+- Court of the Fallen (https://cotf-rpg.com)
+-- Forum: Out of Character (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=26)
+--- Forum: Important (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+---- Forum: Archives (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: Something wild calls me home (/showthread.php?tid=11849)
Pages:
1
2
RE: Something wild calls me home - Theea - 08-17-2025
I smile a little at her reassurance, because she’s right—curiosity isn’t a sin. Still, I know myself well enough to know I can be nosy, and sometimes I don’t know when to stop asking questions… or when to shut my mouth. [say]“Thanks for understanding,”[/say] I say with a quiet laugh. [say]“I either get myself in trouble without meaning to, or people find it charming. There’s no in-between.”[/say]
I drop down onto the moss too, setting my backpack at my side and leaning back on one hand while the other brushes through a patch of short grass, still stubbornly green against the brilliant scatter of autumn leaves. When Maea nods, a little thrill runs through me—she did know Vai! Even if she admits it wasn’t well, I keep the flicker of disappointment tucked away and just smile softly when she says my nonna once healed her. [say]“I’m glad she healed you,”[/say] I say simply, sincerely.
Then I brighten right up, nodding enthusiastically. [say]“Oh, yes. I loved living here. It was… magical, like a fairytale.”[/say] My grin turns a little sheepish. [say]“I actually started out behind the barrier in the Hollowed Grounds, when I was really little. Then the Greatwood, before my parents sort of—”[/say] I make a vague swooshing gesture, [say]“—vanished with me into thin air when things got really heated in Caido. But the Greatwood, I remember it. With a glow around the edges, like it was always lit up.”[/say]
I laugh a little, shaking my head. [say]“I love coming back to visit. Even if the last time I did, I got lost in Ludo’s Wood and had to be guided out.”[/say]
I catch myself then, clamping my mouth shut and grimacing apologetically. [say]“Sorry. I ramble.”[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Maea - 08-19-2025
Waving off the apology as it didn't bother her to be met with enthusiasm, Maea honed in on the mention of growing up in the Hollowed Grounds. While she certainly didn’t know everyone who used to live in her homeland, she couldn't help a certain curiosity whenever a new name cropped up. [say]"I was born in the Grounds, too,"[/say] she offered. [say]"May I know who your family is? Perhaps I've heard of them. The world used to be small enough to at least recognise names."[/say]
A pleased expression did linger after Theea's exuberant praise of the Greatwood. She shouldn't take so much pride in that, considering her own limited time spent in the woods, but it was there all the same. Like the shared fondness was a bridge that tied them together, erasing boundaries and braiding bonds however temporary and flimsy. Making them strangers no more.
[say]"Liam and I live in the Sidhe Village,"[/say] she shared, like an offering (or maybe a bribe to keep talking). [say]"If you need somewhere to stay when you visit, you'd be welcome."[/say] In either house, undoubtedly, and most particularly the Treehouse that Maea occupied.
RE: Something wild calls me home - Theea - 08-20-2025
I brighten right up when she says she’s from the Grounds too. [say]“Really? I hardly remember life behind the barrier at all,”[/say] I admit with a laugh, brushing a bit of moss off my knee. [say]“But my parents were Outlanders—Ashetta Yla and Kalt Ravenshire. There are some technicalities about whether I count as a Natural or not, but honestly? I was too young to remember anything different.”[/say] I wave my hand, dismissing the debate.
I lean back on my palms, gaze flicking out across the misty pool as I keep talking. [say]“I didn’t used to visit the Sidhe Village much. Back then the Fae weren’t exactly… welcoming. But I was there recently, and everyone was so kind.”[/say] My smile softens into something sheepish. [say]“Finding an inn that’d let me work for a room was another story, though. So your offer—it really means a lot. I’d love to stay with you sometime. It’d be like a slumber party!”[/say]
I laugh at the thought, brushing hair out of my face. [say]“I’ve only ever had one before, and it was just recently—with a woman named Elizabeth. She offered to share her room at an inn.”[/say]
I realize I’m rambling again, cut myself off with a quick clear of my throat, and glance at her. [say]“Do you… know Remi or Ronin, too? They lived here for a while. They’re my uncles.”[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Maea - 08-21-2025
Subtle glances was thrown about the girl when she began to talk of age. Maea wasn't one to judge but something about the timeline didn't quite match up with the look of the girl. Was she too misaligned with the flow of time? Made to grow faster than nature intended, for whatever purpose? That seemed to happen quite frequently, lately, and made the generations blur together in a highly confusing way.
Drawing a soft breath of surprise upon hearing the names of Theea's parents, a complex expression ghosted past her face. [say]"I see. I never met them... but I don't think there's anyone who haven't at lelast heard of Ashetta. She aided in reviving Ronin, after all. And I did see her fight, once."[/say] A dervish on the battlefield, an otherworldly force that blasted through an obstacle the naturals hadn't been able to remove for centuries. Maea recalled the awe she had felt, the envy and desire to be like that - to feel so deeply and go so far for someone. To a girl who'd never been able to realize any of her dreams, who'd just lost everything, it had been a wakeup call.
Sitting quietly, lost for a moment in her own thoughts while Theea's enthusiasm washed over her, Maea was shaken back to the present when Ronin's name echoed against her musings. Again she was surprised, though perhaps not as much as before; the Taliesin clan was a sprawling bunch, and another branch on the tree seemed only par for the course.
[say]"Yes, I know them. Remi gave me the house I live in now; I believe he built it during his time here."[/say] As a niece of his, that made Theea doubly welcome, as family to one of her closer friends. [say]"It seems we have more friends and connections in common than differences,"[/say] she added, amused when even Elizabeth's name cropped up. She would have to work hard so as to be worthy of a place in that network.
RE: Something wild calls me home - Theea - 08-22-2025
My eyes widen a little at that—Maea might not have known them, but so many people did. I hadn’t realized my mom’s name carried that far. And she actually saw her fight.
[say]“You saw her?”[/say] I can’t help but lean forward.. [say]“She never really talked about her own fights. Just everyone else’s.”[/say]
When Maea mentions Remi giving her a house, my brows rise. [say]“He's kind of amazing.”[/say] I shake my head with a little laugh, marveling at it.
At the thought of all the names weaving together, I nod. [say]“We really do have so many in common. But honestly, I’m still just… getting to know everyone. I only met Remi and Ronin at the end of Longheat.”[/say] My voice softens, uncertain but earnest. [say]“I’m just trying to find my place with the family I never knew.”[/say]
I hesitate, then add with a sheepish half-smile, [say]“I even prayed to Frey to make me older. So I could do it all on my own.”[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Maea - 08-24-2025
[say]"Yes. She was fighting the Spire Demon, alongside Ronin and... I forget who else."[/say] A faraway look crept into her pale eyes, turning them hazy as the mist swirling around them. [say]"Can't say I'm surprised. All battles are traumatic in their own way. The things they awaken in us... Some brag about it, but most people I've met prefer to stay quiet. Either way it's an attempt to protect ourselves from things that shouldn't be let out into the light."[/say] Memories, emotions, acts of desperation, the way a mind could be torn apart and reassembled - but never quite the same as before. It never got easier.
Softening into a smile as Theea spoke of her new family, the older woman envied her the connections, if only just a bit. Maea had her friends, and she had Liam; she knew she wasn't alone. Yet all her own blood relatives were gone, and the family she had adopted as well. [say]"You have time,"[/say] she assured the girl. [say]"That's all you need. Time together - the rest will come on its own. Every family is different, but if I know anything about yours it's that you're already part of it. I think it's less about finding a place and more about filling it with confidence."[/say] Something she had always struggled with, until it was too late. Maea desperately hoped Theea wouldn't have to experience that kind of regret.
RE: Something wild calls me home - Theea - 08-25-2025
The Spire Demon. [say]"That's when Ronin died!"[/say] My stomach lurches the moment the words slip out, and I slam my mouth shut too late. I shake my head hard, cheeks burning. [say]“That was really insensitive. If you guys are friends, and I just. Yikes. Um.”[/say] I clear my throat.
I take a breath and lower my voice, softer, steadier. [say]“There are things I don’t talk about either. Or even think about, if I can help it.”[/say] My heart pounds anyway, but Maea’s smile is like a rope thrown across the water, steadying me before I drown in my own clumsy words. That’s always been my way—getting by on not thinking too hard about the cracks. Just… keeping on.
But her words about time don’t let me hide behind that. They sink right in. I swallow and glance down at the moss, picking at a blade of grass between my fingers.
[say]“Time together sounds precious. But I’ve never really had it before. My whole life has been… nomadic. Moving around since I was a baby. Never anywhere long enough to feel like it was mine.”[/say] I glance up, meeting her pale eyes with my own, even as something twists in my chest. [say]“So now, even though I want to believe my place isn’t temporary anymore… it’s hard. It’s hard to feel like there really is time. And harder still to feel normal when I’m standing around people with names that reshape the world, with stories and titles and strength I don’t think I’ll ever match.”[/say]
I shrug a shoulder. [say]“I’m just… me.”[/say] I pause, and my lips purse a little. [say]"Sorry. Don't mean to dump shit on someone I just met."[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Maea - 08-25-2025
This girl seemed to live on spinal reflex, her shotgun tongue tied to whatever triggered a response. It was certainly jarring, especially when the topic was one of such dire results as death... but compared to so many other conversations Maea had held, this one was easy to navigate. Just take a breath, and forge on. Theea did all the second guessing for her, after all; catching on to blunders with an earnestness that would likely grow into the tact she fumbled with right now. Like shoes one size too big. Made it easy to forgive, the way you couldn't stay mad at puppies for too long.
[say]"Indeed, it was. I didn't know him back then, so I wasn't that affected by it at the time. It did leave an impression though, to be sure."[/say] She didn't elaborate further, only shifted her posture to rest her chin in the palm of her hand.
There was sympathy in her gaze as she listened to the girl's woes. They weren't too different from matters she had struggled with herself, far more recently than she was comfortable admitting. Finding ones place, finding your people and your path to walk - none were trivial matters, and the words of this stranger likely didn't mean much. Even so. Maea dropped the questions she wished someone had asked her, when she was facing the world on her own for the first time. [say]"Do you need to match them, then? What is it about 'just you' that's not enough?"[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Theea - 08-25-2025
I laugh a little nervously and shake my head. [say]“You’re awfully forgiving. I’ve had to duck out of a few interactions before, just because I never know when to shut my mouth. Even got in a scuffle with a couple kids once over it.”[/say] My grin is crooked, but I mean it—most people don’t have the patience to let me blunder through without looking at me like I’ve got three heads.
But her question halts me. Usually people change the subject when I start spilling too much, when I ramble myself into knots of half-trauma, half-nonsense. Maea doesn’t—she looks at me like I should already know the answer. Gently, like I’m supposed to be figuring it out.
I glance down at my hands, plucking a brown leaf between my fingers. [say]“I guess I’m… out of touch,”[/say] I admit. [say]“I’m not very strong. Or tactful. Most of the time I just get in the way. And everyone else is so brave and powerful, and they’ve survived everything when so many others didn’t.”[/say]
I swallow, hearing my Nonna’s voice in the back of my head, smooth and insistent. [say]“Vai told me to fuck everyone’s legacy. To make my own.”[/say] My throat tightens, but I push the words out anyway, softer this time. [say]“But what does that even look like, when all I’ve got to offer anyone is a smile?”[/say]
My brow furrows for a moment, staring at the leaf, but I look up with a soft shrug, and one of those smiles. [say]"They've all got everything to give to the world."[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Maea - 08-25-2025
A lopsided smile crinkled the corner of an eye, not quite a wink, but almost. [say]"I would be a very intolerant person indeed, if I couldn't handle hearing the truth,"[/say] she said dryly. [say]"I'm a blunt speaker too, alas. It really does rub some people the wrong way... but at least we don't have to keep track of pointless lies and complications, right?"[/say] Maea's tail coiled slowly over the moss, lazily plucking pinecones and arranging them in a circle around her.
One was tossed loosely towards Theea for the girl to catch, if she could, if only to stop the spiraling. [say]"Your Nonna has the right of it. May I remind you that you would be a literal child if not for Frey? What is it that you expect of one such as yourself, when you're barely out of diapers?"[/say] A teasing note crept into Maea's tone, not mocking but definitely challenging. [say]"But perhaps you are right. Maybe smiling really is all you'll ever be capable of. What then? If nothing you do ever measure up to what your amazing relatives have achieved... does that mean your life is useless? Do you really believe that?"[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Theea - 08-26-2025
I blink at her, the pinecone nearly slipping through my fingers as I catch it. I stare at it, turning it over in my hands, but mostly just to give myself something to look at while my thoughts scramble.
I’ve never asked myself questions like that before. Not with any real honesty, anyway.
[say]“I… don’t know.”[/say] The words feel small in my mouth. I glance up, then back down again. [say]“I guess I’ve always just assumed I had to do something. That I had to earn it, somehow. Like existing isn’t enough unless I can prove I deserved the chance Frey gave me.”[/say]
I let out a breath, shaking my head. [say]“If smiling was all I could ever do… I don’t know what that would mean. I never thought about it like that. Maybe it wouldn’t be useless, maybe it would be. I just—”[/say] I shrug, helpless, the words tangling up before they even leave me. [say]“I don’t know. If smiles are all I have, do I just give up on doing something real with my life?”[/say]
The admission knots in my stomach, but it’s the truth. For once, I can’t talk my way around it.
[say]”How do I help someone with just a smile, you know?”[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Maea - 08-26-2025
Maybe the questions were as much for her own benefit as for Theea's. Maea wouldn’t pretend to have any answers, just wanted the girl to know that there were options to the glorious life of a hero. Seeing as she herself had spent much of the year lamenting her own inability to be more useful, Maea thought herself well suited speak on the futility of that.
Still, as blue eyes turned more and more to the ground, the ancient softened, the challenge fading in the face of such gentle uncertainty.
[say]"I wish there was an answer I could give you,"[/say] she replied, breathing out a slow sigh. Touching the outline of the box and its precious content, she thought of the things that gave her own life meaning. Ultimately, none of them were grand, or based in power or skills or accomplishments. [say]"What I have found is that it depends on what your values are. What fulfills you. Even so, sometimes... those things will be out of reach. Whether that becomes the end of your road, or a sign to explore other options, will always be a decision only you can make."[/say]
Gazing across the glen until she caught Theea's gaze, she smiled softly at her, wordlessly asking that same question right back. What difference did a smile make, to the lost, the frightened and the weary? Had she never been saved by one? Kindness was a different kind of power, no less potent but far more difficult to cultivate than muscle or enchanted weapons. Compassion, understanding and love healed wounds that no magic could mend, while quiet and safety allowed even fools like herself to let the guard down and come out of their shell.
[say]"The biggest mistake I ever did in my life was to underestimate the value of smiles."[/say] Growing quiet, a weight of years lent depth to lavender eyes, belaying the youthful features of her face. [say]"Would that I had spent less time chasing the backs of others, and more time engaged with what brought light and joy to my life. I would be a very different person now if I had. Happier, and with far fewer bridges burned between other people."[/say]
Like the saying went; in a world where you can be anything, be kind. Maea had failed in that when it mattered - but perhaps Theea didn't have to.
RE: Something wild calls me home - Theea - 09-01-2025
I keep my eyes on the pinecone, rolling its scaled weight from palm to palm. The ridges bite gently at my skin, something real to hold while the question slips like mist through my fingers. She has no answer—and honestly, who would? Maybe only the gods, and they’re stingy with that kind of truth.
What are my values? Fulfillment? The words feel too big until I shrink them down to something I can touch. I like making people smile. Laugh. I like carving a little pocket of room for it where there wasn’t any before—like tugging a blanket over someone in the rain so their candle stays lit. Surprising someone in sparring enough to make him laugh. I wonder, unhelpfully, what Maea’s laugh sounds like. Bright? Rusted? Would it warm this clearing?
When I finally look up, her pale gaze is already on me, steady as a hand on a skittish horse. My mind jumps to the first time a smile changed anything for me—Niki, on a day I was soaked to the bone and lost in a place that didn’t know my name. He didn’t have to help, but he did, and that simple kindness turned the edge of the world from a cliff to a path. It was the first time I’d walked it without a parent beside me and not felt completely alone.
Maea admits she underestimated smiles, and something old moves behind her face as she goes on—regret, layered and heavy. I don’t know that weight. I don’t want to. If I can help it, I won’t.
I tip my head, a small, earnest offering. [say]“I’m sorry bridges got burned,”[/say] I tell her softly. Then I let myself smile, gentle but sure. [say]“But I think we’ve built one here, right?”[/say]
RE: Something wild calls me home - Maea - 10-20-2025
Maea was sorry, too. Wished, in the way one always did, for chances to turn back time and undo the mistakes of the past. But going back was impossible, time being a far more impenetrable force than any other, and so all that remained was the choice of staying on your knees, or get up and move forward with learned lessons carved into the soul. Not always an obvious choice, in practice; not always the most natural thing to do. But times like today, Maea did find herself glad for all the moments when she didn't give up. Stirred almost to tears by the small smile of a girl she'd just met, and offered the view of a bridge, a bond, a precious new connection, it was all she could do to smile back.
[say]"Yes. I believe we have. Thank you, for that. And for this."[/say] She touched the box containing the flower with pale fingertips.
For some time, she remained kneeling in the moss, seated silently by the edge of the pool. As the desire to take a swim faded, and a light breeze stirred the fog around them, Maea savored the stillness. It wouldn't last, she knew that; sooner or later she would have to get up and start thinking about how to deliver the Rose to Liam, who would surely reject it if presented with its healing properties up front, and find ways to quell her anxiety of failing him lest they get in the way. Soon... but not now. For a little while longer she wanted to remain in the presence of this sweet young lady who wasn't asking anything of her, until she felt just a little bit braver. So that when they eventually parted ways, some of this quiet would remain within her, tucked close to the heart like a precious pearl against which she might measure harder days; and be reminded of the goodness, the fortunes, the small miracles that certainly did exist in this world. Delivered by way of a smile.
[FIN]