From Attuned to Ascended to Ancient, Kiada Njovu-Reyes has been reborn several times throughout her short life, but her fighting spirit has never once been diminished. With beauty, grace and a quick wit, Kiada is the whole package wrapped in an infectious smile. Recent endeavours have found her in the heart of the Hollowed Grounds, aiding the region and bettering it for her new Ancient kin, and whatever she does next, we know it's sure to pack a punch.
Congratulations, Kiada!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
Heart beating rapidly, her mind asserted a threat. Something in the midst, fiendish and nefarious, here to draw them in. How many times had it happened before? How many times would it occur thereafter? Driven, inherently, intrinsically so, by trauma, by childhood exploits, by watching things she loved disappear and die, she sought out the guidance of protection. Her hand wrapped around her quiver, quickly shoving it along her back, interloping upon her shoulder, listening, listening, listening to the drone of the elements rise up within its sanction. All she’d have to do is draw her bow, and –
She twisted around to the sounds of laughter.
To Maeve and the shawl. To clouds of bees dissipating, dispersing, to where they belonged. Rampant apologies.
Melita lowered her bow arm in confusion, brows furrowing, lips mauled into an obvious frown. “I wasn’t scared, I-,” have lost so many that everything becomes dangerous and deadly. But her heart pounded against her ribcage, and scorched along her lungs, and she couldn’t feel her limbs any more. “I need a second.” To breathe, wondering if she would’ve ever done the same to someone. If she had, unwittingly. Because it was a harsh, unwinding feeling – and she went to sit in the garden, on the soil, inhaling and exhaling, fingers tightening around hilts.
Guilt welled up quickly in her chest, her laughs dying out in seconds as Melita struggled to breathe. The Madame clutched the shawl tightly, brows pinching together and a frown of her own tugging on her lips. ”I’m sorry. I’ll… I’ll be right back.” She murmured, sending gentle instructions to Aidon along the bond to keep the honeybee company as she fled inside to retrieve something. Aidon moved over to Melita tentatively, laying his head on the top of her knees, warbling softly something that might have been an apology on behalf of his bonded.
Maeve reappeared a minute or two later, a steaming cup of tea in her hands, sweetened with honey and topped with cream. She knelt in front of the girl, offering her the peace offering, a soft worry dancing in her eyes. ”I didn’t mean to send you into a panic like that. Are you alright?” She murmured softly, eyes searching the face of the other as her stomach twisted with worry, hating to be the reason for this attack.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
Melita didn’t have any explanation on her tongue except for the past – moments collected and contorted in malicious manners, death too rampant, still too fresh in the back of her mind since that damned skeleton monster. Fangorn bounded over immediately once he’d sensed something was off, lending his support as vines wrapped around her arms, plopping him into her lap, where she instinctively curled over. When Aidon joined it seemed all the better, and her hands brushed over the top of his features, breathing easier, feeling the panic, the necessity of disaster and ruin falling away.
Maeve’s reappearance, with a cup of tea, lessened the need for hiding and coiling back into herself – lifting her head, fingers taking hold of the mug, the shaking diminishing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d react that way –“ couldn’t quite muddle her way through it, brows furrowing slightly. “I’m okay,” by way of reassurance, even if she wasn’t; didn’t know how to explain it. The tea was warm though, and she raised it up to her lips and strived to bring her mind back to the present; not to blows. “Used to fighting off a lot, you know?” And believing the cretins, the fiends, of the world would always be there – she just hadn’t been prepared for it.
Maybe that stung the most, even in all the innocence of the joke. “Sorry again,” she murmured. “And thank you. This is good.”
"It's okay. I didn't mean for it to go that way. I should have thought better of it." As innocent as a joke it had been didn't matter when Melita was so clearly upset by it. For reasons that Maeve couldn't fully understand, having never gone through the same trials that Melita had, so unfamiliar with combat and true loss due to that. The soft reassurance made Maeve feel a little better. As did the way she took the tea from her, cradling it in her hands before bringing it up to take a sip.
Maeve nodded, raising a gentle hand to the honeybee's shoulder, resting there lightly and offerings a reassuring squeeze. "I understand." She murmured softly, offering her a kind smile. Despite the fact that Maeve hadn't found herself in those types of situations, she knew what it was to be affected by past events in such a way. Storms, raging winds, and thunder never failed to make her tremble. After what happened with the Halenani, Maeve knew that next monsoon season would be even worse for her, already dreading the anxiety that would come. Even with Safrin's new shield that would defend them from the worst of the storms.
"It's the least I can do. I can give you some of this blend to take with you. Along with the honey." She offered her a small smile, hoping that this at least soothe the honeybee enough that they could salvage the afternoon.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
“You didn’t know,” she mumbled; though neither had she. It had called back to the Rift – where monsters roamed and she’d been a shield, a protector, for her sibling until she failed at that too. Shadows crept and maneuvered, devouring, consuming, bludgeoning, and then there’d been nothing left. But those immoral stirrings hadn’t been within her pulse for a long, long while; preparation had always been key. Perhaps that was where her mind and body had reacted; no weapons in hand, no way to rally, no way to soften the blows – like that poor man on the skeletal beast – nowhere to go but to demise.
She sipped at the tea more delicately now, wrapped up in companions and warmth. A long sigh warred through her, schooling her expression into something neutral, rather than the blank insistence of trauma, or the tempestuous edges curling at her seams. Her eyes lifted back up to Maeve, giving some semblance of a weak smile. “That would be lovely, thank you.” And then the gaze settled on the beehives, on the honey left alone in the squall. “I can finish this, and then maybe we can try again?”
Neither of them had known, but it didn't change that Maeve still felt guilty for how it all played out. The last thing she had wanted to do was upset Melita, to send her into something so nerve wracking and visceral. They both sat quietly, Melita sipping at her tea and Maeve crouching before her, both of the companions curled around her in comfort. She watched closely as Melita came back to herself slowly, finding her footing once more, managing a weak smile in her direction.
The Madame smiled back gently, "Of course. Whenever you're ready. We don't have too much left, but we can finish and jar it all up together." Maeve murmured, giving her shoulder another gentle squeeze, waiting for Melita to be ready before standing once more. She offered a hand to the honeybee, helping her to her feet before they both drift back towards the hives once more. The bees are still bumbling about lazily, not at all bothered by their approach, taking up her tools once more to start working all over.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
A few more sips, and she’d finished off the tea – comforting, tranquil, serene again. When she was ready, and her limbs didn’t shake, her fingers didn’t quiver, her hands didn’t itch for a weapon to bombard and bulldoze the world around her, the honeybee stood, accepting Maeve’s hand and invitation. “Okay. That sounds good.” Obliging, accepting, she bent down and hastened Fangorn off her lap, and gave Aidon another firm scratch of the head; grateful and obliging to them both.
Then she released the Madame, and walked, not shakily, but resolutely, determined, over to where they’d been working. Trying to force and forge it all away, pretend like it never happened, drift back into sanctities and sanctums before she’d found some inexplicable way to mar and blemish it. Digits reached for tools, ready to resume scraping it all down, swallowing a length of bile pulsing down her throat, before beginning again. Not wanting to talk about whatever they’d experienced, she placated, strived to find something else to discuss. “What else do you do with the honey?”
Back to work they go and it's easy to fall back into the rhythm of it. They scrape and deposit the comb into the sieves, letting the honey drain away, leaving the delicious comb behind for its own consumption and use. Maeve scraped another satisfying row of comb from the frame, "Oh it's used for a lot. Burns, infection, sore throats, and colds. It can help with allergies when taken daily as you're ingesting the pollen from the area. Then for all sorts of things in the kitchen. It has a lot of uses." She explained, glancing up at Melita and offering her a small smile.
"You can use the comb too. It can be eaten as is, spread on bread, had with cheese, or any number of things. You can also process it and use the wax for a multitude of things. Candles, balms, cork wax, polish... A lot can be done with it." Maeve scraped the last bit of comb from her frame, straightening up and rubbing at her aching back.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
The question had been asked, but there was scarcely any processing behind it. The answers volleyed into familiarity; somewhere between things her mother had done with similar herbs and plants, and in mannerisms of lost time, factions. A few nods were here and there, committed to her work, thoughts scattered and loose, distracted and deterred.
Her interest piqued at the semblance of using the comb however, staring down at the one in her hand. “Eaten as is? You just bite down?” Her head tilted, perplexed, not quite daring enough to try it; not right now. “Very clever of you to have all of this then,” she smiled; a half-grin, tired, exhausted, drained somewhere in the midst of fading embers. Her eyes went to the way Maeve rubbed her back though, adjusting her own composition. “Do you need anything?”
Maeve laughed at the look Melita gave her when she mentioned that it could just be eaten by itself. She nodded, grinning at the honeybee and grabbing a smaller piece of honeycomb, popping it into her mouth with a hum. Some of it stick to her teeth, but there is a burst of sweet honey there to coat her tongue, eyes closing for a moment to savor it. "Yeah, just take a bite. It's really good. It kind of sticks to your teeth, but it's really good." Maeve broke off a piece, offering it to the girl before she was straightening up and rubbing at her sore back, shaking her head.
"It's okay. Bending over like that always makes my back ache a little bit. If you want to help me carry the buckets though, I'd appreciate it." She grabbed one of the buckets, straightening up and waiting for Melita to do the same before leading her into the back entrance of the kitchen. There were various jars set out on the countertop, clean and empty, waiting for honey to fill them up. "So I got a funnel and what we'll do is one of us will hold the bucket and the other will help scrape the honey with the jars. Then we'll close them all up."
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
Melita watched, curious and inquisitive, as Maeve bit into the honeycomb. Blinking a few times, still a bit disjointed, rattled, and confused, her eyes widened again when it was deemed edible. “Huh.” She took the offered piece in her hands, but kept looking at it suspiciously, keeping it in her palm. “I’ll try later.” With a slight smile; a promise and conviction, and then permitted Fangorn to take hold of it in his vines, sniffing at it for inspection.
Besides, she was helping with bucket moving. Rising from her position, the youth could apply into some amount of force, motion, and precision, taking in another massive breath and sigh. Grabbing hold of the bucket’s handle, and followed closely by her companion, the honeybee contentedly ambled after Maeve, strong and direct, despite any prior circumstances.
She’d never been inside the Halenani, for obvious reasons, so her eyes circulated quickly over the kitchen, sizing up parameters, objects, naturally nosey. Eventually she meandered over to the countertop, listening to directions and instructions as she placed the bucket where it needed to be. “I can scrape if you want.” It might help with Maeve’s back too.
Maeve dumped all of the honeycomb from the sieves into a large bowl to sort through later. Some of it would be used in the desserts for the night, but the rest would be used for the various other reasons that Maeve told Melita of earlier. The kitchen they were in was outfitted just like any other. Various pots and pans hung from hooks above the stoves, a few ice boxes lined the wall, and multiple counters for them to work on. You would have no idea it was a kitchen in a brothel if this was the only room you came into.
"That sounds good. We've probably got at least ten to fifteen jars here." She unscrewed the tops of the multiple glass jars, grabbing the funnel to stick into the first one. Maeve found a spatula for Melita to scrape honey with the jars with, passing it to her. "I'll tell you when to stop so we can go to the next one."
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
While Fangorn paraded around with the small honeycomb piece as if it were a prize, Melita adhered to her task once again. Grabbing hold of the spatula, and ensuring Maeve was in place where she wouldn’t be in pain, the youth scraped away, content with the movements now. They were mindless, carefree, not requiring any modicum of thought, weaving steadily into muscle memory; much like her weaponry and armaments.
So she applied herself readily, waiting until Maeve told her to stop, before moving onto the next one. But something about the silence stifled, and while she wanted it beforehand, now she required some modicum of echoes and reverberations through the kitchen. “Have you explored much of the Wilds lately?” Nosy, curious, yearning to hear more about places she’d yet to set foot within.
Fangorn paraded and Aidon pursued, rambling and trilling, seeming to beg the vampire gourd for the piece of honeycomb if he had no plans to eat it. Before the dragon could get too push, though, Maeve offered him his own piece. Happily he munched on it, licking his chops afterwards of the excess honey, wiggling in delight.
"That one's good." Maeve murmured, helping her steady the bucket before grabbing the next jaw and moving the funnel, starting the process all over again. The question made Maeve pause, pursing her lips in thought, "I went to the Sallow Swamps with Ronin to hunt some pumpkins. I also went to Brittlebone Bridge. I haven't been able to do too much travelling through the Wilds. Can't risk getting hurt right now." Can't risk the baby. That part is silent, but she knows Melita is aware and will likely put two and two together. "Where are you going on the Ark this season?"
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
