Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was difficult to imagine his mother as anything but strong and fierce. Lioe had been warned about Maritza's depleted condition, but even his story filled mind couldn't imagine her in such a state. Between that and trying to adjust to Matori's culture and climate, Lioe just wanted to find a bookstore and a deep corner to hide in.

There was no hiding away with Aerexa and Marcella though, and thank the gods, or whatever power was out there, that they had come along. He might not have stepped foot off of the airship without their support! And the trip to the healer's hut? He would have been worried about his death grip on Aerexa's hand had he been a physically stronger man. Carrying stacks and boxes of books couldn't compare to a warrior's grip. Still, it had gotten him to the hut.

Now that comforting hand was gone though, off giving him space for the visit. He was standing as still as a statue as he looked out toward the ocean, delaying going inside. The water was a different hue here... Lost in thought, he casually looked over at the steps he heard on the stairs without thinking. Was.. was that really her? He stared with unrestrained shock for a moment. She looked so thin... so tired... that blanket covering her arm...

He forced down the lump that was clogging his throat and turned fully. He could do this. He could he could he could. "Mom.." His voice was a dismal croak, which made the heat of self-consciousness fly to his cheeks.

A shiver crept up his back when he was seen. This certainly wasn't the mother he remembered. Not in the slightest. He nearly flinched from the raspy voice, unsure of how to take in everything he was experiencing in that moment. "I-" A flutter of the wind had cleared the blanket away with a dramatic flare, stealing whatever of Lioe's breath had remained. The tears started rippling in his eyes, and his hand rose to cover his mouth as if to hold back a sob. Was she happy to see him? Was she angry? That gaunt face was even harder to read than before. And so much of her arm was just gone! "Yeah.. Yeah, mom. I'm here."

At first, Lioe didn't respond. His mouth pressed with understanding, trying firmly to get his expression under control. His mother had been through enough without him gawking like a fool. He felt like he should say something encouraging or meaningful, but.. she wasn't wrong. He wouldn't have come all this way without someone special kicking his backside at the start of the journey. He was so busy trying to sort his thoughts that he almost didn't catch the second half of Maritza's statement. Almost.

His eyes widened with surprise. Perhaps he shouldn't have felt as he did, but after spending the whole trip assuming that she would be upset with him in one way or another... well, it took a moment to sink in. Once it did, he trembled with a mix of intense and childlike emotions. His mother was alive, and glad to see him! He sucked his lower lip into his mouth to chew on while his own eyes watered. He walked forward with a few quick steps to close the distance, but stalled right at the end. When was the last time he and his mother had hugged? Maybe she wouldn't even want him touching her after such horrible injuries?

He inhaled sharply to bite back a sob, voice tight with the restraint. "I'm so happy you're okay."

Lioe's vision blurred with heat the moment the hug happened. Honestly, it took his a second to fully react to the open expression from his usually stoic mother. His body shuddered with the relief of the broken tension while his arms quickly but gently wrapped around Maritza's frail figure.

She was alive... By whatever grace of nature, as beat up as she was, Maritza was alive. It made him wonder how he could have ever possibly thought it would end any other way. His mother was one of the strongest people he knew; his whole family was. He was a realist, but if anyone could be extraordinary, it was his family. His mother and his brother had both survived the impossible...

...and his mother's first reaction to seeing him was to hug him. He let out a shaking sigh, both soothed and overwhelmed all at once. That hug communicated more than any words that Maritza could have said in that moment. He closed his eyes and turned his head to let his tear-stained cheek rest against Maritza's head.

He thought he noticed her leaning on him more, but it was hard to tell with a woman who already weighed nothing while healthy! Lioe was able to support her easily, and he wanted to make sure she could tell he was willing to do so. Uncertain of how to proceed from the hug though, he waited for Maritza to guide the moment. He let out a tiny but playful snort and nodded his head. "He really doesn't need more of those."

He hooked his arm with Maritza's to assist her back to the stairs. Once there, he eased her down and went to grab the blanket that had fallen by the wayside. He let out a soft sigh and placed the blanket back around his mother's shoulders. "Anything I can get you?"

Just.. sit? That was all? Ah.. questions. He gingerly sat down and clasped his hands together in his lap. "Once I decided to come out here, I couldn't really tell Marcella she had to stay back. She probably would have found a way to sneak on the ship anyway to come see you. We just got here yesterday. Marcella's with dad right now. I'm sure he'll talk with you about when to bring her around." At least Maritza would be more ready to receive her daughter, so the meeting should be a little less shocking. Lioe felt a little bad for surprising her like he had, but he hadn't expected her to come outside so early either.

"The trip wasn't bad. My friend Aerexa came with us to help me, help us, get here." It felt silly to think about after the fact, but he knew he would never have made it to Matori without her. "Haven't been on an airship since the trip to Belrea. I had enough saved to get us good spots."

The rough laugh made Lioe jump with surprise. Had he said something wrong? Oh.. dad? Unique? "Just when I dropped off Marcella, but he didn't say anything about a gift..." Of course, he hadn't lingered for very long to chat either. Once he'd found out where to go to see Maritza, he'd gotten Aerexa settled at the inn and headed off. Any delay would have made him drag his heels even longer. Though, he had thought it odd seeing his father wearing a hood...

The teasing warning actually made him sputter with disbelief at the forward display, and the heat of bashful embarrassment crawled up his cheeks. "M-mom! It's not like that. She wouldn't want- I mean- It can't, you know? They don't- She's a Vandrea. They don't have accidental triplets." He swallowed a gulp of air which only seemed to fuel the unusual blush and huffed back out to quickly move on. "But what do you mean, dad has a unique gift? You said blessed by his gods?"