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!
As soon as they'd both signed up for the 'army' (which Adam had no intention of actually ever joining, but that was a story for another day), Adam grabbed Pet's elbow and dragged him to the entrance of the Rathskeller, away from the guards carefully watching the board. Admittedly, he was a little rougher than he had to be, partly because he was embarrassed Peter had stepped in to help.
He hadn't worked it out, right? No, Adam reassured himself. Peter didn't seem to be able to read people very well, so he likely hadn't noticed Adam's general avoidance of written word.
"We need to talk." He whispered urgently. "There's a back room in the Rathskeller where we can be alone for a bit, prolly. Come on."
good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.
Adam tugging on his arm was met with a wordless snarl and Peter yanking his arm back, though he still followed the other man. It had been the sudden toughness of it that caught him off guard, not necessarily the action itself, though he hadn’t been a fan of that either.
Even peter could tell the other man was acting strange, shifty in a way Peter hadn’t seen from him before. He knew shifty was bad though, and considering the new state of the world, and the conversation he and Adam had had last, Peter wasn’t looking forward to finding out what was causing Adams strangeness.
It was the whisper that made Peter cross his arms, almost literally digging his heels in at the threshold of the Rathskeller. ”If you have something to... something to say, you say it in the open.” He wasn’t going to let himself be dragged into a situation where he could be cornered and confuse again. Things were going exactly how they were supposed to be, and he didn’t need to be told otherwise.
Peter, seemingly determined to be difficult, stopped and insisted they speak in the open. Adam sighed, pressing his fingers to his temples and making it very clear just how irritating this was. "No, I don't, and it's pretty fucking obvious why." He looked up to Peter then flicked his eyes back towards the guards. While he knew Pet was into his 'family', he had hoped they had enough of a connection for him to be listened to. Had it gone so far so quickly?
Whispering, he leaned in closer. "Cmon. It's important. And if you don't like me after you never have to fucking talk to me again, okay?" Adam stared at him with wide desperate eyes, likely looking the most genuinely panicked Peter had ever seen him. "Please?"
good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.
Adams immediate reaction to his stubbornness only proved to Peter that whatever the other man wanted to say to him was something he didn’t want to hear. Digging his heels in was the easiest way he could think of to refuse without being truly confrontational.
Something about Adam; his tone, the look on his face, just something tugged at Peter in a way he hadn’t been expecting. Even the new closeness of his face seemed less threatening and more pleading, something Peter knew he should be used to but still hadn’t. The hesitation showed on his face, in the way his eyes flicked away from Adam, towards the bar, then back to his friends face.
”Fine. But... fast.” Maybe this time he’d have more of a chance of pulling Adam over to his side more. Peter gestured for Adam to lead the way, content enough to follow at his heels to somewhere quiet.
Adam broke out into a grin as Peter agreed and motioned for him to follow, walking through the bar and checking behind himself that they weren't being too closely watched before he went into the back rooms. Crates of drink and bottles stacked up in a dingy storeroom. Adam walked into a corner and turned back to Peter.
"Okay. Did you know all this shit was gonna happen? Your uh...mummy taking over like this? The army?!" He ran a hand through his hair, the motion betraying his usually joking demeanour. Adam was worried. "When it was just a family it was whatever, but this is...big bad stuff, Peter. Not good kinda stuff. Are you ready to kill people just cos they won't sign up? I feel like that's the next step here."
His hands came out to grab Peter's arms but he seemed to think better of it, bringing them back and shaking his head. "You...you seem like a good guy, y'know, deep down. You gotta tell me you don't actually like alla this."
good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.
Something awfully close to dread began to coil in Peters stomach as he followed after Adam, his face somehow growing paler and his lips nearly disappearing into a thin line. Following Adam, letting Adam even talk to him was a mistake, and mistakes were the last thing he needed right now.
As soon as they were secluded, all of Peters fears were confirmed. ”I... I knew about some of it. Not everything. It’s not... it’s not my place to ask.” There was no emotion in Peters voice at all, like he was trying to keep as much distance from Adams words as possible. Even his eyes were focused just over Adams shoulder, at the door. ”I do what I’m told.” Peter nodded, his eyes for the briefest second slipping to look at Adams face, almost guiltily.
The twitch of Adams hands made Peter stiffen, a crease growing between his eyebrows and his own fingers drumming on his legs. ”You can... just... just listen, and do good, like you did, and... and things will be good.” Peter tried to accompany the reassurance with a smile, but couldn’t quite get his lips to turn the right way. Following the rules was fine for him, he knew how to, but Adam... he wasn’t so sure.
Peter gave every answer that Adam expected, his words almost terrifying like a script. It's not my place to ask. I do what I'm told. He tried to not let the horror show on his face, but it was definitely in his eyes. It was like watching a friend being taken over by an evil spirit.
"Peter, c'mon. Listen to yourself. If we gotta follow everything for things to be good, that means things are actually bad." Adam ran a hand back through his hair again, the nervous tic setting in without him realising. "Isn't it weird to you how quickly all this shit started? It's gonna lead to trouble. People aren't gonna be happy, and there's more of them then there are of you and your family. You're gonna end up with your head on a spike before it's over if you don't get out."
He took a breath and looked away, knowing he likely wouldn't be able to convince Peter. "I...I care about you, Peter. Actually, I do. And I want you to be alright."
good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.
The look on Adams face made Peter want to end the conversation immediately, guilt and shame and other things he didn’t have words for washing over him like a wave, nearly knocking him off his feet. It didn’t make any sense to him, he’d never had any kind of crisis like this before. It had always been easy, do the work, finish the job, forget about it. Why was it so much harder with Adam here now?
The turmoil building behind Peters eyes was released in a dozen tiny ways, his teeth worrying at his lips and his fingers picking at scars, at loose threads, at anything so they could move. His toes tapped inside his boots, and his eyes moved around the room, never stopping on anything, never daring to even roam over Adam. It’s not... it’s not weird. It’s... it’s how things... go.” He nodded along with his own words, trying desperately to convince Adam, to reconvince himself.
A sharp intake of breath was Peters only response to Adams gruesome prediction, all of him going still at once. He blinked, an empty hum in his mind instead of thoughts, and turned to look up at Adam, his eyes wide, blank and empty behind. ”When I... when I came... was put here, I... I thought I was dead. I was... supposed to be. Dead, I... I mean.” It was a realization he had come to before he’d even been spat through the portal, and one he had swallowed like everything else in his life, even if it hurt like a blade going down.
”That’s... that’s all I am. A... fire, or a spike, or something else.” A part of Peter knew Adam wouldn’t be able to understand, just like he didn’t really understand Adams insistence that this was wrong. ”It’s for... for the greater good.” And I don’t know anything else. ”I know how it ends.”
Adam could tell from the way Peter fiddled, nibbled, worried that he'd gotten through somehow. Though that didn't come out in Peter's words, the man once again insisting that this was just how things went. A statement so bizarre Adam couldn't help the way he moved back with a quirk of his eyebrows and a shake of his head.
When Peter began to speak of his thoughts upon entering Caido, something that as far as Adam could tell had nothing to do with any of this, he nearly gave up hope. But he stayed listening, fingers stroking his gun impatiently.
After a long, quiet pause, he shook his head again. "You're worth more than that. Anyone is, but...but especially you-- look--I..." Adam let out a frustrated sigh. "I like you, Peter. You get me? I think you're decent, and worth a hell of a lot more than these losers who are trying to use you." When he actually said the words, he found inside himself more emotion than he knew he had.
Maybe there was a better way to communicate this.
Slowly, Adam moved forward and pulled Peter by the jaw into a simple, soft kiss.
good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.
Peter hadn’t been sure what kind of response his admittedly strange speech had been going to elicit, but he found he was almost disappointed. The long pause, and the stumbling words that came after it, it felt like pity. He didn’t need pity. He didn’t know what he needed, but he knew it wasn’t pity.
The words were so close to things he had heard, and ignored, in the past that Peter all but tuned them out, his mind protecting him from yet another serving of guilt, but also leaving him off guard when Adam stepped closer. Peter froze under the hands on him, the lips pressing against him. He had been kissed before, but never like this, he didn’t know what to do except stay still.
After a moment, his hands came up, fingers twisting in Adams shirt to somehow pull Adam closer and push him away all at once, Peter not sure what he wanted. What was allowed. What this even meant.
Peter's hands tightening in his shirt weren't exactly a sign of overwhelming enthusiasm, but Adam was surprised to simply not be rejected. He was confused enough himself about why this was why he'd chosen to show his feelings (it felt right, but still too much). After a moment he gently pushed away, his hands resting on Peter's shoulders.
His eyes searching for something in Peter's, he whispered. "Please trust me. I'm trying to tell you this seems bad. And I think you know it does, really. You're just..." He chewed the inside of his cheek. "Y'just scared, right? I get it. But...this is gonna get a lot scarier if we go along with it. We could make a plan, you and me. Sort ourselves out."
good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.
As Adam pulled away, Peter found he couldn’t look anywhere but the other mans face. There was more visible in his eyes than he really knew how to process, things he didn’t understand. The warm weight of Adams hands on his shoulders helped to ground Peter, to pull him out of the disassociative state he was in. Reality sunk in again, and anything warm froze to crystalline panic in his veins.
”No...” The word was soft, barely a breath, but then Peter was pulling away from Adams hands, from Adam. ”No, I... I have to... I can’t... I can’t not, I only... only know this. I can... I can be safe.” Pet lifted his hand to touch his lips, not seeking to notice despite how it affected his already disjointed speech. You can... too. Just... listen.”
Peter ducked away frok the taller man, fast enough that he was out of reach before Adam could try to catch him. ”Be safe.” The words were said like a plea, the last ones that fell from his lips before he left. Adam was... exciting, and new, but nothing like anything Peter knew. Something familiar was easier to deal with than what Adam had shown him, no matter how horrible the familiar was.
For just a moment, Adam thought it was going to be alright. That Peter would understand now. But then he saw the panic in Peter's eyes and knew it was over, at least for the moment. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck through Peter's babbling and watched him leave, not trying to chase him for now.
He'd try again later, when they'd both had time to cool down. Hopefully, that time would exist before both of them ended up in a public execution.
good evening, misadventure.
farewell morality.
it's time for another risky venture,
into the depths of depravity.
