From Attuned to Ascended to Ancient, Kiada Njovu-Reyes has been reborn several times throughout her short life, but her fighting spirit has never once been diminished. With beauty, grace and a quick wit, Kiada is the whole package wrapped in an infectious smile. Recent endeavours have found her in the heart of the Hollowed Grounds, aiding the region and bettering it for her new Ancient kin, and whatever she does next, we know it's sure to pack a punch.
Congratulations, Kiada!
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!
"Repay? Oh, you will find out how you can in time." Mildew said with a shrug, leaving that slightly ominous sentiment to hang in the air as she stood and rummaged in a drawer to her left, pulling out all sorts of items - a bundle of dry, dying leaves, a shirt that looked like it must have once been involved in a very bloody skirmish, several bottles of mysterious liquids; finally she mumbled 'ah!' and drew out a simple wooden shape in her hand.
Going to the counter and taking a brush made of grass, she worked on the little talisman, shielding it from Arialla's view until it was finished. "This will help you know who to trust. If you are by someone that means you harm, this will tell you." With a decisive final stroke of the brush, Mildew turned and gave the wooden doll to Arialla - it's smudged red eyes and unhappy mouth facing her.
--
Mildew has given Arialla:
Strange Totem
A pocket-sized doll made of wood with a strange, unhappy face painted on it. When kept in the user's pocket, it will detect nearby Ascended - by making the user deeply nauseous whenever Ascended are within a 5ft radius.
(Admin approved and ready to go!)
Arialla nodded, accepting Mildew's ominous statement. She couldn't exactly expect a swamp witch to always speak plainly, of course; she just had to have faith that when such a payment came due, it would not be more than she could give. Perhaps she ought to have turned down Mildew's offer rather than place herself in such an open-ended debt, but it was too late now.
Accepting the doll from Mildew, Arialla examined it, keeping her face carefully neutral -- it would be rude to show her initial, instinctive reaction, which would have been to mirror the doll's miserable expression. Carefully placing the doll in her pocket, Arialla said, "Thank you. I will keep it close."
Knowing whom to trust would be a great boon in the days ahead, Arialla expected. (It would be in her basket rather than her pocket when the moment came, however -- not that it would have helped. By the time Arialla came within 5 feet of an Ascended, it would be too late.)
Mildew forced down the laugh that came to her when she saw Arialla's face, the girl clearly trying to find something polite to say. It was not meant to be a pretty gift nor one she would particularly like; it was a practical item, like a weapon. It would be useful, though it came at a cost, as all trinkets from the witch did.
"You're welcome, dear. Now...I have some engagements I must get to, but I will set you off on on your way home with something to eat." Pottering about the hut, Mildew fetched several things and tossed them into the cauldron over the stove's flame, humming and sprinkling in a little bit of this or that. Eventually, she took a sniff and nodded to herself, spooning the mixture into a wooden cup and grabbing some uneven and rustic bread.
Mildew handed it over; the dark green liquid smelt of spices and plant matter. "For you. Soup, made from the local vegetables here."
"I wouldn't wish to keep you," Arialla said, accepting the food with notably more pleasure than she'd taken the doll. "Thank you again -- you've done much for me today, and I truly appreciate it."
Unspoken were the words you didn't have to: presumably Mildew knew very well just how generous she'd been and had chosen to bestow her gifts upon Arialla anyway. Witches could be capricious like that, Arialla knew, and so it would be unwise to take more of her time than Mildew wished to give.
"Goodbye," she added, politely. "It was nice meeting you."
With that, she departed from Mildew's home, planning to find some nice quiet spot to sit and eat the meal before she returned to Torchline. After all, her eagle form wouldn't be able to carry the food.