What do you get when two ruthless assassins raise their daughter travelling through the wildest reaches of Caido? Take one look at Theea and you'll get a pretty good idea. Cheerful and tenacious in equal measure, and curious beyond all else, she began her journey on a mission to find those her mother once called family. And find them she did, soon rubbing elbows with demigods, leaders and even ghosts from the past. Her determination is resolute, her thirst for knowledge unmatched. We can't wait to see where her next adventure takes her!
Congratulations, Theea!
Credits
Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
OG Skinning provided by Kaons, with functionality and many custom plugins made by Neowulf!
The knock on her door told her that Maea had arrived, sending an extra heartbeat through her chest. She glanced up from the map she'd been studying to stare at the wood that stood between her and her guest. Despite all the time she'd known the Ancient was coming, she still hadn't decided how she felt to see her again. They hadn't left on the best terms, but there was still a budding hope that things might be better this time; she just had to see effort.
Sighing, she pushed off the table to stand, shifting the map off to the side. Thal made her way to the door, hesitating for only a second before opening the door. Her expression was a welcoming smile with an undercurrent of apprehension, nerves making it tight. "Come on in." Her hand gestured for Maea to enter the apartment.
When she did, she'd see a studio setup, consisting of a small kitchen, table and chairs, two plush chairs facings a lit fireplace, and a moderate bed in the corner. In some ways it resembled her quarters on the ship, maps and various nautical items adorning the tight space. The lamps were dim but warm, lighting the wood accents that felt like the hull of The Marauder. Only the kitchen felt new, something she'd never really used before now. For the moment, it held her plethora of liquor bottles and various preserved foods. With time, she might experiment with more than heating meat. For now, an assortment of crackers and curated meats sat across the table, an offering for her expected guest.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
Waiting for the door to open, Maea contemplated the speckled mud stains freckling thr hem of her gown with pursed lips. Moths had made a home in her gut, stupidly panicking at the sound of footsteps from the room within. It was a first, this. Up until now, Thalassa and her had mostly had unexpected encounters. Run-ins, rows, strained attempts to patch things up only for it all to blow up in their faces all over again. Sometimes Maea wondered why they tried. But there was something about the younger woman... something inexplicable that left her with a desire to do better. Maybe it was the expectations the saw in the pirate's blue eyes, maybe it was the disappointment whenever Maea failed to live up to them... In the end, she kept coming back.
As the door swung open, the pale-skinned little ancient looked up and met the gaze of her host with a faint smile of her own. "Hello. It's good to see you."
Stepping inside and closing the door behind her, Maea paused on the threshold to take in the room. Simple enough, it had a lived in feel about it she appreciated. The air smelled of residual alcohol vapors, of parchment and weapon oil and something that was entirely Thalassa, an ambiance she didn't mind in the least. Noticing the refreshments set out, she held out a paper bag towards Thal. "I brought some pies, if you would like. There's both sweet and savory ones... though it'll be a surprise as to which are which. They look the same to me."
Making sure to wipe her feet, she headed for the table and sat down, wishing she could feel less awkward about being in someone elses space. It was lack of practice, really; it was a long time since she had the kind of friends you dropped in on.
Maea's entrance felt strange, like welcoming her into the antechamber to her mind, giving her a glimpse of what lay within. She tried to ignore the sensation as she returned the greeting, "Good to see you, too." Although genuine, it still fell flat with the nerves of their meeting. Even the presentation of pies felt like a rehearsed play, and she just had to say the right words, the 'friendly pleasantries.' "That was thoughtful. Thank you. I guess we'll just have to try them both." Her smile was playful, although not as strong as it might have once been. There was still a slight awkwardness to everything, an effort to push past something that continued to follow them.
Taking a seat across from Maea, she cautiously reached for a pie. Just as she'd said, Thal couldn't tell the difference between the two, even going so far as to smell it, but there were not hints as to what lay within the pastry. So she gave up on trying to puzzle it out, taking a blind bite that revealed exactly what she'd hoped for: a sweet blueberry inside. The flavor played across her tongue in a way that made her want to hum with delight. She might have if she weren't coiled so tightly. If only for something to fill the silence, she asked, "Were you able to gather your things?"
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
Selecting a slice of the cured meat for herself while Thalassa investigated the pies, Maea let the salty taste settle her nerves. Chewing slowly, the silence was of the kind that begged to be filled; a testament to the frailty of whatever bond they shared. Not the unbreakable kind, not even one of particular flexibility, it felt more akin to leather. Without proper care and maintenance it would begin to dry out, moldering apart until nothing remained.
The food was as much a peace offering as a simple treat. An attempt to oil the leather, so to speak, in the hopes that some of the disrepair could be mended.
"Yeah," Maea replied, just a bit too casual. "As I suspected, it didn't take long. Everything I own is in the travel chest... I left it in the cart outside for now." Rather than sending it off by courier and paying a hefty sum, she had borrowed a cart from a once neighbor. It left her free to take a detour past the ruins of her childhood home, taking the time to say proper farewells. It had been bittersweet to go among the barren trees of the orchard; last time she visited had been with Harper for company, and the loss of him stung all over again.
"Have you settled in alright here?" she wanted to know, casting lavender eyes about the apartment. "I never expected you to actually settle down, to be honest... Did something change?"
Hearing that the packing had gone well, Thal nodded her head. "Good." She didn't pause before reiterating the offer from her letter, even if it still felt like awkward niceties. "If you want, we can take it to my ship after we eat. Jack Tar isn't too far from here." There was still plenty of light; unless they decided to talk well into the night, then perhaps Thal would suggest leaving in the morning.
She took another bite of the pie to give herself something to do while Maea took in the space. Her question wasn't surprising, since she'd pretty much claimed she'd never settle down. Now, she tilted her head. "Kind of. I've made this a base of sorts." Her hand gestured casually to the space, like it wasn't already settled and lived in more than she'd planned. "I'll still spend most of my time on the ship, but this way I can step away when I want to." To bring lovers, to escape her crew, to decompress, to find herself. The reasons were endless.
The second part of the question was a little more difficult to answer. It didn't feel right to hide the pivotal moment that had started everything, especially since Maea had offered to assist her on the matter. So with a deep sigh, she leaned forward, crumbling a piece of fallen pastry between her fingers. "While you were gone, I discovered more about my past..." She hesitated, wondering how to phrase everything. "When I was traveling to the Underwater City with Hadama, a mermaid there recognized me." The coincidence was still strange, having blindsided her when she was in recovery from her embarrassing retreat from the Feverlands. However, she continued on, "I agreed to speak with her, and she introduced herself as my mother, Athena. She kept calling me 'Lassie' and begging me to remember her, but... I couldn't. There was nothing to remember." Her face scrunched at the name, still not really believing that she'd ever been such a person, yet it had been hard to deny the resemblance between them. Between their dark hair and bright blue eyes, it was like looking in an aging mirror.
Thal sat back in her chair, glancing out the side window as a bolt of lightning struck across the field. It was easier to look away as she said, "According to her, I started seeing someone - maybe even 'fell in love' - and when they questioned me about him, I vanished." The 'vanishing' seemed to make sense, correlating with when she transitioned to being an Ancient, but the rest was just baffling. She'd never thought about love for a second in the last few years. And obviously things hadn't worked out with whoever it was.
Shrugging, she wrapped it all up with, "That's all I know because that's all she knew, but even that much gave me some peace. It was like I had permission to move on." That, and Asta's sage advice, but Thal felt like she'd given Maea enough information already, so she tied it with a final ribbon, her eyes meeting across the table. "And now I'm here." With you.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
It was by all accounts an astonishing tale. And it made sense. Recalling the research she had done, a curious encounter with a drunk sailor at the bar, the conclusion whispered of how close Maea had come to figuring it out. Chance had helped Thalassa instead, and that was good, but still... She had been so close.
"I'm happy for you," Maea smiled, meeting the blue gaze that was growing more familiar with each encounter. "I wish I could have helped you find that closure sooner... but I'm glad you found it all the same." Reaching for a cracker, she nibbled on the edge. "Love makes people do strange and sometimes crazy things. Running away from it is probably among the smarter things one can do." Her smile was lopsided, dripping with irony.
"And now you are here," she echoed, catching a flash of lightning through the window. "How do you get along with people?"
The sappy sentiments made her glance away, shrugging her shoulders to look out the window again. The woman may not have finished the mystery, but she'd helped enough to get the wheel turning, and it wasn't like everything was completely solved yet. She still had plenty of questions.
Her mouth lifted in a fanged grin and Thal scoffed. "If anything, I'd like to find the man only so I can punch him - or sink my teeth in his neck." Not for the reasons that might come to Maea's mind, but simply to show him what she'd become because of his actions. Waving a flippant hand, she said, "Love is a stupid and unnecessary emotion. It's a weakness." One that she had no desire to remember experiencing or experiencing again soon. After all, she could have all the fun and sex of a relationship without the ooey gooey nastiness of commitment.
On the matter of her 'getting along with people,' her eyes narrowed in confusion. "In general? Fine. I guess." It wasn't like she'd suddenly become warm and cuddly, but she was at least trying to be more 'friendly.' She didn't want to be such a loner anymore, yet that didn't mean she was going to be all sunshine and rainbows. People would have to be willing to put up with her snark and violent tendencies.
Still perplexed by the question, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Why do you ask?"
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
Startled enough to laugh at the vivid image, Maea's mind did indeed leap to strange conclusions. The question of whether Thalassa would stop at a nip burned on the tongue - but it never spilled. Maea didn't dare. Didn't want to know the answer.
"No particular reason," she replied, though she averted her gaze from the other Ancient. "Possibly I'm feeling bad for moving out just as you're settling in. It gets lonely, if you don't have connections. I'm glad to hear that's not the case for you."
Was there a stab of jealousy within? Perhaps. Maea had sought for a place to belong too, but in the end she couldn't keep her mind open enough. Bridges had burned in her wake one by one, until she doubted it would ever be safe or comfortable for her to encounter some people again. It hurt, and she did feel lonely; but not so much that she was willing to let go of certain aspects of morality.
The laughter seemed to brighten the room, lifting a mourning vale that had hung over them. Thal let herself smile at the sound, sharing in the humor as she moved to think on 'connections' and 'friendships.' "I've met a few people in the Grounds already, and I'm sure I'll meet more, but this is also just an extra place to escape to. I still spend plenty of time in Torchline, so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other, and you're always welcome to visit." In other words, Don't feel guilty. She knew the other woman would probably clothe herself with the emotion if given the chance, but Thal wouldn't let this be another patch to add to the quilt.
She shrugged her shoulders, breaking off a piece of the sweet pie as she said, "I can understand why you would want to leave though - with your death and all." Thal couldn't imagine what kind of emotions she would feel if she'd literally died, or what kind of distance she would have to put between her and her previous life.
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
"That's good then. I'll definitely take you up on that offer." She hadn't expected to feel such relief on hearing that Thal wouldn't become a stranger over time. Maybe it spoke of the rarity in building a connection with someone at this point in her life; maybe she was relieved that there were ancients that did not loathe her.
Speaking of. Maea shifted in her seat, growing a touch uncomfortable. "Well... it's not something to shrug about. But if I'm honest, that's not the reason why I'm moving. I've kind of fucked up some relations, and rather than trying to force my views on them, I'm removing myself from the problem. That only I seem to find problematic anyway." Her tail coiled around a chair leg, bracing for questions.She didn't really want to drag Thalassa into the conflict, but Maea wasn't comfortable with lying either.
Enjoying the lighter atmosphere, she was sad to see it go as Maea shifted in her chair. Despite the vague words, it was obvious that something was bothering her. Thal could see how the pale Ancient's stubborn attitude and set views might rub some people the wrong way, but she found it hard to believe that a difference of opinions was the entire reason she was leaving. The way her eyebrow raised said as much, and Thal took a bite of the pie as she considered whether she should ask about it.
Finally, she determined that she'd rather know than not. If it meant something to Maea - as her 'friend' - she should probably care. Plus, as a new citizen of the Hollowed Grounds, knowing that whatever the disagreement was had pushed her to move made Thal concerned for her own decision. And she was too curious now.
Pushing on the table, she rose from her seat. "This sounds like an alcohol kind of discussion." Without another word, she stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of deep amber scotch and two glasses. A quick maneuvering of corks and liquid ended with a hefty glass before each woman. Thal raised her glass to Maea in mock toast for whatever was to come, then took a large gulp of the strong liquor without so much as a flinch. Once the burn had settled in her chest, she leaned back in her chair, gesturing to her guest. "Let's hear it."
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
Following Thalassa with dismay as she began to rummage for liquor, Maea sagged in her seat. She should have kept her mouth shut. Should have known it wasn't enough to hint at a problem without spelling it out. Scowling at the glass as it filled, she eventually sighed and took a sip, feeling the burn all the way down the throat.
"Fine. Astaroth is a cannibal. I don't know if he's told you; when we met he was fairly open about it, but he also assured me that he didn't do that anymore. So, even though I found it a tad uncomfortable, I made an effort to look past it. He's from a different time - different rules applied."
Outside the window, several flashes could be seen and a faint prickling of the air had the hair on her arms stand up. That lightning strike had been close! Twisting the glass between her hands, Maea's lips thinned.
"You know I worked at the Dusklight last LongNight? There was an incident with one of the guests, bad enough that he was sent to jail. Later Asta disappeared, and I followed, to see what he was up to. I found him... torturing that prisoner. Eating him alive. And when I confronted both him and Danta about it, all they did was shrug."
Looking up, there was a reserved expression as the gagued Thalassa for an opinion. There was more to the story, but before she went on Maea wanted to know what kind of audience she was preaching to. It didn't change the truth of what happened... But certainly it would determine how she conveyed it.
Whatever Thal had been expecting, it wasn't 'Astaroth is a cannibal.' The widening of her eyes said as much as she stopped swirling the scotch in her glass. "No. He hasn't told me that." She listened intently, uncertain how she felt about the knowledge. It had certainly been a different time then; she'd seen his scars to prove it, but it was a strange practice to continue now, after they'd talked so much about change. However, she also didn't understand the appeal of it. Was the thrill of the hunt stronger? Did they taste better? What was the reason? She'd have to ask him next time. Not that she cared much. As long as he wasn't trying to eat her or someone she cared about, that was his business. But why hadn't he told her?
Unlike Maea, she wasn't as bothered by the torture, having seen plenty of blood and cruelty from pirates. Her stomach was long adjusted to the practice. Although she didn't participate as often anymore, she herself had done plenty of unsavory things to people. Eating them was another matter, but she'd used her teeth for pain or pleasure on multiple occasions. It just depended on the crime.
Tilting the glass in her hand, she watched the way the liquor caught on the firelight. She thought a moment before turning back to Maea with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds interesting. What did the man do? Did he deserve it?"
I feel it in the wind, my dear The sun is gonna reappear
Interesting? Not the word Maea would have used. With a sinking feeling the regarded Thalassa, trying to read her expression for a sign of what 'interesting' might mean. It didn't do her any good; she had never been good at reading people and the captain was good at controling her emotions.
Growing very still at the follow up question, Maea tried to emulate her. "He... assaulted someone in the brothel. Had some cronies, some were mages - it got pretty messy." Frowning down at the table, the echo of rough hands roaming her body was too vivid.
Pushing the memory back, off, as far away from conscious thought as possible, she forced her hands to unclench. "I don't know that it matters much. Nobody deserves to die like that. And I can't respect any leadership that condones torture, for any reason. Call me a wuss if you like; I just don't think it's right."
