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!
Eating fire is your ambition to swallow the flame down
Melita arrived fashionably late, or whatever, it was difficult to tell at this stage of the game. She offered Flora a nod and a wave, with a chirrupy little “Nice job!” quipped before immediately snagging a drink at the bar and scanning the room.
Gods the potential drama.
She was mildly surprised Sunjata wasn’t dead yet, that Ru hadn’t busted someone’s head open, or the rest of the flickering and roaming individuals hadn’t instigated a fight in the middle of the floor. Huh.
Ah well, at least she was here, in case something went down.
Waving to Hotaru and Hadama on her way by, the youth settled along a stool, feet dangling and swinging, content with the drink in her hand while everyone else made introductions.
to be lit up from within, vein by vein to be the sun
I used to hold your haunted neck; I know I'll miss you if I close my eyes
"Oof, beautiful and generous," Danta croons, taking the offered hand and pressing warm lips to the back of Hotaru's palm. "They don't make them like you any more - a rare gem." Flashing his fangs and keeping her hand captive for perhaps a little longer than necessary, the Ancient does eventually release her, inclining his head and letting crystalline horns catch the light.
"What a crime, though - you don't seem to have a drink," he continues, reaching across to collect a couple from a tray nearby before returning to the lady who has so thoroughly bewitched him. "Surely you haven't been hiding in Torchline all this time?" He refuses to believe he'd have missed her, if that was the case.
Dantalion
Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.
Considering the festive atmosphere Tal was looking downright grim as he scowled around at no one in particular, but his dour expression was enough to keep most people at bay. His now-free hand rested on the top of the bar, fingers tapping a staccato syncopation to the music, sped up and quietly frantic as he kept one eye on Hotaru and the other on his drink.
So it was that he actually jumped a couple inches in the air as Remi appeared beside him as if by magic or just walked over while Tal wasn't looking in that direction and the Lullaby's voice reached out like the quietly gruff rumble of a big cat. By sheer nervous drinking luck there wasn't enough left in his glass to spill, but he still shot the Lullaby a sheepish twitch of his lips that was an attempt at a grin. "Oh! fuc--uh, I mean, hi, Mis-...uh, Remi. Fancy seein' you here." At the party his own daughter was throwing. In Torchline. Where his letter had said he'd be.
Tal winced and finished off his second drink in a reflexive swallow before trying to nod. "Um. Yeah. I had a question 'bout illusions'n shit, but Ronin answered it a li'l while ago. But, uh... thanks?" He managed something that was closer to a smile, even if it was a bit strained. "C'n I grab you another drink?"
The sight of the Supernova out of the corner of her eye is enough to cause Isla to freeze in her seat, but when Ronin arrives bearing a gift of drinks and without Remi at his heels, the Remedy allows herself to relax if only a tiny fraction. It's a short-lived feeling, however, as Sunjata readies himself to head out towards the bonfire, and it's with a long, heavy sigh that she bids him farewell.
While Jata socialises with old frenemies ( a reason to smile from six feet under ground), Isla gets to know the drink she's been left very intimately. Her tolerance isn't quite as laughable as when she was first reintroduced to the wild world of blood alcohol, but that absolutely isn't to say that she's a heavyweight by any means. Doesn't matter, though - it'll take less to get drunk, after all.
we're gonna separate ourselves tonight we're always running scared but holding knives
There are a lot of responses that dance on Jack's tongue at the idea of Auntie Phoebe who hasn't heard of him, but luckily most of them are dulled by Flora's firework enthusiasm and the buzz of endless conversations from the rest of the party. Rather than shake Phoebe's hand, he presses a glass of rum into it - and into the Doubletake's while he's at it.
"You weren't kiddin' about those connections, huh," he rumbles softly, smirking and shooting back his own drink. "Th'Ark was prob'ly out at sea," he says of not having met the Nightingale before now. "Maeve was runnin' it by the time I got back." Sore spot? Maybe. Is he aware of it? Again, maybe.
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
His lips are warm and dry against the soft skin of the back of her hand, her expression clearly pleased and willfully charmed at his extravagance. He gives her plentiful openings for wit as well, which in her book is a bonus in men - too-low of guards. "It means you cannot dawdle - rarity comes with a price." The glint of her lidded eyes makes it clear she's courting him onward, daring him to make his moves.
She could break his hold easily, but lets herself be tethered; even going so far as to flirt her fingertips against his inner wrist as he unfortunately withdraws. He brings an offering back, so forgiveness is well within his grasp. Plucking the glass from his hands she doesn't so much as flinch as she drains half of it. Licking her lips slowly, they curve into a smile as she presses closer than necessary for him to hear her amongst the crowd. "Halo, I'm afraid." Given his dashing horns, he certainly couldn't have found her there. "Though I could be inclined to visit more often." Tilting her glass at him, Ru hums playfully. "Will you continue to tease my by withholding your name?"
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
As Talyson jumps, Remi can't quite decide if that's an appreciated reaction to his presence or not. Under most conditions, the Lullaby wouldn't have minded, but given that he had been left on his own to socialize, something about the look in the courier's eye brushed him the wrong way.
Or maybe it was that the other man had come here with Hotaru.
Or maybe it was that he was friends? with his daughter.
Or maybe it was just because Remi had grown far too introverted for his own good.
'Oh. Well...' Trailing off, and glancing over to where Sunjata was making his way out toward the bonfire, Remi runs a hand through his curls and sighs. "No, that is alright. There is no sense in me drinking mine quickly these days." The inability to get drunk was certainly one of the draw backs of being a demigod that no one told you about before selling your soul to save the life of a woman who now wouldn't look you in the eyes.
"So you and.." Raising his eyebrows, Remi nods his head toward where Hotaru and Danta were chatting, before looking suggestively back to Tal.
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Jack is very important." Flora purrs, offering the captain a wink as her hand welcomes the glass he's pressing into it. Mention of her mother has the Doubletake blushing and glancing over her shoulder where she can hear Hotaru's silvery laughter ringing above the hum of the crowd and the music. "Why thank you." She titters, aiming for magnanimity but likely just sounding pleased.
Though Flora was as inclined to try and tempt the captain into the back room to help her get some supplies as she was to gossip with Phoebe about Harper, as Sunjata rose from the table and made his way outside - gasp, toward Ronin? - Flora's eyes flit from the drama she could only hope was unfolding, to Isla, and then back again.
"Brb. Don't have too much fun without me." She said hastily to Phoebe and Jack, before sliding into the seat across from the Remedy with an entire bottle of gin in hand.
"Mind if I sit? My feet are killing me."
Fever dream high in the quiet of the night You know that I caught it
"The Ark? Ah yes, a friend of mine is part of that crew. Melita is her name. I hear you're headed to the Hollowed Grounds soon." she said, realization suddenly dawning over her features as she took the glass of whiskey. Was she now double fisting? Yep. Did she care? Nope. "Oh you must be the Jack she has mentioned. My apologies." she said with a grin, putting all the connections together.
Then she downed her second drink so she could focus on the whiskey.
The Nightingale watched Flora flit away again, shaking her head with a smile. "I see. I was away being demigoddessed by Frey then. Seems we just missed eachother." she said sipping the whiskey. She had never had sore feelings about Maeve running the brothel. Her connection with Harper though? There was a different story. "So how do you know Flora?" she asked.
loving you was the most exquisite form of self destruction
When Remi turned down the drink it left Tal with a conundrum. His hands were empty and so were his glasses but now he didn't have an excuse to refill either. Then again, given how fast the first two went down, maybe that was for the best. Sah wasn't here to rough house with, and he definitely didn't want to interrupt Ru's night when she'd been so looking forward to the party...
Remi's question dragged him back to the present and he blinked, following the Lullaby's gaze to where the lady in question was holding court with an Ancient. His teeth might have been sharper, but Tal's money was on Ru being the one to take a bite out of the unsuspecting man first. His lips quirked birefly towards another grin before he looked back to his companion at the bar with a quizzical tilt of his head, not unlike one of his dogs. "Me an' Ru? What about-- OH!" As little as he saw of Remi he'd almost forgotten that if Flora had two parents, then at some point those two parents must have gotten together and--
It wasn't an image he wanted in his head right then, and he really wished he had another drink in his hand instead. "We're not... I mean, I haven't... we haven't..."Now the alcohol was hitting and Tal found himself tripping over his tongue as he tried to figure out what to say that wouldn't get him smited on the spot. He felt his ears and neck heating up and he wasn't sure if it was from the booze or his embarrassment. "...Fuck," he mumbled down at his empty glass, fingers white-knuckled around it. "C'n I try again?"
Tal wasn't the only one keen on not thinking about Flora's conception; if the courier and the Supernova ever needed something to bond over, it could be that. Listening to the other man bumble through his words had Remi smirking softly. It wasn't a mean smirk by any stretch, but one that well knew just how easily Hotaru could tongue-tie even the most silver of tongues.
With a dimple appearing on one of his cheeks from the lopsided angle of his smile, the Lullaby can only laugh as he reached forward to clap Tal on the back (careful to ensure he didn't touch the other man's skin). "I think you should get another drink." Remi suggests instead with a grin before glancing over his shoulder at Hotaru. Another pang of regret and grief tugs at the corners of Remi's lips as thinks of Enzo, though the noise of the tavern makes it hard for the melancholy to take hold.
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
hands like secrets are the hardest thing to keep from you
lines and phrases like knives your words can cut me through
Flora knew how to throw a party, that much was for sure.
George sauntered into the Hanged Man, fashionably late, to find the party well underway. He also found that he knew hardly anyone in attendance. His eyes skimmed over the crowd to find Eleftheria at the bar alone, so he began to make his way over to them, admiring the beautiful women and handsome men in attendance as he ambled across to the bar. On his way, he stopped to write his name on a slip of paper - since he liked to collect things and what the hell, right? - and grab a drink from a tray.
Sidling up to El, George offered a crooked grin. "Hello, love," he said, leaning heavily against the bar facing the rest of the room. He looked for Flora and found her, waiting until he could catch her eye to raise his glass in a silent toast. Then, he turned his attention back to El. "Enjoying the party?"
Tal was tense as a board, shoulders slightly hunched, but the comparatively gentle clap on his back pulled him out of his tongue-tied discomfort and had him giving Remi a startled glance. It was enough to see the Lullaby's grin and the courier blinked, beginning to believe that he might survive the encounter.
"Um... thanks." The look he gave the other man in return was one of naked relief and the courier hurriedly scampered down the bar for a refill. The booze was flowing freely and if he was going to make a fool of himself tonight at least he could tell himself he'd had a reason for it, instead of his usual habit of sticking his feet in his mouth while entirely sober.
He did sidle back to his previous place tentatively, however, and set a mostly-innocent fruit juicy looking drink in reach of the Lullaby as a peace offering with a flicker of a shy grin. Instead of digging himself any deeper he sipped at his own crystal clear martini glass - garnished with a little wood sword stuck through an olive. If Remi didn't want it, Tal figured he could always down the juice later.
We were supposed to be just friends
Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I'm in
She's fashionably late. Even later than Mateo and Everest were. Something the attuned notes as she strolls up the sandy path, planning to actually use the front door like a normal person this time. Spotting her friend by the bonfire, Paige slows only slightly to give him a nod, a faint smile curling on her lips. "Look who finally filled out. Miss you, Ever." Paige calls in greeting to Everest, tossing him an easy wink before she leaves him to his quiet musings, knowing better than to disturb him too much. At least while she's still sober, that is.
The place is crawling with people. Many she hasn't met and some she would be stupid not to recognize. With a familiarity that comes from shifting through the crowded streets of Torchline, Paige situates herself against a post near the water's edge after dropping her name in the raffle bucket, having grabbed a drink or two on her way by. She downs the first one in a flash and makes sure to sip the second one, not wanting to mix things too quickly, bright eyes scanning the room for the only person she really cares to see here.
Spotting Flora tucked into a booth with someone she doesn't recognize, the attuned doesn't interrupt, instead pulling out a rolled cigarette from a packet and placing it between her lips. Rolling her exposed neck, she lights it with a flick, inhaling deeply on the mixture and feeling warmth sweep through her seconds later. Lovely. Glancing to her right, eyes fall on someone she would recognize anywhere and Paige sidles up behind them easily. "Enjoying yourself?" She whispers into Mateo's seashell adorned ear, grinning as she peaks around his shoulder and catches him in a hug, carefully balancing her drink and smoke in the process.
