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!
So after hearing about the myths behind catching the sun- Libbs was more than 'lit' as the kids say. In fact, she was absolutely excited, and enamored with the idea. Which made a lot of sense. Little did Libbs know, Libbs used to enjoy holidays quite a bit. She was the girl who was screaming Christmas Carols at the top of her lungs- in the first week of December. Or would decorate her house in lots of corny valentine messages for the day of love. It made perfect sense that she was going to get stupidly passionate about the idea, and thus, she went out of her way to try and have fun with it.
It wasn't like she had anything else to do.
Now, notably. One of the traditions that had to be held was capturing the sun somehow. The sun had to be captured. And some people had some interesting ways of doing it. She noticed some people bathing in the sun. She noticed some people capturing it in jars. She observed some art pieces which would capture the light within facets of glass, spreading the sunlight in a delightful glitter against the stone and flecked against her skin. It stirred some thoughts, and some thinking. She leaned against a table, sipping away at what was left at her canteen, nodding disappointedly at it's emptiness once she realized her lips were still dry.
Thinking was thirsty work. Thirsty..
And what has been growing into a more common occurrence.. something.. fuzzy.. soft. Delicate, like the last leaf on the tree threatening to run away with the wind. Sometimes, a feeling of warmth would grow in her chest, and an image would play out, nostalgic and tinted with the feelings of fondness. Followed shortly by a period of emptiness, and loss..
She recalled looking down into a jar of sweetened.. something. It started with a T. It was her favorite all-time drink. She and her sister would run around, plucking various things to stick in the jar to flavor it, salvaging from abandoned backyards and what little woods they could call their own. She remembered the juice running down her hands as she would slide an orange peel into their brew. And in the sun, it would wait. All day. And they'd watch, faces pressed against the glass, waiting excitedly for their manic concoction to finish.
Maybe that's how she'll catch the sun. But first, she would need ingredients. Starting with the big one.
Without so much as thinking about what she was doing, mission assigned and ready to go, she waltzed up to the nearest stall, the nearest person, and slammed both hands down on the counter, and asked. "Hello! I am looking for a drink. It starts with a T. It comes in little baggies. Do you know where anyone would find some?" she asked. She had a fierce determination that blazed in her sable eyes, threatening to set the world on fire- before her brain caught up, and she sheepishly recoiled. "... please..? And.. uh, sorry."
Sascha was back on work, determined as always even though he had been gone for a while being sick. He had a lot of catching up to do and his mind was spreading seeds of design faster then he could cultivate them. So many ideas and so little time in a day, help! The heat of Longheat made the back of his shirt stick to his back and even though he had been working for a mere hour or two he was covered in sawdust and wooden flakes mixed in from various filth that so happened to occur when one was working. His hands had a few new wounds on them as well which means that all fell back inte it's normal place. Oh it was good being back to work! He couldn't even complain about the blistering heat because the pride of being back to usefulness overshined it all. His long, black hair was not freed from wooden splinters either even if he had bundled it up in a knot on his heat, hold in place by a simple leatherband.
The woodwork he was workin on looked spectacular to boot! A detail rich wooden bowl honoring the season that he felt that some lucky person would fall head over heels for once it was done. There was three different colored woodtypes merged into one piece and it came together beautifully! Everything seamed to go just right today and more projects were on his list after this piece was done! So much joy! He just had to carefully finish this rendition of a cloud in white wood and his masterpiece number one would be fully done! He had worked on this item at home for over a week and was gladly finishing it at the guild. A smooth, precise action from his hand and it was done, looking better then even his mind had played it out to become. He was just about to look up in triumph and howl a happy YES! when hands slammed into his table, almost making him lose his life from a heartattack.
He flailed in complete chock while grabbing his chest, looking up in horror over the newly arrived woman at his station. Holy fish jesus! Those big, black eyes looked at her in his complete startlement, trying to fetch his heart from the floor as he at the same time puzzled together what she was howling about. Did he just let his soul escape?! In a startled stutter he puzzled her words together confused and still frightened but on his way to find his place again. Bags? T? Whaaaaat? Ofcourse tea hadn't been invented in bags back in his time which made the seconds roll before he finally sort of figured out what the heck this woman was talking about. "Ehum.. i.. eh.. you mean.. tea? You need tea in a pouch?" His heart still galloping away in his chest but at least he started to find his way back to life.
Libbs blinked at him, giving a stupid smile as the name clicked. "YES THAT. That is EXACTLY what it's called! .. except, it's in a bag. Little white ones. Kinda like linen. But.. tinier. How do you even make tea without teabags anyways?' Libb looked at him rather quizzically, before her eyes caught the creation he had poured his heart into onto his desk. And while Libbs was no artist by a long shot, she could appreciate anyone with the talent.
"HOLY BISCUITS." she shouted, reaching out for the bowl, and looking it over. "This is ABSOLUTELY beautiful! Ahh!" she squeaked, energy high, but still being tender with the creation. "It's so weird. I never seen a bowl that has so many colors in it. Is there multicolored trees in this world? Or did you somehow magically glue them together.. or, did you MAGIC them together? And if so, HOW." she asked.. before she shook her head. "No, wait! I gotta capture the sun! Back to the task on hand. Yes, I'm looking for tea. But I don't know who sells tea around here. And you kinda look -" she cut herself, realizing precisely what was about to happen before letting it slip.
"Look.. um.. Well, you were the first person I saw. But hey, if you know who sells tea, I'd be really grateful! Hey, I might even take this bowl. Or better; do you know who may sell jars too?" Yep. Libbs was ALL OVER the place. She usually was. But, she did manage to come to some sort of conversational point the poor man could jump onto. "Oh.. my name's Libbs! What's yours?" she asked him.
Sascha fought with getting his heart back to some sort of rhythm as he continued puzzling her words which lead him to believe this was another person from his worlds future? It had to be right? Sure tea existed pretty much anywhere he thought but it was just a feeling he got from her.. in some way. As his heart slowed down it's stressed pace he swallowed once to get a better quality of his voice before he replied. Clearing his voice a bit now and then. Well.. ehum.. you boil water and put it in a teapot and rinse the leaves out as you pour it in a cup? I can't say i know a way to make functioning bags for it... unless you use some sort of cloth maybe." He pondered as she grabbed his masterpiece to inspect it. As she complemented it he felt that embarrassment he always felt but mixed with a fuzzy warm feeling in his tummy. He couldn't help but to lit up as the admiration came flowing towards him which almost even made him speechless. He was about to answer her questions but had to close his mouth again since she kept on going, more energetic then a buzzing beehive haha. He had to wait for a moment to speak and had to remember all the questions so he could do his best to answer them.
He memorized the questions, all the questions and was almost surprised when it came to the time where he was able to get a word in. He smiled widely however since he felt it to be quite refreshing to meet such an energetic person. "Well lets see if i remember all the questions then!" He said cheerfully before he quickly took the chance to keep on talking, before more questions came flying his direction. "First off i used three different types of wood to get the different colors, and it took some work since i had to make sure none of them were toxic haha. I melded them together with a natural glue and jigsawed pieces of wood to make sure it would hold together in the best possible way. As for the tea; im pretty sure there are a few people selling it at the marketplace but i feel the best way would be to go out and gather them ourselves!"
He had stood up and brushed off some of the wooden splinters from his clothing with that happy smile upon his face. He had no objection to helping out at all since that was kind of the purpose he had found in his life. To be helpful and kind. ".. and when it comes to jars someone in here should be making them logically thinking otherwise i'm sure i could make some jars in one way or another! Wood works but after a while it tends to wear itself down so it might be safer to find someone making glass or a type of metal." He had continued fixing himself up a bit from all the work dust before he put his hands out to greet the woman in front of him. "Nice to meet you Libbs! Im Sascha!"
Libbs smirked. "It's great to meet ya. You know, you seem like you really got a lot going on there. And you're really good at making things. Hey; would you be down for helpin' me capture the sun? I'll admit, it's a bit of a crapshoot if I'm doing it right, but you seem like you'd know where everything is. Especially the tea.. even if it don't have bags."
She nodded, and folded her arms. "See, my master plan is I'm gonna make a drink my momma taught me how to make. I'mma make me some sun tea." She tilted her head. "Cause what you do, is instead of brewin' it over a fire, you stick it in a jar, and get it real hot. Then you stick your favorite stuff in there with your tea. Like oranges. Oranges are real good. Or lemons. I dunno if we have any of that. But I imagine there's somethin' out there. Then we let it sit in the sun. And I'm not quite sure what the science is behind it. But it's like the sun.. makes it taste different somehow. And I like to believe it gets trapped in the tea. And it makes it SUPER delicious. "
"You could say you'd be drinking sunlight! Sun DELIGHT that is.."
She snickered at herself, absolutely pleased with the little bit of cunning that took right there, and she folded her arms. "So.. whaddya say? I mean, I'm newer than a spring blossom. But I'll be happy to share the tea once it's done!"
Sascha blinked a bit confused at first since he wasn't really sure how one captured the sun until he noticed he was way to literal. Of course it was meant in a different way than to capture the star itself. Lets me honest; that would be impossible if anything for a person to do, unless they were a god. He turned his head back towards his list of projects for a second but let it go just as quick. The list didn't run away, he had time to finish them later on. It was not like he was low on food or anything after all. So with that thought he let out a sunburning smile towards her. "Of course i will help you out" He said as he moved to the pile of notes to gather them and put them in his drawer to make sure they wouldn't get lost while he was away. He then walked around his workbench to stand in front of her. "So you have anything to trade or shall we go out and find our own ingredients? I have a few items i could use for trading as well but i kind of feel like the best result would be if we gather our own ingredients! Im not sure if oranges are present but we could most likely fins something similar. The more sunlight they are exposed to the sweeter the taste as well so we may be able to find some plants growing in direct sunlight?"
Yes back in his age on earth one was needed to know quite a lot about plant life and how to see so it was edible and free from poison. It was not like his age had supermarkets or such. And since he was chinese it was also universal to drink teas which made it easier for him to locate the right herbs.
"Let's go out, and find our own ingredients.." she smiled profoundly. That seemed like an excellent idea! A wave of nostalgia weaved into her smile and she clasped her hands together as she recalled the memory. "It'd be just like my sister and I would used to do when we were younger!" she nodded. "Though, I'm just gonna be honest with you right now. I don't know shit about where anything is." she frowned. "I'm totally new here. Literally got escorted in like a few days ago or something. And while I really am liking it so far..!" she scratched the back of her head optimistically. "I have NO idea what I'm doing!"
That was a bit too happy sounding for a bit of ominous information.
Still, Libbs was a positive creature, and her enthusiasm seemed to break through risks and hazards like a runaway train. "You know, I think I got some stuff we can use to carry the leaves. I picked them up from the last time I was workin' in the guild." she nodded. "Maybe we should run and grab one of those?"
As Sascha learnt she had just arrived in Caido he must say he was surprised how well she was handling the whole situation. He himself had lived in struggle the first time in Caido but she seamed to be doing well which was a VERY good thing! He had been foodless most of the time and not to mention homeless, carving some smaller figurines to trade just to survive. It made him happy that it went better for her without doubt! "Well you are doing great it seams! And ofcourse i will help you so much i can if you have any questions. You know; back in China, where i am from, most people are pros in finding ingredients as well and luckily for you we drink a lot of tea." He smiled at her while walking around his desk to stop next to her.
"Well then, lets grab it! After you!" He said with a smile when she stated she might have something that could help them in their quest.
Hold it. Libbs stopped for a moment. Her face took on a very concentrated look. A VERY concentrated look. Her brows furrowed, her eyes squinted, and her lips pushed together. The gears were clunking, thunk-thunk-thunk. And as it did, her eyes began to widen, and she blinked rapidly before a second, before she tilted her head, and said one very odd, and unusual thing.
"Nǐhǎo?"
Libbs blinked, and looked at him to see how he'd respond. Because China- she knew that word! She definitely knew that word! Because China, was a land. And there they spoke Chinese. And Libbs remembered learning Chinese. She learned it in school. And in a brief moment, this was her checking to see if what she remembered was actually real. As she waited for the response, Libbs walked over to her current project which.. seemed to be just sorting out some scrap. She plucked a very particular, rather modern looking tool wrap and her hoodie, wrapping it around her waist, and lifted up a leather bag.
"For the record, I don't know if what I said was right or not. I think it means hello. But, it's kinda funny because I don't remember much but I remembered China.. and.. Chinese.. Maybe you're good for my brain!" she chirped with a silly smile.
Sascha blinked in surprise as his home language came flying towards him as sudden as a lightning strike. Was there seriously a person in Caido that spoke Mandarin?! what.. that meant that this woman came from earth? In pure chock he said "Děngdài.. Nǐ zhīdào pǔtōnghuà ma?" in mandarin as an instant reaction. She did not look chinese and yet she spoke it? Sure a few foreigners had arrived to China in his time but to say it was a common experience would be a lie. Considering it litterally didn't exist better transportation then boats and horses were he was from. The suspense was immense!
He watched how she strapped on her gear as he waited for her to reply. And as she chirped towards him he couldn't help but to leave his stated of chock to give her a dazzlng smile in return.
She responded, a wry smile growing from one corner of her mouth to the other. "Wǒ cóng xuéxiào xué dào de. From School!" she smiled, returning to English. "But, you gotta be slow, and forgive me. Um, I'm still working on rememberin' things and I may mess stuff up." she admitted, her eyes blinking a bit and she looked a little uneasy on the ground. She didn't want to be totally disrespectful and he seemed like a really cool guy! So far- that is.
"Hey, let's head out then! I got what I need, unless there's anything you want to grab?" she asked him. "I got some tweezers, some cutters, even got some prongs if we need 'em. That'll help us get past any nasty plants out there. Think all we need is some bags and such. Think you got anything like that?"
Sascha smiled widely over the knowledge he had just learnt about Libbs. What was the odds that he would run into someone speaking mandarin in Caido of all places? It was indeed incredible! He was going to compliment her pronunciation but soon came to a new thought when she mentioned she had troubles remembering things right now. He could ask a lot of questions about it but something told him it was not the right time for that. It might be something that made her feel bad and that would not be a good thing at the moment right? So he smiled happily towards her while laying a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure you will start remembering soon!" He said happily before letting her go to walk to the closest storage area to open one of the big drawers while she kept speaking.
"I got you covered!" He chirped kindly as he pulled out two larger bags and threw one towards her. They needed somewhere to stash the herbs and fruits after all. Before leaving he took his new short sword and tied it to his belt as a signal he was ready to go. Before he had never taken a sword with him but since he had been training with Deimos he had started to carry it with him just in case. Small steps! Last time he had been out in the forests he had been chased by robbers after all. "Let's go!" He said while strolling to the door into the guild and open it to go outside. A wall of warmth from Longheat smashed into them as they walked out in the pure sunlight.
Libbs watched him pick up the weapon, blinking at it momentarily. "You know how to use a sword? That's good. Because I don't." she admitted feebly. Yeah. Weapon training was not something on the list of knowledge Libbs had. Honestly, Libbs didn't really have any combat training at all. The only thing she's really manage to figure out lately is that she had a penchant for taking things apart.
Locks. Boxes. Pretty much anything, she'd find out how to take apart. Putting them back together was another story- but even some of the artisans at the guild were impressed. She tackled gears and blueprints like it was a second language, and her memory was spot on. In fact, it was almost eerie to the extent of how well she could assemble something at times. Almost as if she had done it many times before!
But what does it matter now?
As sunlight greeted them, Libbs threw her hands up in the air, holding them to the sky. "Whoo! Praisseee the sun!"
"I am... passable, but far from a pro however. He said slightly embarrassed over his yet to be formed sword skills. He had only had some training after all but he was however a quick learner but how quick in sword fighting? It wasn't like he was the most strong type nor a person that liked harming anyone either. Heck he had cried as he accidentally hurt his trainer back in China and had become the army's inside joke before he left after all. But his friend Deimos had made him understand at least a little better that he should at least be able to defend himself. Not to mention him being chased through the forest by bandits and getting saved by the fairies (fae xD).
As they went out into the heat wall he let out a sigh of relief. Even though it was burning hot outside he didn't mind the fresh air at all, slowly he looked at his new friend before he asked the important question. "So, do you mind telling me about this myth i hear about?" He smiled widely as they moved their steps at the direction of the forest.
