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!
"Makes one of us, I suppose," Mateo says of the post, offering a flash of teeth up at Koa for his trouble. Stepping back as well and wiping his hands off on his pants, he nods his satisfaction with their first attempt, jostling his shoulder companionably against his friend's (it's the most party king he can be right now, sorry).
Never one to deny a water break when it might reduce the likelihood of him throwing up, the botanist happily joins Koa as he heads up rehydrating the group, watching Pip with no shortage of amusement. "Hopefully we can use the existing post as a guide," he remarks as he hauls more cement to the next hole. You know, because the post is so straight.
Mateo also takes a water break before moving onto the next post with the cement!
i've told you time and time again i'm not as think as you drunk i am
When Koa offered her water, she took it with some surprise, having not anticipated having anyone to take care of her in return for her care of others. She smiled gratefully up at him and drank greedily, draining a good portion of the bottle. She hadn't realized just how thirsty she'd been until right that moment.
Progress with the lanterns was painstakingly slow, and Soh bit her lip in frustration as she tried to put together one of the four that they needed to hang on the posts. Perhaps it was user error, but the pieces didn't quite want to fit together, and it seemed the Lena was having the same luck that she was having. Of course, their efforts were not helped by Pip, who scampered about playfully, but no matter how frustrated Soh got, the dragon's antics were always enough to make her smile.
The boys fared better, managing to raise each of the posts in turn and somehow, miraculously, managing to get them all more or less straight. Soh waved them over when they were done, gesturing towards the two remaining lanterns. "If you two could help finish this up, all we've got to do is hang the lanterns."
With instructions given, Soh returned to her lantern. Hopefully this time, she would be successful in putting the silly thing together, and then she could hang it on one of the nearby posts.
------
Soh and Lena have not succeeded in putting together their lanterns - thanks, Pip!
Mateo and Koa have successfully gotten the posts in the ground!
Time for everyone to grab a lantern, put it together, and hang it! No post order! <3
"Well would you look at that," Mateo is saying from the very respectable position of the ground, not having it in him to hold his own weight after shifting four lots of cement. "We could make a career out of this, you know. Lantern... put-er uppers." Nodding wisely to Koa, he glances across as Soh calls for them, offering a sloppy wave to show he's understood.
"At least this does not seem to involve any heavy lifting," he says through a grunt as he clambers back to his feet, heading gingerly over to where the girls are playing arts and crafts. Gathering materials and sitting in a patch of shade, Mateo goes about trying to put together his lantern.
Mateo tries his hand at lantern making!
i've told you time and time again i'm not as think as you drunk i am
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
Heavens – it was like she’d never done this before! Wiping off her brow and blowing portions of her hair out of her face, the Caretaker persisted in settling into her work, with or without Pip impeding the already clambering disarray. Perhaps these were simply different from the lanterns she’d put together each year for the Festival of Lights, and therefore, she was struggling.
Shrugging her shoulders and not bothering to make sense of it any longer, Lena gave Sohalia half a smile, as if to ward away any frustrations on herself or the younger woman. Sometimes that was simply how things were – and they’d never learn anything without making mistakes.
Hopefully, this time around, as her lantern took shape and she opted to hang it, would turn out much better.
--
Lena tries again!
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
06-07-2023, 11:23 PM (This post was last modified: 06-07-2023, 11:23 PM by Koa.)
Koa
"Yup," Koa agrees, also from the ground, where he's currently reclining while catching his breath. "Quitting Dragoons. Setting up lanterns." He raises a weary hand in thumbs-up, his eyes focused somewhere on the middle distance. "Living the Stormbreak dream."
Ah, but a good man's work is never over. With Pipsqueak continuing to wreak havoc supervise, Koa slumps his way to the girls, collapsing beside Sohalia with a thud. He flashes her a tired grin before getting started on a lantern, trying to channel every lesson in craftsmanship his father tried to teach him as a boy and praying silently to Frey, Ludo, or really whoever is the god of lanterns, don't let me fuck this up.
The group was making short work of their lanterns, aided by Pip, and it was nice to sit in the shade and work together. If the boys weren't so tired, she would have made small talk, but as it was, she let them have their rest. They were almost done, after all!
Soh continued to struggle with her lantern, a frustrated huff escaping before she could stop herself. It just wasn't cooperating, and she wasn't used to being so bad with her hands. Mateo seemed to be in the same boat, perhaps too tired or too hungover to fit the pieces together effectively. Lena's lantern came together quickly on her second attempt, but Koa was the most successful of the group, his lantern taking shape quickly and efficiently in his hands. Soh couldn't help but cast an impressed, if envious, look towards the young Dragoon.
Lena and Koa were able to take a break as Soh and Mateo continued to struggle; before long, though, all the pieces came together and the group was left with four pretty lanterns that just needed to be hung on the posts. "Right," said Soh, regaining some of the composure she'd lost while fighting with her lantern. "That's about it! If you could each hang a lantern, we're all done here! Thank you so much for your help!"
------
Lena and Koa finish first, but all the lanterns are put together (with some struggle on Soh and Mateo's part). Last round! Please hang your lanterns and then your character can either hang out or head home. ;D Thanks all!
The gods of lanterns hear Koa's prayers, for - miracle of miracles! - his creation comes together into a rather passable facsimile of an Actual Professional Lamp. And oh, he's practically crowing with pride as he holds up his finished product, waving it toward Mateo with a shit-eating grin. "Need some pointers?" the Dragoon asks teasingly, leaning to peer at his friend's work. "It helps if you don't put the panels together upside-down, y'know. Just a suggestion." He grins again.
Ah, but he's not here only to give Mateo shit. Once the lanterns are all accounted for (and Koa is more than happy to genuinely help Soh), the tall young man makes sure to help get them strung up, Pip climbing on his shoulders to reach a little higher up. He'll stick around until the work is done, eager to admire the finished product of their labor. Maybe flirt with Sohalia some more. Maybe give Mateo more of a hard time.
But also because at the end of the day he is a Dragoon, and the day is wearing on. And lanterns or not, he isn't about to leave anyone in the Houses alone.
Koa and Pip hang up their lantern, and are happy to help anyone else. They'll stick around until the end and make sure everyone gets home safe.
"My lantern is simply more aesthetically unique than yours," Mateo drawls at Koh, even as his fumbling fingers almos drop some of the pieces and shatter them. It's a close thing, but he does manage to catch them at least, taking a slow deep breath in and letting it out again, before starting afresh. As for the crowing Dragoon's help, he'll find himself batted away if he tries to so much as approach the botanist's masterpiece.
Once the lantern is finally assembled, Mateo drags himself to his feet to go and hang it, though (not being talk or muscular, Koa) he's forced to use a wall and a barrel and to stand on his toes to do so. Feeling thoroughly sick and dizzy once it's done, he'll not be sticking around, regrettably. It's uncharacteristic for Mateo, but it's best for all of them that he takes himself home and to bed.
Mateo finishes his lantern and hangs it (and refuses help like a stubborn child) and then heads home to sleep off his hangover!
i've told you time and time again i'm not as think as you drunk i am
and sweetest in the gale is heard and sore must be the storm
While the boys bickered, Lena was simply satisfied at producing decent results this time. Granting herself a small sigh and a long, unfurled breath, the Caretaker patted her lantern, fixing an arched brow at both Mateo and Koa, but wisely saying nothing.
Instead, with a simple smile, she aimed to please with the instructions cast her way, and obediently went to hang her lantern amidst the others. Brushing her hands together, she looked on their work proudly. “There we go!” She hastened, radiant despite the summer swell casting its sheen upon them. Even if they hadn’t been the most efficient group, they still hastened and combined their efforts into something to benefit Stormbreak at large, and that was enough for the Caretaker.
--
Lena hangs her lantern!
that could abash the little bird that kept so many warm
Koa's help with her lantern proved to be invaluable; she offered him a grateful smile as they finished putting it together. With everyone else's lanterns hung, Soh found something to climb on to hang her own. Clambering down, she looked at their progress with her hands on her hips, beaming with pride. "Thank you all so much!" she squealed, looking around at her companions. It might not have been much, but this section of the Silk Houses would be a little safer now.
She waved a grateful goodbye to Mateo, who, frankly, looked like he needed to lie down, and returned her attention to Lena and Koa. "Does anybody want to grab some dinner?" she offered to the group, more than happy to buy as a thank you. "My treat!"
------
The lanterns have all been hung, and the Silk Houses have a little extra light at night. Thanks, everyone!
