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!
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
She made a small sympathetic sound and untangled a hand, reached up to pat him on the head. Like a dog, or indeed a brother. "Poor thing. So lonely and ignored. I'm sure you'll find someone to nibble on, though. If even I get offers, then surely you'll have them lining up before long."
To the reasoning he offered, Maea hummed and nodded. It made sense in a way. Again that secret burned in her, wondering what he would think of the little morsel of truth she could offer to this new existence of his. Jigano had said to keep it a secret, but... was that really right?
"What if... what if I told you that immortal creature is still out there, in that world you knew?" she asked him, a bit cautious. It was clearly a sore subject, and she wasn't sure this was really something she should talk about.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun chuckled, the sound dark and low. "Hey now. You're a catch, and you can send anyone who thinks otherwise straight to me." Reaching out, he punched her (very gently) in the shoulder. "But yes, I'm feeling quite neglected, so if you run into eligible and confirmed bachelors, send them my way." The words were joking, though he obviously wouldn't turn down the help.
However, his easy demeanor faded at her comment, to be replaced by confusion. "What are you talking about?' He wasn't upset, just entirely puzzled by the comment. Still, he shifted to look at her more fully, going still in that way only Ascended could as he waited for the answer.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"Count on me, brother," she responded, grimacing in mock outrage that he would even think to hit her. Apparently she was quite content to take their little joke of family and run away with it. Placing him firmly within her innermost circle of trustworthy people - how's that for effort?
But her smile faded as he demanded explanations, and her gaze dropped to the ground, the snow at their feet. Tried to find a good way of relating the information, that wouldn't make her sound like a crazy person.
"There's... been some new information uncovered, on how The Voice brings outlanders to Caido," she began. Trying to keep her voice neutral, her expression calm. "There is an... apparatus, of some kind, that collects information from multiple worlds across all of existence. The purpose was to set her free from the barrier, but it's still active. It brings people here... by copying individuals from other places. Like... making a second edition of a book. Same content, all the memories, scars, only... it's not them.
"In truth, Amun probably never left his sea, or the pottery. The you that sits here now... is the copy of that person."
It was just as hard to say it now as it had been before. Again Maea found that she held her breath, waiting for a reaction.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun grinned at Maea’s response. However, it faded as she elaborated on what she meant. "Uncovered how?" His voice indicated that he still wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about.
However, as she explained further, he frowned slightly. When she finally got to the end of it, the frown deepened momentarily. "Huh. Weird." Then, though, he shrugged, and his easy smile returned to him. "Well. There's two of me. Guess that means twice as many people get to benefit from my presence." The teasing tone had returned to his voice, and he shifted so that he could nudge her with his shoulder. Indeed, far from being the earth-shattering revelation she'd thought, he took it in stride.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
He took it far better than Jigano had. Almost insultingly so, after her fretting over the possible backlash. Maea huffed a quiet laugh at his comment, the serene optimism of it, and pushed back with her own shoulder.
"You're a constant source of surprise, Amun," she told him. "And far stronger than you look. It doesn't bother you at all?"
She stalled a bit on the quesiton of how the information came about.. but decided it was pointless to hide it, in the end. "I had a vision," she revealed. "Or something to that nature... I'm not sure how the information was brought to me. It was very much like a dream, except... not."
It made absolutely no sense, and her explanation could not cover it.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Chuckling, Amun shook his head. "Why should it bother me?" Shifting slightly so Maea could see his expression, he grinned. "If what you say is true, then this is at least the third life I've lived." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "After all that, it seems silly to worry about things that I cannot change."
Shrugging as she said it was a vision, he looked at her curiously. "Did something cause it? And do you trust it?" He smiled almost softly. "I don't doubt you, I'm just curious."
Then he glanced at the road. "How're you feeling, by the way? Up for some more walking?" He made no move to help her up, at least not unless she said she could handle it.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"Well, that is true. And I'm grateful you did not take it badly. I don't want to cause anyone pain with this kind of information... It's why I've hesitated to share it publicly. To some it might be nothing, just like you, but to others..." She shrugged, and looked at him. A brow rising, asking his opinion on the matter. Would it be better to share with everyone?
Shaking her head to the question of the vision, she could only hold her hand up in defeat. "I don't know. Maybe one of the gods sent it, maybe a spirit, I can't tell. It was so long ago now too, so it's even hard to tell if the information is valuable or not. Perhaps at the time it was; I saw the existence of the portals too, before anyone had discovered what they were.
"As for trusting it... Yes. That I do. There is no reason for that kind of thing to be a deception. Who would gain anything by it?"
Stretching, Maea considered the road ahead, the strength in her body, the helping hands beside her. She did feel better after sitting down for a while, and in the end she nodded. Better to try than remain here.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun just shrugged, not really interested in this aspect of the conversation. "I can't really help you there. Everyone is going to have whatever reaction they have, but that's not your problem." The words came out almost a little bored.
Nodding along as Maea explained, he grinned. "Well. If you get any more visions, let me know." Indeed, he was quite curious as to who and what had given her such information and why, far more interested in that than he was in the information itself. However, when she agreed to see if she could move, he shifted so that he could stand. Then he offered her a hand, though if she needed it he'd help lift her up with his whole body.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Not very helpful, but perhaps she shouldn't be disappointed. Amun certainly cared about her enough - that strangers and their unknown problems didn't interest him was something to remember, but not really all that strange.
"I will," she promised. Though, Maea did think it unlikely that she would ever receive any other such visitations... it seemed unlikely.
Somehow she managed to get back up on her feet with his support. While she was still exhausted, the rest had done her good and she was able to keep going at a fairly decent pace, needing only a hand on his arm for occasional aid. Far better than before.
"What kind of person are you looking for, when it comes to nibbling?" she asked him, moving back to an earlier topic as they trekked along the road. "So I know what to send your way."
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea got to her feet, Amun made sure he was taking as much weight as she’d let him, slipping his arm under her shoulders. Setting a rather slow pace, he focused on just making sure they were both putting one foot in front of the other. At her question, however, he grinned. "Beyond male, I'm not too picky." Then he chuckled, the sound dark and low. "And even then, as an Ascended, it's more a preference than anything else."
However, he considered her question a bit more seriously. "Nothing and no one too serious. Someone a little older, hopefully with experience. And someone who doesn't mind the whole Ascended thing, of course" Then he shot her a sly glance. "How about you? Do you have your eye on anyone?"
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
It sounded simple enough, though of course it all came down to personal preference in the end. Maea pondered the requirements, thought of the people she knew and what little she had to offer... A little smirk appeared on her lips then, as a thought struck her.
"You know... maybe I should let you come along for my next examination... Have you ever had a chance to chat with Nate? He's all kinds of interesting, I think you might get along." He was older, if only a little, and both tall, dark and very handsome.
Besides, it might solve a personal problem of hers... one she was suddenly made keenly aware of as Amun asked for her own interests. A blush began to creep up her cheeks at that, and she averted her eyes, letting them roam the horizon.
"Mmm... maybe. But... I don't think there's much hope. I don't think he's interested in much more than 'fun'." Maea sounded sad, a little lonely; her teeth began to worry at the lower lip.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun raised his eyebrows as Maea revealed exactly who she was receiving examinations from (and presumably bites). Then he smirked. ”Definitely my type, but sadly he is very much taken. By another Ascended, so that could make things awkward.” He waggled his eyebrows, though hopefully she wouldn’t need that much encouragement to understand why that might be a problem.
As she revealed that she was indeed seeing someone, if not who (though by the blush, it was going well enough), he beamed at her, giving an approving nod. It slipped away as she kept speaking, however. "And I take it you're looking for more than a bit of fun?" Glancing at her, he studied her features. "If that's the case, probably best to call things off now, before pesky feelings can get involved."
Then he nudged her with a hip. "Plus, if he's not willing to give you more than a bit of fun, I say he's no worthy of you, and you should wash your hands of him." The words were gently teasing, but true enough.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
She looked surprised, brows rising up beneath the white-blonde hair. "He's not, though? At least, it really didn't seem that way to me last time I met him. He was very much involved with a non-ascended." A tone of bitterness there, of creeping jealousy she wasn't able to hide. Not towards Nate, but rather... the target of his attention.
Of course, he was right about one thing. It would be better to cut things off now. Better for everyone, her especially. But... "It... might be a little late for that," she said. Kept her gaze turned away, downcast now. "It's gotten to the point where being around him is less painful than being away."
Either way it hurt, so. What could she do?
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun raised his eyebrows, and his eyes sparkled with mischief. "Is that so? Huh. Fascinating. Must be a very recent development Who is this new fellow Nate is involved with?" Indeed, he hadn't missed Maea's tone, and his eyes were sharp as he watched her reaction to his question.
"So why are you so keen to set me up with someone in a relation, and who apparently went straight from one relationship to another in a way that triggers all my instincts?" Indeed, his question was almost a little pointed.
As she commented that it might be too late, he immediately shook his head. "It's not. And yeah, maybe it'll hurt in the short term, but it kind of sounds like it'd be better for you in the long run." He reached out to tilt her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "Who is this man that hurt you?"
