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 Silk Houses at night were one of Noe's favorite places in the city. Sure, there were dangers, but there was also life, and color, and fun. The district was the heartblood of the city, if you asked her, and it beat with its own rhythm after the sun went down.
On this particular evening, Noe wore a yellow dress that hugged her curves, accented by a thick black belt and black heels that, despite their height, did little to raise her short stature. She was out looking for a good time while simultaneously avoiding her brother's favorite haunts; there was no buzzkill like running into one's older brother at a party. Instead, she wandered from this bar to that, searching for a club that had good music and better booze - better than what one might find at Molly's, for example.
She'd had a couple drinks already, but she'd always been able to hold her liquor, and so she was only mildly tipsy when she accidentally ran into a cute girl with wild curls and dark skin. "My bad," she giggled. Perhaps she was more than a little tipsy. "Don't mind me. Just passing through!"
Brothels and alcohol aren't exactly things that interest Soleil, but parties? Oh, count her in.
She is offered plentiful drinks both to purchase and from people clearly hoping to dance with her, but Sol waves them away every time. A few here and there for a buzz are fine, but she's not fond of the feeling of being out of control of herself. Besides, it can't possibly make dancing in a giant group any more fun than Soleil already finds it, which is why she spends most of the night grinding and flowing and getting pressed against on all sides. As someone who thrives on physical contact it's practically euphoric.
Well, physical contact that isn't someone bumping into her in a way that's definitely not dancing.
Automatically lifting her hands to help straighten the other girl - cute! her mind supplies cheerily - she raises a brow alongside a smile at the giggly response. Uh oh, protective instincts incoming. "You seem a little unsteady, why don't you take my arm and I can come with?" She phrases it in the way women do that makes it clear Soleil is looking out for her, not hitting on her or hoping to get her alone. Presenting her elbow to the smaller girl, she perhaps helps Noe's hand find its place, not exactly taking no for an answer. "So, where are we going?" Time for a new adventure!
Such a lovely, pretty hand to hold - if you had the time
Honestly, Noe probably wouldn't have said no to someone hitting on her, and she would be the sort to dare anyone to try and get her alone. As it was, she grinned up at her new friend, her heels barely making any difference in their heights, and said, "Sure, let's go!" She tucked her arm into the other girl's, leading the way down the road and away from whatever bar they'd just been in front of. There were better places to be tonight, and Noe was just getting started.
As new adventures went, dragging a new friend along for the ride was high on Noe's list, and she leaned closer to the girl as though what she was about to reveal was a secret. "There's supposed to be a killer party tonight," she confided. "There's a bar down the way with stunning views off the edge of Stormbreak, and I know the bouncer."
Despite her slightly-more-than-tipsy brain, she was sure-footed on the cobblestone as she led the way down the street, making a turn here and a turn there, until they ended up in front of a small, modern-looking building with blaring music and flashing lights. Catching a bouncer's eye, Noe sashayed up to him with Soleil in tow. "Heyyy!" she said, flashing a charming smile at the man, who grinned back at her.
"Two?" he asked.
"Yup!" Noe trilled, and tugged Soleil with her into the party. The music was even louder inside, and a quick glance around showed a building with giant sliding doors along the back wall that were pulled open, allowing the crush of people to flow in and out of the building and into the space beyond. Sure enough, there was a beautiful view off the edge of Stormbreak, all moonlit and star-studded.
"Oh, hey!" she shouted over the music, turning to her new friend. "I'm Noe, by the way! Do you want a drink? Or straight to dancing?"
It's arguably more concerning that the young woman doesn't think twice before pulling Soleil along, but Sol has already accomplished her goal in tagging along for the purpose of safety so she doesn't call it out. Not that it would likely stick with how inebriated her new companion looks.
"Ooh, that sounds amazing! I just went bungee jumping a few days ago, the Falling can be so pretty." Contentedly striding along beside the smaller woman - and intentionally shortening her stride to keep them evenly paced - Soleil momentarily marvels at how little the temperature changes from the packed bar to the summer heat outside. It's still novel to her as a Halovian.
Trusting her new addition to get them to the location safely ends up working out for them, and Soleil merely smiles winningly at the bouncer from Noe's side so as not to blow their chances to enter. The energy returns the moment they step through the door, though Soleil only performs a cursory look around (despite the stunning views) before refocusing on Noe. "I'm Soleil!" she equally yells over the music, though she leans in boldly so as not to strain her voice overly much. "I don't really drink, wanna dance instead?" Angling her arm to drop Noe's hand from her inner elbow to connect their hands, pulling slightly towards the dance floor in the hopes Noe will follow naturally instead of objecting. "We can even dance on the balcony!" Who cares if it's not where everyone else is dancing?
Such a lovely, pretty hand to hold - if you had the time
Bungee jumping from the Falling sounded like an absolute blast, and Noe made a mental note that she'd have to check it out later. Hopefully she'd remember - her mind was right on the fuzzy side of comfortable, though, so there was no telling whether the thought would stick or not. "Take me with you next time, yeah?" she asked with a laugh. "That sounds amazing."
Soleil was a perfect companion, keeping pace easily with Noe as they made their way to the party in question and slipped inside past the friendly bouncer. That she didn't drink mattered little to Noe, who was well aware that she was far enough past tipsy that she needed to sober up a bit - and what better way to do that than to dance? With her hand looped carelessly in Soleil's, Noe let the taller girl pull her towards the balcony, where they could star in their own dance party.
Given how much fun Soleil had had jumping off the Falling with only a rope and a harness, Noe is pretty much guaranteed a spot at her side. "Absolutely! I'll try to find you again after tonight." Soleil is armed with a first name now, but Stormbreak - despite being physically smaller as a region - is still stuffed to the gills with people, so it might have to come down to either luck or tenacity.
But for right now they're linked by the hands and on a mission for the outside air, which they achieve readily. There are fewer people on the balcony but it's an admittedly marginal difference. The main contrast is the fact that nobody else is dancing at all out here.
Good thing Soleil doesn't have a self-conscious bone in her body.
Whirling around on her heel, Soleil grabs Noe's other hand and begins to dance, throwing her head back in a cloud of curls and maneuvering closer to the other girl until they're dancing nearly chest-to-chest. A few people stare or otherwise snicker, but a few watch appreciatively, bobbing their heads anew as if reminded of the music. Above, the stars glitter and the cool breeze keeps them from overheating, and Soleil thinks this dance floor is perfect for just the two of them.
Such a lovely, pretty hand to hold - if you had the time
Stormbreak was a large region - if not geographically, then certainly in terms of number of people, and Noe resolved to make sure that Soleil could find her again after tonight. Maybe she could get a napkin and write out her address or something. That would probably be sufficient.
There were fewer people on the balcony, none of whom were dancing, but it just so happened that Soleil had found someone else who didn't have a self-conscious bone in their body. Noe pranced onto the dance floor that Soleil had selected, hand-in-hand with her new friend, and joined the other girl in a dance that brought them chest-to-chest. Eyes closing, Noe moved with the rhythm of the music, ignoring the few snickers that she heard from the crowd around them, and grinning as a couple of others on the balcony began to dance alongside them. It was a beautiful night, it was a beautiful moment, and Noe was going to make the most of it.
