Andria Andromeda Rivera and The Chalice of Belief

Seek, Seeker

"Always follow your heart, but remember to bring your brain along."
- Anonymous

Olivia gave Andria a look, but Andria didn't need it; She'd gotten up and was heading towards him already.

What had happened?

She found Jace leaning against a tree, looking tensed and stressed. Their eyes met, and she noticed that he had a hard, fiery, and yet a sad look in them. Nothing needed to be said, she knew, and her eyes spoke for her: Memories?

He nodded, "Mother."

There was a pause.

"Did it help you sort things out?"

She could see a smile tugging at his lips. The same situation had been reversed years ago, and Andria had just repeated what Jace had asked back then.

While he took his time, she leaned against a tree next to him, hugging it backwards.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably a minute, he replied, "I think it did."

Andria felt as though she'd run out of breath, "And?"

She knew there was more to it than just conflicting emotions. He looked as though he'd found out something, and was pondering it's worth.

"Andria, do you trust me?" Jace asked.

Andria almost felt like laughing. After everything they'd been through together, how could she not? The boy needed to come back to his senses.

"Of course not." She tried to keep a straight face, but her grin flashed through anyway.

Jace chuckled, "Well then, I suppose you'll have to. I think I've found out a route to take down Quietus."

And he explained part one.

"Wait. What?"

....

....

....

"I hate you."

"You do?"

"Oh so so much."

••••••••••

Mathew Scott would not have panicked under most situations; he found it most unhelpful. But when matters came to Melissa, well, things got quite bad. She was his only family, you see, and any sign of her getting hurt or upset always managed to get to him.

And so it was this he was pondering: how dangerous it is to become reckless after hearing some upsetting news related to his sister, as he sat on the ground, head in his hands, when he hear her voice.

"Mathew?" Little Melissa said. Her voice was a little shrill, as though she had just blurted something out which she'd initially thought not to.

He raised his head, "Yes, Mel?"

There were tears in her eyes, pleading tears, at that, and she looked scared, "Eava..."

Panic was worming it's way into his heart, "Mel, you know you can tell me anything, right? Go on, what happened to Eava?"

"I-I'm so so sorry." She said, "Jennifer went to get some water and left me with her, but..."

This was not good. "But what?"

"Eava told me she needed to go." She took a deep breath, but it did little to calm her, "All of a sudden, she woke up from her sleep, and said she needed to go somewhere, and that it was really really important, and her memories depended on it. She was sweating and pale, and yet there was a dazed-ish smile on her face that I'd been wanting to see for so long..."

"So you...?"

"I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen." He could hear the desperation in her voice, "She asked me to trust her, so I just... let her go." Her eyes filled with even more tears, "That was stupid, right?"

Mathew got up and wiped the tears, choosing not to answer, "Don't cry. I'll get her back. Thanks for telling me."

She looked up at him, "They won't send me back, right? Back to..." Her voice faltered.

He held her firmly by the shoulders, "Everybody thinks of you as their family, Mellisa. Nobody will send you or me back. From now on, only think of what lies ahead. Don't worry about what's passed, cuz that's what it is: the past."

She looked at him with her warm, brownie eyes, and her adorably sculpted, fresh-faced face. They looked very alike. Her tears had lessened, now, and there was a certain comforting shine she was radiating. She looked better this way, smiling and happy, and he would keep it this way if it were the last thing he did.

"Thank you." He didn't know who said it first.