High up here on this wire

LOCATION | City center of Grounds of Lily, near a bigger shopping area
DATE | 5th of April 2022
TIME | Afternoon
WEATHER | Sunny - about to get rather windy
ATTIRE | Link
TOPIC FOR | @Mateo xx
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Ayah had left her sisters be after the event two days ago. Jamie and Hope had been allowed their space to talk everything out, and the next step with talking to Mariella was another thing. But Ayah also knew when it came to Ella, it was a matter between Hope and Mariella. So, she had let them to figure things out. Besides, when it came to light of day. They all had somewhere they could turn to. She believed so either way, then there was her walking the lonely streets this afternoon looking around. And she had been okay, just enjoying watching people walking around chatting, taking advantage of the sun being out.

It was like someone just paused time for a second as she saw him. Not because she for the first moment knew him by name. Because in her nightmares she hadn't known his name. What did you call someone who could just show up somewhere and kill people they had never encountered before? The monsters that now still haunted some of her dreams. The things she didn't speak about, the nightmares of what had happened in the village. Ayah closed her eyes for a second, believing it was just her head playing a cruel trick on her. But as she opened them, he was still there, then he turned his head, looking directly at her. It was like a spike of ice just pierced through her from her head to her toes, froze her completely to the ground as she dragged a deeper breath in. Didn't realize she had held it. It wasn't till she watched someone fall down to their knees one by one trying to catch their breath, that she had completely taken people within her radius' breath away. Pushing herself just enough back to reality to exhale making people able to breath again. She started apologizing like an endless echo.

The heaviness of her heart beating in her tight chest made her, whilst her hands fidgeted and her eyes rushed around. She looked to find him again. But this time he was gone. Ayah fell a few steps back, closing her eyes for a second, but the screams, the flames, the dead bodies just played over and over in her mind, making her gasp a little bit, before she turned around to get out of the scene, she had to get away. The wind around her starting to act up making chairs as well as signs, alongside other objects take a leave across streets.

Even though that the wolves that had been prowling around the last couple of months, had been taken care of, didn’t make the workload any less. Which one might would have thought. But sadly, it had only made things even more difficult. He known had the job to make sure that the wolves that could be turned to see reason got a chance to redeem themselves, those that were too far gone needed to be put into facilities that could accommodate having pureblood werewolves. One thing took another, and before he had looked around it was almost a month since he had seen Ayah, and he hadn’t even been able to call or text her, being so exhausted that he always just fell asleep as soon as his head landed on his pillow. Work, eat, shower, sleep. That was his day, which also made them blur into one giant mess where he wasn’t even sure what day it was today. Other than he wanted to visit her now that he had a night off. Finally.
Mateo had stopped to buy some cake, but as he looked out the shops window, he saw Ayah standing there. At first a smile blossomed over his lips, until he caught onto the fact that something was dead wrong. His brows furrowed and left without saying anything, not hearing how the woman behind the desk were yelling after him, that he had forgotten what he had paid for.
The first thing that met him as he stepped onto the streets, were how air was almost sucked from his lungs. Luckily it quickly returned, and he gasped, just like the rest of people that were around him. She hadn’t even seen him, as she started to apologise profusely over and over, only ending up making it much worse. Tables started to vibrate by the café he had just been in. Some chairs lifted and flew around. “Ayah!” he called, walking towards her, not to fast but letting her turn and look at him. “It’s alright, breathe, remember to calm yourself!” he felt how the wind tried to take away his words and not let them reach her, which was why he stepped further towards her.

How hard it was to control your own breathing to calm yourself when your every breath seemed to get the air to act out. The mountains. She wanted to reach the mountains, where you could just scream into the open field and let the pulses of the strong wind go. How people sometimes underestimated the ones with the power of the air and their need of keeping everything balanced. She was so sure the wind howled her name, making her turn around trying to figure out where it came from but her mind so foggy and her hair getting everywhere she couldn't even really see anything. She managed to see someone trying to get closer to her, but even the slightest movements of her hands or arms in attempt to move her hair away from her face caused for the blows of the wind to act up. The vibration of the voice echoed like small whispers through the waves of the wind, trying to reach her, finally getting her eyes on Mateo. Blinking a little bit, and tried to take a deeper breath in and let it out softy rather than the rapid breathing she had done earlier in desperation. It didn't really change anything with the first few breaths, but then finally it was like the wind finally settled again slowly. And Ayah could finally let herself fall down to her knees in exhaustion and closed her eyes for a moment to just let her mind settle, "sorry," she mumbled a little bit running her hands through her now rather tangled hair.

It wasn’t the first time that he had witness someone burn out like this. It probably wouldn’t be the last either. Because in his line of work, and with having colleagues that like himself, were supernatural creature it just had another affect because emotions were much greater giving that there was also another factor that played in. The senses were typically much stronger, and therefore it was easier to get overwhelmed.  
When she started to lose strength in her legs, he quickly grabbed her around the wrist and kept her standing. “Let’s just get you home, alright?” he answered to her sorry, not really feeling that there should be anything that she should apologise for in the first place. She couldn’t control how she reacted, and with everything that she had told him had happened lately, he understood why it might be a little too much. The only thing that he wondered about, was what had triggered it in the first place. But that was something he would ask about, when he had gotten her home safely.
He turned around, but just as he was about to walk to her place, the older woman came out with the bag that he had forgotten in his haste to get out to his friend.
Mateo thanked her with a short smile, before he started walking to the small cottage that he had been to once already.

She took a sharper breath in, feeling rather dizzy from everything and her head bound to explode, but she tugged it all in again and gave him a small nod when he said they should get her home. So, she just exhaled a bit more softly and let him help her, because even if she was used to walking this path almost every single day, right now she could barely figure out where she was from how clouded her mind was. It was first when the older woman came out with a bag she somewhat seemed to at least ground herself a little, or at least it looked like a lot like it. Then heading towards Ayah's home, very thankful for the walk being so short that it didn't take too long. Ayah used her magic to open the door, not really wanting to waste time with her shaking hands to fish up a key right now.

Stepping inside it was clear to see how her shoulders fell down, releasing just a bit of the tension she had been building up. Her brain still a bit foggy, as it repeated to her just the person she had seen. "He was supposed to be dead," she mumbled a little bit, mostly to herself as she kicked off her shoes very mindlessly and entered the kitchen. Clearly walking in her own thoughts, pacing a bit around trying to make sense of everything. Then stopping closing her eyes shut for a second, she was still exhausted but right now her brain worked so high up on a wire that she couldn't even feel how tired she was. Ayah ran her hands through her hair. "I saw him," she said very confident to herself, then opening her eyes again looking towards Mateo and breathed slowly out. "He is supposed to be dead, but I saw him - fucking hell I'm losing it," she laughed a little, having one of those either you cried or laughed moments.

He watched how she kicked of her shoes while she spoke softly about the fact that someone was supposed to be dead. Last time they had met up, she had explained that a couple of things had happened. So, in his mind it could be a couple of people, not that he could place a face or name on any one of them. Which was why he at first didn’t say anything. Mostly just letting her gather her thoughts and feelings about what had just happened. Not that it seemed like it was going all that well for her.
Mateo looked at her when she finally let her eyes meet his, once again mentioning that she had seen someone, that was supposed to be dead. “Who? Who did you see?” he asked, trying to see if she could clarify. He didn’t say anything about the fact that she might be losing. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had succumbed to fear and grief, many months after something tragic and major had happened in their life. There was after all, no limitation date on when grief should end or start. He liked his lips and took a step closer and placed his warm hands against her shoulders, almost trying to bring her back to the ground. “What happened?”

Like the wind she flared up, could possibly have raged a storm if it hadn't been for the touch of his hands against her shoulders keeping her grounded. Ayah kept her eyes locked with Mateo's, trying to connect to her mind once again. Took a sharper breath in and exhaled a little bit, "I was out walking, and - I saw the guy who killed my parents - or you know, and the rest of the village" her aunt and unce, which still very much were her parents when you spoke to Ayah. "Or at least one of them, but he died - sometime after, but he died," she closed her eyes for a second. Now she knew of people with Mateo's abilities, and curses, stuff like that. But it still didn't stop Quentin from being a fragment of a nightmare that had come back to haunt her. "And he just starred at me, he knew -" Ayah nodded a little bit. Well, she had been the one to escape the horrible flames, the one to get away while hearing the screams echo in her ears as she had run to save herself. Ayah let her head fall down against his chest, and closed her eyes as she took a sharper breath in, trying not to get choked between sobs. But she just needed a moment with everything that had happened lately, just one moment.

“Okay” he simply said, nodding, to show her that he believed her. Even though he was supposed to be dead, it wouldn’t be the first person either fake it or come crawling back. Probably wouldn’t be the last. “Let’s get you down to sit” he motioned her towards the couch and gently pushed her down to sit, squatting down in front of her, placing a warm hand against her knee and gave her a small smile. “I’m not going to say that it probably was nothing, but you’re safe now – I’ll get you some water, and then we’ll figure out what to do from there, okay?” he said, almost asking for permission to stand up and walk back towards the kitchen before he did it. Not that he believed that he needed her say so, to touch something in her kitchen, but more in the sense of making sure that she understood that he wasn’t going anywhere, and if she would rather just having him stay right there in front of her, he would.

Sit down. Perhaps a good idea, she for a moment came a bit to her senses thinking about the event the shock had caused. Knowing no one had been badly hurt made her feel a little bit better, even if she felt horrible for having pulled people in because of a trigger. Ayah however walked with Mateo to the living room and let him guide her to sit down, letting herself fall down onto the couch. She took a slightly deeper breath in by the warm touch on her knee while keeping her eyes locked with his.  And most importantly, she listened. Not that she actually spoke a word, but she made a small nod. It was the thing with the two of them, even if Ayah right now was in a state of shock, this wasn't the worst state Mateo had seen her in before, the difference was this time they could actually help each other without getting punished for trying to do so. So, she let him go to the kitchen. Letting herself take a deeper breath in and run her hands through her hair, trying to push everything away from her mind of what had happened so she could move forward. Just for now at least. Ayah blinked a little at herself, frustrated that she had reacted the way she had. And the frustration could have caused another hurricane if it hadn't been for the fact that she right in this second was in more of her right mind than back at the marked. Because she did as a matter of fact feel safe.

“Okay, okay” he repeated himself and nodded, even though she didn’t say anything, he felt like he understood perfectly. So, he got up and walked towards the kitchen found a glass of water and started filling it from the faucet, every once and a while looking towards the couch where she was sitting, letting his own breathing settling in the process. Even though he hadn’t gone through the same traumatic events that Ayah had, it still wasn’t a nice thing to see a friend of yours losing it like he had seen Ayah do. How her powers had gotten out of control, and she had almost ended up killing innocent bystanders.
Then he walked towards her and sat himself beside her as he handed her the nice and cold water. “Here, drink this” he said with a small smile, and as she took the glass, he would lean a little further away, staying where he was but still giving her space. And time. Time to think through what had transpired, and then tell him what was going on, if she felt like it of course.

Ayah started to replay everything that had happened outside in her head, remembering how scared people had looked when they hadn't been able to catch their breath. Reminding her that her powers were just as destructive as any, yet control had never been the biggest issue, Ayah usually had great balance with her powers - it had just been a bit rocky lately. But given the events she had needed to process, it was something she allowed herself to know that there was a reason why her powers had acted up - rather than tearing herself apart for it, she did plenty of tearing herself apart without adding that event to the mix.

Ayah blinked a little when he sat down beside her, returning to the room they were in and took the cooled glass in her hand and took a few mouthfuls. "Thank you," she exhaled a little bit, closing her eyes for a second. "I could have killed them, just like that," Ayah took a sharper breath in, "I didn't - and I know that its the most important aspect of this, but it was still too close," she admitted opening her eyes again and turned her head to look at Mateo again. Then looking away again downing the cold water trying to wash down the guilt, the fear and everything in between that roared around within her. "I know you have better things to do right now," she took a sharper breath in looking at him again, "but just for a moment, will you just hold me?" Ayah asked with her voice slightly shaking because that was all the wanted right now.

“But you didn’t Ayah, don’t even go there” he nodded as she added the part about that she hadn’t herself. “There really are some truths in with great power comes great responsibility” he chuckled, looking at her drowning the water that he had gotten for her.
He raised a brow when she theorized that he might have better things to do now. He actually didn’t he had been on his way here; he didn’t mind that it had become a little more complicated than he had first anticipated. But it wasn’t something that she minded.
“Of course,” he said with a low and soft voice, taking the glass and reached over so he could place it on the coffee table. When that was done, he placed his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. Moving them both further back on the couch as he closed his eyes and just sat there with her. Listening to her breathing and the silence that settled around them.

She just let herself fall onto him as he placed his arms around her and pulled her closer towards him. Taking a deeper breath in to let the comfort completely overtake her, let the anxious thoughts fly away along with the nightmares that haunted her. Ayah exhaled again, keeping her breathing more steady, closing her eyes and just let herself be. It was a weird yet homely feeling that settled over her, possibly the most secure she had felt in a long time. Her heart rate started to lower a little bit, as the fright it had faced started to leave, leaving her feel unburdened by the dread she usually was filled up with. It was perhaps just first in this moment she realized just how much she had missed having him around, always able to ground her whenever she flew so high she barely could find her connection to the ground again, reminding her to breath. "This is nice," she mumbled in a lower voice while exhaling softly.

“There we go,” he said with a low voice, that could be heard how it vibrated in his chest. His eyes looked around a little, finding something he could study so his mind wouldn’t get bored while he waited for her to calm down again. Not that he minded it, but not really having anything to do would get boring for most people.
A warm and low chuckle left him as she told him that it was nice. “Well, at least one of us is having a good time” he teased as he looked down at her, moving some of her hair behind her ear. “How are you feeling now?” he asked with a more caring and concerned voice. Because despite having teased that one of them was feeling it was nice, he still cared for her well-being and if that meant sitting here for hours with nothing to do, then that was what he would do.

She took a sharper breath in, letting out a little half choked chuckle, “ having a good time and this feeling nice is two very different things,” she pointed out with a lower yet slightly joyous voice even if it was low, she hated feeling like downing the mood in any situation really. Then he asked her how she was feeling, and she took a deeper more collected breath in, before exhaling slowly, “ it’s better.” Ayah replied letting her hand touch his arm, giving it a soft appreciated squeeze. A huge part of her still wanted to apologise for this being how he was spending his afternoon when there were so many more interesting things to do. So, she also didn’t want to stay too long in his arms, yet the comforting feeling that was soothing her made it hard to get up. ”So, what were you even doing down town?” she asked with a curious softer voice as she exhaled slowly.

“Hey, don’t frown upon my words”, he laughed, shaking his head a little as he slowly let go of her so she could straighten up and actually drink the water he had brought. He was starting to feel it in his back; no matter how much he wanted to stay in this position, his body was beginning to fight against him. “Good, better is a start, especially better than feeling worse” he gave her a small smile and then nodded a little when she asked what he was doing in town. “Well, I was thinking I would visit you, which is why I bought cake” he pointed towards the bag placed nicely on her kitchen counter. “Thought I could hassle you for a cup of coffee or two, not that I have much time, but well”, he smiled at her and got up to walk towards the kitchen so he could get started, permitting himself to get a cup of coffee now that he was here anyway. “But now I’m just going to take one because that is the pay for heroes these days” he laughed and winked at her.

Ayah sat up as well once he moved a little, after all she had calmed down. She was okay, she had to be. Once again she took a deeper breath in, just hating how everything was falling apart in her, just wanted it to end. Then she looked back at him when he mentioned that his original plan had been to visit her, making her feel slightly bad on how it had started. Her eyes moved to the counter, then back at Mateo, "you just take - I think you deserved it after the stunt I pulled," taking a deeper breath in, shaking her head a little bit. This just wasn't the person she wanted to be, and hell she was stuck with a version of herself she couldn't shake off. "Will you make a cup for the damsel in distress then?" Ayah looked over her shoulder at Mateo in the kitchen.

“Hey, stop beating yourself up about”, he said with a soft smile looking at her from the counter where he started prepping the coffee machine. “The most important thing is that you could have killed them, but you didn’t, and with everything you have gone through lately, no one is going to think any less of you”, he added, then nodded when she asked if she would make a cup for the damsel in distress “That is what I’m here for, being the hero and making coffee for damsels in distresses” he laughed, knowing it wasn’t really correctly said, but he didn’t care. Standing there, he almost mindlessly started staring at how the black water dripped into the coffee cup underneath it. He remembered that friend of Ayah’s that had come by last he had been there. To think that someone that had lived so long but couldn’t really figure out how newer technology worked, it was still something that could create a smile on his lips.

"Sorry," she shook her head a little bit. Beating herself up was the sort of thing she was doing best. Ayah was known for being to hard on herself, and yet, it was like sometimes that she was a machine and it was the only setting it knew off, no one is going to think any less of you. Ayah pulled up in a small smile, "if you say so." She didn't fully believe it. But when your survival setting was put a hold where you assumed everyone was at least a little bit mad at you, it was hard not to think someone would plot against her. In reality it was her own mind that was her greatest enemy.

He managed to make her laugh simply by laughing himself, making her feel a little more at ease, so she got up from the couch, walking to the windows and opened them. Letting the smooth wind in to the living room, and exhaled a little bit, as if her thoughts were let out through that window. In hopes of setting herself free. It was a tragic set of thoughts that sometimes appeared in a mind that supposing should be so full of light and joy, how she sometimes could think that there was not much left for her here, that she was damage beyond repair. "So, what sort of baked goods did you get?" She looked away from the garden outside and closed the windows again, almost as if she indeed had emptied her thoughts into the wind, pulling up a warmer smile.

He looked up as she asked what he had bought, ”well it sounded rather fancy if I’m being completely honest”, he said with a smile while he scratched his neck “, but the lady was rather convincing, telling me that it was really good, something called apple pockets I think? It's puff pastry, and inside there are stewed apples” he explained as he could finally pour in the coffee, then he walked over and gave her one of the cups and then placed the other on the table. “Let me just find some plates; I think it could turn out rather messy” he chuckled and then turned to the kitchen. He started looking around until he finally found one, then he walked back and placed one on her plate before handing that to her as well, “feeling better?” he asked, giving her a smaller smile before placing himself on the couch beside her.

"It does sound rather fancy, I'm intrigued," she let out a light laughter. Apple pockets, it seemed like years since she had had those. Ayah took the cup when he handed it to her, taking a sharper breath in and moved away from the window towards the couch again. Ayah sat herself down and nodded to him wanting to find the plates. They were rather easy to find, especially as she with a single movement of her hand could open the cupboard door where the plates were so he didn't have to search for long. "Well I am a firm believer in; the right goods can fix every issue. Just like a cupcake a day keeps the doctor away -" knowing very well it wasn't how the saying went, but well as least she felt more back to her usual self than what she had moments ago. "Yeah, thanks for getting my feet back on the ground," she appreciated the help after all, knowing it was at time hard for her to be in her own body, especially with everything that was going on.

He shook his head with a soft chuckle “yeah, I’m not even going to correct you in that saying” he laughed; even though he was a werewolf and had a far higher metabolism, he still didn’t eat a whole lot of sweets and in particular liked to make sure to eat healthily and stay in shape.
His eyes redirected themselves toward her instead of looking down at his cup of coffee. “No problem, remember I’m always here if you need me; even if we did get separated for a few years there, we’d always find our way back to each other, right?” he let out a small sigh before taking a sip of his coffee. He was still surprised that so many. Years had passed, not because he felt like it had just been yesterday; they had met each other. A lot of time had passed them; he had been what felt like hell and back. And now he was finally here, sitting in her living room, sharing a cup of coffee and these really weird-looking apple pockets with fresh apple mush inside.

Her smile grew wider, even reached her eyes warming them up with the light they had lost for a dull moment in the chaos. Then nodding, "that does sure sounds like us," she chuckled a little bit. Ayah then took a deeper breath in, "the same goes for you, you know that right. If you ever need me, I'm there," she then softly exhaled. Of course she would be there, in a heart beat. "To hell and back, and hopefully not more times than already has happened," she lifted her cup up in a little toast, mostly she felt like she could say that without knowing just what had happened to him while they had been apart from each other. It was just a specific look in his eyes that made her know something horrible had happened, she didn't know what, just like he didn't know what hells she had survived. But they had made it here today, on or the other way it was how they had fought their ways out of hell that counted.

He lifted his cup with tea, and a smile formed over his lips. “To hell and back,” he mumbled before taking a small sip and then proceeded to take another bite from the baked goods. “These really are good”, he hummed, leaning back in his seat, enjoying some peace and quiet for the time being. She had been right. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be more times to hell—but something told him that life had only just begun to throw things at them, like a never-ending parade of things that life had accumulated throughout the years and was only starting to throw at them. As if it had been building up to an avalanche.
But he knew they could get through it; he had to; after all, his mother, despite everything that had happened to her, had always said that God didn’t give you more than you could handle; he would like to believe that, he had to believe that.

She hummed in agreement as she started eating, it was really good and just what she needed after the day she had. Maybe a single glass of wine with her dinner in the evening. Maybe it would just let her nerves go completely for the time being. Ayah hated feeling so fragile even if she knew she had the perhaps best possible reasons to be. "That was delicious," she exhaled as she placed the plate on the table when she had finished the goods. Ayah picked up her coffee to take another sip, "you know next time you come by, I will cook something for you -" she pointed out raising her finger a little to make it a valid point, well she enjoyed cooking it would be no issue or trouble for her. She just didn't know how much time she would have him here for, so Ayah would rather promise that she owed him one whenever he wanted or had time.