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!
02-27-2024, 07:56 PM (This post was last modified: 04-01-2024, 03:09 PM by Edmund.)
Moving the guildhall was an inconvenience that had already been delayed once. But Edmund is needed in the Grounds, and he can't run a guild from across the continent. Perhaps it would be better to pass the mantle onto another guildmember so that it could stay in Torchline, but the Ancient is too attached. This is his guild, and these are his guildmates. He has no intention of letting them go so easily. Not for something as simple as him moving.
The good news is that he was able to find an old building that perfectly fits their needs. It's already been gutted and has enough rooms and stories to handle the load of being a guildhall.
The day to renovate comes, and he finds himself waiting outside of the building for his guild to arrive. Edmund has brought plenty of snacks and refreshments to keep them going today. As his guildmates arrive, he gives each a smile and a nod. "Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, so let's start by doing the repairs and giving it a good clean."
Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild set-up PQ 2! No post order. Edmund will take what's left.
1. Replace the broken door with a new one.
2. Replace the broken windows.
3. Replace the broken floorboards and sweep/mop the floor after.
In the wake of Halo's devastation and Soleil's inability to help, stuck as she'd been with no skyport or boat to get her there any faster, the young woman has been stricken with a ceaseless need to help anywhere she can. Belated though her efforts had been in Halo, she had given her rejuvenated energy to help replace those who had already grown weary from being present from day one, and she hasn't stopped since. It feels like the only thing that can absolve her of her persistent guilt.
The Guild may not be in Halo, but it helps to keep herself busy, and so she arrives promptly on the day Edmund had marked in his letters. Diana stands primly at her side, nose wrinkling and panting slightly in the heat of the Grounds. Soleil - uncharacteristically quiet - sets about tearing up the broken floorboards immediately, the rip and tear of old nails a fulfilling type of destruction as she hauls out the debris to begin setting up a pile.
- - -
Soleil rips up the floorboards and sets them in a debris pile outside!
I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude
Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade
Luka has been tailing his sister for the bette part of the season, and though she doesn’t outwardly react to his presence when it extends abnormally past Halo’s borders, he can tell she appreciates it. That the reason for her silence is the same as her recent depression; a desire not to talk or think about all that has happened. He supports her silently, keeping her company and inserting himself in places he knows he’s welcome even without her saying so.
Today, that apparently means helping with her Guild. With his twin uncharacteristically meek, Luka steps out of his own comfort zone to approach Edmund with an outstretched hand and a focused expression that hopefully does not come off as challenging. “Luka. Nice to meet you; Soleil has told me a lot.” All positive things, though that is liable to put Edmund on his shit list faster given he doesn’t like the idea of his sister liking people. “I’d like to join your Guild. And help, of course.” He doesn’t expect to be turned away, but he waits for confirmation before nodding shortly and stepping away thereafter to begin working immediately, not one to waste time.
Happy to do heavy lifting, he works on removing the old bolts and screws that had been holding the old door, and setting up the hardware to begin mounting the new one in its place.
- - -
Luka replaces the door!
And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid
Soleil's quiet is concerning, and Edmund hopes he'll get a chance to check on her before they are through. He does give her a gentle smile, however, before he turns to the newcomer. He quickly places the name and returns the handshake, "Good to meet you, I'm Edmund. You're, of course, welcome to join the guild." Few would be barred entrance, and Soleil's twin was certainly not on the list.
The trio gets to work, and their solemn focus is mostly fruitful. Soleil has some trouble with the floorboards. The pile quickly grows as the old floorboards are removed, but she gets a splinter as she replaces them. Luka is able to remove the door after two tries after the first one results in the door snapping in half along a rotten line in the grain. The new door goes in far more gently. Edmund focuses on the windows and although a few breaks in the process, he gets them removed and replaced. Splat happily eats the broken windows, floorboards, and door once everyone reconvenes, much to the mild horror of his bonded. Maybe one day the Ancient will get used to the garbage disposal tendencies of his companion, but today is not it.
Brushing sawdust off his shirt, Edmund smiles at the others. "Perfect. Let's start turning this into a proper guildhall."
~
Round 2! Edmund will take what's left.
1. Paint the walls.
2. Build shelves in the library and office.
3. Begin moving in the furniture for the main hall.
Edmund's smile helps soothe the raw edges around her heart, but she can only summon a wisp of one in return that dies faster than it comes. That hurts, too. She doesn't feel like herself, but is equally unsure how to get back to herself. All she can think to do is keep her days and hands busy, the way Luka does. It seems fitting that she steps into his shoes and he into hers, emerging from Halo like an overwintering bear when normally he was a homebody.
Hissing over her sliver, Soleil frowns down at it, trying to pluck at it with her nails to remove it considering she hadn't brought her adventuring pack as it was of little use in construction. Whether she gets it out or not, she stands and rejoins the others, and even manages a small laugh when Edmund's companion consumes the refuse readily in a way she hadn't expected of such a small, enigmatic creature. Diana, laying in the corner and watching like a silent guardian, chuffs slightly at the subtle signs of thawing in her bonded.
"I'll take the furniture," she offers, the first thing she has said in days. Her voice is mildly raspy from it, but she buckles down on the work with a little less strain on her shoulders. In come chairs, a rug, and anything else that Edmund had set aside for the repaired building.
- - -
Soleil tries to get her splinter out, then begins moving furniture in!
I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude
Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade
Luka smiles perfunctorily, tucking Edmund's name and face away before getting to work. He works better with actions than words, and now that he belongs to a Guild officially instead of completing work for general citizens in Halo, he has the new but not unpleasant urge to prove himself.
The door is not the best case for that given it snaps in half at first, but he manages to install the new one with little troubles. Testing the way it swings and latches extensively to ensure it's properly secure takes a little longer but is completely worthwhile in his opinion. Knowing Diana is keeping an eye on Soleil, he intentionally does not, not wanting her to feel like he's being overbearing. It doesn't mean he doesn't latch onto the brevity of her smile when they rejoin, relieved to hear her laughing even just a little. It settles the disjointed pieces in his own chest.
Revitalized now, Luka seeks out the next project. Not much of a painter, he takes up the wood pieces meant for the shelving and begins to measure and level where they will be installed, hoping for precision before he actually begins hammering things in. He starts with the library first, only moving on to the office if he succeeds in the first room.
- - -
Luka builds shelves!
And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid
Soleil is able to remove her splinter, and thankfully, it turns out to only be a minor one. It doesn't get in her way as she focuses on the furniture. Bringing in the rug, tables, and chairs quickly livens the space. However, she bumps into one chair and sends it tumbling. It doesn't break but she does have to take an extra moment to tighten up a screw before placing it in the hall.
Luka has to remove and redo a few nails but the shelves otherwise come together swiftly and sturdily. His focus on precision certainly pays off.
Edmund is left with paint, and keeping with the tradition of the original hall, he goes for a theme of red and gold with earthy tones to soften it.
The team reconvenes, and Edmund glances around for a moment as he plans their next steps: "Alright. Thankfully, the kitchen and armory rooms are already outfitted, so they just need to be stocked. A supply delivery should be arriving any minute now. We also need to move the furniture into the library."
Round 3! No post order!
1. One person to move furniture into the library.
2. One person to stock the kitchen.
3. One person to stock the armory.
Soleil winces when she sends the chair spinning, and blows out a relieved breath when the damage is only a bit of work with one of the screws. Breaking any of the new furniture would make her feel terrible, and would likely not be a great omen for the Guild's new location.
"I'll bring in the food," she offers. While she doesn't think herself weak in the least, after her kerfuffle with the chair, maybe she shouldn't be handling the more unwieldy weapons. As she steps out the front door she sees the shipment down the road and flags them down, beginning to unload the packages and carting them into the kitchen. Only once they've all been brought in does she begin to unpack the individual items, putting them into places they're certain to be easily found.
- - -
Soleil stocks the kitchen!
I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude
Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade
A few misplaced nails to fix is still a wonderful outcome in his opinion, and his lightened mood carries him through the task until there's nothing more to do but report back to Edmund in the common area. He isn't exactly vocal around strangers, but Soleil's presence overrides that, and as she heads for the door he follows with a teasing smirk. "I'll join you so you don't sneak the good snacks." And perhaps because he's not satisfied with the small breakthrough he's seen in her just yet, and he's admittedly a mother hen.
He's left waiting around a little longer than Soleil for the other shipment to arrive, but he tackles the problem differently. Given the weight of the crates he unloads them all at once and lines them up outside so the courier can be on his way without waiting around unpaid and likely unpleasant. From there he opens them all to determine what type of weapon and armor each holds before funneling them into the guildhouse to begin organizing and unpacking them.
- - -
Luka stocks the armory!
And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid
