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!
The Sword would counter that he always felt free; but perhaps that would’ve been a stretch too. With leadership and roles came obligations, and those were eternally first and foremost in his mind, no matter the circumstances. War had branched that into a singular means of driven, determined factions – but to that point, Halo had held fast while he was away. They’d been enduring and potent because of their actions beforehand – training, diligence, and strengthening the structures of their land.
But gods there were moments where all he craved to do was run hellbent across tundras.
Which he did on occasion, but now was not that moment. Catering to Belial and scratching along his ears and antlers, the Warden rose back up to his full stature, brow arching at Alys’s not yet venturing into the greenery. “Do not be fooled, it is just as cold at times,” and he gave another boyish grin. “But certainly a break from the snow.”
If he was surprised at her lack of exploration, that was of no concern to Alys. She stayed busy, between her work with the Academy, her work as a Seer, and some extra work she'd picked up as a scribe to earn some additional coin. These days, she rarely left the Citadel; saving up to purchase a house took up a lot of her time and effort. When she did go out, though, it was usually to explore different parts of the tundra. She'd end up in the Greenwing sooner or later, she was sure, and she smiled at Deimos's assertions about it being a break from the snow.
"Do you ever miss being somewhere with less snow?" she asked, tilting her head to one side with the inquiry. After all, Halo had quite a lot of it. It had to get boring sometimes, right?
ALYS
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
“Not so much miss…,” he began, because he’d chosen Halo – with its Citadel, its mountains, its snow, and its people. The cold, frigid, Siberian air curled through his veins much like the Basin had, and perhaps past lives called to present ones, for he followed its ramparts with no figment of regret. “But when I have the opportunity, I tend to indulge in traveling.” Curiosity was either one of his flaws or virtues; depending on the day. The problem was the former, in circumstances and occasions, given his ongoing responsibilities.
Eternally a work in progress: to know when to take a break.
Raising his jaw to stare at the ceiling, noticing glimmering aspects of obsidian resting there too, he snorted. “I was born beside an ocean, so I favor Torchline for any sea ventures.” Inclining his head back in her direction, he arched his brow, bringing the inquiry back to her. “Do you?”
Not so much miss, he said, and Alys could understand, at least a little. There wasn't much that she would claim to miss from the life she'd led before, but that didn't mean she wanted to spend all of her time amidst the snow and the ice. "I understand," she said. "It's nice, to see what all is out there." It was part of why she'd come to the Climb, after all - well, that, and the promise of treasures to be had.
Talk of Torchline, though, was unfamiliar to Alys, who had yet to explore the sandy shores of the far south. Tal had mentioned it as a future base of operations for his business, but there had not yet been a reason for Alys to visit it. "I haven't been," she admitted. "It sounds very different from what I'm used to."
As for what she missed, she paused, chewing the inside of her cheek as she thought. "I don't know," she said finally. "It's like you said, I don't know that I would say that I 'miss' anything, but..." It was still nice to travel, to see what existed beyond the borders of her new home. "I have loved Halo, but sometimes I still wonder what else is out there, what else I haven't seen."
ALYS
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
If she’d only been used to the Grounds, and then portions of Halo, then Torchline’s credentials were as different as night and day. He could recall the way the Hollowed’s lands held water; in the oasis and glade, in shallow portions below bone bridges; and nowadays, in much more parallel form with the rest of the isles. But there hadn’t been beaches or dunes, not unless one journeyed to the Greatwood and ventured upon the Stonesong’s pebbly proportions. “Lots of sand and waves. Loud, drunken parties,” and he laughed, for there’d been a time in his exile that he lived there, tending to guild provocations and waiting for the inevitable day to snag the mountains back.
Tilting his head at her lack of exploration, he leaned over to scratch Belial again, perplexed by the statement. “What is stopping you?” He had yet to meander further into the desert because he loathed it, Stormbreak because he couldn’t, and some other portions based on time – but he’d presumed Alys had more freedom to journey and wander to her heart’s content.
Loud, drunken parties did not sound like something that Alys would enjoy, and her face, perhaps, betrayed her distaste. She wrinkled her nose, saying nothing. She liked a cup of ale as much as the next person, sure, but being drunk had never appealed to her. As for being loud, well... she'd rather not.
But, she supposed, it might be worth it to try anything once.
In any case, Deimos's question had her pursing her lips in thought. "Honestly? Halo was one of the first places I came to when I left the Grounds, and then I was settling in, and then I joined the Academy. I'm trying to work to save up some money, so I've taken up some scribe work alongside my divination for some steady income, and then I'm training and practicing..." In other words, she stayed busy. It wasn't the same as Deimos's 'busy,' perhaps, but it was still more than enough for her. "I suppose it's just easier to stay home and make sure everything gets done than it is to travel."
ALYS
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
To his credit, Deimos wasn’t one for loud, drunken parties either – just been around the caterwauling along the beach as he waited out portions of exile. He tended to favor small amusements with friends and loved ones, rather than catering to a large, public crowd. So he gave a wry grin at the wrinkling of her nose, letting those notions go and flee into the cavern air.
His brows arched at her long list of reasons – and how quickly she’d settled into a routine amidst Halo. “So you are busy,” and he laughed once more, because that was his usual excuse too; and the habit was one he’d never truly broken. “It is difficult to make time for those opportunities.” For some believed it wasn’t worth it, the luxury too grand and the weight too great, but the Sword, once the Reaper, had known exactly what it meant to work one’s self straight into the ground. His head tilted, striving to align with all the therapeutic advice he’d been granted over the years. “But, as many remind me, still important to do so.”
Alys would rather be busy than not; when she was left to her own devices for too long, she tended to fall back into grumpiness and irritation. It was really better for everyone if she kept something to do. Between that and her desire for a home to call her own, she had filled her schedule and then some. Still, she did want to travel and see more of the world, especially when there was so much of it.
"It is," she agreed. "And you do work quite hard. It only makes sense for you to have some down time." Says the kettle to the pot. She wondered who all knew Deimos well enough to make such a recommendation, and who he cared enough about to listen to. Regardless, he really should listen, if what Alys had seen was any indication. "But hey! You traveled out here. That's a start."
ALYS
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
Left to his own devices, the Sword often grew restless, and in turn, found ways to alleviate the distant chord of memories, traumas, horrors, and afflictions, in more destructive patterns. Reliving the past had never been an ideal, and if the darker penchants began to rise again, he often threw himself more into his work. Nowadays, there wasn’t much choice, save for putting things off for another day, and even that was something that gnawed at his bones.
Sometimes moments of rest were simply necessities; like dinner. He snorted, but nodded, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably at another one in agreement with both Ru and Evie. “True. And same to you.” Progress was progress, no matter how small – and he had to remind himself of that frequently too. “Is there anything else you wanted to see while you were here?”
Alys was a great deal less busy than Deimos, so when he suggested that perhaps she could use a rest, too, she snorted derisively. Sure, she'd like to travel perhaps a bit more than she did at present, but that didn't mean she was unhappy with her day-to-day life. She was perfectly content with what she was doing. Besides, it was only temporary; once she had established her divination business, she wouldn't need to pick up extra work on the side. It was just slow going, getting people to trust her enough to make use of her Sight.
But that was enough for one day, and as they meandered out of the caverns, she shook her head. "No, I'm good. I think I'll head home now. Would you like to go together, or are you planning to stick around?" Either way, Alys was more than happy to return to Halo - and escape the gods-cursed heat.
-FIN-
ALYS
Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Alys.
