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!
Humming knowingly, Paige dipped her head in acknowledgement of Flora's explanation for those who might come asking questions, grinning right back. "I do know. Given that I'm often the one in the Fingers doing the snatching." She smirked, chuckling as her fingers tighten around her ribs at the words, tugging her closer in an attempt to eliminate any remaining space between their bodies in their current positioning.
Her blood was starting to sing, but she couldn't fall into that bliss yet. Not when Flora is teetering dangerously on the edge of something else much worse. Drawing her head back slightly, the attuned gazed down at her friend, reaching up to cup her cheek delicately. "I know... You were going against Harper, too. Which doesn't make it any easier. He's favored by Safrin and Maeve's fiancé. If she wasn't going to lead, the people were going to pick what was familiar." She murmured, fingers stroking along her cheek, head tilting to the side. "You're more than capable, Petal. I know you could have done it, but in a world that's already changed a lot, they're going to stick with what they know."
Drawing her closer, Paige let out a soft breath, practically crushing Flora to her body, "Let's not think about that, though." Her lips brush against her temple once more, fingers sinking back into her hair and scratching lightly at her scalp.
Grinning a touch roguishly, Flora can only nod. "Well, if those things need a place to disappear, or if you do, I've got you covered." The Doubletake whispers softly as her fingers continue to curl possessively around Paige. "I know, I just..." Biting at the inside of her lip, Flora blinks her eyes against the tears that try and tear their way through. "...I've always wanted it, you know?" Naively, the girl hadn't realized how much she'd have to work for it, not given who she was. Now, at least she knew. Turning her head slightly as Paige's finger trickled across her cheek, Flora presses her lips against the pad of the attuned's finger and does her best to submit her mind to the golden-red pulse of the drugs in her system.
"Okay," She whispers, and though Flora had been told not to actively think about the trip lest it ruin it, the girl imagined a kaleidoscopic cliff in her mind and promptly threw herself off of it.
Stretching up on her toes, it's with needy and relieved fingers that Flora lips search for Paige's. The curvy and soft feeling of her friend's body beneath her wandering hands has something inside of the Doubletake relaxing, even as her hips press somewhat painfully against the edge of the bar in an effort to be as close as possible.
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat Me and karma vibe like that
"Hopefully in more ways than one." Was Paige referring to Flora's body covering hers? Yes she absolutely was. Did she even try to hide it? Absolutely the fuck not. Fingers of a free hand slips from her hair over her shoulder to land at her waist, finding heated skin and blazing a path there, digging in at her hips as she fights the ever growing urge to bury her face against the tantalizing column of her friends throat. The Doubletake's words reverberate around her skull, holding her focus on this one issue, keeping her from falling over that ever approaching edge. "I know, but one day, you'll get it. You'll get everything you want and more." She vows as Flora's lips press against the pad of her thumb in a warm brush of skin, sending a shiver through her, making Paige solely aware of the pulse in her thumb.
Why were her lips there and not somewhere else? Gods, why were they here and not in a bed? They needed to stop doing it like this. In semipublic places. She was going to change that. Fuck she was going to change that. She was going to... All thoughts turn to static as Flora's lips search for hers, messily landing at the corner of her mouth and all it takes is for her to turn her head, capturing her lips in a searing kiss.
It's heated and messy, tongue pushing between her lips, tasting the remaining gin there as she tugs her closer. Needing her body against her own or she'll surely explode into stardust and confetti, raining all over this damn bar in a colorful array, but Flora is right there with her. A greedy hand finds her supple ass, palming it through the soft fabric of her dress, "Let me take you out, petal. Properly..." She whispers, nipping at her bottom lip as the hand that was in her hair slips down her front, tugging at the strings that keep the bodice of her dress closed.
Being with Paige fills Flora with a bright and wonderful lightness, the likes of which she's never experienced before. Whether it's because of the attuned herself because she's a woman, or because of how the pair keep finding themselves together under the influence of something opalescent and warm, she doesn't know; only that the wintergreen chill in her bones has her feeling weightless and wanting.
The gin-sweet taste of Paige's mouth has Flora's knees weakening slightly such that her hands tighten around her friend's body all the more. Her hips press against the lip of the bar and gods which hadn't she put a bed in here? Trying to rise even further onto her toes, Flora lets one of her hands slip back onto Paige's thigh, her fingers gripping the cuff of her shorts as if the material might just dissolve itself out of pure want alone.
"Wh-" Pulling back slightly, Flora's brows knitting in disbelief for a moment even as Paige's fingers paw at the strings of her dress. "Really?" Of everyone the girl had been with, or had small dalliances with, it had always been just that. Jack hardly acknowledged the things he'd seen or places he'd touched on her body, Koa pretended like everything was just fine all the time, and other than the occasional flirtatious wink, none of Flora's partners had ever become anything more.
"You'd want to?" Though the drugs are vibrating through her system like bass through speakers set far too loud, and though her fingers itch to press further between Paige's thighs, Flora takes a shaky breath to try and steady herself.
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat Me and karma vibe like that
People often mistake these drugs as substances that make you do things you wouldn't normally do, but they'd be incredibly wrong. No, all they do is remove inhibitions. They strip you down to your most base desires and urge you to chase the things you want most and what Paige wants is Flora. What she's always wanted is Flora.
Flora. Flora. Flora.
Her name an echoed in her mind in time with her pulse and even as her fingers paused in their unraveling of her dress, watching as her lovely Petal's brows drew together in clear confusion, the attuned can't help smiling. A soft laugh bubbling up in her as she nodded, everything seeming to slow down to this one moment in time, zeroing in on them in this little pocket of paradise. Gently, oh so gently, her hand came up to cup her cheek and sincerity shown in the pools of her irises. "More than anything. I'd never keep you from shining the way you wanted to, but Flora, I want to be with you. More than just... this. More than when I come into town." The callused pad of her thumb brushed across the high point of Flora's cheekbone, head tilting to the side slightly as her lips curled in a gentle smile.
"And if you're okay with it, I'd want people to know you're my girl." Paige felt her cheeks flush, suddenly a touch embarrassed, nervous having thrown all of it on the table in a haphazard rush, fearing she'd not have a chance to again before someone else tried to whisk her away. The attuned didn't often stop to think about things and when it came to matters of the heart? Well, she didn't use her head at all.
Around them the world seems to sparkle and shine, rushing this way and that like some vast galactic timeline set on fast-forward. Things race and change, but here, with Paige's palm softly against her cheek, time has all but stopped. Still, the momentum of the world around them seems to pulse, driving them forward, toward, toward...
Parting her lips slightly in an O of soft confusion, Flora rests her cheek against the shell of Paige's hand and sighs indulgently. The words feel very far away, like glimmering beacons through a kaleidoscopic mist that beacon Flora towards them. The pathway is clear enough, lined with stones the colour of Paige's bright autumn eyes, and yet even as the Doubletake begins to wander in their direction, something holds her back. It isn't Enzo, not he who had only wanted the best for his twin, but the ghost of grief in the shape of him. It clutches at Flora with icy fingers that has her shivering despite the heat of the Longheat sun and the warmth of Paige's body.
"..take me out on that date.." Flora whispers, tilting her head to press her lips against Paige's palm. She won't want you with the drugs and the sex, a voice whispers in the back of Flora's mind. She won't want you in the daylight.
And then, the ghost of her twin says, lips against her ear, you'll be alone again.
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat Me and karma vibe like that
She doesn't acknowledge her words. Doesn't agree to them the way that Paige wishes, but the attuned doesn't take offence to it. To any of it. The overwhelming nature of the drugs for someone unfamiliar with the effects. She sighed softly, drawing her closer pressing her lips to the corner of her mouth at the acceptance of the date, tucking away that dying spark in Flora's eyes for further inspection later.
Instead she huffed a soft laugh against her skin, "When the seasons change... I'll take you somewhere nearly as beautiful as you." Paige murmured, turning her head to finally catch her lips in a gentle kiss, slipping from the counter and spinning Flora to take her spot. The Doubletake's dress is bunched around her waist even as one of her hands continued working the laces covering her breasts. Only once Flora is bared to her, soft flesh a kaleidoscope of color beneath her hands does the attuned slow down, taking her time exploring every inch of her.
No part of Flora is left untouched by Paige's hands or mouth. The insider of her thighs, her stomach, the sweetness resting between them. All of it is feasted on for what seemed like hours. Until neither of them could handle it anymore and found themselves wrapped in each other on the floor of the bar, sweaty foreheads pressed together, and chests heaving.
