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!
To say the One Shot was reclusive would be an understatement. The Attuned had all but shut herself away during her pregnancy and the birth of the twins. Not feeling up to company from even those closest to her. However, she was trying to make more of an effort. To be present in her own life again.
When she heard news that Sol was visiting the Grounds, the Attuned hadn't hesitated to reach out, extending an invitation for her to come visit with the twins. Now that she'd made the move to the Grounds a bit more permanent, Cordelia found herself longing for connection, the primal urge for her pack stirring deep in her belly.
The twins were playing happily on one of the many fur rugs, kicking their legs and giggling as they reached for each other, their mother's ever watchful gaze flicking to them from where she was working in the kitchen. A knock at the door pulled her attention from her babies and Cordelia didn't need to look to know who it was brightening her doorstep. Hurrying over, the One Shot pulled it open with a bright smile, tugging her niece into a fierce hug. "Oh, look at you... You've grown so much." She gasped, holding her at arms length to look her over once before hurrying her inside out of the rain. "How are you doing? Good, I hope."
Soleil had been aware of Cordelia moving with Noah to the Grounds, but only in a through-the-grapevine sort of way. Despite the Grounds being her current region to explore, she has yet to run into the Forsaken, but in all honesty her eyes have been peeled for his better half. Not that she’s overly hopeful; children, especially twins, are quite the handful. She would know, she is one.
So receiving Cordelia’s letter out of the blue had been like an electric jumpstart of excitement. Bidding Noe a temporary goodbye, she’d struck out into the endless monsoon, following the directions she’d been given (and belatedly grateful for her good memory when the rain makes them hard to read). Her own surprise hides snuggled up against her chest under her thick puffy coat, only shuffling around sleepily when she knocks on Delia’s door.
Her own grin is bright and beaming when she sees her extended packmate up close and personal for the first time in years, and she goes traipsing in the front door and out of the rain with hardly any encouragement. “Taller than you now,” she points out with a warm laugh. It’s an inch at best, but it makes her feel warm and bittersweet at the same time to see how far along she has come in her own growth. Pulling her hair out of the collar of her jacket and fluffing it out from where it had been crushed beneath the hood, she grabs easily for Delia’s hand and squeezes, always and forever a physical being. “I’ve been great! I’m part of the Adventurer’s Guild now, and I’ve seen most of the settled regions in Caido. It’s been amazing,” she gushes, beginning to unzip her jacket and ensuring an arm lowers to support the sleepy pup against her chest as a fuzzy white head is revealed against her sternum. Smiling mischievously, she lifts a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell dad, but you’re the first to know.” Aside from Noe, who’d been present when Soleil had discovered and bonded with Diana.
Her laugh is bright and rich, an affectionate smile curling on her lips as she took in the fact that Sol was in fact an inch taller than her now. "Are you sure it isn't your curls adding to your height?" The attuned teased, reaching out to help fluff her hair back up into its usual state. Letting Sol take her hand, the One Shot lead her back to the couch as she revealed her secret companion. "Your father mentioned as much in his letters that you had set off on a little traveling spree." Cordelia hummed, taking a seat on the couch, eyes flicking over to the twins where they were still babbling happily.
The attuned gasped softly, amber eyes widening, "Oh my... How lovely!" She reached forward, offering her fingers to the pup to sniff, a grin curling on her lips. "Figures that you would also find a wolf pup. It seems it runs in the family." The attuned scratched under the white fluff ball's chin gently, a familiar swelling rising in her chest the way it usually did around companions. She always had a soft spot for them.
"How did you come across them?" Cordelia inquired, barely shifting her eyes away from Sol as Margot decided to crawl towards her then, tiny hands reaching for her mother's pant leg, intent on using it to pull herself into a wobbly standing position. Delia steadied her daughter, waiting a moment to lift the one year old into her lap, bouncing her lightly in the process.
Soleil sticks her tongue out, an eternal proponent of growing up without growing old, though she happily lets Cordelia help fluff her curls back to their proper place. Groaning in feigned distress, Soleil takes her shoes off and follows Cordelia to the couch, sitting with haphazard grace. "See, it takes away half the fun of telling you if dad beats me to the punch," she grumbles, though her lips twitch at the corners, clearly pleased that her dad is being his normal dad-self, unable to keep quiet about all the things she and Luka might do that could inspire pride. Which is really anything harder than breathing. She loves it.
Diana watches Cordelia reservedly before leaning forward and sniffing her fingers, though Soleil conceals a laugh at the regal way she does it even for a pup. "Attuned shifts are supposed to be reflections of your soul, so it makes sense that my family seems to attract wolves the same way." The love is clear in her eyes as she looks down at her new bonded. "I've been thinking if I ever like a herald enough to Attune, it might be my first shift. That would be nice." There's a slight wistfulness to her tone, because Soleil has always been a bit of an odd duck amongst her peers; still too much wolf in a girl body, but with no bond to make any friends among the younger Attuned.
Margot crawls over then, and Soleil makes a happy noise as she looks her over, though she refrains from reaching out. She has no experience holding babies, and doesn't want to risk doing something wrong. Besides, she looks quite content on her mother's lap. "My friend Noe and I were investigating the meteor site, and we saw her tracks at the rim. I could tell she was small and alone, so we found her den - I'm not sure how she made it here to the Grounds though, I usually see white-furred wolves in Halo." It's a mystery she's happy to let lie however, especially with a cute baby to coo at and fuss over. "How old is she now?"
Glancing up, something catches your eye. Not the moon, or at least, not that moon. Faintly, just off to the side where the moon hangs bright and clear, seems to be another moon. Or at least, a very large star.
Unable to keep from smiling at the young woman's antics, Cordelia found the corners of her mouth lifting into a gentle curve, chuckling under her breath. "You know he can't keep anything to himself. He's terrible at it." Especially when it came to his children and sharing with his cousin.
Unsurprised by the pup's hesitancy when she leaned forward to sniff at her fingers, surely scenting the multitude of predators living beneath her skin, the One Shot doesn't move until the shift in body language is clear. Gently, she scratches the top of her head before drawing back again to scoop up her daughter instead. "That would be very fitting for you." She knew how much the twins missed their wolf skin, having hear the same from Sah multiple times, lamenting the fact that he no longer had an easy connection to his lupine form.
"How lucky that you found her then." Cordelia hummed, knee still bouncing slightly as she held Margot. Marcus, to his credit, hadn't decided to make himself a menace just yet. "They just turned one not too long ago." Something that Cordelia loathed to think about, wishing that they could stay small forever, but knowing for a fact that they couldn't and wouldn't.
Sol grins, proud of her dad even when he is being teased and lamented over, even by herself. There is little she could ever be mad at her dad for, and sharing her own accomplishments is certainly not one of them.
Soleil tilts her head in a so-so gesture, expression slightly conflicted, never one to hide it. "I go back and forth. Dad was hesitant to devote to a herald for a long time, and I feel like I am too." She still hasn't even met one. Not for lack of trying, but she doesn't know if Dygra is on a different level than the heralds. "But it's hard when he has all this magic and power and I have nothing, except asking for spirits and gods to help me." Something she isn't uncomfortable doing, but for a person as independent and self-sufficient as Soleil, it's a bitter pill to swallow when she has to. Turning toward Cordelia, her troubled face becomes slightly inquisitive. "What was it like for you? Was it easy to decide who you wanted to Attune to?"
Cooing at Margot, Soleil shakes her head with a laugh. "I can't believe how big they are already. I love kids, but there aren't many in Halo right now." It's a bit of a shame, as she'd absolutely play with them if she had the chance.
