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!
The lion grumbled a note of contentment as the fox agreed. Seeing the collar on Ianto's neck, Remi wanted to lay a paw across it as if hiding it from view might offer his friend a reprieve from what it meant. But that was just foolish thinking to be sure. And a lion's paw against a fox's neck would probably be quite uncomfortable.
After my mother died, my father spent most of his nights in a bar or a brothel. Because of how often we moved around, we never returned to the same place more than once normally. But I always wondered how many children he inadvertently fathered. I think about it sometimes, especially when I am alone, and wonder how many half-siblings I have, that I never learned of.
but it does you no good
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Ianto listened quietly as Remi explained about his father and the way things had been for him as a child, his musical voice making the story seem lighter than it actually was. Internally he frowned, though of course a fox did not have the same range of facial expressions. Still, he turned a furry head to nuzzle against the lion's side, as if in a gesture of comfort. If they do exist, they most likely wonder about you as well, he said, sighing and letting his tail flick this way and that.
I had a lot of siblings, growing up. But none of them were related to me, he said. I don't know who my parents are. I was found on the streets as a babe, and forced through the shapechanging ritual shortly after. I grew up with my adoptive 'parents', though it turned out that they were illegally trafficking shapechangers. I was sold to Warren when I was barely more than a child.
I doubt they would even know about me. I am sure the women in the brothels took appropriate precautions against getting pregnant, but they were not the only ones ... but I cannot see my father mentioning a son to them, nor can I see the mothers mention the scoundrel of a man who fathered them and was never seen again.
Lowering his nose so that it pressed against the scruff of the fox's neck, Remi listened. He mentally frowned with concern and though he was quite content as a lion currently, he wished he had hands with which to soothe. If Ianto and Remi looked at all alike, the alchemist might have thought there was a chance the fox could have been one of the long lost siblings that he'd just been speaking about. Forced? I..I did not know such a thing was possible. And as a child? Remi bit down on the rest of his questions, knowing that likely he'd asked the same string of them before. Instead he exhaled a warm string of air into the fox's scruff.
but it does you no good
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Oh, I just meant in general... Ianto rested his chin on his paws, content as the lion's muzzle came pressing gently against the scruff of his neck. I often wondered if I had any siblings, given that I didn't know my parents. I just wondered, if your father did inadvertently give you a brother or sister, whether they had asked the same question you're asking now. It was simply the way of the world. People flocked together in their tribes and clans, and everyone was simply looking for someone like them.
He sent a pulse of appreciation down the mental link as he sensed Remi's discomfort, though it was hardly needed. It's alright. I have never known any better. The fox is as much a part of me as I am of it, so... it isn't so bad. I'm a little more bitter about the slavery thing, to be honest. Still, Warren trained me and trusted me and that would have been enough... until I accidentally destroyed his business.
Ahh yes. I...both hope they would, but also not. There is no way of knowing now...no way of finding my way back to them even if they do exist. Remi replied with a mental shrug.
Feeling the pulse of appreciation, Remi wished that there was more that he could send through the link. What he would, if he could, even he didn't know. All of himself, probably, whatever that meant.
Given that we were meant to be business partners, you are not instilling much confidence in me. Remi replied in that near-playful tone, before quickly hiding it away so as not to come across as callous. At least you do not have to worry about Warren, here. He added gently.
but it does you no good
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
That makes sense. Better to concentrate on the family you've made for yourself, no? Ianto flopped onto his back to gaze up at the lion, paws pulled up to expose the thick, white fluff of his underbelly. Hey, I told you this story last time and you still agreed to be my business partner, he pointed out, jaw falling open in a wide, foxy grin; clearly the close proximity and the comfort of knowing the unspoken thanks to their mental link had started to make him feel better.
Yes. No Warren here, for better or worse, he agreed with a firm nod. Though, we can still be business partners, if you like. I sell a lot more than tea, though I'm happy to bring the herbs and spices from the forest to you, so that you might create new blends.
Watching as the fox flopped adorably on his back, the lion snarled a grin and reached down with long and sharp teeth to gently play-bite at the exposed ruff of hair and curved rib-cage. Somewhere deep inside his predatory response was roused and a lurking darkness began to salivate. But with blue eyes and a mischievous smile held firmly in his mind, Remi found it easy to hold onto who he was.
You are making me sound like a bit of an idiot. Remi replied with a laugh. Or maybe I said no last time and you are merely testing to see if I have gotten even less clever for having been away?
Remi hummed a note of agreement that voiced itself as a soft rumble in the back of his throat. Lions couldn't purr, and so the slightly aggressive almost-roar was the best he could do. I must admit I have been making more alcohol than tea lately. What with all the conflict it seems there is a lot more drinking to be done, just not of the tea-variety. But that does not mean I would not be open to new blends of that. Then again living in yet another world where money does not seem to matter, I suppose we could just make whatever we liked.
but it does you no good
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Ianto growled playfully back at the lion above him, hind legs kicking and scruffing at the wild mane of fur that framed Remi's face, though even if it was play, he didn't dare move too much. As a lion Remi could probably snap him up in a couple of bites - Ianto wasn't keen to test that theory, either. Not an idiot. Never an idiot, he said softly, cocking his head up at Remi from the ground. Besides, I only ruined Warren's business because I was left alone with a caravan of wagons and a bloody war going on. Huffing, Ianto curled himself up to lick at the lion's muzzle. With a business partner to keep me in check I imagine things would go swimmingly.
Alcohol was an interesting idea, the fox's ear twitching absently as he gave it some thought. Perhaps that can be how you start to bridge the gap between the Fae and the Hollowed Grounds. Show them the sort of things you can make and can offer. I'll be happy to arrange something.
Remi snapped his teeth at the flailing feet, trying to catch one of Ianto's paws and nibble gently on it if he could. He kept his tongue rolled back, afraid that the barbed hooked on it might tug unnecessarily on the fox's fur or the pads of his feet.
As Ianto licked his muzzle, Remi's whiskered twitched and he rubbed the length of his cheek against the fox's nose, still unsure what the effect of his tongue would be. Keep you in check, mmm? Remi asked, batting a paw over Ianto's shiny pelt with a quizzical pulse into his friend's mind. And just how would I go about doing that? Something tells me grounding you into this wagon would not be much of a punishment.
With a thoughtful sigh, the lion considered. I feel like I am in Northaven all over again, with a strange race just beyond the wall and not knowing what to do, with war strangely looming on the horizon. With a snort, he raised a mental brow towards the fox. At least there are no kings...unless...do the Fae have a king?
but it does you no good
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Ianto let out a playful yip as giant lion teeth carefully caught at one of his paws, and he nuzzled back against the tawny, whiskered cheek, more than content with his current state of affairs. Even as the paw came batting over him, he merely tried to catch it between his own (though the size difference was positively comical). It wouldn't be, he agreed about the wagon. Though you are undoubtedly the more logical between the two of us, so I am sure you can talk me down easily from any trouble I get into.
That had not been at all true when they had been in Northaven, but Remi didn't need to know that, did he? Sprawling out and relaxing into Remi's seemingly endless expanse of fur, Ianto considered his friend's words. The Fae don't have a king, no. Not one I've met, he confirmed. Though... why don't you know what to do? Just... do what makes you happy, Remi. That's all that is important.
Remi shook his massive paw as if the dark paws around it were in anyway able to contain it, yowling pitifully in protest. More logical? I thought that your wagon was going to be a doorway to death when I first saw it and that you were an imposter Remi protested with a laugh.
As Ianto tangled in closer, Remi raised his tail, flicking it above his friend and trying to get it into the soft and tufted hairs of the fox's ear to make them flicker if he could.
What makes me happy? Remi repeated thoughtfully, letting his head loll into the pillows and batting an errant paw up at the roof. Would you believe me if I said I did not know what that was anymore?
but it does you no good
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Ianto let out what was closest to a chitter of delight as Remi played along, releasing the huge paw and resting very comfortably indeed on what was apparently his new favourite cushion - a lion. Remi would get what he wanted, though, as an errant tail flicked at his ear, the ink tipped appendage twitching until Ianto raised a paw to try and swat at the cause. You say that that as though it isn't logical, but based on your dealings with death in the past, I reckon your caution was warranted. Chuckling, Ianto rolled to sit up, yawning widely and shaking out his fur as if to wake himself up.
He grew still and a touch sad at the alchemist's response, remembering the man in his cluttered little workshop who took such glee out of making his concoctions and inventing stars. This, evidently, was not the same man, and neither was the Ianto who had fallen off his roof. But that didn't make him any less enamored by Remi.
Shifting back into his human form, the fox propped an elbow on his knee and considered the other man for a moment. "I'd like to make you happy," he blurted.
Remi couldn't help but laugh warmly to see the way Ianto's ear was forced to twitch beneath the light touches of the tawny fluff. As fun as it was to harass his friend, Remi let his tail curl around the fox, flitting idly against the sheets.
With a mental shrug, the lion watched with quite and content golden eyes as the fox pulled away. For as small as Ianto was currently compared to Remi, the loss of his warmth and mere presence was rather surprising, and Remi found himself shuffling slightly and rolling onto his stomach again as if to douse the places left cool in the fox's fake.
As Ianto shifted Remi felt a pang of surprise, wondering if he'd mistakenly said something again to push the fox away. But his surprise was doubled as the fox spoke, mouth falling open slightly into an expression quite unbefitting a lion. Sitting up slightly, though his feline face was without expression, Ianto would be able to feel the soft tug of uncertainty beginning to spark. You..already do. Remi said, trying to lean into the strength that being in the body of such a ferocious predator should have gave him. Instead he felt like he was simply wearing the body as an excuse not to shift back into his own.
but it does you no good
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
The expression so clumsily written upon a lion's face caused a smile to light up on Ianto's own, amusement dancing in blue eyes as he watched Remi, though the bond they still shared made it a little difficult to fully appreciate. He felt the alchemist's uncertainty, not wanting to scare him away as he knew he'd managed to do at least once before, back in Northaven. Clearing his throat, obviously surprised by Remi's response, his smile grew softer and he shrugged.
"Not like that," he murmured. "When I... when we were together in Northaven, shortly afterwards you confessed your feelings to Loren, I believe. I wanted you to be happy then, too. You were so stubborn, so determined to be miserable over something that wasn't your fault." His tone was warm, affectionate. "That you could be brave enough to tell Loren what you felt was more than I ever expected. So I backed off, and then... well, then we fell through into here." He rubbed at the back of his head.
