[Aiden]

The Laughing Solomon was a boisterous haven for the thirsty tonight, and as their group entered from the eastern entrance, they had to weave around tables and people before finding empty seats of their own. As they navigated the crowd, Aiden dipped his head to the ground slightly so that his hood would obscure his face. It had been months since he'd set foot into a town, and he wasn't sure if there were even posters still out there for him and Maaike. Bounty hunters wouldn't have given up so easily though. Luckily, the pub was only lit to medium intensity. Handfuls of cherry-sized shevrocks dangled along the walls and rafters in shades of orange and yellow, providing a warm ambiance to the building.

As part of the group separated to find the bar, Aiden helped Cain climb the stairs to the second floor loft. It allowed greater view of who was entering and leaving the pub, and if they needed to run, the windows were sufficient escape routes into the alleyways without having to bowl people over. They were in a fishing village near the Nubian delta, so it didn't surprise Aiden when he saw that one of the tables in the far corner had already been taken up by fishermen and sailors. Finding a table closer to the railings, he dropped into a chair and stretched out his legs. Xanth, he was so tired, and his wounds stung under their bandages. The pub was warm and muggy too.

Some of the freed Therians had opted to follow the Sullivan clan's group. Glancing over the railings, Aiden watched with humor as one of them hesitantly struck up a conversation with Kiel as the two waited for the barkeeper's attention. He didn't know how Kiel could still be so hyper after the battle and dealing with the sleep charms, but once they'd arrived at the village, the rutilus kept suggesting the pub with such enthusiasm that Aiden couldn't help but want to tag along.

At Aiden's side, Cain stared instead out the window. Their backup potions had helped stem the bloodflow and slightly heal the wound, but Cain's occasional grimaces showed that he was still in pain. Or worried. Nudging the boy's arm with his elbow, Aiden murmured, “Don't worry, Lersa will take care of your sister. They'll probably get home before we do.”

[Kiel]

“No, but the way you kept, like, stabbing that one guy with barbs or light, dude, that was totally awesome, you know?” Kiel was telling Lersa as one of the freed Therians nudged up. Kiel glanced at her, then back at Lersa, then back at the Therian. The bartender slopped down a tray of pint mugs and Kiel yanked his arm away with a yelp. “'Sup, dude?” He licked the spilled beer off the back of his hand and grinned. “Ready to get sloshed?” He winked and pointed his elbow at the tray where the mugs had lost half of their contents because the beer had sloshed over the edges. “Hahahaha, get it? Sloshed.”

Lersa groaned and buried her face in her palm. The Therian snickered, though, and that was all Kiel had been aiming for.

“Shut up, you.” Kiel kicked at at Lersa's heel - and missed when she swiped her foot away with a glare. Kiel would say they'd, like, totally become fast friends, like, she was awesome, and he was awesome, and they could totally be awesome together. Except, like, totally platonically because he knew he was awesome, man, but he was also taken. Like, totally off the market. You know? “So, dude.” He slung an arm over the startled Therian's shoulders. “How awesome are we?”

“Completely awesome,” Lersa affirmed with a prim sniff, totally mangling the slang. She plucked at the Therian's sleeve until she, like, slid out from under Kiel's arm and tucked into Lersa's side with a shy smile instead. Kiel leaned until the last second and then had to, like, jam a leg under to stop himself from totally face-planting into the corner of the bar. “Now grab those drinks and let's go.”

Kiel totally pouted. The Therian's mouth curved into, like, a shy smile as Lersa guided her back the way they'd come to the stairs. Kiel could just see Aiden's head over the railing, and he whined loud enough to, like, be heard from Espur. “He couldn't have picked a table down here? We' be closer to the bar!”

Lersa shrugged and said, simply, “Vantage.” And, like, okay. They had a bunch of very recently freed slaves, and two WANTED bounties in their midst. Yeah, like, okay, so Aiden had a point taking a high point so they could spot trouble before it reached them. Dammit.

“I still call dashiri poop.” he called - because she was already climbing the stairs, and, like, the Therian was hot on her heels. And, like, “Where the heck is Shane?”

[Maaike]

Maaike had lingered outside the pub for a while, tucked up in the eaves as an archon, partly to make sure they weren't being followed and partly to avoid the noise. Post-battle wasn't about celebrating for her, and she feared she might try to kill someone (namely Kiel) if they got too rowdy (namely Kiel) so close to the fight.

She was also kind of avoiding Aiden. Or, more to the point, her own decision to talk to him. She was indulging the coward inside her for a bit, afraid to discuss anything serious while she was still buzzing from adrenaline. Either she'd hit him, or she'd hit on him, and neither one would be healthy for either of them right now.

So by the time she walked in, they were already settled and Kiel had already - very loudly - got in a round of drinks. He was only two steps ahead of her on the stairs, and answered with a smug smile that, “Your special kitty-cat is chasing butterflies out back.” She still couldn't figure out how someone like him had managed to snag such an honour. She knew him well enough from their Acanthan misadventures to think he'd at least earned the privilege (as opposed to someone forcing Shane to bond with him) but it still rankled her. She'd grown up on stories of shadowkin and Chosen were supposed to be serious, glorious heroes, not mile-a-minute babblers with a fetish for yelling "I have a boyfriend!" every two seconds.

And of course, Kiel took the spot next to Cain - apologising profusely when Cain swore and Kiel realised he'd knocked the poor kid's bad leg. That left the only spot for Maaike right next to Aiden. “Uh. Hi.”

The others actually looked at her, surprised by her shy, meek, totally-not-Maaike awkwardness. Maaike scowled at them by turn until the looked away. Kiel even whistled at the ceiling, the ass. Maaike coughed and looked at the pint mug set in front of her, wrinkling her nose. “Why is half of this missing?”

[Aiden]

“I'd go with them if I could. I promised nana I'd take care of Bree,” Cain murmured sullenly, with his back slumping into the chair so much that he might have been mimicking a roly poly. Bree had grown up in clan territory, and this was pretty much her first venture outside without her family. If Edwin, Estelle, or Aki were at Bree's age and escorting escaped slaves back to their homes, Aiden would have been just as apprehensive, even if they'd proven time and again that they could take care of themselves.

“Got dinner rolls!” a gleeful voice crowed as its owner placed a platter of bread on the table. The bread was freshly cooked, and steam curled into the air above the platter. After passing one to her brother, Bree took the seat across from Cain and took a large bite out of one of the rolls. “Mmfmfh—shfo humvgry.”

“YES, someone thought of food!” Agreeing wholeheartedly with Bree, Aiden grinned widely as he reached for the bread. He always craved food after fighting for his life, kind of how he'd get hungry after shifting a lot, but worse. It was probably not just a therian thing though.

“The cook is preparing wings for us too!” piped Eilisa, and that seemed to brighten Cain's mood considerably. Munching on the roll, the boy sat higher against the back of his chair. As the younger therians started talking about the rest of the pub's menu, Aiden heard a single loud complaint among the general buzz of the crowd. Swiveling in his seat, he lifted his hand for a lazy wave as Kiel, Lersa, and one of the freed therians---Hayden if he remembered correctly---climbed up with drinks in hand. Maaike trailed after them, and despite whatever was going on between them, Aiden was still glad to see her. When Maaike initially insisted on staying outside, Aiden had really hoped that she could be here to celebrate with everybody else. A part of him also thought that it was reckless to be in this pub, among strangers who might recognize them, but...he really needed a break. If bounty hunters actually found them, at least they wouldn't be fighting alone.

As the group played musical chairs, Aiden winced sympathetically as Kiel bumped Cain in the process, inciting angry words and a glare. “Ouch, here Kiel,” he said as he threw a dinner roll. If he knew Kiel well enough, the 'vari was bound to be hungry.

In his peripheral vision, Aiden had noticed Maaike's hesitation before the redhead finally claimed the seat beside him. “Hey,” he grinned, although that wavered when he heard the uncertainty in her voice. Was she actually being...self-conscious? But her expression was quickly replaced by a scowl that pushed everyone back to their own conversations. Nah.

Eyeing Maaike's mug, Aiden saw that the contents were indeed lacking. Though he blinked and simply said “no clue,” Aiden had some suspicions. The beer could have been too foamy when poured, or it was more likely collecting at the bottom of the stairs. “Want some bread?”

As Aiden lifted the platter toward Maaike, Lersa leaned over the table and tsked. “Let's fix that,” she said as she lifted a pitcher toward their side of the table. The drink flowed quickly until it looked as if the mug would most overflow, but the bubbles merely clung to the rim. Setting down the pitcher, the apali tilted her chair sideways to make room for her wings. “So. Now that we've gotten rid of the lunkheads,” she said of the slavers, “Where are we staying?” They were days away from the Sullivan territories, and Lersa's group of freed therians had many miles of Daire to travel as well. Hayden, for instance, was from a small Sylvan territory near Zinovia.

[Kiel]

“Ooh!” The bread roll bounced off Kiel's face. He flailed and, like, flopped his hands around until he managed to catch it, then totally jammed it between his teeth to talk around it. “Yum! Thanks, dude!” Except it came out more like, "Gum! Maffurfle!" Like, but Kiel figured that since Bree was also rocking the garble, no one would mind him, like, talking with his mouth full either.

Cain grimaced at Kiel, then wrinkled his nose at Bree. “You two are disgusting.”

Kiel grinned, the bread roll dropping into his open hand and bits of half-masticated bread still lingering in mouth. “It's awesome, right?” He waggled his eyebrows to, like, underline the awesomeness.

Cain grimaced again and flopped his head back to stare up at the rafters. His whine hinged on the dramatic. “I wanna go hooooome.”

Bree huffed, swallowed, and smushed a roll into her brother's face as he squealed and flailed and back-pedalled awkwardly in his seat, like, trying not to jostle his injured leg while melding with the banister. Kiel giggled and pointed and tossed bites of bread roll at his own mouth; only half of them went in.

Hayden was a bit more circumspect, like. Before Kiel realised it, the dude had nabbed half the walnut bread and, like, “Hey, hey, dude, that's not cool! Gimme!” Hayden and Bree both snickered, juggling the last walnut roll between them and laughing like, like. Okay, so like, what laughed a lot? (Definitely not Zeph.) Kiel jabbed both hands randomly in an effort to, like, snag the walnut roll, giggling along. It wasn't even like he really wanted the damn thing but they'd started a game, okay, he grew up with a bunch of kids younger than himself, he couldn't resist. “Gimmeeeeee.”

[Maaike]

Maaike tried to ignore the rabble and focus on the actual, serious conversation going on around them. She offered Aiden a small smile as thanks for the bread he offered, picking out a couple of different flavours: one looked like it might have babana and dates in it, another had bits of pale pink glowing faintly under the pub's dim lighting. Rakeri, then, and an old favourite. The earthy, milky taste of the mushrooms went well with the chopped chestnuts. “Mm.”

Her own mouth full (despite a grimace of her own in Kiel and Bree's direction), she waved a hand at Lersa to stop the outpouring of beer and smirked. “Trying to get me drunk?” Lersa snorted and shook her head, glancing at Aiden and then back at Maaike with an carefully neutral expression. Maaike ignored the unspoken curiosity, but took it as the hint it was probably intended to be and tried not to hold herself back from Aiden so tightly. As her muscles relaxed, her bare arm brushed his and she shivered.

“We need to get off this road.” She wished they could take the Espur portal and cut the journey by more than half, but it was too risky. She and Aiden both had bounties, and the missing slave caravan would eventually attract attention. A bunch of newly arrived Therians running around the city was just a bad idea all around. She'd only allowed them this pub trip because it was too early for the slavers to realise their merchendise was gone. They had time enough for this. “Head for—”

Maaike stopped short and snatched the walnut roll right from Cain's hands before he could pass it back to his sister. All three of them fell sharply silent and gaped at her. Maaike arched her eyebrows at them. She had polished off her rakeri roll but the babana one was sitting half-eaten on her plate. She bit into the walnut anyway and grinned around it at Kiel's open-mouthed horror. See, she did know how to have fun.

[Aiden]

After setting the bread platter at the center of the table, Aiden picked a roll that smelled of corn and spicy peppers as he tore out a part of it. Directly to his right, the mayhem had spiraled into flying crumbs and giggles. Kiel was at the middle of it (though why wouldn't he be—he probably started it), hand waving in the air to intercept the game of toss. Grinning at the levity, Aiden turned and raised an eyebrow at Lersa's over-enthusiastic pouring. Despite the anyeli's denial of Maaike's question, Aiden knew that Lersa's sneakiness could rival a skotadi's. In their desert days, she'd pour a drink so fast, people'd lose count and get sloshed under the table.

He caught the glance from Lersa, and even Maaike visibly relaxed in response to Lersa's attention. The anyeli possessed a professional poker face, but if she was openly sending glances at both of them, it meant that she wanted them to fix the discord. Tilting his face so Maaike saw less of it, his wry smile at Lersa was one-sided. It's complicated, he wanted to say, though the small smile she returned seemed playfully unsympathetic.

Their best bet home was along the Espira and toward the mountains, and after that, hopefully grab an anka taxi for part of the journey. As he pictured the delta's region, an arm brushed across him to pluck the roll out of Cain's grasp. Surprised, Aiden saw the mischief in Maaike's face as she gloated over her conquest.

Hearing the chorus of 'whaaaa~aat' and 'heee~eey' around the table, Aiden laughed and leaned into his backrest. No one was really in the planning mood, and all their mugs were still full. “Hey everyone,” he grinned as he lifted his pint, “thanks for volunteering to come out here tonight...” As he spoke, he looked around the table at Lersa, Cain, Bree, Eilisa, Kiel, and Maaike. Rowley was with the freed slaves who had chosen to hide instead of going to the pub, and Aiden made a note to bring a pint back for the boy. “We kicked butt, and we got to meet a new bunch of nice people,” he smiled toward Hayden, Loren, and Braidy. “I owe you guys. Cheers!”

[Kiel]

Kiel grinned at Aiden's speech and lifted his pint in acknowledgement. Or, like, it was mostly a quarter-pint now 'cause he'd totally downed, like, half of it in one go (shut up, fractions, a ton had been missing before he even got it, okay?) “Here, here!” He slammed his open palm on the table top and then totally hid his wince because, like, dude, that smarted.

“Hey, hey, like, does this mean you and Maaike are, like, footing the bill for these?” He waggled his pint mug in the air and, like, licked up the sloshes from his wrist. “'Cause I am totally on board with that plan, man, you know?” He grinned, what his Dad called his "cheeky grin" and his mom called his "what have you eaten" grin, and then grinned even harder when Hayden, like, side-eyed him and scooched his chair away like Kiel was about to go feral on them or something. Like, maybe his cheeky grin had too much teeth, who knew?

“But, like, for sers, 'cause this was awesome, man. Like, my boss's kept me tethered to Alexshire since we got back from Acantha, you know? 's'nice to have an adventure once in a while, you know?”

Loren sneered at him. “Because slavery is an adventurer, sure.” Kiel just shrugged and gaped 'cause, like. Dude kinda had a point, but Kiel had been serious, you know?

Lersa stepped in - like, literally leaning forward to block Loren's line of sight sneer - and snickered. “Thought you said Zeph was your boyfriend?”

Kiel grinned the grin of the frequently laid, Loren forgotten, and downed the rest of his drink. “Like, dude, he so is.”

[Maaike]

Maaike pulled a face at their antics, but she'd appreciated Aiden's speech. She would have completely forgotten to even acknowledge the help, even though it came free (for the most part), and had to spend a minute admiring Aiden all over again. It was one of the reasons she'd come to like him so much. Once she got past that whole blind faith in his peers thing. He was such a good man. And she'd dragged him into her mess and lost him his job, his home...maybe even his family. taroch dung.

Maaike sipped at her drink, not quite apart from the rabble but not quite joining in either. She wasn't trying to be stand-offish, but Aiden's situation - and her part in it - was playing on her mind too much for her to throw one-liners and laugh raucously like the others were. Even that moment of tension between Loren and the idiot-mouthed Kiel had passed and been forgotten, if Loren's flushed face and dopey grin was anything to go by. (Maaike didn't bother to tell Kiel that most of the drinks were coming out of the money they'd offered to pay him. He'd said he didn't really want it when he realised what they were doing, anyway.)

Eventually, Maaike leaned over and murmured to Aiden, “Can we talk?” She had wanted to give him at least one night off from all the serious stuff, but she'd drunk just enough for it to serve not as courage but as anaesthetic if - probably when - he told her to take a long walk off a short pier. Just enough to curl her hand around his forearm when she hadn't deliberately touched him since the Big Reveal and wiggle his arm to get his attention. Just enough to lean in close so she could see the flecks in his irises. “Like, privately.” And damn Kiel for infecting her with his Dardanian slang.

[Aiden]

The beer was sweet and refreshing as Aiden chugged it all at once. He might have been too enthusiastic (or was just trying to catch up with Kiel), because some of the liquid spilled as he tilted the mug. Wiping his chin with the back of his free hand, he nodded obligingly to Kiel's question.“It's the least we could do.”

Kiel had been just as serious about rescuing the slaves, and he wouldn't accept any form of payment when he heard about the job. Back then, he'd said that he wanted a break from the workshop---and he was still saying it now---but Aiden knew better than to believe the excuse. Reaching for the pitcher, Aiden poured more beer into Lersa and Kiel's mugs as the talk smoothed over to the topic of Zeph.

However, Kiel's declaration was so smugly lascivious that it sent the table into a mix of groans and giggles. Tipping toward Kiel with a conspiratory smile, Lersa placed both palms on the table. “I've met Zeph before, and let's just say that Kiel's a lu~cky guy.” She waggled her eyebrows as she spoke, and her tone was so lewd that Cain choked into his drink.

Patting Cain's back, Aiden tried to save the boy from becoming redder by changing the topic. “So how's business at the shop now?”

Of course, Hayden had to side with Lersa and ruin it with, “Yeah, you guys play 'master' and 'apprentice'?” As the table grew rowdier with snorts and giggles, a waitress stepped between Lersa and Hayden. In her hands were a bowl of peppered chicken wings and another pitcher of beer.

With the newly-arrived food and refreshment, the table's conversation grew tamer. Aiden learned that Dragon Scales was doing well, that some rich dude paid Zeph for a custom silvery crossbow, and that the Guard still dropped by occasionally to restock their gear. As Kiel spoke about the Alexandrian Guard, Aiden maintained his smile and responded simply with “that's great”. What else could he say? Kiel already knew about the wanted posters and a bit about the misunderstanding with the Guard. However, Aiden never told Kiel about the mess with Droy, Renna, and most-likely Thanatos. He couldn't pull Kiel into this mess...he already felt responsible for involving the Sullivans, Lersa, and Kiel in the raid.

As Lersa and Braidy traded stories about merchant caravans, Aiden felt a light touch at his uninjured forearm. Maaike had been unusually quiet, and though she spoke occasionally, it was clear that something bothered her. As she spoke, she leaned close enough for Aiden to see the tinge of pink in her cheeks. Nodding wordlessly, Aiden stood to follow. He had some ideas of what she'd talk about, and despite feeling slightly buzzed, Aiden's stomach rolled with dread.

“Where you two goin'?” asked Bree in between giggles over Braidy's khimaira joke. Eilisa—the brat—glanced between Maaike and Aiden and waggled her eyebrows.

Aiden fumbled. “Uh, another round of drinks?”

“You two are the best!” quipped Lersa as she clapped her hands together. “Hurry then, before we finish this!” Standing, the apali reached for the pitcher with a crooked smile that promised the mother-of-all-hangovers for everyone at the table. Starting with Kiel.

[Kiel]

“Like. What do you mean play?” Kiel had asked it in complete seriousness 'cause, like, he actually was Zeph's apprentice, you know? Like, not so much these days because they'd spent all their time rebuilding the shop but, like, Zeph was still training him with most of his weapons and the dragon stuff, and, like, Kiel was learning the forging stuff mostly by osmosis and daily gaggles of questions that Zeph may or may not answer beyond a distracted glare. They didn't need to play at anything, so, like, he blinked at Hayden and his blurry twin over the top of his pint. He was totally hiding a lascivious grin, though, 'cause, like, Kiel Taskel was so not innocent any more, okay?

And, like, what he and Zeph got up to in the privacy of the back room was no one's business but his and Zeph's (and, like, Derry and Shane 'cause they were total pervs and liked to cuddle up under the cot or in the shop front while Kiel was, like, learning stuff).

When Aiden and Maaike stood up, though, Kiel totally waggled his eyebrows -- and then giggled his socks off when he realised he was totally a mirror image of Eilisa. He found himself leaning heavily on Lersa's shoulder, one of her wings, like, curled up around him so the edges brushed Hayden on his other side. Hayden kept sneezing and, like, nuzzling his cheek into the white feathers, and he'd totally had to pluck one out of his pint (with the most ridiculously confounded stare) at one point. It was hilarious.

“Yeah, like. Drinks, dude! And gemme some, like.” He waggled his fingers and waved his hand around his ear 'cause his mouth had totally moved and, like, “I'm so huuuuuuungry.” He tipped a giggle into Lersa's shoulder and nommed down on her arm until she swatted him away with her empty mug.

[Maaike]

OOC: I'd ordinarily be tempted to split this off since it's separate from the rest of the group, but then Kiel would basically be talking to himself until Maaike and Aiden got back, so. nvm. Also, crap, I said it was summer but it's not, it's winter in the southern hemisphere in June/Menenas! Oops?

Okay, well that was mortifying. Maaike scowled and hid her blush by ducking her head as if she had to watch where she was putting her feet on the stairs. She wasn't nearly as drunk as the rest of them so it was a complete act, but she was at least tipsy enough to feel steadier with her hand on the rail.

She stepped outside, though, rather than try to have a serious conversation among strangers while waiting for the pubmaster to serve them and their allies - friends - made a racket upstairs.

The air was crisp and chilly with the onset of winter. It was enough of a contrast to the warmth of the indoors that she tucked her hands up under her armpits and burrowed into her shirt. She kind of wished she'd brought a sweater. It would have been too much for the fight but she could use the warmth now. Or, well, the comfort, really, when she turned with a steadying inhalation and faced Aiden.

“I. I need to know.” She blinked a couple of times. She wasn't crying but she felt like she might want to. “Where we stand. If it was just me...” She'd leave him be. Offer him sanctuary on Sullivan Territory and be his ally, still, but cut him out of her personal life. It would be...difficult, but she'd do it. Because she couldn't let Sammy get too close to someone who couldn't like his mom back. “But it's not just me, so. And I'm sorry.” She winced and met Aiden's eyes for real so he'd know she was deadly serious. “I am so sorry I didn't tell you about Ashton. I can't say it wasn't deliberate because.” She shook her head and forged on. “At first, it was because I didn't know you, didn't trust you, and then. Because I did.”

[Aiden]

As he followed Maaike outside, Aiden tilted his face toward the skies and relished the crisp air in his lungs. It somewhat cleared the alcohol-induced sleepiness, and it also reduced the color from his face (by the Hind's teeth—Eilisa and Kiel were merciless). Maaike walked a few steps ahead, and Aiden watched as she paused and shrank inward, though she probably didn't mean to. Taking the cue, his mind churned to become more sober.

His eyes were still adjusting to the darkness so he couldn't see Maaike's expression, but he could hear the uncertain tremble in her voice as she spoke softly. For a moment, he recalled the day when Maaike revealed what she'd done to Ashton. It was the only other time he'd seen her like this, and the memory filled him with irrational dread. She'd promised there was nothing else to hide, and she'd said it with enough time and conviction for Aiden to believe her. However, he still couldn't forget how betrayed he'd felt that day.

“I appreciate that you finally decided to tell me...” he began slowly, and he thought carefully of what to say next, as if he were crossing a shaky bridge and one misstep would ruin everything. “...It's just...I've trusted you for a long time. Still do. But you waited until we reached the clan to talk about Ashton. To introduce Sammy too. When you could be sure it was safe.” Was that even trust? Aiden tried to keep the frustration out of his voice, because really, where else could he have gone back then? In hindsight, he'd been a fool to ignore the signs. “I would never endanger Sammy, you know? I wish you could've told me sooner. It hurts that you couldn't trust me to handle any of the knowledge.”

[Maaike]

“Oh, Xanth.” Maaike gaped and shook her head and wobbled her jaw on words that refused to come. “Xanth, no. Aiden. Aiden, I'm.” So sorry. But she'd said it already and it wouldn't mean any more now than when she'd said it before. She still shook her head again and heaved forward, hands coming up to clutch at his biceps - and then falling away limp when she realised how badly she'd messed this up.

She backed up a step, gave him room to decide how close he would let her. She yanked the hem of her sleeves further down over her hands and lifted them to her face to cover her mouth. “I knew you could handle it, okay? I mean, the thing about Sammy, at least. The. Ashton was.” She shook her head, frantically this time to get her late husband out of her skull.

Her shoulders sagged, though, because Aiden was right. She had both trusted him, and not.

“I didn't tell you about Sammy because I. Honestly, I was ashamed.” She blinked and looked away on a little shrug. “He was so traumatised after Ashton. He needed his family. But I needed - I needed to end it, to know Ashton's business was finished, that no one else would suffer like me and Sammy and Graeme, so. I left him. Aiden, I abandoned my baby because I couldn't just go home and pretend it was all okay. I was so determined to punish them - to punish the people who worked with Ashton. I knew Sammy would be better off with my folks because they're stable, and I so wasn't. I didn't want to scare him, to hurt him even more, but it's still, I still abandoned him, Aiden, and I was so ashamed. And yes, I was scared to tell you because if I told you about Sammy, I'd have to tell you about Ashton and. And I just. I couldn't - I wasn't ready for that. And I'm so sorry that I hurt you, Aiden, I really am just. So sorry and I understand, I understand if you hate me and. I hope you don't, but I understand if you do, and if you want to just. If you want to leave with them and lay low some place else for a while, I get it, I do, and I'll do everything I can to make sure your name is cleared.”

She had to gasp for air after all that, after the rush of word vomit that she really hoped amounted to a worthwhile apology, but she'd at least gotten to the point. If Aiden couldn't stand to be around her anymore, they could go their separate ways and she'd keep her word. She'd find a way to clear his name and keep him safe.

OOC: I'm skipping Kiel for a bit. Let's just assume he's still joking around with the gang.

[Aiden]

With bated breath, Aiden stood still as Maaike reached for him, her cold fingers barely brushing his arm before she retreated a few paces back. Jaw clenching, he realized how much his words had crushed her. The pain of betrayal had been true, and he told her because she wanted to know. But he didn't want this. He'd wanted honesty from her, and now her face displayed every emotion. Her voice shook in earnest as she released her torrent of thoughts. Damn, she'd felt guilty all this time. Not just about Aiden, but also about Sammy, Graeme, and Ashton's victims. Ashton had damaged Sammy and Maaike so, so much. Her situation had been to kill or be killed along with Sammy. Was it a wonder then, that she couldn't talk about the degenerate 'vari? About Ashton's demise?

“I understand if you hate me...”

Exhaling sharply, Aiden's breath rolled out as a fog in the sharp air. He stepped forward even as Maaike kept going on about how sorry she was and that she'd understand if Aiden left with the others. “No,” the word came out with emphasis and determination, “No, Maaike...We're partners, okay? Partners have to trust each other, and I was mad that you didn't trust me. But...”

Closing his eyes briefly, he inhaled before looking at Maaike again. He was putting his frustrations aside. “I think I get it now...you couldn't tell me about Ashton until you were ready to. It wasn't just about how I'd react. And yes, I would have asked about Ashton if you told me about Sammy—and I'm glad you let me meet him.” As he let out his thoughts, the stifling weight in his chest loosened for the first time in weeks. He was within arm's reach of Maaike now, so he slowly placed a hand on each of Maaike's shoulders. Eyes meeting Maaike's sapphire ones, Aiden offered a small smile. “We're partners, Maaike. I'll leave only if you want me to. I was angry at you, and that's not all gone yet. But that doesn't mean that I stopped caring about you. I care. A lot.” He didn't blink when he said it, and he paused afterwards to catch her reaction.

((Completely understand with Kiel! I'd feel bad leaving him to talk to himself too~!))

[Maaike]

OOC: EEK! How have I lost a week? Where the heck did that go?

Maaike sucked in a breath that chilled out from her chest and made her lungs ached, eyes shut when he admitted he'd been hurt by her lack of trust. She didn't blame him, she really didn't, even as a part of her argued that she hadn't really known him enough to trust him until he'd been burned by his guard buddies. It was long enough since then that the argumentative part of her didn't have a leg to stand on, and Aiden had long since -- long since -- earned her trust. She'd already said as much, though; said that it wasn't him but her that had made her hold back. It may be worth telling him that again at some point, but if she repeated herself now she'd just sound like she was begging for a forgiveness she didn't deserve.

All the strength sagged out of her shoulders, and the stiffness with it. She gaped at him a little because he was far more forgiving -- far more understanding -- than she might have expected. She'd hoped he could forgive her and, in retrospect, he wasn't the kind of man who wouldn't understand her reasoning when she laid it all out for him, but she'd still been so afraid he'd cut her out of his life altogether that she'd just. She couldn't. She was just--

“You're too good for me,” she told him, her voice weak and husky as she swallowed around a ball of emotion the size of her fist. “You know that?” She really didn't think he did, didn't think he truly understood how unique he was. Sure, there were people with the same kind of ideals and integrity, the same kind of struggle with their own moral compass when things went wrong. He wasn't perfect, wasn't so completely glued to the law that he let it eclipse his sense of actual right and wrong. But he really was decent, and it somehow still managed to cut her off at the knees once in a while with the sudden realisation, as if she hadn't known it already.

He was good for her, kept her own moral head on straight... but she sincerely doubted she was good for him. And that was just one more thing for her to feel guilty about, really.

“I get it, though. Aiden.” She reached out and actually touched him this time, though her fingers trembled and she was still hesitant about curling her palm around his biceps. “I don't. If you need to.” She sighed, biting back frustration at her inability to speak, and shook her head. She wasn't sure how to put into words that she'd give him his space if he wanted it, even if they continued to work together.

In the end, all she said was, “I'm really sorry.”

OOC: And I'm sorry for taking so long! I have seriously lost an entire week somehow. I knew I was out of it but geez.

[Aiden]

“You're too good for me, you know that?”

Standing there, with his hands on her shoulders and their breath fogging up the air, Aiden studied Maaike's face as she spoke with absolute seriousness. Xanth, she really believed what she was saying. The guilt was in her raw voice and downcast eyes. Lips quirking at the ridiculousness of that statement, Aiden laughed and shook her shoulders lightly. “Maaike. That's so not true.” Because seriously, Maaike has taken on a horde of malaki, survived the red mist, and taken on a slaver ring on her own. He had second thoughts about some of her methods, but her heart was in the right place. They took turns saving each other's asses. Actually, she super-saved his because he'd be dead in a gutter in Alexandria if it weren't for her. Avoided the chase from New Alexandria's Guard on Aiden's behalf, and she thought he was too good?

She was truly remorseful for the omissions, and her voice was tiny as she apologized again. At least she wasn't avoiding contact---he could feel the heat from her hands on his arms. Inhaling, he leaned in and kissed Maaike lightly on the forehead. He felt as if their talk had melted away the knot in his stomach. As he drew back, he spoke with certainty. “I know, and it's okay, we're good. I'm not leaving, alright?...”

And with a slight smirk---because their discussion had become way too heavy for a pub night---“Besides, we've got a handful of drunken kids to deal with. Do you really want to be saddled alone with them?”

((No problem Ems! Those weeks like to sneak past us don't they? ))

[Maaike]

Maaike immediately balked, backing sharply away from Aiden and gaping at him. “Dear Xanth, no!” She slapped her palms together in front of her chest — even though she hadn't backed off that much so there wasn't much room between them to begin with — and hammed it up with some tongue-in-cheek begging to put things back on an even keel and to hide the trembling blush creeping up her arms and face from the simplest, most platonic of kisses.

“Please don't leave me alone with them. With Kiel, Xanth, I know he's your pal but I will not be responsible for my actions if you leave me on 'Vari-sitting duty.”

OOC: They really do! I've been losing time a lot lately and I can't tell if it's my ME or if it's just the normal glaze of passing time.

[Aiden]

Maaike had looked so worried about being left alone with the chatty 'vari. Shoulders loosening as he snickered, Aiden responded with the air of mock ignorance. “I don't know what you're talking about. Kiel's perfectly fine without being sat on. And he's a great influence over everybody.”

He wasn't blind to Maaike's disapproval of Kiel, and he hoped the two would get along better someday. At least she respected the rutilus's abilities in battle. He liked Kiel, and the 'vari had a knack for dissolving tension from situations, even without being there.

Turning toward the pub door, Aiden tilted his head with an inquiry. “Ready to go back in? I wonder if the kids kept outta trouble.”

((Brief time skip for pub shenanigans? Or end thread? I'm fine either way!))

[Maaike]

OOC: I have no idea why but I just logged out of Maaike... only to log straight back in? And omg, I love puns so much. Aiden's hilarious, no matter what Maaike thinks.

Maaike bent double over a peal of near-hysterical laughter. Aiden's joke wasn't even that funny, all things considered, but it was so good to be back in a place where they both at least felt free to crack jokes (even if it was at someone else's expense). Maaike had been so tense since she spilled the beans that even a lame pun had an effect not unlike dynamite in a mine shaft. Her laughter was only brief, more of a bark than an ongoing chuckle, but she still clutched at Aiden's arm to keep herself steady and tottered after him to the door.

The burst of laughter from inside when she opened it and gestured Aiden ahead of herself had her peering around the door frame to see what was going on, only to sigh and pull back with her eyes rolling skyward.

“Please tell me that's not Kiel and Bree standing on a table. Are they dancing? I think that's supposed to be dancing.” She popped her head back in to check just as Kiel (accidentally?) kicked a (thankfully empty) metal mug halfway across the pub floor. He snickered and yelled incoherent compliments at the Rutilus who caught it with a reflexive snatch and an almost-reflexive sneer.

Maaike glanced up at Aiden with her eyebrows arched. Her lips were trying to curve up to spite her. “They are aware we're meant to be keeping a low profile, right?” She waved a gesture at the giggling pair as they stomped in circles around each other, arms hooked together and their feet somehow clomping like a herd of dashiri even though Bree wasn't wearing shoes. Maaike grinned at Aiden, broad and genuine and teasing. “Your turn to deal with the kiddiwinks, Sweet Cheeks.”

OOC: Shenanigans! We can't have a pub thread without them! But I godmodded Kiel so we can end here because I'm not really sure how to include a call to Zeph without Russ's presence/awareness/omniscience, funny as it would be, and I don't have any other ideas?