What Happens Now? [Mairi]

Music- I'll Try

The trees around him were calm, and the brush rustled slightly as he weakly passed. The lush green surroundings remained constant, causing him to experience the feeling of defeat, as he wasn't making progress in the slightest.

The figure stood at little over five feet, and without armor, he wore a pair of white pants with orange strips running down the side, a plain white T-shirt, and an orange overcoat the slightly dragged the ground. Along with this, he wore white boots. He was thirteen, but his complexion foretold otherwise, hardened by tragedy. He sported dirty blonde hair, that barely reached below his bright hazel eyes.

The male walked ever so slowly, still weak. He had just awoken from a coma, in which he had been cursed with for three years. Placed on him by his mother, so he would not resist, and continue to fight, he had outgrown all of his garments and was forced to materialize some from earth; vines to be specific.

On his hands were two white gloves, each marked with a rune, also created to defend himself, as he felt a sword would do him little good in this state.

Finally, the forest thinned, and he emerged into a small path, lining a lake on a small countryside. In the ever so distant horizon was a town. Diligently, the teen walked down the gnarled past, not breaking a sweat, but exhausted as he had not completely awoken yet. Slow, narrow, weak footsteps made the dirt crunch, as he neared the halfway mark.

It had been three years since he had eaten or drank, and his eyelids grew heavy. "Almost there! I can't give out now! Come on, body..." he urged, reaching the halfway mark. As he continued stumbling down the path, he realized that he didn't have any money, and thus could not afford food. His determination faltered, but he staggered on. Surely someone would help him, right.

As he reached the town gates, a feeling of relief and weakness fell over him. Just as he entered, the child collapsed, but caught himself just in tome to land on his right knee and fist, using his left on his knee for support. Slowly, Maix stood, and edged into the center of the town.

Little girls come in all shapes and sizes. This particular little girl was around thirteen years of age, or so she looked, and she was smaller than a human girl would be at that age because she most definitely was not human. She had cat ears on the top of her head that were covered in golden blonde fur and a long, agile tail emerging from beneath her short skirt. Her long hair was a strange mix of cotton candy pink and golden blonde and reached past her hips.

This little girl was a Mithra-girl and she was counted as one of the Adventurers of Vana'diel.

Which didn't explain what she was doing in the village of Crescent Lake on the World of One. The fact of the matter is that this little Mithra girl was even less bound by rules and conventions than her fellows and she, like any cat, went where she wanted when she wanted. And this particular day, she'd been swimming in the perfectly Holy waters of Crescent Lake and then decided that she wanted to go shopping.

So she did.

And that was when she saw the human boy stumble into the town. He walked slowly in a way that made her blue and purple eyes widen in concern. So she did what any girl would who had her free spirit and generous nature.

She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his body, catching his arms close to his sides as she nearly knocked him over. "Are you hurt? I can make it better! I promise I can!! I'm a healer and everything!" Cure came to her call as easily as breathing and she sent the energies into him to restore his strength and, to some degree, find out how badly he was hurt.

"My name's Mairi. What's yours?"

((If you want me to keep track of things, that's a Tier 1 Cure, 10 MP. I don't anticipate a need, though, because I don't *think* there's gonna be a need.))

Maix felt as if he was on the verge of falling once more, feeling his vision blur. He staggered, but was caught, although he nearly fell the other way. He found himself in the arms of a girl his age. Normally, he would have blushed in this position, but he couldn't find the energy to do so, and merely felt grateful.

Immediately, she began worrying about him. He felt bad that his condition caused her so much distress, but didn't protest as she flooded his being with warm energy. It replenished him, awakening him further, although it could not fully recover him from a three year coma, nor from his immense hunger. When he was released, Maix looked into her eyes, and smiled naturally. Something he hadn't done since his Awakening. But how could he help it? She was Beautiful.

She had unusual ears and a long tail. Her hair was both a rich blond and a bright pink; it was exceptionally long, but it hung below her waist, unhindered. Her eyes were different colors, one was a deep blue, and the other a curious purple. She had a long tail, and strange ears, but Maix found them only complementing her beauty.

The girl wore a short blue pleated skirt, a white blouse, and a short turquoise vest. Maix looked at her, mesmerized, although the teen didn't show it. He looked at he casually, with a groggy smile as she introduced herself.

"Mairi," he replied, "I like that name. I'm Maix." He internally chuckled at the alikeness of their names. "Could you tell me what year it is?" he asked, as his stomach sent a wave of pain through his body, making him cringe ever-so lightly.

Mairi smiled back at him, a genuine expression of friendliness, even if there was a touch of shyness to it. This boy was kinda cute. "Uhm.. year? Uhhh... I think I heard someone say that it was 1482... but I might have misheard. I'm not really from here.."

But then he seemed to bend over like his middle was hurting him and she realized that he was hungry. Not just hungry, he was starving. Her eyes turned round with worry and concern. "You need to eat! Let's get you something to eat, okay?"

She helped him over to an outdoor food stand that had some tables set up and ordered them a great deal of food, most of which she expected that the boy would eat. She knew what boys were like at his age. Always hungry and she figured that he was hungrier than most. She paid for the meal and then helped him as it arrived.

"Here, eat. Okay? It's not fun to be hungry like that."

Before his stomach had pained him, Mairi stated that the year was 1482. The teen frowned slightly as he said glumly, "...Three years."

He then felt himself be lead to a table, too hungry to protest. He sat, and watched as Mairi went to order some food. "Thanks!" he called. She ordered a great deal of food, and payed for it. The teen brought it to Maix quickly, although it took several trips.

Immediately, he began devouring the food, practically inhaling it. Before he could swallow one volume of food, he would insert more, occasionally taking a drink of his ridiculously large soda. After a few minutes of this, every crumb of the food was gone, and Maix sighed in contentment. A large stack of plates and bowls and the like were on the table, but he would get them later.

After running his tongue over his teeth as to make sure there were no food in them, Maix gave Mairi a grateful smile, and spoke. His persona contained a newfound energy. "Thanks! I needed that! ," said Maix, "You said you weren't from here, so... where are you from?" He would wait for her answer, and reply warmly before his face grew slightly solemn, and he mumbled, "...Three years." Normal humans would not recognize the words, but a being such as Mairi...

All the while he was admiring the girl's looks, but also her personality, and this time it may have been a little more obvious.

Mairi tilted her head and looked at the boy curiously. He was very cute and he seemed to be aware of her, too, in a way that made her rather interested in him. Not many people looked at her like that. Most were stick-in-the-muds who claimed that she was "too young".

She wasn't too young. She was an Adventurer of Vana'diel with her own Mog House and everything. She even had her own airship!

So she was rather concerned about him when he looked sad and murmured something about three years. "What do you mean, three years?" She tilted her head to the other side, trying to figure out what he meant by that. "Are you supposed to wait three more years before you can look at a girl or something? 'Cause I don't mind you looking at me."

Of course she didn't mind people looking at her. She was a Mithra. About half of what she did at any given moment was to get people to look at her.

Maix turned slightly red, as the girl spoke. He could not deny it, nor had he wanted to, however, so he replied warmly, although with a grave air about him. "No, that's not it," he said, "It's been three years since I was last awake, and I last saw my mother. She's dead now."

With this, he looked down, slightly. The last thing he had saw was his mother's death, and the sight had imprinted him; softened his sympathy, while also hardening him. He didn't want to wait for a reply, because when someone tells of a past loved one, it always made for an awkward moment. He resumed his positive persona before he spoke, shaking away the image of his mother.

"So what about you," asked Maix, "Wheres your parents?"

When she heard that it had been three years since he'd seen his mother, and that his last sight of her was her death... Well, Mairi's got a soft and sympathetic heart to begin with and that just jerked the tears out of her eyes quicker than she could tremble her lip and let them fall.

"You... don't... have a... momma any more?" Her lip trembled again and her huge blue and purple eyes dropped another pair of tears. She abruptly pulled him into her arms and hugged him. "It'll be okay... I'm not a mommy but I can be your friend! and Ilserun is really nice for an adopted mommy."

She sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks and tried to force a smile on her face because she knew that he was probably embarrassed about being hugged and everything. For some reason boys were like that, she supposed. She nodded at his question about her family and blushed slightly.

"Uhm... I kinda ran away from home. I had to, it was the only way to keep them safe... so I made my mommies and my aunts and my cousins forget that I was part of the family and I left to become an Adventurer." She looked up at him, still slightly red in the cheeks. "See, there aren't many boys among the Mithra, none at all in my clan, so I had two mommies instead of a mommy and a daddy."

Maix became frantic as the girl began crying. His chair made a grinding sound as he scooted it out and rushed over to her. Mairi, who was already from her seat, embraced him. Her tears fell, leaving dark spots on Maix's shoulder and the concrete. They stayed that way for a while, until he reluctantly and gently pulled away. The reluctance was obvious.

He looked slightly down into her eyes, and saw her facade smile. She stated that she was adopted, and sympathy drifted into Maix. "At least she has..." he mentally trailed off. Mairi then explained what had become of her original family. She had ran away from home, to keep her home safe. "She's really something," thought Maix, "She would leave everything she's known, and remove herself from the bliss of love for the protection of the ones she loved."

The boy gave Mairi a heartfelt smile, as they stood there. A cold fall breeze swept across, making some of the foliage on the ground scatter. The wind truly was cold. The sun was setting behind a tall mountain, and the moon could be seen rising over the horizon respectively in the opposite direction.

Mairi returned the soft smile that he offered her with a growing blush. She liked this strange boy she'd found. He was... he was nice. And he didn't mind it when she hugged him, and that made her feel oddly in the pit of her stomach and made her heart race slightly.

Night was slowly falling and cooler temperatures made her shiver slightly in the breeze blowing in from the lake.

"So... do you have any plans? Do you need to go anywhere? Or..." she paused, chewing on her bottom lip in nervousness, "would you like to travel with me?" She blushed brightly for a moment. "I think I'd like to show you the worlds, there's so many of them and they're all so different from each other. I've got a chocobo in my airship, but she's big enough to carry both of us, I think."

She hesitantly reached out to put her fingertips next to the palm of his hand, inviting him to take her hand in his, if he wanted to. "I... I'd like that... a lot." Her face flushed red again.

Maix noticed that Mairi was cold, and took off his orange overcoat, placing it on her shoulders, and buttoning the top few buttons so it would stay put. "There." he said calmly, feeling the icy air against his skin.

The girl then asked of his plans, and nervously offered for him to come with her. Maix didn't have anywhere else to go. He had nothing here, or anywhere else except for Mairi. He felt her hand against his, and took it, grasping it gently in his, their fingers interlocked.

"I'd like that too," he replied with a small grin, looking into her eyes. The beauty never faded.

Mairi smiled as Maix put his coat over her shoulders. He was so nice, and she thought that she could like him very much indeed. But then her smile softened a little. "Hey, now you're cold. I've got a better idea." She reached into her zipspace pouch and pulled out what looked to be a bit of fabric, but then it kept going, and going, and finally he would realize that she had pulled a very large, very warm looking cloak from that little pouch.

The cloak was of the strangest fabric, turquoise at the top blending into blue and then purple at the bottom and there was a hood on it.

Mairi giggled and stood next to Maix and spread the cloak over both their shoulders. It was more than big enough to cover both of them and then some. "We'll have to walk close together," she blushed slightly, "but I don't think that is a problem, do you?"

She took his hand in hers and pulled the cloak closed around them with the other. "My airship is just outside the gates, if you want to go there. I've got a Moogle friend and she likes to cook sometimes and I've got all sorts of stuff I can show you there, if you want."

For some strange reason, she liked the idea of showing him some of the treasures she kept in the hold area of the Skywing.

Maix blushed ever so lightly as the cloak was placed around them, and they were forced to stand closer. He felt strangely warm from the cloth, or maybe it was from Mairi. Nevertheless, he smiled as she held his hand, and listened to her speak.

"I think we'll manage," he said happily as they began walking towards her airship.

Their footsteps echoed irregularly as they walked towards the city gates. The sun had completely left, and the full moon was shining directly at them from just above the horizon. They reached the gate, and Maix smiled, while internally chuckling at the airship.

The Airship had feathered wings on the side, as well as masts and sails and a propeller at the back. The icon on the prow was that of a charging unicorn. There were two decks, the upper one with the wheel that controlled where the ship was going, and the lower one where passengers gathered for watching the journey or simple visiting. The upper deck sat on top of the Captain's Quarters, and there was a balcony at the back of the deck big enough for five people to stand on at the most. It looked like it had come straight from a fairy tale.

Maix turned to Mairi, who seemed very proud of the ship, ans grinned, saying, "You sure you can pilot this?" with a chuckle.

Mairi giggled at Maix's question. "I let Martika do most of the actual piloting. She likes it and I really like running around and watching the clouds pass by." She liked the feel of his hand in hers. She missed things like that since Tiran died.

She led Maix into the hold and closed the doors against the cold chill of the outside. Then she pulled the cloak off the two of them and set it on a crate that sat nearby. Shyly she pulled off the overcoat and handed it to Maix with a little smile. "Thank you."

There was a stall, of sorts, off to the side and inside the stall was something of a nest made of straw and fur and sitting in the nest, with her eyes drooped closed in sleep, was a great silver-gold chocobo. Even in her sleep, the chocobo hen crooned and clucked.

Scattered around the cargo hold of the airship were crates and boxes stacked everywhere. Some of them were open and contents strewn about, others were still sealed closed. Mairi looked around at her various treasures and then smiled at Maix. "This is my treasure room. This is where I keep all the things I find as I wander, all the things I like looking at and playing with."

On a bookshelf against one wall there was a blitzball, signed by the members of the Al Bhed Psyches. Sitting next to it on that same shelf was a small rod with odd buttons and decorations on it. In one corner there was a sword leaned against the hull of the airship, without a sheath. Sitting on one of the crates was a statuette made entirely of crystal of a woman wearing a dress with two great wings emerging from her back and a strange disk sitting behind her head.

"So, what do you think?"

Maix and Mairi entered the airship. He found himself in a chamber that held cargo, although it wasn't regular cargo, but a collection of treasures from other worlds. The teen took in his surroundings as he felt the cloak being removed from him. He almost didn't notice, but what he did notice was that his hand had been separated from Mairi's. She then handed him his overcoat, which he donned. The teen took several steps, spinning around slowly. He observed his surroundings with each step.

There was a majestic chocobo, a crystal statue, and many other treasures, each which received special attention from Maix. There was a Sword] that sat atop a small shelf. He looked at it for what seemed a few minutes, before approaching it. It was lifted into his hand, and he twirled it expertly before replacing it.

He walked back over to Mairi, who explained that the room was where she kept her treasures. Maix, as he approached, replied, "It's amazing."

When he had approached her, he took both her hands, and twirled her around stylishly, as if he was beginning a dance. Afterwards, he continued to hold both her hands, liking how their fingers interlocked perfectly, and said, "Let the good times roll."

Mairi watched Maix twirl the sword and then put it back in place with a smile. "I found that one on the bottom of a lake. I'm not sure why someone would throw a perfectly good sword into a lake, but there it was. I decided to bring it with me, even though I don't have a sheath for it."

She had to smile as he twirled her around. "I like that idea."

This was fun, the way his hand felt in her own, the way they moved side by side. She picked up the little crystal statue and held it for a moment, the smile becoming wistful. "A very good friend gave this to me. He said... he said that I was prettier than any angel that could be dreamed up." She sighed and set it down. "He's gone now. I can still see him sometimes, but it'll never be the way it was. I need... I need to move on, I guess."

She quietly picked up a dark blue stone and held it in her hands. "You see... he died. He died protecting me and... and I miss him very much."

She set the stone down again and took Maix's hands in hers. "Sometimes people leave us... but as long as we remember them and what they meant to us... then they're never really gone, you see?"

Maix listened intently as Mairi explained a few of the items backgrounds. Some them were joyful, but others had a bitter-sweet story. The male frowned slightly as his companion told the history of a little crystal statue. His hand never left hers as she told the sad story. "Its okay," Maix comforted, "Even though he's not with you, he'll be immortal in your memories. Hold onto them, because the pain can go away, but if you let go of him, what would you have to hold onto? The bonds you forged, and his sacrifice would be for what? He'll always live in your heart, and I'll always be here to protect you."

The teen then spun Mairi around again, with the utmost of grace, hoping to spark a lighter mood. He chuckled as he done this, with a bright smile.

Mairi smiled at Maix. "I'm glad that I found you." Her smile brightened even through the tears on her lashes. "I'm so very glad!" He spun her around and she danced around with him, remembering happy days in other places, and enjoying the moment as it was.

She had no expectations of tomorrow, though she was grateful that Maix had volunteered to protect her.

She looked into his face and realized that she was happy in this moment. As the circle of their dance drew to a close, she took a step forward and placed a soft kiss against his cheek. "My knight."

Then she blushed and looked away, suddenly shy for some strange reason.

"Me too." replied Maix when the girl said that she was glad she had found him. As they spun around, the teen pulled Mairi into an embrace, and held her. She kissed his cheek gently, and spoke. 'My knight' were her words.

"Always," Maix replied. For some reason, Mairi pulled away, and averted her eyes. The male placed a hand on her shoulder, speaking. "Whats wrong," he said.

Mairi blushed a deeper shade of red. "Nothing's wrong..." She looked down and shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back again nervously. "I just..." She looked very nervous indeed as she stood very close to him with her face burning. "I really like you, I think, and I don't want to... to..." She blushed brightly.

"I don't want to do anything that would make you run away from me."

She liked the feel of his hand in hers, of his arms around her. To be honest, she really liked that feeling and she wanted it to continue for as long as she could manage it.

"Did... did you mind it that I kissed you?"

Maix listened intently to Mairi, his hand still on her shoulder. The girls bright eyes avoided him as she spoke. "Trust me," said Maix, "There's nothing you could ever do that would make me want to push you away." He waited a second, and Mairi spoke again, inquiring if the kiss bothered him.

His hand was removed from her shoulder, as if to indicate that it did, but Maix snaked his head sideways and in front of Mairi's. He then kissed her lips, holding her in his arms gently. He reluctantly pulled away, and looked at the girl with hopeful eyes.

She heard his reassurance and blushed shyly, this time less because she was afraid, but more because she was flattered, and very pleased.

When he kissed her, though, full on the lips, and held her so sweetly, she felt a spike of excitement deep in her stomach, like lightning and ice were fighting and twisting there. She liked the feeling; she liked it very much indeed.

He pulled away, just to look at her face with hope shining in his own and she blinked her eyes open, a smile growing on her expression. "I liked that." She was still blushing, but she wasn't pulling away from him.

Yeah, she'd been looking for this feeling for a long time. Finding it now... was like finding Home again.

Maix grinned as Mairi didn't pull away. He liked the taste of her on his lips, and the glimmer in her eyes afterwards. He listened her, and answered, "Me too." The teen looked over the girls shoulder, and saw the moon through a window. It was late, and he knew that he had been denying his eyelids the privilege of closing. He saw it in her eyes too, and frowned slightly.

"Its late." he said. Ironic for someone who had spent three years in absolute slumber, no?

Mairi sighed when Maix mentioned the time. Yeah, it was late, and she didn't want to admit that it was getting late and if they didn't cut this short then Ilserun would probably walk in on them and Mairi wasn't sure yet how the dwarven woman would react to this particular sight.

"Yeah, I know..." She sighed again. "I've got guest rooms, if you wanna stay here. Tomorrow we can fly anywhere you might wanna go. Even to another world, if you wanna see any of them. There's this really fun place called the Universal Multiplex and it has trains that go to all the worlds."

She smiled at him. "I'd like to show you what's out there, if you'll let me."

As Maix listened to Mairi offer the guest rooms, he complied, and said, "Good night, Mairi! after kissing her again. This one was longer, and he pulled away reluctantly, and began to walk away, towards the guest bedroom. Mairi offered to show him the worlds, and the male stopped, and turned to reply, "I'd love to see everything, as long as your there with me." He then turned again, and continued walking, hands in his pockets.

[End Topic]