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[Personally, G'raha thinks Maeve should know that Val would be uncomfortable with that kind of affection, he certainly does, but he also understands the excitement of finding her again after so long, and how easy it can be to forget that missing memories can influence how somebody feels about you. It's not as though he's holding himself up as the perfect standard of 'how to treat your missing family who doesn't remember you', given that he's taken the route of just not saying anything]

It's lucky you managed to find her here [He's smiling, slightly teasing as he gives Val a mischievous look] Our beloved champion of Eorzea here does travel an awful lot.

I hope you've had a chance to reminisce, fill in some of the gaps?

[ Between Maeve taking the wrapped pastry and greeting G'raha, Val is given a little room to breathe. She feels as though she should be better about the closeness, because this is her family but old habits are hard to break, and Val has never been comfortable with such things.

(Maybe she had been, though, as some point. Maybe Maeve remembers that.)

She beams at G'raha. ] Maybe so. I didn't have anywhere else to be. [ For once.

Maeve is also smiling, directing them both toward the table she'd been sitting at. Her quiet male companion is still sitting there, looking about as out of place as Val was feeling just a minute ago. Some, Maeve says. I'm afraid I've been so entranced by Valeria's stories that we've had very little chance to actually catch up. ]

She does have many very excellent stories.

[He can't deny that, after all, but he is a little surprised that they're not trying to help her remember more of her childhood, if he wasn't such a coward he would be telling her all sorts of stories. But then, she probably hasn't volunteered to them how she feels about those missing memories..]

I hope you'll have time to, though, before some crisis or other calls her away.

[He turns his attention to Maeve's companion, nodding a greeting to him]

Oh, and this is...?

[ She's kept the stories nice and light; she's found that the stories people usually want to hear most are the ones she least likes to tell. Still, Maeve seems content to let her jabber away.

Maeve turns toward her companion: another Hyur with light colored hair and dark eyes. Not a looming or hulking presence, nor does he shrink into the background. Just... quiet. This is my partner, Alnod. We've been traveling together for some time.

Alnod gives a nod and a quiet greeting as Val and Maeve sit at the table. ]

So far, it's been quiet, [ and Val gives G'raha a mock scolding look, ] but now that you've said something...

[G'raha greets the man pleasantly, introducing himself in turn before turning to Val and holding his hands up defensively, mischief in his eyes]

It won't be my fault if something comes up, you know as well as I the odds are high that it will. You're too much in demand, my friend, though of course the other Scions and I will be happy to take care of what issues we can so that you have more time with your family.

[He smiles impishly]

Or you can go and save the day and I shall be the one to collect tales of your younger days. I'll write them down for you.

[ Val huffs, and leans over to give G'raha's shoulder a light smack. That's what she thinks of that. She turns her attention to her bag and pulls out a single jar of what G'raha will recognize as one of her favorites: a fruit preserve that she just can't seem to get enough of some days.

She hands the bag off to Maeve, who takes it with a smile. Thank you, Val. I never would have asked for any of this.

Val shrugs one shoulder. ] I know. I wanted to share.

[ Maeve sets the bag down beside her and leans forward. It's so sad, she says, responding to G'raha's comment. So many things we shared that Valeria just can't remember anymore.

There's a small twitch at the corner of Val's mouth. Her memory -- or lack thereof -- is not her favorite subject but she supposes that it's bound to come up in these circumstances. ]

[G'raha gives her a softly sympathetic look - he knows she doesn't like to talk about it, and he can't exactly blame her, so he's apologetic for being the one to bring it up, but he thinks this is a good opportunity - a chance for her to learn more about the past that's hidden to her. A chance he wishes he had the courage to give her himself]

Well, you will have to share the memories with her, and make new ones for you both.

What is your favourite memory? I would love to hear something about Val when she was younger, oh, as long as you don't mind me asing, Val?

[He knows he might be pushing too much, but more than anything he just wants to know that she had a happy life after he left Corvos, wherever she ended up. He knows she's doing well now, and he's so proud of her, but still the curiosity is there]

[ Val shakes her head. Had almost any other person asked, she may have shut the conversation down and moved on to other things. But she trusts that G'raha has her best interests in mind, and she does want to ask Maeve so many things. ] I don't mind.

[ Despite that, despite her reasoning, anxiety settles in her chest. (If they know about her disability, they'll never trust her. It's insidious... and wrong, she knows, but she can't make it shut up.)

Maeve laughs, excitement lighting her eyes. Oh, the stories I could tell you! Even as a kid, Valeria was always walking right into trouble... and usually taking me right along with her! ]

[He can believe that, she was always so full of energy, so ready to explore despite the anxieties that called her home periodically. He hopes those eased as she got older. He laughs lightly]

So she was something of a handful, then?

How old was she, when she joined your family?

[Maybe it's a strange question, but he doesn't think it's that strange, since there's obviously not a biological connection, he's just interested to know how long she stayed in Corvos after he left, and perhaps a little curious why she left - not that he can ask that part]

[ (Those anxieties never eased; she just found better ways to cope with them.)

Maeve's grin is full of nostalgia. A handful is one way to put it! She'd drive Ma crazy with worry, even as a young little thing. I grew up with her dogging my steps.

Val opens her mouth to defend herself -- and then closes it when she has no real way of doing so. ]

[G'raha's smile slips a little, and his brow furrows in confusion. Maybe it's just a choice of phrasing, but 'grew up with' implies a certain amount of childhood, especially when you combine it with the 'young little thing' comment, but unless he's judging her age very badly, she can't have been that young when Val became part of her family, even if she left Corvos right after he did.

On it's own, perhaps he could dismiss it, but when you combine it with the vagueness of her responses and the way she outright ignored the question about Val's age... he doesn't want to be suspicious, but there's just something about it all that's nagging at him... he's protective of Val, he doesn't want to see her hurt.

He gives Val a slightly cheeky smile]

I'm sorry, my friend, I don't mean to embarrass you, but the very image of you running around causing chaos, even as a toddler, it warms my heart.

[He feels bad for lying, even if he tells himself that the mental image does warm his heart, whether it be his own memory or somebody else's, but he knows that's just splitting hairs. It's a test, though, to see how Maeve reacts - whether she corrects him or not]

[ Before Val can even think about saying anything, Maeve laughs -- long and loud -- and Val wonders at the position she's in, where her newfound family is speaking with her dearest friend and she's hardly able to get a word in.

It does her heart good, though, to see G'raha happy for her. (Though she wonders at that slip of expression. Perhaps he was simply worried about embarrassing her, as he said.)

I'm hardly surprised that our Valeria has accomplished so much. From the moment she could walk, she was leaving us all behind. Maeve reaches out and settles her hand on Val's, smiling and shaking her head. ]

[And there it is. From the moment she could walk. It feels like ice down his back and while his smile doesn't drop, it does become a little fixed and his ears twitch before he can stop himself. He hates that he was so mistrustful, but he hates even more that he was right. Maeve cannot possibly have any idea what Val was like the moment she could walk, because she was certainly not present when G'raha - determined and insistent, barely more than a toddler himself - held his sister's hand as she took her first steps, their father hovering behind to make sure neither child fell.

His gaze drifts to the pile of gifts and treats that Val brought back with her today, and he feels almost certain that they're not the first. Yes, he can understand why somebody might want to claim a kinship with the warrior of light, why they might take advantage of her kindness. It makes his blood boil.

More than that, though, because while he's angry at Maeve for her lies, he's angrier still at himself - if he had just come clean and told Val the truth from the beginning, something like this never would have happened. And now... now it's harder than ever, but there's also no avoiding it, he refuses to let somebody take advantage of his friend, his family.

He forces his smile a little brighter]

She certainly has accomplished a great deal. We scions are all very proud of her, and you'll be glad to hear we're very protective, too. We'll all be there to protect her, no matter what harm may threaten.

[ Val isn't sure what it is that changes the mood completely. G'raha's smile becomes something frozen and his ear twitches in that way it does when he's irritated. Val's brow furrows and she looks at Maeve, who is just as blithely cheerful as ever.

But then G'raha speaks again and the first part isn't anything odd, though she does automatically shy away from the compliments.

The next thing, though? Val's eyes narrow, G'raha's smile is forced, and Maeve draws back. She reaches out and settles the tips of her fingers against G'raha's arm, even as Maeve starts to talk.

Oh, I'm glad to hear that. She deserves friends who look out for her. ]

[Val has noticed something has wrong, of course she has. Maybe he's being a little too obvious, or maybe she just knows him that well, even without her memories. He glances over at the touch on his arm, smiles reassuringly - as best he can, it probably falls a bit flat - and then turns back to Maeve]

Speaking of friends, there is a small personal matter I wanted to talk to her about, scion business, I hope you don't mind if I steal her away for a few minutes? We won't be long.

[He's already standing, edging towards the entrance to the rising stones part of the building, giving both Maeve and Val his best hopeful smile. He's laying on the charm a bit thick, but while he's sure Val will probably notice, he doesn't think Maeve will]

[ Maeve chuckles and waves them away, but Val's attention is on G'raha and his... whatever that smile is. Val follows G'raha through the door, carefully shutting it behind her before facing her friend. ]

G'raha? What's going on?

[ She's fairly certain that there's no scion business to address. ]

[G'raha gives Maeve another friendly - but entirely fake - smile and leads Val through into the rising stones. He's hardly surprised that Val immdiately wants to know what's going on, his ruse was not particularly convincing to somebody who knows him even the slightest bit. He sighs softly.]

I... I am deeply sorry, there is no easy way to say this, but I simply must...

[She's going to hate him after this, he thinks, but at least she'll be safe from whatever scam Maeve is trying to run]

I'm afraid there's no way that Maeve is telling the truth about her connection to you...

[ Val's brow furrows and, as she's wont to do when faced with information she's processing, her head tilts just a bit to the side. There's no part of her that doesn't believe that G'raha is earnest and completely believes what he's saying. (She doesn't think he'd ever be capable of lying to her.)

But when it comes to the family she's searched for for ages, she wants -- needs -- to remain optimistic.

Her voice is hard, flat: ] Explain.

[He expected that hardness, knowing how much having family means to her. It stings across his senses like a cut and his ears flinch away from it - but he knows it's deserved. More deserved than she realises.

He swallows nervously.]

I thought... I thought some of what she said seemed strange, it didn't quite fit with certain things I know to be true... and particularly...

[Why is this so hard? She deserves to know. She's always deserved to know...]

I know you couldn't possibly have been with Maeve when you learned to walk. I... I know who your family were at that age...

[ She, of course, knows that he's looked into her life. But that he hadn't said anything about her family always meant to her that he knew just as much as she -- which is nothing. He's one of very few people she's ever confided in regarding her memory loss, and he knows how much it bothers her, even on good days.

Yet he stands in front of her now and tells her differently.

(She's saving the information about Maeve for later. She'll deal with that when the time comes.) ]

You... what?

I'm sorry...

[The words are quiet and pained, soaked with regret - but he already knows they won't be enough, they don't feel like enough]

I didn't know immediately, I thought perhaps when the Garleans invaded Corvos that your parents might have sent you away to be safe, that you might have ended up with Maeve that way, but...

[He realises he's starting in the middle, talking in circles because he's still too scared to admit the truth. He shakes his head, annoyed with himself]

I'm sorry, I'm not making sense... I thought that might have happened because they sent your brother away first, because the Garleans were looking for Allagan relics and he... I...

[He looks up at her, slightly helplessly, motions vaguely to his eyes to try and explain what he was attempting to say, even though that's absolutely not the point and suddenly his words have dried up and he doesn't know how to continue]

[ She can't find words. Not after what he's saying becomes clear. Her mouth works, but nothing happens. Anger, betrayal, grief... it's all there, all coming in all at once and the only way she can deal with it is to set her jaw and work through it.

... she's not doing so well at working through it. Her hands are in fists -- she can feel her nails digging into her palms. She takes a few steps closer to him.

And slaps him. ]

Stay right there. [ And the anger is very apparent. She turns toward the door and stalks through it -- presumably to deal with Maeve while she has the anger for it. ]

[G'raha sees the hit coming but he's not fast enough to dodge it - he doesn't even want to dodge it. He deserves it, he thinks, that and more. He opens his mouth to try and say more, to find the right words that will make this okay somehow, but she cuts him off before he can find even a syllable.

He nods once, watches her leave and lifts a hand to rub his stinging cheek and tries very hard not to cry - mostly out of frustration with himself.

He also doesn't move - she said stay right there so that's what he's doing, his feet practically glued to the floor in the middle of the rising stones.]

[ Kicking Maeve out of Seventh Heaven is cathartic. There's some pleading and some anger and maybe Val causes a bit of a scene but there's not a single person in Revenant's Toll that would stand between the Warrior of Light and her righteous anger.

And, in the end, neither would Maeve.

Val is able to come back into the Rising Stones with a bit of it vented, but her eyes are still fiery, shining in anger-betrayal-grief. She walks past G'raha -- who, she notes with a sort of detached amusement, hasn't moved from that spot at all -- and motions for him to follow. ]

Come sit with me.

[ She leads the way to one of the tables and takes a seat. ]

[G'raha can hear some of the commotion from where he's standing and it makes him wince slightly - he would feel bad for unleashing that on Maeve but also she was trying to con his baby sister so she had it coming. Mostly, he feels bad for making Val that angry. He knows, or can guess, that much of her anger is actually pain, and it breaks his heart to know he's the cause of it. He had thought to spare her of any hurt, but he can already see he was wrong.

He nods at the instruction and turns to trail after her - if he wasn't so guilty and worried he'd be amused at the switch from her following him around in their youth. He sits, folds his hands on the table in front of him and stares down at them for a moment before daring to speak.]

I know you're angry, and hurt, and you have every right to be.

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