#despairedsong

[meteorwinged]

@despairedsong || [x]

"Too quiet," Meteion agreed, eyes wide. Silence, a gulf stretching between them where there should never have been one. Disconnected, millennia old links severed even with them standing across from each other.

Was this how Hermes had felt? Alone inside his head, no one to hear his thoughts and feel his feelings? Is this how everyone else wandered the world, silent and empty?

"Can we put us back together?" Meteion wondered aloud, uncertain. "Should we put us back together?" Slowly she reached her hands out, still clearly unsure. They were supposed to be the same, to be together. Two pieces of one big whole. But they were different now.

Would it work, if they were so different now?

[aetheryic]

@despairedsong said: She’s going to stare, and stare, and stare some more until Theia – Meteion, her name was Meteion – finally asks: “What is – is that?” / Artemis

artemis is entirely aware she has an audience - one she doesn’t mind, truthfully. she’s comfortably sat on a stone bench, feet dangling off the edge since she’s still too short to find the ground. her lap contains a bag of snacks that she’s been mindlessly guzzling down, at least until she hears the onlooker speak up. she smiles at her, head tilting curiously.

‘ they are little gummy worms. it’s really just squishy sugar… do you want to try one ? are you allowed ? ‘ not that artemis particularly cares about rules, but she does not wish to cause any alarm to the girl. ‘ i have plenty here. ‘

[starsasunder]

@despairedsong cont. from here

Inanna's smile was warm and gentle, her hand held out with palm upturned. Her offer was genuine, her heart humming a song of hope despite all she had seen. Empathy made her heart throb in her chest; she could only imagine what Theia must have seen out in the depths of the cosmos. Inanna herself had suffered plenty, yet despite everything, she had managed to keep that tiny flicker of hope alive within her. And after meeting Theia, she wanted to share it with her if she could.

"Absolutely certain," she stated softly, waiting patiently for Theia to make her own decision. "Whatever lies ahead, we'll face it together."

[millionsnife]

Theia didn’t know how to respond to being in this man’s presence. He was angry, he was scared, and he was… sad. It was a lot for the entelechy to take in, and she finally curled her fingers in and rested them against her chest. “Why’re you so – so sad?”

Sad, the creature says. Why are you so sad? As if he could answer such a complicated question in few words; as if he could even answer it at all.

It's not human, he can see that much. It can't even pass for human.

Not one of his sisters, and yet so similar–he hums, finally. Long, slow.

"What makes you think I'm sad?"

[misplacedreporter]

« no, i’m fine, i don’t need to stop… »

"You're not fine. I do have eyes, I can see you don't feel well." Meryl propped her hands on her hips, thinking. Theia wasn't human or plant, so she wasn't sure how illness worked exactly for the girl. Would some tea and soup help, or make her worse? Did she even eat? Meryl hadn't seen her do so since they found her.

Maybe she was like a plant in that regard?

"You should sit and rest a bit."

[meteorwinged]

She hands Meteion some gummy worms.

“I hear these are – good. Are they?”

Meteion studies them for a moment. "I think so? People are happy when they eat them so they must be. Like when Hermes had apples with syrup."

She's never eaten them herself, since she can't exactly eat.

"Let's ask Ophi."

[starsasunder]

She’s going to gently tug-tug on Inanna’s hand.

“I had – a bad dream.” Theia whispered, “Can I – sit here?”

"Of course," she murmured sleepily, rousing from her half-asleep state on instinct. Lifting the blankets she had tucked in around her, she scooched to one side and helped Theia to tuck herself in, leaving it up to her whether she wanted to snuggle close or not.

"Do you... want to talk about it?"

[aetheryic]

as artemis focused more on the girl, she took note of her unique appearance. soft, feathery blue wings that almost tempted her to reach out and feel. she refrained, of course, empathetic to how rude she would find it if someone did that to her. ‘ you do not have to eat ? it can be fun though ! as long as it doesn’t hurt your stomach. ‘

what did she mean she didn’t have to eat ? everyone did… so artemis thought. the longer her gaze rested on theia, the more familiar she seemed. odd. ignoring that thought for now, artemis wiggled one of the gummies before giggling and handing it to her. ‘ is hermes your dad or something ? just because you should go by something does not mean it’s correct. theia suits you, i can tell. ‘ replied quite expertly, though any playful grace was quickly replaced by the excitement of a little girl.

‘ you want to be my friend ? we’re best friends now then, my name is artemis ! ‘

Meteion, Theia, stared unblinkingly at the ‘gummy worms’. Those didn’t look like any worms the entelechy knew of, but the stranger did say that they were made of sugar. Hm, maybe – she could try? Her hands clasp behind her back as Theia takes an uncertain step forward, leaning over to study the curious thing at a better angle.

“Don’t – know!” She chirped, beaming, “Hermes says – I can–’t eat things. I do not, need too!” Of course that didn’t mean she wanted to try! It felt as though these were the stranger’s favourite snack to have, and as a result Theia wanted to have one. “My name is – Theia!” She said, standing upright, blinking owlishly at Artemis. “Or – Meteion! Hermes said, I should go by Meteion. May we, please be friends?”

[meteorwinged]

"No." Sadness, her own this time instead of someone else's. Flickering and rippling, spiraling outward to Theia and then back in as they bounced off of each other before Meteion wrenched them both free and buried it once more.

There was no real connection there to share thoughts and feelings the way they one had. But still enough, to share what she did know among the gossamer threads that connected them the way they were connected to others.

Hermes, sundered and sad and throwing himself into the abyss to end everything. Dead and gone. Meteion folded her hands together, frowning at them.

"I think Hermes–he never found the answer he needed to find. Without us to look for it, he got lost."

Not the same, not the same.

Theia thought on it some more. She gripped Meteion’s hands tightly, as if trying to find the answer just out of reach. “But not alone.” She said finally, looking at her sister, her reflection, her self. “Not alone. We are – together. We share together.” The entelechy wondered if Hermes was happy that they had found that answer, maybe. Then, the bitter thought of even if he did, he wasn’t there. He left them. He abandoned them.

“What about. Hermes? Is he – is Hermes. Alive?”

[meteorwinged]

"It's not the same," she answered after another moment of trying. Not being alone wasn't the same as not being alone, and she knew Theia understood the difference as starkly as she did. She wasn't sure any of their other sisters were even still out there, among the stars and Ultima Thule. Had they survived that last, final battle against the Warrior of Light?

Had she been the only one to break free of the Endsinger in the end? Theia, it seemed, had never been part of the collective to start. Meteion breathed slowly.

Perhaps this was a sign then, that they shouldn't be put back together.

"I will share my friends. They have so many feelings, it's hard to feel all of them by myself."

Instinctively Theia did the same, mirroring Meteion’s posture and expression.

“I don’t think so.” She said after a couple minutes of silence. “I think we – we have to be like this.” It’d been okay, in the beginning. She thrived in the silence from her sisters, knowing that Theia was free from the collective and choosing to make her own path. But now? Now all she wanted as to reconnect. To be attached in a sense that was beyond how mortals handled it.

“I don’t – think we can.” It was a sad thing to realise, to know that the connection was indefinitely severed. “But that – that doesn’t mean we’re alone! We have! We have so many friends. Friends who – can be there for us! When we. Feel bad.”

[starsasunder]

There was just enough of a pause there for Inanna to sense something amiss, but she said nothing, giving the entelechy a chance to work through the emotions on her own. She knew that Hermes had given each of the creations the ability to feel others' emotions, but that did not mean that he had given them the ability to interpret them and separate them from their own.

It was a skill Theia would have to learn, and she would get there no sooner if Inanna tried to handhold her the whole way.

After giving the girl a moment to process the grief, Inanna returned that gentle squeeze, her smile warm and reassuring. She began to guide her gently back towards the home she and Ophi shared, where there would be quiet and solitude so that Theia could take things in at her own pace, away from the influence of so many. "Lots of people are waiting to meet you, Theia, but only when you're ready. We can take it at your pace. You have all the time in the world should you want it."

Home.

For a heartbeat the notion filled her with joy. Home! She could – go home! Theia could see the researchers, and the creatures at Elpis, and Hermes and –

At that, her expression faltered, the hope and joy flickering a little as the remembrance struck again. Home… but they weren’t there, weren’t they? They were gone and – it was. Her fault. Her and her sisters. She took a breath, hoping the shaky exhale was hidden by the way she shook her head a little. Theia knew it was impossible, of course. Hydaelyn, Venat’s magic broke the star after Hermes and his people saved it.

Still, Theia’s hand gripped Inanna’s tightly, blue eyes looking up at Inanna. “Home! Let’s go – home!”

[starsasunder]

Letting Theia come to her, Inanna gently clasped the girl's small hand in her own, stroking her thumb over her skin. From what she had been told, she knew that Theia was not the Meteia she had met before. But the similarities were striking, and recalling Meteion's proclivity for sensing others' emotions, Inanna remained still to allow her a moment to probe her emotions.

She watched the emotions shift across Theia's face anxiously, looking for any sign of discomfort. But instead of the hesitance and fear she had shown till now, she instead saw a spark of something almost like hope blooming in her eyes.

"Anywhere you like," Inanna breathed. "There is so much out there yet to be seen and explored, even just on Etheirys. Beautiful places full of love and laughter and life." Her eyes lit up at the mere thought of adventures yet to be had, but after darting a glance down at the little entelechy, she seemed to pause a moment.

"Though, if you'd rather... we could start with bringing you home."

Theia waited to hear anything. False or not, she wanted to – she needed, to know. To make certain. She frowned and squinted before her expression relaxed, and carefully reached out to take Inanna’s hand.

It was warm, and a little rough. Life had made once soft hands harsh, but not unbearably so. Kind. The entelechy let out a soft breath as she tried to not let it overwhelm her. The pain that lingered underneath was tart, but not overwhelming. Not like the rest, not like the others.

“Togeth-er.” Theia said, opening her eyes after a moment. She hadn’t known she’d closed them, but looking up at Inanna there was a strange – determination in them. “Where do – where do we – go?”