[ This is foolish, part of her mind says. She promptly tells it to shut up. She can feel him shake, and that just makes her want to hold him closer. She promised to protect him. She needs him.
You barely know him, insists that small, stubborn voice. She tells it, so what? Her hand remains tangled in his hair, and her other arm loops around his torso and she just holds on. She can feel desperation and sadness and confusion coming off of him in waves, and god she wants nothing more than to make it go away.
This is your life here. Your freedom. ]
You grab hold of whatever keeps you you, Peter. Hold it close and never let it go.
[ He is my life. ]
And if part of that happens to be me- [ I would not know freedom without him ] -then know that I am yours forever.
[ He nods against her neck and simply holds her. Easiest decision by far. The thought occurs to him that he should be worried by how much she means to him in such little time, but she's been there for him longer than anyone has since he left with the Ravagers, has done more for him in this short time than anyone has since he left home. ]
Yeah. [ Still distant and small, still can't trust his voice to anything louder than that. ] I-- please--
[ He thinks, Please don't leave. The words won't come.
He shouldn't need her so badly, but there it is. And he pushes those doubts aside, because there are bigger things to worry about, and he's scared, because there are a few blank minutes in his life where he was apparently Something Else. Something that could do things that Maya, a Siren, had only heard of in stories.
He has his mother's pendant keeping the Something Else at bay for now, and now he's lost it twice -- once out of carelessness, once out of ignorance. What happens if it's lost again?
He needs to think rationally, needs to hash out a plan of attack in case this happens again. But he doesn't know what he's capable of or what damage he can do. ]
I can't remember any of it. I don't know what I did.
[ There's a line that Sirens dare not cross- only a few ever have- and she just crossed it. She leans her head against his shoulder, eyes falling shut, and everything begins to change.
The mark on Peter's hand vanishes, signaling the end of their contract, but the threads tying them together don't go anywhere- they just become something else. A bond that, even with his mother's pendant, Peter should be able to feel. They're connected now in a way that few people are- and through their link Maya can feel his desperation, his fear. The way he needs her.
She offers serenity, confidence. Reassurances that this will be okay, and that he will never have to go through anything else alone ever again. ]
[ He's not sure of what's happening, but he feels serenity coming from Maya, flowing over him like gentle waves, and the loneliness and fear and panic fade away.
His breathing is less ragged now, evening out to his normal pace, and his grip around her waist loosens, but he doesn't let go.
Something's different, that much he knows, but he has no idea the significance. He pulls back, and his confusion is written on his face. ]
[ She's apologetic, at least, offering him a small smile. ] There are some things the stories never mention- like what happens when a Siren gives someone her heart.
[ He pulls his hand away from her waist, glances down at his palm to see it's bare again, and before, when he thought of ending their contract, he was afraid she would leave immediately.
But she won't, he knows that now, and thank all the gods for that, because he needs her so desperately. ]
[ He slips his eyes closed, and he wonders, with the new threads that link them, if she can sense when he's lying, even if she can't read his thoughts.
But the calmness has gained from Maya hasn't faded, so when he speaks, it sounds a bit as though he's just reading a list. ]
Still confused. Sort of [ scared ] panicked. Wondering what the hell I did and how dangerous I might be.
I-- ... huh. [ It sounds an awful lot like mind reading to him, actually, which is something Maya said she couldn't do. But she'd probably argue and make a valid point and make him realize just how new he still is to all this stuff, so he keeps the comment to himself. ]
Then-- guess the next question is, is it something I'll like seeing.
[ He's reluctant to say yes, but he knows he's going to. He just-- for a long time, he's lived in ignorance of this, and he thinks, what's another couple of decades?
But he nods in spite of that thought, swallowing down the nervousness that's creeping up his throat. ]
Think of it as a stream- it's can only take so much water, or it will flood. That's why we can only feel what each other is feeling, and not hear each other's thoughts or anything else.
I can temporarily enhance its capacity, which will allow you access to my memories.
So, in essence, you sit there. Sit there and focus on our connection and I will send you what you need to see.
[ For a little while, Peter frowns -- he still has a chance to back out of this, after all. Maybe he shouldn't see this. Maybe he should wait until tomorrow, or a week from now, or some other time when he's feeling more himself.
Granted, "himself" is now a fluid term, apparently, so maybe that's not the best criteria.
But eventually he nods, lets his eyes slip shut as he focuses on the invisible threads linking them together. ]
[ She puts her hands on his shoulders, pressing their foreheads together. Her tattoos flair to life as she pours magic into their connection- it's something of a strenuous process, and her brow furrows in concentration.
After a few moments she gives one final push, one final surge of power, and then she remembers. The scene plays back in her mind's eye- hiding behind the tree, confused and weak and oddly frightened. And then Peter.
Peter with lines flowing across his skin, Peter with inhuman sounds coming out of his throat. Peter wielding hellfire and dark magic, and killing the bandits quickly, messily, one by one.
Peter staring at her, eyes dark as night and without even a hint of recognition.
She remembers being scared, as he pinned her to the tree and blocked her airway. But mostly she remembers knowing that even if he kills her, that she owes it to him to not let him loose like this. Knowing that if she did, he would never forgive her.
He doesn't kill her, though, and in the moment she doesn't know why. But it gives her the opportunity to slip the silver chain over his head.
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You barely know him, insists that small, stubborn voice. She tells it, so what? Her hand remains tangled in his hair, and her other arm loops around his torso and she just holds on. She can feel desperation and sadness and confusion coming off of him in waves, and god she wants nothing more than to make it go away.
This is your life here. Your freedom. ]
You grab hold of whatever keeps you you, Peter. Hold it close and never let it go.
[ He is my life. ]
And if part of that happens to be me- [ I would not know freedom without him ] -then know that I am yours forever.
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Yeah. [ Still distant and small, still can't trust his voice to anything louder than that. ] I-- please--
[ He thinks, Please don't leave. The words won't come.
He shouldn't need her so badly, but there it is. And he pushes those doubts aside, because there are bigger things to worry about, and he's scared, because there are a few blank minutes in his life where he was apparently Something Else. Something that could do things that Maya, a Siren, had only heard of in stories.
He has his mother's pendant keeping the Something Else at bay for now, and now he's lost it twice -- once out of carelessness, once out of ignorance. What happens if it's lost again?
He needs to think rationally, needs to hash out a plan of attack in case this happens again. But he doesn't know what he's capable of or what damage he can do. ]
I can't remember any of it. I don't know what I did.
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[ There's a line that Sirens dare not cross- only a few ever have- and she just crossed it. She leans her head against his shoulder, eyes falling shut, and everything begins to change.
The mark on Peter's hand vanishes, signaling the end of their contract, but the threads tying them together don't go anywhere- they just become something else. A bond that, even with his mother's pendant, Peter should be able to feel. They're connected now in a way that few people are- and through their link Maya can feel his desperation, his fear. The way he needs her.
She offers serenity, confidence. Reassurances that this will be okay, and that he will never have to go through anything else alone ever again. ]
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His breathing is less ragged now, evening out to his normal pace, and his grip around her waist loosens, but he doesn't let go.
Something's different, that much he knows, but he has no idea the significance. He pulls back, and his confusion is written on his face. ]
Maya--?
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[ She's apologetic, at least, offering him a small smile. ] There are some things the stories never mention- like what happens when a Siren gives someone her heart.
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Oh.
... Oh.
He doesn't quite smile, but his expression relaxes into something content and happy -- and it's the most genuine thing he's felt all day. ]
I guess we're skipping the courtship, then.
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I guess so.
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But she won't, he knows that now, and thank all the gods for that, because he needs her so desperately. ]
I love you.
[ Then, after a beat. ] You probably knew that.
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[ But she's smiling, warm and content and complete ]
I love you, too.
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What happens now?
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[ her fingers slide, once again, through his hair ] But we do it together.
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So you've got a thing for idiots going through existential crises, huh?
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In all honesty though, how are you doing?
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But the calmness has gained from Maya hasn't faded, so when he speaks, it sounds a bit as though he's just reading a list. ]
Still confused. Sort of [ scared ] panicked. Wondering what the hell I did and how dangerous I might be.
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... Would you like me to show you?
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Then-- guess the next question is, is it something I'll like seeing.
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But if you want to understand what you're capable of, then it's something you need to see.
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But he nods in spite of that thought, swallowing down the nervousness that's creeping up his throat. ]
What do we do?
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Think of it as a stream- it's can only take so much water, or it will flood. That's why we can only feel what each other is feeling, and not hear each other's thoughts or anything else.
I can temporarily enhance its capacity, which will allow you access to my memories.
So, in essence, you sit there. Sit there and focus on our connection and I will send you what you need to see.
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Granted, "himself" is now a fluid term, apparently, so maybe that's not the best criteria.
But eventually he nods, lets his eyes slip shut as he focuses on the invisible threads linking them together. ]
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After a few moments she gives one final push, one final surge of power, and then she remembers. The scene plays back in her mind's eye- hiding behind the tree, confused and weak and oddly frightened. And then Peter.
Peter with lines flowing across his skin, Peter with inhuman sounds coming out of his throat. Peter wielding hellfire and dark magic, and killing the bandits quickly, messily, one by one.
Peter staring at her, eyes dark as night and without even a hint of recognition.
She remembers being scared, as he pinned her to the tree and blocked her airway. But mostly she remembers knowing that even if he kills her, that she owes it to him to not let him loose like this. Knowing that if she did, he would never forgive her.
He doesn't kill her, though, and in the moment she doesn't know why. But it gives her the opportunity to slip the silver chain over his head.
That's where it ends, and she pulls away ]
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