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!
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"Really? Why?" she asked, before Maea could stop herself. His tone had changed, grown harder, less mechanic, but while she did want to draw him out of his shell, it was not to anger or discomfort. Preferably. But then again, perhaps any reaction was better than none at this point?
As for talking about Noah, it was difficult. Quite necessary though, if she was to keep his memory alive, she in the end Maea shook her head with a weak little smile. "It's alright, I don't mind. We were very close. He was... about nine years or so older than me, and had a big part in raising me, since our mother died when I was born. He was as much a second father as a brother, and there was nothing I couldn't tell him." Not twins but still close as two people could be. With the bond of blood and kin tying them and love to strengthen it, their connection had run deep and true.
"He looked a bit like you," she revealed, considering Loren. "In height and colors, at least, though his eyes were paler blue, and he rarely ever stopped smiling." Not meant as a barb, merely a suggestion that they wore different masks to shield themselves with.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Loren turned to stare at Maea. Something lurked in his eyes, a cruelty and bitterness that he usually hid from the world. ”Because, in their minds, I’m a failure. For abandoning them.” Facing forward again, he picked up the pace, as if by doing so he could leave the conversation behind him.
However, he slowed as she began to speak of her own family. It was impossible to tell what he felt and thought as she revealed her own relationship with her brother. When she finally finished, he remained silent for a long moment. "I'm sorry for your loss. But I'm glad he never had reason to lose his smile." The words came out almost distantly, and he couldn't meet her eyes, choosing instead to focus on the hallways ahead of them.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
The tone took her aback, as did the look he gave her. Like she'd stepped into a wasp nest without realizing it, and only her trapped foot blocked the hive from lashing out.
"I'm sorry," she said, quite gently. "We don't have to talk about it, if it hurts." It was the same offer he'd given her.
Maea only shrugged when he commented. Appreciated the sentiment, knowing it changed very little. Except, perhaps made her feel a little less alone. "Oh, he lost plenty of things in his life," she said.
"I think it was just his way of coping. If he wasn't laughing he'd be crying, and that would not plow the fields, pick the apples or feed the children. In the end, we all just do what we have to, in order to get by."
Some laughed, others scowled. She was the kind to work herself to exhaustion, to stave off the nightmares just a little bit longer. Loren? She considered him, knowing him not enough to tell. Perhaps he would be the kind to drown himself, in the end.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Loren shrugged, the motion slow and listless. ”I got...I went crazy. Lost my mind and my senses for almost a whole year, lived more like a wild thing than a person.” Shooting Maea a glance, he grimaced slightly. ”When I got back, my family was mostly dead or had disappeared. When the remnants reappeared, I was less than conciliatory, so they declared me banished from the family.” The admission wasn’t painful, just a bit sad.
After she explained more about her brother, the Launceleyn remained silent, struggling to come up with a suitable response. Finally, he sighed. "A better way of coping than most of us have." The reply came out a little guiltily, but most just exhausted.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
She reached out a hand to his. Did not try to take it, or hold it; just brush her cold fingers against his in a quick, gentle show of sympathy. The horror of what he had gone through was not one she could fully understand, but she did know something about what it was to have been lost. To have to come back and face consequences.
"It sounds very unfair to me, that they should blame you rather than help you," she said. "One does not go crazy by choice, from what I've seen. It's as much a way of coping as laughing or crying."
The lack of compassion shown was staggering, if anything. But in the end, Maea still smiled at Loren, a little sad, knowing. "At least we're not alone in it, yes?"
Content to settle back into a silence for some time, she eventually turned back to him, rather curious. "What will you be doing, now that you're here? Are you working for Jigano still?"
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea's fingers brushed against the back of Loren's hand, he moved to clasp it behind his back. It was an almost instinctual response, back from when he'd been afraid of any touch, even the most gentle. "Yes well, I did say my cousin was a harsh mistress, didn't I?" The words came out a little more bitterly than he'd intended them too, and he looked away from her, almost guilty.
As he turned another corner, revealing yet another hallway, however, he smoothed his features back into a featureless mask. "Maybe you're not." The words came out quietly, without any accusation or anger, just a thread of exhaustion. "My brother appointed me Grand Healer." That too came out without any particular inflection.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
The way he removed his hand came as no great surprise. It was an invasion of space, one she probably would not have appreciated either, and Maea did not blame him for it. She retreated a little, increasing the space between them as they roamed the hallways; her eyes went back to absorbing the details of the palace rather than focus on the man beside her.
There was nothing much she could say to either things. Maea could not change his family for him, nor undo the past. And if he considered himself alone even if she was walking beside him, then... there was very little she could do about that either. Except perhaps remain there, until he felt differently. She had already offered him friendship, and would continue to do so.
"I see. Then... I might have to ask your favor for an appointment, soon," she said, after some time spent in silence. "It is rather likely that I'm going to need your help for more than just a tour."
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea mentioned she might need an appointment, Loren slowed and eventually stopped. He gave her a visual inspection, sweeping his eyes over her for any sign of injury or illness. Nothing immediately jumped out to him, so he returned his gaze to her face. "Not a favor, since it's my job to make sure everyone's healthy." Surprisingly, he had revived somewhat, eyes sharper and more focused even if they weren't happier.
Crossing his arms, he continued to regard her. "What's going on?" There was an intensity to both the question and the stare, one that hopefully communicated nicely that the tour wouldn't be continuing until she revealed what was wrong with her.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
At least that brought them away from the talk of grief and family. And if immersing himself into her health problems would help Loren, then Maea was almost glad she would be able to keep him busy.
Almost.
"I've always caught ill easily, since I was little," she explained, dragging her fingers through the white hair; while there were no obvious signs of distress, the girl was thinner than last time they met. Cheeks a little hollow. She looked tired. "I had someone from the Medical College examine me to see why.... and they said it's a problem with my body not defending against infections the way it should. Something about the 'immune system'."
She shrugged. "I've been well for so long now, I thought it was going away. But it seems I will get ill again, and when I do it's... usually pretty bad."
Maea fought an urge to cough, swallowing to ease the prickling in her throat. It didn't help much.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Nodding along to Maea's explanation, Loren gave no indication what he felt or thought about what she revealed. Indeed, his brow simply furrowed slightly as he considered the words. "I'm sorry to hear that." Though his words weren't warm, at least he'd said them.
Holding up a hand, he waved it vaguely. "I can heal you, and burn out any illnesses. As often as you need it." However, he found himself considering her carefully. "What, exactly, did they say about your immune system? While I may not be able to offer a permanent solution, the more I know about the problem, the longer I can keep you healthy." There was no pride or false confidence behind the words, just the same evenness he brought to most conversations these days.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Maea frowned as she tried to recall the exact phrasing used. It had all been dumbed down so that she would understand what the problem was - and there was no end to her frustration about her own lack of knowledge there - and between that and the daze she'd been in... It was a small miracle that she remembered anything at all.
"They said... that there was 'something' wrong with my immune system. That the parts in my system that defend against what makes people ill don't work the way they should. Or rather, that they start off good, but then don't do their job anymore."
She made a helpless gesture, apologizing for not having better facts for him to work with. "That's all I have for now. They said further testing would be required to know more."
Some color came to her cheeks at that, and Maea averted her eyes from Loren. Hoping he wouldn't ask how they'd discovered all of this.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Loren’s education was incomplete, so he didn’t fully understand everything that Maea was explaining to him. Frowning slightly, he found his fingers drumming a beat on his thigh. "Alright. When you do know more, I'd be happy to perform whatever treatments seem best." He tilted his head. "For now, if you'd like some healing, I'd be happy to provide it."
With that, he leaned against a nearby wall. As he waited for her response, he fell into a familiar breathing pattern: in through his nose, hold, out through his mouth. It settled his always uneasy mind. As he meditated, his magic leapt almost eagerly up from his soul. He'd had less of it recently, but as always it came to him when he needed it.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
She nodded, grateful to have escaped that little death of pride at least. But the motion only aggravated the itch in her throat until she could no longer stifle it, and the girl turned away, burying her mouth in the crook of an arm as she coughed. It was a deep, rattling sound. Not quite as dry as it had been, now that it was taking root in her lungs. No doubt she would be down with a fever before long, and from there... who knew how many weeks until she was on her feet again.
Once she could breathe again, Maea straightened and grimaced. "If you don't mind... perhaps it's for the best," she sighed. "Before it gets worse. I'm sorry, did not mean to have you working already..."
She hated being the burden. Having to ask others for help. Being this weak.
Turning to him, Maea wasn't sure what to do. Should she offer hands, come closer, find a private corner somewhere rather than stand in the middle of a corridor? Recalling the time he'd healed her after their adventure in the Labyrinth, Maea didn't think the latter would matter much, but you never knew.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Loren just shrugged at Maea’s reluctance. ”It’s my job. I should do it. No need to apologize for making me do it." Indeed, it was clear he didn't mind healing her. In fact, if anything the cough had caused a glimmer of concern to flicker in his eyes.
Although he could heal her without touching her, he'd found that it was less effective, both because he had less control and because it seemed less powerful, somehow. So he pushed off the wall and reached up with his right hand. Almost gently, he laid it on her shoulder. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
His hand started glowing a soft sky blue. It spread to her shoulder, then to her lungs as he instructed his magic to target the sickness that plagued her. However, it didn't stop there: he ordered it to do what it could for her immune system.
Although he couldn't fix the underlying problem, he knew from experience that he could replace blood loss. So he tried to do the same here, filling her with healthier fighters against disease. They'd still break down, but for now he replaced what he could.
