point in speculating - such a thing would make her no better than a run of the mill tabloid reporter farming for gossip, "I think I've managed to get what I need for now, and gave enough of a public appearance to sate my PR team, so do give your brother and your...charming mother my regards, mm?" she gave the young woman a light nod as she rose from her seat and made her way towards a side door, firing off a quick message for her car to come around for the pick up.

The evening should have ended there, with her returning home to begin compiling what she'd gathered into a proper first draft for the pieces she would create for his collection, her thoughts remaining solely focused on precious stones and metals...so why...why did she become aware of the idol being swarmed as the vehicle rounded the building? ...why, for that matter, did she instruct the driver to pull in close? Why did she open the door, reach through the crowd of screaming fans to take hold of his arm and drag him in to the backseat with her when this was none of her business?

"Go. Now." why...why was she doing this?

[ever-winter]

"...take all the time that you need". There wasn't much more that he could do than to hold onto her. Not for the first time did he find himself wondering just how different their relationship might have been if they didn't have this shared bond that allowed for them to simply just be aware of how strongly they felt towards one another. Even though he was terrible at voicing how he felt, his true feelings were always just there, so although he was silent as he held Maggie, and though he had no heart to ache with her own, his sympathy could still be felt - his love, his concern - even when when he himself had no idea what words to place to the mix of emotions rushing through him.

Nahida was a little surprised with Maggie reached out for her hand too, the Archon giving a small smile as she hurried to take back hold of the hand, giving a gentle squeeze of comfort. She'd thought that they may have wanted some time alone - but maybe this was also what was needed, to know that this little unit of confused souls could draw strength from one another, could face the challenges that this world had in store for each of them. Nahida would one day fade away with the natural flow of time, but that was still such a long, long time from now. They had each other - when they all used to have no one - a thought that caused the small Archon to move in closer, her other hand shifting to hold onto Hayate's shirt.

For someone who used to find hugs like these rather annoying, Hayate felt only warmth and comfort from their embrace, a small sigh escaping as he tried to shift one hand to gently pat Nahida's hair too, "If you both start crying, you'll start me off too", he joked, Nahida laughing weakly, nuzzling closer as she felt her own tears start to fall, "Ahh! I was only joking! Buer! Why are you crying!? Stop that...crap" And there went his own.

"...can we at least sit down for this...this is gonna take a while...."

@mcuntainbcrn

How? ...how had she managed to retain any of her sanity? ...why was his voice still able to cut through the overwhelming despair and bring her back to reality? ...was this why Skadi had insisted on her waiting to learn of her origins and broken seals that had never once been intended to come undone?

Even as she wept in the divine construct's embrace, she couldn't feel her mind slipping, remaining firmly grounded in the truth - the pain she'd suffered, and would continue to suffer...there was no hope for death to release her from it, only that it would gradually lessen over time as her body adapted to the true potency her blood possessed, a process that should have transpired throughout the course of her life.

It was staggering, the notion of moving forwards endlessly, watching the progression of time pass her by...she should have collapsed from the colossal weight of it...but even if it broke her heart, Hayate was right; she wasn't alone - wouldn't have to do this alone...he was there too, would be there with her...as would Nahida for as long as time allowed...not alone...somehow, someway, in spite of this crushing truth, she had managed to build something akin to a family.

"...I love you too...I'm s-sorry...I...I need a m-minute." she buried her face against his front, a single hand gripping fast to his front while the other reached out to take one of the dendro archon's small extremities, giving it a light squeeze.

[ever-winter]

After all they'd faced, all that pain, all that loss, he could fully understand the wave of emotions that travelled across their bond, his grip shifting from Maggie's hand, in order to instead pull her gently against his chest, unsure on what he could say, too aware of that selfish voice at the back of his mind that had been whispering since the day he'd first found out this was to be her fate. He wouldn't be alone. He wouldn't ever have to say goodbye...

But it was a cruel fate, one that he'd lived for just as long as she had, that had been full of just as much hell and pain. The desire for death, for release, for some type of escape - he knew it well. One hand shifted, gently running through her thick hair, doing all he could to try and calm her, as Nahida allowed for the dream to slowly fade around them, the denro archon gazing at them with nothing but concern, before walking a short distance away, motioning for the Aranara's to follow, as some had hurried over sensing Maggie's distress.

"...Maggie. Anything I say is pointless....but you're not alone". That was about the only thing he could think on saying. He'd had the last four hundred or so years to come to terms with the fact that no matter what happened to him, he wasn't going to die. No matter how broken his body was, how the doctor tore him apart or how the creatures in the abyss would hunt him down, there was no escape. Even now, that fact still could overwhelm him - especially considering the hell they'd both not long since escaped from. The world wasn't an easy place to live in, and forced to live for eternity wasn't as appealing as most mortals seemed to believe it to be.

"I love you".

The memories of the two flooding her consciousness was a lot to process...who was that - was...was that her mother? No...no, not possible, that couldn't be her mother wasn't that monolithic, nor did she have horns like that...what was that woman saying? Her hands shook as she held fast to the divine construct and little god's like a life line to keep her from being set adrift within this achingly familiar consciousness.

Not...not human...she wasn't human? This woman...this entity bearing her likeness was a god...her progenitor who had done everything to ensure she wouldn't be tethered to the cruel realty she now faced - death...death was beyond her grasp, out of her reach; her hopes for relief of being released from the mortal coil would never be realized...not ever.

The question of why never even had the chance to pass her lips before it was answer - where she was mentally, emotionally at the time...it would have decimated her psyche, morphed her into something more wretched and destructive than she already was, a fate even worse than the one she was currently faced with.

She didn't know when she started crying, her only indication was the fact that everything save for the images flooding her mind that Nahida and Hayate's face had become horribly distorted; she released her grip on the dendro god, reaching up shakily, hoping to feel nothing, and flinching when her fingertips made contact with something solid rising out from beneath her thick plumes of hair - the light she'd seen before in the shade of the Great Tree...

"...so there's no hope...this is just...this is it?" any color in her face bled away, her voice breaking, "...it's too much."

[ever-winter]

"As you may recall, there was a time in the past where Hayate and I had been required to call you back from your subconsciousness, and during that time, we were shown this scene". Nahida spoke softly as she took a few steps forward, examining the area as though to make sure that she'd recalled everything correctly, Hayate giving Maggie's hand a gentle squeeze, but otherwise leaving this up to the Archon to explain. "Here", Nahida continued, "We came here and found out the truth about who you are - or more accurately, what you are descended from. At the time, it was deemed that to reveal the truth then would bring more harm than good, but with everything to have occurred since that moment, it seems as though the time as now come where you no longer can hide from the truth". Closing her eyes, the area around them started to softly glow, as she restored the scene to the memories of that day, complete with the slightly frantic Hayate, who glanced off to one side, not really wishing to witness how much of a fool he'd been back then, even if it had been born out of worry for the woman who'd come to mean the world to him.

"Just know, that no matter what you may learn here, we are here to support you", Nahida said, giving Maggie a soft reassuring smile. She knew that this was a lot to take in for anyone, but for someone who had resented the divine as much as she had, who had wished for a way in which to one day leave all this pain, this was going to be a lot to take in...but she had faith that she would make it through with Hayate's help - and maybe a little of her own.

This was a bit unusual, especially considering she had only just emerged from the dreamscape but a moment ago - the fact that whatever Nahida wanted to show her couldn't wait meant that no doubt it was a rather serious affair; but...Hayate had also been asleep - he'd been named the second sage of Bu'er, so surely she would have ensured he would have been able to assist her in whatever this might be...but she'd just said she'd encouraged him to go back to sleep when he'd awoken the first time...strange...very strange indeed.

"Very well - if you feel doing so would be a simpler task than explaining verbally, then so be it." her free hand reached out, wrapping around the archon's small hands - it was almost comical to her, really; knowing that despite how childlike and soft those fingers were, that she was quite literally in the grip of a god, the very entities she, upon coming to terms with the existence of, had vowed to avoid at all costs.

The irony wasn't lost on her.

It didn't long to feel that familiar tug at the center of her brain, knowing that her body once again had been left behind, even though the hands she held fast to remained in her grip - it was always such a strange feeling, one she doubted she would truly ever get used to; the dreamscape she was greeted to was...familiar, but somehow still unknown, almost like nostalgia without a true source, both confusing and painful while achingly sweet, "...what...what is all of this?"

[ever-winter]

With the changes to have befallen her, the time that remained to break such news to what the girl truly was had come to an end, and yet she still wasn't too such on the best way in which to break such news. For now, she remained silent, watching the way in which she and Hayate leaned on one another, the connection that flowed between them, that ran much deeper than most would ever quite understand. It warmed her heart, to see that two lost souls could find that type of connection in one another. "Hmm? You needed to heal, I get it", Hayate muttered sleepily, eyes slowly opening to gaze down at their reflections that shimmered in the shallow waters, a gentle squeeze given to Maggie's hand as their fingers laced together. He had been worried, and was sure that she was quite aware of that, but he also understood that process of the body needing time to heal - and after all she'd been through before travelling half way across the nation...of course her body was going to be exhausted.

And that was before you got onto the changes that had started to show while she slept, his tired gaze drifting towards Nahida as the though crossed his mind, the Archon giving a small nod, before she reached out her hands for each to take one, "I think it's easier if I showed you something, Maggie. Let us enter the dreamscape, just once more, then you two can catch up in private", she added with a small giggle, Hayate tensing ever so slightly, feeling heat rush to his cheeks as he quickly reached out to take the girl's hand.

"...raw - like an exposed nerve; whatever those oozing concretions are, the seem to contain a multitude of poisons and miasma - I'm not sure why I'm so sensitive to them, but I have been for hundreds of years now, so I'm still not at one hundred percent, even with them gone." the pulse of energy that coursed through her seemed to act almost as a balm, pushing some of the lingering ache and weight in her limbs away, "My body feels so heavy still."

The movement in her blind side, the pressure against her shoulder - she knew full well he hadn't left her side since she slipped into the dreamscape, but actually hearing his voice was a comfort, and she unconsciously allowed her head to rest against his, eyes sliding closed as she sought out his hand, closing her fingers around it, "...I'm sorry - I didn't mean to keep you waiting; I was dealing with a touch more internal damage than I realized."

Lashes parted again, once more perceiving that strange light...refracting off his face, glimmering off his hair - where was it coming from? ...did it really matter? "Nahida, can you catch me up on what's happened while I've been asleep, please? I know it's only been a month but...much can take place in a short frame of time." her halved gaze trailed to the digits she'd interlaced with hers...that light was there too - what was it's source?

[ever-winter]

He'd still felt a little confused as he parted from Maggie and his sister, wondering to what she might mean - but as soon as he was on the stage, he felt as though he knew what it was. He was used to having the eyes of the world on him, of course, but this time there was extra pressure points from the crown, not just from his mother or manager either. So, she must be watching him rather carefully then? She certainly took her job rather seriously, most of this could no doubt be observed from video alone.

As soon as the music started, he was like a different person, blocking out the world as he concentrated on the act. Fake smiles, singing towards the cameras, acting cute - it was all second nature to him by now, but under the added examination, it somehow felt even more fake than normal, such was the world that he and his family lived within. Still, he was able to finish with no mistakes, Ame cheering rather loud for her brother as he walked off from the stage. "Isn't he wonderful? Oh, do not tell him I said that", she laughed to Maggie, obviously having rather enjoyed the few songs that had just been performed, a glance sent in her mothers direction, but it seemed Ei had already left her seat and gone backstage.

"I suppose you'll find out." she gave him a light nod as he walked away, quietly readying the camera on the tablet in her hands - there was a chance that perhaps the idol would be immune to it, but considering this wasn't her first time working on a project like this with a similar theme, there was also the potential he wouldn't be; a gaze like the laser sight on a sniper rifle - such intense focus that it was unnerving, unsettling, frightening, insert synonym here.

Given whom had raised him and his sister, and the current head of his management team, perhaps he wouldn't falter or flinch when she tracked him from one end of the stage to another, taking pictures, color samples, recordings to make notes of ways he moved that were unique to him that may be an inspiration source to how to make the pieces flow - he was accustomed to being observed through a microscope; still, better to warn him preemptively.

The relaxed posture remained until the group was announced and the lights dropped in the venue, shifting to those on stage - the change being almost immediate; fingertips tapped the screen, pressed down to take a short clip, tapped again, her line of sight remaining focused on the idol as she tracked him, cleaving away the world around the two as she made mental notes as he performed.

[ever-winter]

She gave the girl a soft smile, glad to see that she had woken, but also quite aware of the journey that awaited her now, her glance falling back to Hayate who still seemed to be fast asleep. Perhaps the change within him was taking a lot more energy that she knew of too. "Hmm I think just over a month? As I said, Hayate woke for a little while, but he refused to leave your side for any real length of time... I'm glad to see that your rest seems to have done you well. How are you feeling?" The Archon walked over, gently placing her hand on Maggie's shoulder, feeling for the toxins within, closing her eyes as a small amount of dendro energy washed over the girl, Nahida smiling a little, "You both are impulsive beings - but after everything you've been through, I think it's more than understandable why you've been a little reckless...but I do think it's about time that we paused to catch out breathes"

"Maggie?", Hayate groaned slightly as he slowly sat up by her side, rubbing sleep out from his eyes, before just leaning lightly into her side, feeling rather exhausted despite the fact he'd just woken up - and that he usually required very little sleep at all, "...you took your time..."

Her vision was clearer than she'd anticipated - that was a pleasant change of pace, even if her body still felt as though it was injected with lead; there was some chance that Hayate's sleeping figure wound about her was partially contributing to that, but that could only explain so much - the concretions within the Chasm must have been far more toxic than she initially believed.

She could see the glimmering light dancing over his hair - still long...or, perhaps, it simply continued to grow back at a rate that made trying to shear it short again impossible; if it was the latter option, she knew too well how frustrating such a thing could be...but at least he seemed to be resting comfortably despite it.

"How...h-how long has it been?" the passage of time no longer meant all that much to her now, was difficult to perceive, and within the dreamscape, the sands that slipped through the hourglass became that much more indiscernible to her - weeks, months...years? Perhaps only a few short days?

There was no real telling.

"I...I apologize for all the trouble; it's been difficult to think rationally lately - I...I been far too impulsive for my liking." there was a strange, soft light bouncing against the surface of the shallow waters about them - it didn't seem to have a source...where was it coming from?

[ever-winter]

It truly could feel as though the two before her were cursed in one way or another - disasters following behind them like shadows, the small Archon gently wrapping them within dreams in which they could fully rest and recover from this latest threat to have raised, to have tried to pry them apart. It was for that reason that she was quite careful to keep them together as she transported them back into the dreamlands of the Aranara, allowing them to sleep within the roots of the Great Dream Tree, this truly had become like a second home for them.

That could perhaps be the next task ahead of them, to encourage them to move into a space of living outside of the dreamscape, though perhaps that could wait until they'd had the time to recover from what had occurred here. And there was the mystery of what had befallen Hayate - she sensed a change within him yet again, but couldn't quite tell what it was. Maybe once she knew more of what had befallen them both she'd be able to help them find the answers that they needed.

The breeze that passed through the space frozen in time was enough to prompt her to force her eyes to open briefly, vision swirling with the miasma that had leeched into her system...a small light, green and white, with a familiar voice she could instantly place, despite her fatigue and inability to discern any facial features.

She'd found them - most likely, she had located them some time ago, but knew they needed space, and had been gracious enough, kind enough, to grant it to them, allowed them to speak freely, privately as they unpacked a fraction of this most recent traumatizing event, even knowing her personal thoughts when it came to gods and divinity.

Eyes closed, tears wicking free from between her eyelashes as the overwhelming silence took hold again, her mind seemingly drawn back and away by a gentle warmth that seemed to envelop her, removing her from the pain that twisted through her ever nerve like a drill, and place her into a dreamscape far sweeter than she deserved in any sense; even if he wasn't there within her dream, she could still feel him...could still sense his mind, his heart.

Her hands came to a stop, resting heavily on the puppet's back as exhaustion won out with a bit of outside assistance, the only reassurance life still existed being the weak rise and fall of her chest, and the unfortunate reality of her own existence forbidding her from making contact with that final release.

[ever-winter]

As a being who only experienced extreme exhaustion in occasions where he was expanding vast amounts of energy in short bursts of time - usually due to healing, it took him a few moments to realise that he might actually be feeling emotionally drained there and then too. Such a human concept, yet it was the only one that made sense, considering the mix of confusing emotions that swirled within his mind and chest, the swirl of emotions that conflicted with one another in so many ways, but with Maggie's warmth and love always just there to drag him back whenever his mind wished to spiral out of control.

She was tired too. He could feel the exhaustion now, feel the way in which her fingers grew slower as they ran through his hair, and knew that pretty soon they'd both be out like a light, entangled, exhausted, hurting - but together and at peace - after everything to have happened, with one nightmare after the next, he half expected for the earth to open up there and then. Swallow them whole, pull them into the claws of the newest monster. Neither this world nor Earth seemed to wish to grant them all that much time in which to lick their wounds.

At least the sobbing had now broken down into silent tears. If he was a little more lucid, he'd have been rather annoyed with himself for the disgraceful show of a breakdown he'd just had in the arms of the woman that he was supposed to be comforting, but for now, he was simply too tired, just nuzzling against her chest weakly, the last of his strength seeming to fade.

Within that lifeless oasis, there was a sudden soft gust of wind, wrapping around them and covering their naked forms in a thin blanket of flora and leaves, Hayate sleepily wondering how the heck he'd managed that trick as he finally fell off into a daze, another voice breaking through their thoughts briefly. "Rest - I'll take us home shortly"

Fingers threaded though those silky lengths now growing from his head, feeling the way he almost tried to burrow himself into her as he openly wept, keeping him as close as she could with the limited strength she had left; it was only in the true stillness that the true condition of her body actually hit her - she had been exposed to, lain in that corrosive, toxic miasma for hours by the time Hayate had actually managed to reach her, not too mention that which had been forced into her mouth and nostrils...odds were high she wasn't going to be moving for quite some time under her own power.

She was so tired now, feeling as though if she closed her eyes, she would be able to sleep for days, despite the pain from the poisonous consecrations in her system, but forcing them to stay open, her hands to keep moving, placing the soft, occasional kiss on the crying puppet's temple, and keeping the connection between them open to allow him to continue to feel what was in her heart freely, along with the unspoken outpouring of love towards him that might otherwise render her silent due to embarrassment.

Funny...she was so threadbare now that it was only just occurring to her all the honey soaked drivel that had been spilling from her lips - so worn that she couldn't feel self-conscious; it was most likely for the best that she couldn't - after all, it was most likely a matter of moments before Nahida tracked them down within the oasis and insist they return to the Vanarana dreamscape...though that may be difficult to accomplish presently, given the state of them.

Other than the pain now, she could barely feel her body anymore, her hands moving sluggishly now - she was running out of strength, out of energy; truth be told, it would be nothing short of a miracle if she could even summon up enough remaining vigor to stand on her own at present.

[ever-winter]

Ame nodded along as Maggie spoke, making the urge to strike his sister grow just that little bit more, though of course such antics couldn't be done in public - and the little witch knew it too. Just wait till they got home...he'd hide away all her favourite plushies! "I've always said that to his manager but the mans as grumpy as they come", Ame sighed lightly, shaking her head a little. It was obvious that she was rather interested in the design progress, Hayate giving a slight smile as Maggie spoke about bringing her work with her. "Honestly, I get that. If I can escape focus for long enough, I'm the same way". Always carry around a notebook. You had no idea when inspiration would strike, and now with this project ontop of his usual workload, he was actually trying a little harder than normal to kick start his brain into being creative. Sometimes there were even small signs of success....Ame might be helpful...but he needed to get back at her first, before he asked her for any type of help. "Oh, yeah I should actually get going soon for that...I guess". It was rather surprising that no one had been over to disturb them yet, a glance sent in the direction of where his mother sat, her glare speaking volumes. Ah well, least she wasn't making some type of scene, "I'll keep that in mind - but I don't see as to why it'd be uncomfortable? Hopefully you enjoy it", with a slight bow, he turned and hurried off, Ame giggling lightly as she watched after him. She'd never really seen her brother looking shy before. It was kinda cute.

"Do I now...mm, I've noticed that in the majority of your professional photos they tend to go with darker lighting and shades with you; however, such things tend to dull, or mute the actual colors of things." she offered the young woman a small smile before shifting her attention back to the vocalist, "That said, I can't rely on them for accuracy, so I've actually been doing what I can to take a proper look at you when I do have the rare in person meeting, pulling up gem references and selecting the ones I feel are the closest."

A faint chuckle escaped her at Hayate's response, "Truthfully? I did - generally speaking, I find affairs like this frightfully dull and rather tedious, so if I can't send one of my Public Relation Representatives, like today, I'll tend to always bring my work with me to keep me occupied...it has the convenient side effect of ensuring I don't fall behind on custom orders or projects like this."

She turned her attention back to the tablet, a faint hum leaving her as she began working on yet another piece, a ring this time, pulling stone colors from Hayate's sister this time, "I'm glad that the conversation has been somewhat illuminating for you - that's good to hear...I know I'm repeating myself but it's never meant to be a point of stress; putting that aside, I do believe overheard that you'll be performing this evening...knowing that, I'll be certain to put my work away prior to you taking to the stage; who knows, perhaps hearing you will inspire me to take a different approach with your collection."

Golden locks spilled over her shoulder as she peered at Hayate over the top of the device, "That said, if it makes things a touch too uncomfortable, tap your cheek and I'll take that as a cue excuse myself."