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!
During one of Loren's regular visits to the Hollowed Ground, he'd decided to stop by the shrine to pray to Frey. They had expressed distaste at being called to the shrines in Halo, so the healer made a point of stopping by other shrines to the old gods when he could. After making his offerings, he'd shifted into the form of the lion he'd recently discovered.
Astra, after getting over her instinctual response to a predator, was curled up against his side. He was trying to get her used to him in this form. To facilitate that, he settled on the ground, half-dozing in the Flowerbirth heat. Sunbeams broke through the canopy, causing the fur to glitter in an oddly metallic way.
She's come to the woodland to clear her head, searching for clarity and space through movement. There was a time when she would practice regularly with her staff, finding respite from her thoughts in the act of breathing, the way her muscles ached from a workout. These days Amalia is rarely sore, but the weakness of mind remains.
Breathe in. Dark eyes close; she adjusts her grip on the hilt of her blade, aware of the shield on her arm, the balance she has to strike. Breathe out: a sweeping downward strike, silver arcing through the air, her weight shifting in the follow-through, body chasing the blade.
She opens her eyes, and that's when she sees it: a metallic glint through the trees. It registers something in her memory, but she cannot quite place what. Nova still held loosely in her grasp, Amalia steps toward the creature, reaching out in a mental voice that will reach companions and animals as well as Attuned: "Hello?
As the familiar voice echoed through the trees, Loren lifted his head. Astra, though, was quicker to respond. She sprang to her feet and trotted over to Amalia, bleating happily and excitedly all the while.
Much more slowly, the healer followed his companion. When he spotted the Shield of Safrin, he sent a pulse of greeting and welcome to her. Hey. How are you holding up?
He settled to the ground again, yawning. However, his eyes tracked the sword that she held in her hand. Reaching out with one paw, claws carefully sheathed, he batted playfully at it, like a kitten with a piece of yarn. Of course, the image was ruined by his enormous size, but the sentiment was there.
Even if she doesn't recognize the lion immediately, Amalia knows the luxere as soon as she hears its bleat. Kneeling down in the grass she extends her arms to the doe, reaching around to scratch behind ears and at the base of her young antlers. "Hello, Astra," the Shield greets warmly, before rising back up and turning to the lion. "Hi, Loren. New shift?"
The mental question is answered only with a flinch, her expression saying enough. "How about you?"
He bats at her sword and she withdraws it instinctively, protective both for him and the blade. "Careful! It's sharp," she cautions, running her fingers along the broad silver length. "It was made from my staff. I haven't gotten much of a chance to practice yet, with... everything."
Astra closed her eyes and pressed herself against Amalia as the Shield scratched behind the luxere's ears. Seeing it, Loren felt a burst of affection flood through the bond with his companion. He made sure to send a bit of gratitude to Amalia as well.
Very new. Feeling equal parts amusement and curiosity flood through his link to the woman (yes, he knew the saying) he batted again at the sword. Seems like you've got some new developments yourself.
He padded slowly forward, winding himself around the Sword and Astra both. His fur wasn't the most pleasant to the touch, unfortunately. I'm okay. And here if you need to talk to talk about anything. The offer hung between them with no strings attached.
Mentally shrugging, he shifted to inspect the sword more closely. Huh. Didn't feel that sharp to me. Stepping away from her he rolled onto his back and swatted at the blade with his hind legs. No time like the present!
With that he rolled onto his feet again. This time, when he went for her shiny new sword, it was with the intention of knocking it out of her hands. Astra gave an angry bleat as she sprang out of the way.
She frowns at the comment about the blade's sharpness but doesn't have time to test it herself before the lion is rolling over, hind legs in the air. Jumping back instinctively she pulls the sword from his reach, raising an eyebrow at his challenge before slipping back into a fighting stance.
He lunges and again she dodges, though not soon enough to entirely keep the metal from grazing his skin. Still he doesn't seem particularly injured, doesn't even bleed, and so she is swift to shift her weight and lunge forward with Nova again.
"Why were you in the Climb, anyway?" Amalia questions as she moves. "Did one of the gods send you?" Like they had sent her.
The sword glanced off Loren, not doing any damage as far as he could tell. Snarling, he turned into her next strike, letting it score a long slice against his side. Continuing to pivot neatly, he barged forward, trying to ram his shoulder into her gut.
A god? Hardly. I ran into Wessex, Hotaru, and...Kiada on the Sea of Glass. Followed them into a tunnel system and we found ourselves on...the Climb, you said?
He huffed out air. Gods don't seem to want much to do with me. Frey would hardly send me anywhere and doesn't seem to like it when I pray to them for guidance, Safrin's not a fan, Ludo scares me, and the Voice straight up ignores me. Fixing his gaze on her, he pressed the attack. Why? Is that why you suddenly appeared, a god sent you?
"Wessex said the Eirachi sent her. I only assumed..." She trails off, the shrug in her voice if not her body- she's too focused on reacting to Loren's pressing attacks, trying to sidestep and failing as the unfamiliar length of Nova catches on the ground, causing her to stumble. A stumble which becomes a full fall when the lion's shoulder collides with her abdomen, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Instinctively Amalia pushes back, not with her body but with her will. A great gust of air radiates from her, shoving into the shifted lion while healing her own bruised tailbone. Scrambling back up to her feet Amalia re-assumes a defensive stance, dark eyes tracing the lion's next move. "I thought you were a fan of Frey's," she points out, wondering if she's remembering incorrectly. "Didn't they Attune you? And what makes you think Safrin dislikes you?" As to her own recent interactions with gods, the Shield does not comment.
You know what they say about assuming. The attempt at humor fell flat. As Loren managed to connect with Amalia, he snarled with satisfaction.
Of course, that was before the wind sprang up. He tried to dig in his claws, but was still tossed a short distance away. Snarling again he had to blink the sudden dust and debris away from his eyes. Running his paws over his face he tried to clean off as best he could.
Neat trick. He began to circle her. I might be a fan of Frey, they might even have Attuned me, but that doesn't mean they like me very much. They think I'm boring. And Safrin doesn't like me because I'm a fan of Frey. The one time I spoke to her she told me in no uncertain terms that she didn't think much of me, my intelligence, or my allegiances. At that, he swept his claws at the ground, trying to break off a large chunk of soil and send it at the Shield.
The comment about Safrin makes her wince, her own love of the goddess clouding her judgment. "I've only known one other person to anger her that much," the Shield states ruefully, thinking of Jigano and his curse to be forever marred by the anger of the starry deity. Still watching as the lion circles, she rolls her shoulders in a shrug. "Maybe you would have better luck with Ludo," she suggests, a sarcastic smile on her lips.
He throws dirt in her direction, a well-telegraphed action that she is able to counter with her shield, ducking down behind the metal as earth flies past her head. Snarling slightly the woman lunges forward, feinting right at the last minute and attempting to throw herself up and onto the lion's back, her sword held at his throat.
Huffing out a feline laugh, Loren shook out his mane at Amalia's comment. She wasn't angry. Just told me she wouldn't favor me while I favored Frey. However, his entire body tensed at the mention of Ludo. You mean the same Ludo that someone channeled on me? That bound me and made me fear for my life? No thanks. He growled and clawed at the ground.
Soon enough, he had a target for the adrenaline suddenly passing through his veins. As she leapt onto him, he let her. Not worried about the blade at his throat, he used the momentum from her landing on him to start rolling over. His aim was to land on his back and pin her beneath his bulk.
"Why favor Frey at all?" It's a question she has for most of Their acolytes, Amalia never having developed a taste for the sexual god. Respect, yes: she respects all the heralds, her pious nature leaving no room for things to be otherwise. As for Ludo, Amalia hadn't known about the lion's encounter with it. "They... why?" she asks, bemused, her guard dropping and her eyebrow rising.
She lands on his back with relative ease, not expecting him to react as he does. The bulk of the lion is massive as it falls upon her, pushing her diaphragm up to her lungs and knocking the wind from her body. Blinking back tears of surprise and pain, Amalia does the only thing she can think of: she shifts, her body contorting to become much larger, the qilin's bulk hopefully enough to dislodge him from her so she might again stand.
Growling at Amalia's question, since Loren was pretty sure they'd had variations on this conversation before, he didn't respond right away. Finally he sent her the mental equivalent of a shrug. Because it's not just about sex. Because they make me into a better version of myself. He shook out his mane.
I can be too self-sacrificing, too focused on others, too worried about the future and the big picture to notice what is already good and right in my life. They've taught me that it's okay to be selfish sometimes, so long as no one is getting hurt. That it's natural, and trying to deny my nature just leads to more pain in the end. That free will is important, that I can forge my own path. That seeking balance rather than one extreme or the other is a better way to live. He huffed out a feline laugh. Maybe I'm reading too much into them, but that's interpretation of them.
The growl returned, causing him to be a bit more aggressive than he otherwise might. There was a creature made of memory snow. It was wearing an amulet. I thought the amulet might have power, so I reached for it. Someone, I think Melita, channeled Ludo to stop me. Baring his teeth, his nostrils flared.
Thankfully, when she shifted into the form of a qilin it brought him back to his sense. Rolling over carefully so as not to crush her further he lay on the grassy and mossy ground. Stretching luxuriously he yawned.
Actually, this time Loren's explanation for following Frey does resonate with Amalia. To be less selfless, to learn to take care of you... those are things that the Shield has learned recently, too, and she nods in understanding, shifting her weight. "If that's what they've given you then... I'm glad. You deserve that, Loren."
As for the memory snow creature and Melita's channeling? That's a story she will have to ask more information about later. For now she focuses on knocking him off of her, succeeding somewhat as he rolls away, leaving her to stand. Blinking down at the resting lion, the qilin shakes her fire-maned head before settling herself back onto the grass, knees tucked neatly beneath her trunk.
Well fought, Amalia concedes through the Attuned bond, letting her chin drop to the ground. Thanks for the practice. It's... good to see you again, Loren. It's been too long.
