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!
I believe that the darkness reminds us where light can be
Phoebe hears as the boys collide once more, and briefly she wondered when tag became a tackle game. But such thoughts only clouded the mind, and for the time being she was safe from whoever was it. She'd have to come up with a strategy to keep it that way, and she had one in mind to employ.
The Nightingale ducked behind a tree, hands rising to her lips to try and cover the fog that leaves them with each breath. Her adrenaline was high as she tried to stay as hidden as possible, keeping giggles at bay at the ridiculousness of it all. Maybe employing some hide and go seek tactics would keep her safe - for now.
Noah did get what he wanted, but he also took a face full of frozen ground. Scrambling, h ignored the way his elbow smarted from catching him. He grinned as he looked back on Ronin, who had been effectively tackled and tagged. But when he reached for him, Noah lurched back and his eyebrows rushed to his hairline. ”No tag backs.” Noah said, and the tone implied that it was, in fact, a hard and fast rule. After all, there were three of them now, so it only made sense that he couldn’t be tagged by the one he targeted.
He snorted, eyes widening. ”Wait!” His voice shifted to a whisper faster than a snowstorm turned on the tundra. ”I think we can win this.” He crouched again before Ronin could get back up, and whispered to him a plan of how to ambush Phoebe with his projection and teleportation magic combined.
I want trees instead of gravestones nothing to confess
"Wh-- since when?" Ronin wants to know, covered in dead leaves and frost as he scrabbles to try and sit up as well. They're both a mess and they'll both have scrapes and bruises coming out of this, but that doesn't make the Huntsman's expression any less cheerful. He's about to lunge for Noah again (and potentially turn this into a snowball fight instead of a game of tag) when the other man stalls him, Ronin furrowing his brow and leaning in closer.
"Oho?" He grins, nodding his agreement and carefully settling back. In silence, his projection appears amid the trees somewhere behind them, beginning to prowl through the undergrowth while the real Ronin continues to breathe and move around the leaves and generally make his presence known. Getting his feet under him, he reaches out to offer the Sentinel a hand up too.
I believe that the darkness reminds us where light can be
Phoebe can hear the two men scrabbling to get up, so they must'nt be that far away. She held her hands to her lips, muffling sound and breath clouds as she resisted the urge to giggle. This was all so ridiculous and childish and fun. When had she last done something just for the sake of fun? She couldn't rightly remember. Probably something with Remi though.
But she had to keep her mind in the game. If she could hear the two men then she was too close. With a swirl of rainbow light she disappeared, teleporting further away. She ducked behind a tree, covering her lips again, hoping not to be found.
There was an unspoken way that two people who had been through a war together could communicate. There was extreme benefit in that. There was extreme grief in the reality of it, too.
But there was no grief today, even as the skills were utilized.
Noah took Ronin's hand and got to his feet. He went back to hunting for Phoebe. Moving through the trees with a skilled silence, Noah caught the unmistakable flash of rainbow light. Gesturing subtly for Ronin to head the opposite way, Noah disappeared with his own celestial magic. Noah reappeared this time up in a tree. The skilled silence he moved with on the forest floor was lost as his boots made connection with the metallic branch. He made sure to be as loud as he could, intentionally, to push Phoebe out from her hiding place and towards Ronin.
I want trees instead of gravestones nothing to confess
There certainly is a grief in it, and if Ronin had not been given the chance to relax and decompress after all that had happened at the Cordillera, he might not be nearly as able to enjoy himself here. Luckily for everyone - except perhaps Phoebe, since they're scheming against her - he's more than happy to keep pace with the shenanigans.
Indeed, as Noah indicates for him to start moving in the opposite direction, he and his projection engage in an almost predatory sort of dance, meaning to form like a pincer around the area where the Sentinel is trying to flush out the Nightingale. And gods, when Noah does make his move it's enough to cause Ronin to jump and for his ears to ring.
I believe that the darkness reminds us where light can be
Phoebe certainly didn't expect the boys to team up, so as she hid, she simply kept an eye out on the ground. Why would she look in the trees? It was a game of tag not tackle - though the boys seemed to disagree with how much they collided. So for a time, the Nightingale stayed hunkered down, hoping to avoid her predators.
And then the ringing of the trees echoed through the air.
She jumped, heart rushing to her throat as she 'eep'ed in surprise. What on Caido was that?! Without thinking, she darted forward and away from the noise, running as quick as she could to get away from whatever the noise was, not once considering it could be one of her fellow competitors.
Even if it caused Ronin to jump, Noah still thought it was a good tactic. He cackled aloud as he heard the faintest of surprised sounds from the Nightingale over his exaggerated, metallic raucous. She sprinted from her hiding place. Their opportunity was at hand. Activating his magic, Noah teleported to appear to Phoebe's right side, intending to push the woman towards Ronin.
Now! He called over the attuned bond to the Supernova Hunstman. He was unaware if Phoebe could hear it, too, but it didn't matter to him at this moment. He was ready to capture the woman with his comrade and claim the victory of this little game -- and then, hopefully, move it to the Citadel where they could end the night with drinks and some belly-warming food.
I want trees instead of gravestones nothing to confess
Drinks and food are always good in Ronin's book, but if they need to culminate this game of tag beforehand, so be it. He might still be collecting his nerves after the metallic orchestra rings throughout the forest, but he's able to see as the Nightingale makes her flight. Like Noah, the Supernova does the same thing quickly enough, trying to draw up on Phoebe's left with his projection in tow.
"Tag!" he shouts as both Ronins (grinning, of course) attempt to snag Phoebe in their grip. He doesn't tackle her to the ground quite in the same way he and Noah have chosen to approach things, deciding to try and scoop her up and over his shoulder. "Now quit your teleporting about, it's getting late."
I believe that the darkness reminds us where light can be
Phoebe 'eep'ed in alarm again as Noah suddenly appeared beside her. In her gut she felt the sense of impending doom. She was caught. Noah's attempts were successful, knocking her off balance and nearly sending her to the ground. But instead a triumphant "Tag!" was called out and arms slipped around her waist.
These two had teamed up on her, the sneaky dogs!
Up and over Ronin's shoulder she went. Her palms pressed against him back, lifting her torso up so she could look back at the boys. But instead of protests of unfairness, the Nightingale simply laughed at their ingenious plot. "Alright, alright you win." she said with a laugh, admitting defeat. It was getting late after all. "Thanks for playing, friends. Now let's find somewhere warm to be!"
And thus the trio headed off into the sunset, towards the Citadel where hot fires could warm them.
