dancing in the starlight

"The loneliest people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. The most damaged people are the wisest. All because they do not wish to see anyone else suffer the way they do.”

Thomas Benjamin Kennington (7 April 1856 – 10 December 1916) was an English genre, social realist and portrait painter. He was a founder member of the New English Art Club (NEAC) and the Imperial Arts League.

If you say so. So this is probably a bad time to ask how the family’s doing?

But it’s too late now.

Because that was, she decided, the best option. Her protegee was almost like a little sister, and Mae trusted the younger woman with a great deal. She could certainly trust her with this. She ran her fingers through her hair as she sat down at the bar and ordered herself a double vodka and coke, throwing it back quickly to get a buzz going fast. Her eyes scanned the bar, looking for two heads: one, Tauriel, because that was whom she was meant to meet, and two… Well, she was ashamed to admit that it was Orion she was keeping an eye out for. Whether to approach him or to dive under the table, she wasn’t entirely sure, but… It was certainly one of the two. She didn’t see either, however, and went back to stirring the steadily melting ice in her glass, waiting for her younger friend. 

Maethel knew nearly everything that had been going on in Tauriel's life recently. She was so important to Tauriel, and honestly, if she didn't have Mae to talk to or distract her from reality, then Tauriel probably would have shot the gun she'd put to her temple so many times. That being said, she loves it when Mae comes to her for help or advice, because often she feels like she doesn't give back nearly enough. Her own advice may be rubbish, but she's a very good listener, so she jumps whenever Mae asks for her. Tonight was one of those nights. Thankfully for Tauriel, she was having a particularly quiet night, and the Night Owl was right around the corner. She was there in no time, running through the door and looking around anxiously for Maethel... and after a short search, she found her at the bar. A smile grew on Tauriel's face and she navigated through the bodies to take her seat next to Mae. "I came as fast as I could," she explained. Unusually for her, she didn't order as soon as she sat down - instead she looked at Mae in a concerned manner and waited for her to speak.