From being an Abandoned who had rarely left the Hollowed Grounds, to embracing the call of adventure, to dying and being reborn first as an Ascended and then as an Ancient, Maea has gone through quite the amount of changes in her life. One thing remains common, though, in her attempts to find out just where she belongs; she’s always had a craving for knowledge which has brought her to so many places and to meet so many people here in Caido. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for her!
Congratulations, Maea!
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!
I've been very hopeful so far
Now for the first time I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me this is all a dream
Or could we start again, please?
”But how are you at taking it to heart?” Phoebe asked. That was the real question. To be able to recognize good advice and to be able to implement it in one’s life were two entirely different things. She had a sense that perhaps Loren was the sort that was great at giving advice but not particularly good at taking it – not that she could fault him that because she was very much the same.
But she became distracted by Pim who was quite peeved by this disappearing act. A rather mean thought came to mind and she started to giggle, giving Loren a mischievous look. ”I think it would be very amusing if you conjured other things for him to chase and make disappear at the very last second.” she said with a snicker. Perhaps it wasn’t the nicest thing to do to lil’ Pim but Pim could actually be quite the big jerk. It would do him some good to have his ego knocked down a little.
09-19-2019, 06:21 PM (This post was last modified: 09-19-2019, 06:21 PM by Loren.)
LOREN
Phoebe's question caught Loren off guard, for some reason; he'd been expecting her to take him at his word, and not press the matter. Still, he responded easily enough. "I will try not to repeat any of my mistakes." That seemed to be the most important bit to him, though he'd concede to her for the sake of not continuing this conversation. "And I'll try to forgive myself for the ones I've already made." He probably wouldn't, but it seemed like the right thing to say in that moment. And he could at least try.
She couldn't exactly blame him for failing in that particular endeavor.
Quirking an eyebrow at the healer, the summoner looked between her and Pim. Still, she knew the dragon better than the Launceleyn did, so he just shrugged and furrowed his brow, focusing his energy. A wolf would appear in front of Pim; however, as soon as he attacked, it would disappear, and another would appear behind him, batting at his tail gently. The last thing Loren wanted was to hurt the little dragon.
I've been very hopeful so far
Now for the first time I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me this is all a dream
Or could we start again, please?
Phoebe smiled a little, glad to see him conceding a little bit. He had gone out of his way to make her feel better, the very least she could do was to help him in return. ”Trying is all that can be asked of you.” she said softly, eyes focusing in on the pink dragonling. He was about to be in for the time of his life.
When the wolf suddenly appeared, Pim roared and tried to chomp on it…but caught nothing but air. Then his tail was touched and he whirled around, roaring when he spotted the wolf there now. How had the tricky wild-dog done that?! Pim launched himself forward, intent to catch the disappearing wolf this time. Phoebe was snickering, hiding her mouth with her hand. It was a very funny milieu of emotions to sense from him, knowing that the wolves were just a play of magic and nothing more.
Trying was all Loren could really manage, since succeeding was probably beyond him. Admitting as much to Phoebe would just lead to more discussions that he didn’t want to have, so he just nodded and focused on his magic instead. It was easier to get lost in that then the dark thoughts lurking at the surface of his mind. As Pim went after the other wolf, the summoner banished it, before calling two more of the creatures into being and sending them in a dizzying spin around the little dragon. If Pim went for one, the Launceleyn would make it disappear momentarily, before bringing it back as soon as the dragon turned for the other.
I've been very hopeful so far
Now for the first time I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me this is all a dream
Or could we start again, please?
Pim roared in frustration as the wolf disappeared just beneath his claws. They weren’t supposed to be this fast! How were they doing it? The pink dragonling was quickly distracted by the circular frenzy of two more wolves though. With a snarl he lunged at one, skidding a bit as he ran into nothing again, then lunged for the other wolf which also disappeared – but then there was another one behind him again. Pim roared and charged, trying to bite and claw and zap and gore to no avail.
Phoebe laughed outrightly, her head resting back against the window pane. ”He is so mad.” she said between snickers, laughing at her companion’s expense. But as soon as Pim showed signs of wearing down, the little dragonling panting for air, she pulled herself together. ”Okay, okay, that’s enough embarrassing him for now.” she said, still snickering a bit. ”I don’t think I’ve ever seen him get tired out like that!”
As soon as Phoebe spoke, Loren dismissed his summoned creatures. Surprisingly enough, the Launceleyn wasn’t as drained from the spellcasting as he’d been expecting. Still, his reserves were stronger than they used to be, so maybe he shouldn’t have been shocked at this development. ”I have that effect on people. Guess it extends to dragons too.” It was a bit of self-deprecating humor, though darker than the kind he’d shown around the healer in the past.
I've been very hopeful so far
Now for the first time I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me this is all a dream
Or could we start again, please?
Phoebe smiled a bit at him as Pim panted, sniffing about and searching for his elusive prey. ”Well I have only been mad at you when I had blight rage, and that was the blight, not me.” she said in a teasing tone. ”Besides, most people make Pim mad. He is not a particularly patient creature.” she said, watching him quietly for a moment. Even though they were companions, connected in an inextricable manner, she still wondered a lot what went through his head.
”Thank you for staying and helping me feel better. I’m sure you weren’t particularly keen to.” she said with a soft smile towards him. She had no doubt he had come up here looking for some privacy, just like she had. Why else would anyone come up to this mezzanine that was almost never used?
”You were mad at me for how I treated Remi. Rightfully so.” And Loren knew that anger had started far before Phoebe contracted the blight. His eyes never left Pim, not particularly wanting to see whatever exasperated or kind expression Phoebe might send the Launceleyn’s way. However, when the healer thanked him, he shook his head. ”It’s nothing. And I’m glad you’re feeling better.” Whatever the summoner did and did not want didn’t really matter: Phoebe had needed the company, it seemed, and while Loren wasn’t the best companion he could do that much at least.
I've been very hopeful so far
Now for the first time I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me this is all a dream
Or could we start again, please?
”I suppose. But it doesn’t really excuse how I expressed it.” she said with a little shrug. Blight or no blight, she doubted anyone would want to spend time with someone that treated them that way upon first meeting. ”And since you had never met me before…well…I appreciate the opportunity to make a better impression. Maybe.” she said with a small smile. Pim eventually gave up his hunt, plopping down unceremoniously on the floor, legs splayed out while he panted, enjoying the cool of the hard floor on his scales.
Phoebe laughed a little at how Pim laid in such a funny manner before glancing back at Loren. ”What were you coming up here for?” she asked, curious now since he seemed to think the change in his plans wasn’t terribly obtrusive.
Phoebe was being understanding. Too understanding: Loren hadn’t meant for her to interpret in the way it seemed she had. ”No. You should be mad at me.” Everyone should hate him, and the fact that they didn’t, that they continued to be so weirdly understanding about his return continued to bother him. He didn’t feel like he’d answered for his sins nearly enough.
At the healer’s question, the summoner’s eyes flicked towards her. Given how their introduction had gone—poorly, at least until he’d managed to talk her down—and given the topic that had set her off, he didn’t know if this was safe to talk about the reason he was here to begin with. Still, she’d asked. ”I was coming to help secure the temple for LongNight.” He watched her, warily, for any sign of an adverse reaction.
I've been very hopeful so far
Now for the first time I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me this is all a dream
Or could we start again, please?
She tilted her head at him, a bit surprised by his comments. ”I mean…I was mad.” she said with a bit of a shrug. ”But…you seem to be doing a lot to try and make up for it, and helping the community. And I don’t exactly know all of the details but I don’t think there is a point in holding a grudge against you. Especially since you seem to guilt yourself enough for everyone.” she said with a small smile. ”Besides, Remi has forgiven you. And if he has, then I do too.” she added. He was the one that had been hurt after all, not her. If Loren had done enough to redeem himself in the eyes of the alchemist, that was enough for her.
Securing the Temple for LongNight was just the sort of selfless task that she had noted before. ”That’s probably a good idea, a lot of people gathered here last year.” she said with a small smile. ”It’s a bit early to board all the windows and doors up but getting snowmoss under the floorboards would be good. I was thinking of opening up the college for LongNight too. There is plenty of space and medical supplies after all.”
None of them seemed to get it, and he ran a nervous hand through his hair. Loren couldn’t trust himself, so he didn’t see how others, how Remi, how Phoebe could trust him so easily. ”Remi is too forgiving for his own good.” There was a strange fondness in the summoner’s voice as he spoke of the alchemist: whatever they were, the Launceleyn still loved the other man, at least in a way. ”He’s too quick to see the good, too slow to see the bad. And yes, maybe I’m trying. But it’s not working.” Loren wasn’t really upset—although a shadowy expression flickered in his eyes—but he was owning up to the fact that his efforts were mostly for naught.
Her suggestion was a good one, but the summoner sighed, and rubbed his eyes. ”Wessex thinks we should congregate in as few places as possible.” Maybe it was dangerous, bringing up the queen, considering the healer’s dislike of the Ascended, but Loren was too tired to be diplomatic. ”But I’ll pass along the suggestion to her, if it’s alright with you.” If it wasn’t, well, he couldn’t stop people from scattering wherever they liked; besides, he’d already told Wessex that he personally wouldn’t make any decisions and that he’d trust her judgment.
I've been very hopeful so far
Now for the first time I think we're going wrong
Hurry up and tell me this is all a dream
Or could we start again, please?
Phoebe considered quietly, tilting her head side to side. ”He is. But the world needs Remis. People who are optimistic and loving and trusting…And it needs people like you who are pessimistic and self-deprecating and unforgiving…even with themselves.” she said, a bit of a teasing tone. ”Of course, maybe you are much more like Remi than that, I don’t know, but I have found that people who say that about people like him think very opposite of him.” she said with a small smile. ”So…maybe it would do you some good to take a page out of Remi’s book on this one. Learn from it and let it go. Life’s too short to get hung up on every bad thing that happens.” she said, looking over at Pim fondly.
As much as she didn’t understand the dragon, she knew that was how he lived his days, and he was very content and happy with his existence.
As he mentioned the queen and her statements, her expression darkened a little – though not for the reasons he thought. Her mind went back to the previous LongNight, of being at the Palmers, of running for their lives and then dragging Emmett’s near lifeless body through the snow of the Outskirts to the Rathskeller for safety. ”There is some wisdom to that though… I am not sure that the number of places matter as much as the distance. If people need to escape one place, the less distance between the congregation spots the better.” she said, her tone carrying the weight of experience. ”That’s fine by me. I am going to have it all prepped regardless. It is connected to the Sanctuary and Infirmary so better safe than sorry.” she said.
Maybe Loren should take Phoebe’s advice, maybe he shouldn’t. He hadn’t exactly proven himself to be an optimist when urged to by those much more compelling than the healer. But he knew what he had to say. ”Alright. I’ll try.” He’d at least think about it, and she’d have to be satisfied with that.
As she spoke about her LongNight plans, it occurred to the Launceleyn that despite the fact that he was nominally enrolled in the medical college, he knew nothing about it. ”Right. I...forgot about that.” It was better to say that than admit he hadn’t gotten around to any studying. Of course, seeing as the Dean had been blighted and he was the only student it wasn’t like they were holding classes. ”Regardless, it’s Wessex’s call.” At least it was the queen’s decision where Loren would spend LongNight.
