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!
Though they had been kindly towards each other before Maeve's disappearance, their conversation after his drunken escapade had paved the way for more intentional reforging of their friendship. In light of that, Harper had brought a basket of ingredients along for the ride on the skyboat with Jude with the proposal that they make it together already well-rehearsed on his tongue. Considering Edmund had become an Ancient, Harper would not be missing out on this season's celebrations and ceremonies the way he had in Flowerbirth. Any information and firsthand experience he could glean would pave the way to better understanding his adopted son.
Jude sticks by his side only long enough to unlock the door and scamper inside, saying hello in his normal quiet tones to his mother before excusing himself to gods knew where. Harper ruffles his hair as he goes past and back out the door, earning a tiny laugh that warms his heart and has him smiling after his son's retreating back, lovesick.
It takes a moment to shake himself out of it before he closes the door behind him and sets the basket on the table. "Hey! So I was thinking we could make lunch together for Dygra's ceremony? I got this great recipe from one of my students I'm dying to try." Smiling at her in a way he hopes is encouraging, he drums his fingers on the basket to expel the slight nervous energy that refuses to dissipate.
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
Phoebe had spent the morning preparing for Jude's arrival - mainly with a trip to the market to stock her shelves. Keeping her son fed was nearly a full time job! But it was a labor of love, and she didn't regret a second of it. So it was no surprise to see him walk through the door around noon. What was a surprise was seeing Harper, with a basket of something.
"Hello to you too!" she called after Jude with a laugh as he spent all of three seconds in the cabin. Much of the contents would look familiar to Harper, a mish-mash if things from their homes in Torchline and Stormbreak. Her taste hadn't changed much at all.
She crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter as he spoke. Her brows rose in surprise. "You want to cook...with me?" she said. Except for the rarest of occasions, Phoebe had always done the cooking in their relationship. She had near insisted on it, looking to maintain some level of traditionalism from her home world. But she smiled at him with a lighr chuckle. "Sure, why not. What is it you want to make?"
In their relationship he had conceded the kitchen to her willingly, wanting to give her something familiar that she enjoyed doing to cling to. A touchstone, given her relationship with an overly modern man. That didn't mean Harper wasn't a fantastic cook on his own - something he'd had to come back into familiarity with after Maeve's disappearance and a newly aged sixteen year old eating him out of house and home.
"Yeah! I didn't get to cook for you much, but I'm pretty good at it. If you're willing to let go of some control of your kitchen at least," he teases, flipping the basket open. The ingredients are nestled inside neatly, and he's glad to see nothing had spilled mid-transit. Plucking the handwritten recipe out, he hands it towards her. "It's a spicy honey chicken with these thick wheat flour noodles in a dark oil sauce. What do you think?" It had been difficult for Harper to deconstruct old categories and names from his homeworld, words like udon and soba and worcestershire sauce. luckily he's gotten more creative and descriptive over the years, or nobody would understand a word out of his mouth.
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
"Well I figured you could cook something when Jude came home only half starving." she teased. Their son was always starving. Never hungry. Never peckish. Never full. Starving. It was as though he knew no other word to describe hunger.
She took the recipe from Harper. The Nightingale glanced it over. It certainly had a lot of components and moving parts. And it was far and away from the kinds of traditional, hearty meals she generally cooked. "Looks fun!" she said with a grin, setting the recipe on the counter. "We just have to make enough for there to be leftovers when Jude is done." she said with a laugh. Hopefully Harper brought enough ingredients with him!
Harper can't help but laugh because it's so painfully true. "I know it's just revenge because I was the same way at his age, but I swear I've just started throwing the ingredients at him because he thinks he'll die before the meal is done." An exaggeration of course because Jude was far too polite to rush him, but he'd taken to having easy, available snacks in all corners of the house to keep up with the boy's growing appetite.
"I made sure to bring practically a whole chicken!" He'd had the butcher give him enough chicken breasts to make up for the weight of a full bird in quantity, because there simply would not be leftovers otherwise. "If you want to get the bowls and utensils, I'll clean off the work space and lay out the food?"
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
"Peanut butter chocolate chip oat bars." Phoebe said, patting a jar near bursting with them. "He eats at least three before dinner is even done." she said, giving him the tip she had discovered on her own. Was it the healthiest thing? No. But it kept Jude from looking like a put out puppy until dinner was served. "All boys that age are voracious eaters." she said with a grin. Jude was very normal for his age to say the least.
"Two chickens might've been better." she joked at their son's expense. But at his direction she nodded and set to work, pulling bowls and cooking utensils out and setting them on the table. Then her eyes glanced at the recipe. "So where do we start?" she said, looking it over a bit closer. "It seems there are two parts, the noodles and the chicken. Divide and conquer?" she asked. Or did he want to work on each component together?
"I'll need that recipe before I leave, please," he chuckles, happy to have anything in his arsenal to combat the teenage-boy stomach war they were both waging. "He's been joining me on my morning runs, which doesn't help the appetite I'm sure. But I've been keeping him away from the rest of my workout." It's clear to Harper that Jude takes after his mother in terms of his figure, and suspects he'll never put on muscle the way Harper easily can. Maybe it was something Phoebe could do with Jude in the Greatwood too.
"Sounds good! I can do the noodles if you want to take the chicken?" It's a less common type of noodle, so he's happy to hand off the chicken to her trustworthy hands. Going about setting up the sauce first so it could be added to the pan all at once, he puts a pot on the stove to boil some water and continues the conversation as they go. "Anything new in the Greatwood lately?"
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
Phoebe laughed. "I'll be sure to write it down. They are really easy." she said with a grin. And really they were a life saver since all of the ingredients were relatively cheap.
"On it." she said when he said she should do the chicken. She started by cutting chicken into smaller pieces then worked on the coating. "We havr been working on stabilizing the shoreline of the Stone Symphony so it doesn't keep widening." she said casually as she worked. Really it was an ongoing problem that would take regular maintenance. "What about Torchline? Or is it still all debauchery and drunks like I remember?" she said with a grin.
"That's great! I know it was pretty bad right after the war." To hear it was widening at all was concerning, but it sounded like they had it well in hand for the moment. "If you need any help I can always make the journey and stay a few days to give some extra hands." Snapping his fingers he looks at her over his shoulder. "Maybe once you've got leadership going, you can quest to have it reinforced magically? Like we did with the monsoons." Finally ending the days of shoring up buildings and houses in the hopes they wouldn't collapse beneath the weight of the buffeting storms.
"Better than you'd think really. With the healing fountain installed, the school I'm running, and Hadama's efforts the region has a lot less crime. It'll never be fully free of smugglers and pirates, but I think it's impressive how far we've come." While some of the smugglers and thieves would certainly have negative things to say, Harper didn't account much for their opinions. Dropping the noodles in as the water boils, he stirs it occasionally and seasons the water.
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
Phoebe nodded in confirmation. "The whole wood would have been torn apart if not for the Mathair." she said. It was literally the web that had kept the region from separating. But she smiled at his offer to help. "I appreciate that. Maybe you can come help me set up a government building? I don't even know where to start with that." she admitted. He lived in one after all. Certainly he had some ideas.
"I'm glad to hear it." she said with a grin as she coated the chicken. "Hadama has helped me a few times. He seems like a good man." she said. Quiet. But good. "He is a man of few words though, isn't he?" she said, glancing at Harper.
“I haven’t met any of the seasonal deities yet, but I remember how devoted the Fae are to her. Maybe she can help somehow?” Or the Greatwood residents could help her; strengthening roots, creating bridges? “Sure! I’ve helped build so many things by now I could probably do it in my sleep,” he laughs, recalling building wagons, art guild headquarters, houses, the Haulani, the Court of Stars…maybe he should just be an architect.
“He is at first!” Not that Harper the chatterbox had been dissuaded in their first few encounters. “But he’s always to the point, which is refreshing. I’d consider him one of my good friends, and he’s more talkative with me now.” So perhaps he’d come to open up to Phoebe in the same way. Though Harper selfishly hopes to keep the man as just his friend given how few he has right now, it’s a fleeting thought at best. Hadama and Phoebe both deserved as many connections as they desired.
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
"I haven't either." she said a bit uncomfortably. It felt odd trying for leadership of a place when the most revered deity remained a mystery to her. "But I will be asking for her help eventually. She knows these woods better than anyone after all." she added. She planned to make a connection with the goddess and be sure to incorporate her wishes into the development of the village and trade routes.
She was glad though that he seemed so willing to help her with a legal building. She certainly needed it. But it was also good to hear that Hadama was just the quiet sort, particularly at first. "It is good that you get along. I would think it important for the leaders of the Merfolk and Torchline to be aligned." she said as she began heating oil in a skillet on the stove, standing side by side with him now.
“Though we celebrate them seasonally, I feel like many are too nervous to pray to them. I’ll ask Safrin about it, maybe she has some insight.” Especially on the topic of whether she would condone such measures, or if she would prefer to keep her followers only in her own flock.
Laughing at her unintentional wording, Harper nudges her habitually with his hip to warn her he’s coming around with the hot pot, and drains the noodles before returning to the oven to start mixing in the sauce while the noodles are still hot. “Technically I’m just on his council, not a fellow leader. But I’m glad too; we have very similar ideals.” Which made supporting the Mer’s leadership much easier. Torchline had seen her fair share of dud leaders.
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
"That's a good idea. I'll seek Frey's counsel on the matter too." she said. Frey likely knew Mathair after all. Why not use her connections to get some insight before jumping right in? "I was going to ask them about Dygra too. I'm not sure I am prepared to seek out that goddess yet." she said.
The feeling that comes over her as he hip bumps her is...odd. It was familiar and therefore comforting, but it reminded her of times when they were much closer. When they were partners. Phoebe swallowed a lump in her throat and smiled at him. No point bringing it up. It would just make him awkward. "Well you're his literal boots on the ground so I think you're probably more than just a council member." she said with a smirk.
