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!
Since his meeting with Amalia, Adam's drinking horn had mysteriously gone missing. He had put this down to himself, being too drunk and wild to keep track of things. For once, he was actually pretty pissed off at himself, not able to pass the blame for this one to anyone else. He just hoped whatever lucky asshole found the thing didn't like cider.
So since he no longer had his infinite drink, he had to go drink at the bar like everyone else. And so, with worries of the world around him falling apart once again (though through different causes this time) he found himself several drinks in and resting his chin in his hand on the bar, staring off into space. Coffee was curled up beneath his bar stool, occasionally tapping the edge of Adam's boot with his snout.
"Ugh, Coff, I think I'm in a mess." He mumbled down, a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew, he knew that this was a cycle he was stuck in and it was a bad one. Knew it when he saw the pity in Amalia's eyes and knew it when the bartenders knew him by name after only a couple of months here. But it was hard to break, when he had even less here than he did back home.
Tipping his head up to look about, he looked at the usual array of pathetic drunks and wondered if he was one of them. He'd always thought it was alright because he was special, but...No. Adam shook his head and swivelled around in his seat, taking a deep breath to try and stand up.
men, they say a lot of foolish things
And in the end the only words
I can find to believe in are mine
Ok, so not a bartender. More like... you are a person who works at a bar. You are a person who works at a bar without really being paid. You are a person who works at a bar without really being paid because you know the proprietor and in this weird backwards fucking nightmare land that is basically as good as being a high-class concubine in a palace with a Lord and all the jewelry you could ever wear and all the food you could ever eat and-
-and man, you have to get out of this hellhole.
The nice thing about being a self-proclaimed bartender is that you can apply many of the same skills you used as a concubine. For example, reading people. You've developed an eye for the regulars, and an ability to provide the beverages they like, to turn on the masculinity or femininity as appreciated and keep them coming back for more. And if sometimes you leave your post early because a particularly dashing fool makes a pass at you, hey, Edy doesn't seem to give a flying fuck. Might as well live your best life, as lame as it may currently be.
Anyway. Back to the matter at hand: the handsome young regular with his dragon friend who seems ready to leave, and oh, you won't have that. Leaning your elbows on the bartop, you tilt your head toward him, hoping to get him to turn around. Or at least invite you to come with. "Where you heading, sweetheart?" you ask, your voice a purr. "Sure I can't pour you one more for the road?"
I like it when you take control
Even if you know that you don't
07-04-2019, 08:51 PM (This post was last modified: 07-04-2019, 08:51 PM by Adam.)
Adam
Adam looked up, surprised, as someone (rightfully, mind you) called him beautiful. He hadn't expected a response to his words other than Coffee's vague air of tiredness and disapproval. Before him was a bartender, asking him to stay for another drink - there was something new. Usually bartenders were ushering him out, assuring him he'd had far too much already.
"Doesn't matter where I'm heading in this shithole, I'll end up back here." His voice came out more bitter than expected, but he just shrugged; the statement was true enough anyway. "...I guess one last drink can't hurt." He watched Ezra make it and zoned out for a second (his mind was beginning to do that swimmy thing where it felt like his head was floating off his shoulders) then came back to himself.
"I haven't seen you here before. Or...if I did, I forgot it. What's your name?"
men, they say a lot of foolish things
And in the end the only words
I can find to believe in are mine
Oh, no, but he's a sulky one, and where's the fun in that? He's also drunk as fuck, so you figure you'll give him something light, a little bit of a Virgin Mary to keep him from passing out on your bar. You do it all with impressive aplomb: the lime wedge, the ice, the orange juice, the simple syrup you've put in a vodka bottle (an old and useful trick). It is what some might call a girly drink, but boy if you haven't met some girls who could drink any hardass under the table.
"On the house, love," you croon at the man, sliding the glass toward him, raising an eyebrow at your own joke.
Leaning back onto the bar, you tilt your head, smiling winningly up at the taller man. "It's Ezra, darling. I'm a bit new here - still finding my feet." Long lashes flutter over your eyes. "You, though, I've definitely seen before. Hard to miss such a handsome fellow in a place like this. Tell me, is there a name to go with that face, or should I just keep calling you 'Tall, Dark, and Stormy?'"
I like it when you take control
Even if you know that you don't
"I've never had a drink that wasn't on the house here." Adam said as he took it, too drunk to think of an actual response to the joke. He also didn't care that it was a 'girly' drink; as long as it got him drunk and tasted better than piss it was fine. Besides, plenty of 'girly' things were just fine for him: high heeled boots, make up, short skirts if he was in the mood.
Ezra was clearly an Outlander anyway (no one this exciting had grown up somewhere like Sanctuary) but his words were a confirmation. Adam nodded. "I'm new-ish." He interjected with a wave of his hand. He had arrived at the end of Deepfrost, so he supposed he had now seen half a year in Caido, which both felt correct and bizarre.
"Well I love 'tall, dark and stormy', so please call me that anyway. But I'm Adam Pikely." He winked. "Best shot in the world-" Technically true, since as far as he knew no one in this world had a gun. "-and handsomest man in this bar...well. Except for one." Miserable or not, Adam still had a natural inclination to flirt. He gave Ezra eyes that told him exactly who was the handsomest.
men, they say a lot of foolish things
And in the end the only words
I can find to believe in are mine
"Ah, another newcomer! Excellent. We newbies have to stick together, right?" You wink at him from across the bar, your head resting on neatly folded hands. You like this one, you've decided. Looks aside (and those scars, so dashing, you'd love to see what other ones are hiding beneath all of those clothes) he's charming and friendly, even when he's drunk off his ass. They're qualities you appreciate in a person, especially in this shithole of a place. Liars have to stick together, and Adam seems as pretty a liar as she has ever seen.
Oh, yeah, the boy's a liar. Best shot in the world? Handsomest man in the bar? He's lucky you like it - you like him - because otherwise you might have laughed outrageously; instead you only smile, clearly engaged by his stories. "Best shot in the world, hmm? Maybe sometime I can get you to pull out your gun and prove it." Flattery for flattery, flirt for flirt. You're awfully good at this particular game. "So, Tall Dark and Stormy, what brings a talented, dashing fellow like yourself into my bar tonight?"
I like it when you take control
Even if you know that you don't
Adam snorted, too drunk to pretend he didn't find the joke funny. "Maybe we could have a duel. See who shoots first." This was an easy enough metaphor to work with while swimming in his head, and he even managed to work in a wink to match Ezra's.
What brought him to the bar? He raised an eyebrow. "Same thing as takes anyone to any bar. I wanted to get drunk. I did that." But deciding to be charitable, he continued: "But if you mean how I got to be in here in a more kinda...deep sense, I can't find much more worth doing in this place. It's this or get into a stupid politics fight or fight something that'll be five times my size. Not that I can't, but it's not an everyday thing, you know?"
While he usually liked to talk about himself, it was taking concentration he didn't have at the moment. "What about you? How'd you end up behind that counter?"
men, they say a lot of foolish things
And in the end the only words
I can find to believe in are mine
"Mmm, I hope you're not too quick to fire." You smirk playfully at the handsome fuck, liking this conversation more and more. Maybe you will be going home with someone tonight.
Ah, just kidding, he's getting all broody again. Stifling a sigh as your cock deflates, you push forward another glass of virgin fruity water, your best empathetic listener face firmly in place. Damn, through, if you can't relate to his sentiment. "I get that," you say with a bit of a sigh, staring wistfully about the bar. "My... skills... Aren't particularly well-suited to this, ah, place." The dripping disdain clearly shows how low your opinion of the place is, and what words you would use to describe it if you weren't so very polite.
You tilt your head at his question. "I'm afraid I've grown rather attached to the owner. She's rather a gorgeous creature." Your tone is a little bit forlorn, a lovesick puppy, and you sigh wistfully.
But then the playful smile is back, and you lean forward, glancing around with mock caution before whispering low and husky, "You might be able to give her a run for her money, though."
I like it when you take control
Even if you know that you don't
"If I am theres always another bullet in the chamber." Adam shot back, though he paused after, not sure if he was really painting the best picture of himself with that retort.
The bartender, like all good ones did, seemed able to follow his changes in mood. He looked up to study Ezra, sure he knew what the man's 'skills' were. He seemed flirty, sexy...he probably had skills similar to Adam's own. And while those things seemed very transferable, in somewhere as grey and dreary as Sanctuary, he knew how it felt to have your talents go unappreciated.
"Oh, Vervain, right? Or..." He frowned, trying to remember something he'd been told several nights and drinks ago. "Is it Edy now...? She's alright, but she'd be exhausting after too long, I reckon. You'd be better off with me, sweet stuff." Winking, he knocked back his drink.
"I mean...for real, if you wanna sneak off to a back room...I can show you some of my skills."
men, they say a lot of foolish things
And in the end the only words
I can find to believe in are mine
"Always gotta admire a man who's quick on the reload," you reply with another half-wink, finding the banter easy enough despite Adam's drunken stumbling. You've had to engage in the far less witty, and besides, it's a slow night.
You don't know Vervain, but your face takes on an expression of some fondness when he mentions Edy. "Ah, yes, my fiery lady," you grin at him, leaning forward a little on the counter. "What's the matter, TDS? Scared of a little burn?" Full disclosure: you find Edy terrifying.
You like em a little scary, though. Otherwise where's the fun?
You raise an eyebrow at the sudden invitation, a little surprised but not opposed. Eyeing up the man thoughtfully, you take your lip into your mouth before sighing and shaking your head. "Sorry, handsome- but come back sober and I'll gladly take a lesson." It's not that you have some sort of moral oppisiton to a drunken romp. More like the idea of fucking a blackout having an existential crisis sounds like a poor life choice right now, and a headache tomorrow.
I like it when you take control
Even if you know that you don't
Adam smiled lazily as Ezra let him get away with his dud joke. It was too hard to be really witty when his vision was really starting to fuzz up, the bar tilting this and that way before his eyes and the floor the stool was balanced on beginning to feel like a ship on the ocean. He looked down, to check it wasn't actually moving, but couldn't tell.
"Ha, I mean..." Not burns, not quite, but Adam knew pain well. "I don't wanna get on her bad side, let's put it that wy."
Ezra turned him down and Adam leaned up, offended, nose wrinkled and large eyebrows furrowed. Who turned him down? It was like getting to sleep with a King who was also a Rock Star and a model. But you didn't argue when someone said no; his many years working in the brothel had taught him that lesson better than the world had told it to many men. "Alright, maybe I'll take you up on that. Next time...uh...hey..."
He leaned back in his stool, almost falling off -- Coffee shot up and grabbed the back of his shirt in his teeth, flying forward to pull him back. "Can y'help me to the door..?"
men, they say a lot of foolish things
And in the end the only words
I can find to believe in are mine
Ugh, man, for someone so hot he sure is a sloppy fucking drunk. Not hot at all, and you arch a brow as he tries to leave his stool, considering for a moment just letting him fall. But you're better raised than that aren't you, Ezra?
With a sigh you slip around the bar, putting your arm around his waist and eyeing the dragon skeptically, as though afraid it might attempt to eat you at any moment (which, like, for all you know maybe?). "C'mon, handsome, let's get you to the door, hm? Kitty, be nice."
You might not be made for manual labor, but you're fit and strong; it's easy to hold up his miniscule weight as you near the entrance to the bar. "Alright, kitten, get him home safe, hmm?" you instruct the dragon, before turning to look at Adam. "Honey, darling, tall dark and stormy- you have to be more responsible next time, or I'll have to cut you off, and Lord knows neither of us want that."
Slipping a hand beneath his chin, you tilt it up and place a gentle kiss on the man's gaunt cheek as though to soften the blow. "Alright, love- go sleep it off. Then come share some skills with me when you're sober enough to hold your dick."
I like it when you take control
Even if you know that you don't
Immediately, Adam could tell Ezra felt sorry for him, a realisation that crawled like cold treacle down his spine. But when he was stumbling drunk...he could hardly argue he was dignified and undeserving of the pity. He probably looked a mess at the moment, he knew. Maybe, if he wished hard enough, Ezra would forget it by the next time they met.
"Hey, I've gotten way more pissed than this here and no one cut me off then." He pointed out, but then he turned to leave, laughing at Ezra's last comment as he immediately fell on the stairs and was lifted up from the back of his shirt by Coffee, helping him scale the rest.
men, they say a lot of foolish things
And in the end the only words
I can find to believe in are mine
