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 see you feeding pigeons on the promenade sometimes. And you like gelato... or ice cream. I'm never close enough to tell," Ronin replies on the subject of whether he's been watching the angel in question. He prefers gelato, truth be told, but that's neither here nor there for now. "Does that imply that you're a child in angelic terms?" he wonders, and gods, maybe he's feverish with pain now because he's getting almost as stupid with his smalltalk as the other man.
Gritting his teeth and watching the cord loop around his wrist, Ronin hisses out a sharp curse to feel the coffin nail free itself from the centre of his palm, leaving a stream of boiling blood in its wake. Flexing his fingers, he considers ripping his wing free of the other nail and making a dash for it, but gods wouldn't that be even more pathetic? "Thanks," he mutters instead, waiting patiently for the angel to free his flight feathers.
'Well, they deserve something better than just bread and donuts.' The angel says a touch defensively before his lips pull down into a frown. "Well, normally gelato." He says, straightening and continuing to flatten down his coat over his stomach for emphasis. "Ice cream can be rather hard on my stomach." Remi admits, and though he'll never admit it, he does think that having to endure a human's digestive system as a consequence of being on earth is rather unfair.
"Well no, of course not. Adults say it. Adults of..well, a certain year, actually." He explains, or tries to, but Remi had never really managed to follow the linguistic changes in English past about the 1920s.
'You are most welcome." Remi trills in response, sounding pathetically keen and happy to be of assistance. Tugging at the top to bring both of Ronin's hands behind his back, only then does he nod at the nail, which falls dutifully onto the ground. 'I don't suppose you want those as souveniors?"
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
The second the final nail is dragged from his wing, everything about Ronin seems to relax, and even though he's a demon with his hands bound by angelic cord, on his knees on hallowed ground to boot, he seems overwhelmingly content. "The gelato tastes better anyway," he murmurs, his head tilting up to enjoy the patter of rain on his face, ebon wings draped comfortably out behind him.
Glancing bitterly at the two nails, he wrinkles his nose and shakes his head a fraction. "You keep them," he suggests. "You can show them to your adultier adults if anyone comes knocking after me." And they probably will, if his luck holds true. For now, though, he's caught by the purr of thunder overhead. "This one's going to be a good one," he says of the storm.
09-03-2023, 08:25 PM (This post was last modified: 09-03-2023, 08:40 PM by Remi.)
REMI
when people say that something is forever
'I think so too.' Remi agrees sweetly. "What's your favourite flavour?" He wonders perhaps too conversationally given their present situation, but what could you do. An angel was gonna angel, even if that meant asking a demon his favourite flavour of gelato.
"Ah. Clever." Remi agrees, waving at the ground and summoning the nails to rise and drop safely into his pocket. Looking up and holding onto the golden cord as if Ronin was nothing more than a vaguely disobedient puppy, Remi nods. "I hope so. I've been working on them. The storms, I mean. They have so much potential in this area of the world, but the timing was just a little off, and.." Blushing furiously as if only having just realized that he was rambling to a demon, Remi clears his throat and shrugs suddenly as if he couldn't care any less about the weather.
Except he really did.
"I ... suppose it wouldn't hurt if we...found somewhere to watch it? Just so that I can figure out what to do with you somewhere dry, you understand."
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Pistachio," he answers easily enough, because when is the right time to have a conversation about gelato flavours? And honestly, Ronin is more inclined to treat the angel before him to as much smalltalk as he likes now that he's not nailed into the fucking cemetery.
"I do try," he adds, of being clever. "What's yours? Favourite flavour, I mean. I think you're one for strawberries, personally." If it's all the same to Remi, Ronin will carefully try to get his feet beneath him, his arms placidly held behind his back and his gaze on the dark sky.
"Oh, these are yours?" Raising his eyebrows, he nods his approval. "I liked your sheet lightning, in the last one." Pretending not to be surprised that he's being asked about his preferences, Ronin nods easily enough. "Of course. Lead the way."
'I don't mind strawberry.' The angel agrees. In truth, he liked nearly all of the flavours (save for pineapple, he always thought that a rather odd one). 'But my favourite I think is cappuccino.' Sighing as if he could taste the word, Remi suddenly shakes his head and clears his throat. "In moderation, of course." He adds hastily as he stands back slightly to give Ronin room to make himself comfortable.
'Well, you know I can't take all the credit, what with it all being part of His Plan, but..yes, these ones are..more mine, shall we say." Looking entirely pleased, Remi smiles down at his shoes, cheeks properly dimpled and growing rosier by the minute.
"There is just a little cafe up the way with an awning if you'd..?"
This is how the pair end up seated outside of a quaint little cafe, golden cord tethered to one of Ronin's ankles so that he could sit without receiving strange looks from their server.
"A Shirley Temple please, with extra cherries."
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Oh, of course," Ronin agrees with an exaggerated bob of his eyebrows. "Though sometimes I do enjoy having maybe one scoop more than I ought to, wouldn't you agree?" Is he tempting the angel over gelato? Yes, and why not? Especially if he's going to be tethered to him for the foreseeable however long.
Remi smiles at his shoes and Ronin keeps his eyes on the sky, about to tell the other man not to be so modest when he's reminded abruptly of His Plan and how he doesn't fit into it any more. Shrugging away his wings and feeling his mouth go dry, the demon merely nods at the suggestion of the cafe.
They are the only two out beneath the awning in a storm at night, but the cord around his ankle is nonetheless appreciated, and it's with a comfortable slouch that he takes his place at the table. "Irish coffee, black. With extra cherries," he tells the server, reaching out once they're gone to very carefully loosen the lid on one of the salt shakers.
09-03-2023, 09:00 PM (This post was last modified: 09-03-2023, 09:01 PM by Remi.)
REMI
when people say that something is forever
"Well," Not wanting to have lied (or nearly lied) twice in one night, the angel shrugs uncomfortably but nods. "Maybe sometimes." He agrees in a low voice.
Raising his eyebrows slightly, the angel tilts his head. As Ronin loosens the lid of the salt, Remi sweeps a few crumbs from the table before folding his hands neatly into his lap. "I've never heard of cherries in one's coffee before? Is that a..." Glancing around, the angel leans forward. "..a down there thing?" He whispers looking vaguely horrified and intrigued.
Lightning splashes across the sky, and as it does Remi inhales softly and begins counting under his breath, turning his eyes immediately to his watch. As he mouths three, he smiles expectantly, only...there's nothing.
Several seconds later the sky gives a whimper of thunder.
'Nnt. Oh..'
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Sometimes is still moderation, right?" Ronin says with a liar's smile, only his works because he absolutely tells lies, and with ease. Running his tongue across his teeth and peering out to watch the rain fall and the listen to the sky sing, he scoffs out a laugh at the angel's remarks. "Sure," he says, "something like that." Only when their drinks do arrive, he sets the small plate of cherries next to Remi's Shirley Temple, because if it isn't obvious, he's ordered them for the angel in question.
Sipping at his coffee using the hand that hasn't recently been impaled, he's none the wiser to the failed thunder until the man at his side seems positively bereft over it, Ronin raising his eyebrows. "I liked that one," he says, not knowing why. "The softer thunderclaps are kinder on the animals."
'Oh, well...yes, actually, I suppose that's true." The angel agrees, feeling all the better for it. Smiling warmly to their server as their drinks arrive, Remi looks at the plate of cherries moved to sit next to the ones he'd ordered for himself, lips slightly parted and green eyes growing wide. "But..not for the coffee, then?" He asks, clearly confused.
'Ohh..' He sighs mournfully, before trying to rally. "You're right, I had just..oh I had planned for -" Of course at that moment the bellow of thunder overhead sounded like a heaven-sized cookie sheet was being banged with a drumstick, cutting of the angel's explanation. It shook the foundation of the building and set the liquid in their drinks shaking.
'Heavens!' Remi cries as a few patrons in the streets were sent running for cover. "I hadn't meant for it to be like that." He says, pressing his palm to his ear and opening and closing his jaw as if to reset the pressure inside of his skull.
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Not for the coffee," Ronin confirms, stealing one of the cherries for himself as a tip, "I ordered them for you." Popping the cherry into his mouth and settling back in his chair to enjoy the rest of the storm show, he tilts his head at the angel's lacklustre expression. His lips part to offer further conversation (not reassurance, why would he do that?) only for thunder to belt out instead.
As people run for cover and Remi tries to reset his hearing, Ronin, in comparison, experiences the thunderclap with open mouthed delight. Ducking his head as if to try to see past the awning for more lightning, for a second the angel might catch the barest hint of blue in his otherwise bible black eyes, but it's gone as quickly as it appears. "Sometimes the things we don't mean to do end up being the best," he remarks.
"Oh." Puzzled, Remi looks blankly from Ronin, to the cherries, back to Ronin again. 'Oh.' Flushing anew, the angel shifts awkwardly in his seat such that his posture seemed to grow even straighter if that was even possible. "Well, that's very kind of you."
Watching the demon as if expecting to be scolded any moment for the thunder's outburst, the angel reaches for one of the cherries as if it might be the last one he's ever able to enjoy. "I'm not sure I believe that." Remi disagrees, albeit very gently and almost reluctantly. Reaching for his drink, the angel gives it a slight swirl to mix in the red syrup with the rest of the liquid until the entire thing is a delightful pink.
'So..if you don't mind my asking, if you've been trying to stay out of my way...does that mean you're not here...to...you know, thwart me?'
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Casting a reproachful glare at the angel, as if the idea of being kind has just occurred to him, Ronin reaches out to snag another cherry for good measure. Balancing the books and all that, right? "You don't have to believe something for it to be true. Isn't that what your good book preaches?" he murmurs around a cherry stem, before abandoning it for his coffee again.
Preferring the dark bittersweetness of his liquor to whatever pink monstrosity Remi has, the demon is caught by the colour of the drink for a moment such that his response seems almost delayed. "Mm...? Oh, I'm absolutely here to thwart you," he says with a warm chuckle. "But you know... I quite like this city. And I thought the longer I took to thwart you, the more time I could spend here before I had to go back downstairs."
Frowning, the angel eyes the demon with subdued suspicion, opting to sip from his drink instead. Reaching for two cherries, Remi plops them into his glass, watching as bubbles of carbonation form around the fruit like protective little diamonds. Considering for a moment, he resists the urge to add in another and instead gives the glass a little stir.
'Well that's very selfish of you." The angel points out, meaning it as a judgment. "I quite like this city as well, but you don't see me dragging my feet along." He points out, both because he hadn't been dragging his feet (or at least, mostly he hadn't) and also because apparently, Ronin had been out watching him.
Frowning suddenly, Remi stares at the demon across the table curiously. "That thing with the canals...the day of the boat race. Was that you?"
either way, it ends
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
