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!
That Vervain and Loren knew each other was .... well, Remi didn’t quite know. Did she ... approve? The alchemist hadn’t really seen Loren around others too much, as the duke had seemingly avoided Remi in public places while they were... figuring things out, and so the side of the librarian that others saw, the one that could be cold and aloof, was completely alien to Remi’s mind. “Fairytales.” Remi murmured adoringly, a smile tugging at his lips and dimpling his cheeks.
Knock sense into Loren? With a hearty chuckle that made his ribs twinge in pain, Remi’s smile broadened and he shook his head slightly. “If anyone could I’m sure it would be you. But perhaps you are right. I’m sure he is just busy.” What he couldn’t give voice to was the uncertainty he felt. Not about his feelings for Loren, of those he was resoundingly certain, but about what it had all meant. The time they had spent together in Loren’s office and what he had told the man...that meant something to the librarian surely. Remi just didn’t know what.
“ Speaking of fairytales, did your book happen to make it with you? My bag did, even though I ... I don’t know that I had it with me at the time.” As far as Remi could tell, there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to what–or who–had been ...pulled? Taken? Snatched?
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Vai had only met the Launceleyn once, and he'd been working - she didn't know enough about him to approve or disapprove on her own merit. But Remi was clearly enamored, and that was enough. Whether it was to knock some sense into the librarian or otherwise, she was still interested in meeting him, the huntress grinning as her comment brought a laugh bubbling from Remi's lips.
"I doubt he is avoiding you," she assured him - as if it really needed to be said. "This whole thing has been crazy for everyone. But if I see him, I'll be sure to send him your way." Or just mildly interrogate him. Y'know.
She smiled softly as he asked about her book, shaking her head and shrugging. "Unless Ashe has it, I only came through with my hunting gear." It was a shame, but she'd read it cover to cover in Northaven and she knew more stories from memory besides. "Perhaps I should write down the ones I know? Make a new book or something.
Remi didn’t want to think of it that way but...How many times had he seen Vai already since having arrived? And she had a child and a husband here and–
–closing his eyes, Remi forced a smile. The idea that Loren might have to be forced to talk to him made something inside of the man twist coldly and darkly. Apparently being in love brought a whole world of new insecurities with it.
“Ohh.” Remi said a bit disappointed. A lot disappointed actually. Fairytales had been what bonded he and Vai, and what had solidified his friendship with Ashe. “Ah!” The alchemist exclaimed brightly, nodding vigorously. “I think that is a wonderful idea.” Already he could picture Vai muttering to herself to try and recount all the details of stories from the past; Remi furiously scribbling notes and then trying to illustrated her tales. The coldness he had felt before disappeared as he sighed happily against the huntress.
“Who knows, maybe there will even be a few new ones: about a huntress rescuing a hawk perhaps?”
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Vervain shot him a sad and apologetic smile as she realised how disappointed the alchemist was about the fairytales, but that was quickly snuffed out by her suggestion, it seemed. The huntress nodded to him, letting out a laugh and leaning back on her hand to consider it. "You know," she said, "I think I just might. If I'm going to make a new book, might as well include some of the new tales I picked up along the way, right?"
That sounded like it might be a worthwhile endeavour regardless - that way, everyone could enjoy the stories that currently only resided in her memories. It would likely need to wait for another day, though. "I'm not sure how long you are meant to say here," she murmured to him, "but if you feel well enough to stand, I can walk you back home if you like?"
“If we stay here much longer, I think maybe your book will be filled up quite quickly.” The alchemist joked. Even just the few adventures he and Vai had had together would be enough to get them started. And with Vai’s imagination, Remi was sure that she could make them accessible and interesting to almost any audience.
Thoughtfully Remi considered. He didn’t want to get on Isla’s bad side – though he assumed he’d just get a laugh of disapproval from her instead of a lecture – he did feel as though he didn’t need to take up a bed any longer. “I would like that. “ Remi nodded. Waiting for Vai to remove from the bed so he could slide his legs off, Remi gasped in pain slightly before steadying himself. Grabbing his shirt from a nearby tables, Remi slipped it over his head and then wrapped an arm around Vai’s shoulders for support. He didn’t ask, but he knew the huntress would be more than willing.
“Have you set up a home for yourself yet?”
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Oh, I don't mind that so much. If it fills up I'll just have an excuse to make another one, right?" Vai grinned at the prospect. It would be a good idea to start writing them down sooner rather than later, but there was one small snag in that she hadn't really seen much by way of parchment. Then again it was early days - who knew what might turn up around any corner.
She nodded and stood up from the bed at Remi's decision to head home, and of course she was there the second he needed her support, slipping an arm around him to help walk them from the cubicle. "Me? Not quite - it's a work in progress." She shrugged a little. "After everything that happened, it's not so much of a surprise that Dev still feels most comfortable away from everything. We're going to set up a house in the woodlands, I think. You're more than welcome to visit, of course." She smiled sunnily up at him.
His grin widening, Remi nodded. Already he could picture the huntress wiling away her evenings writing down stories that she'd heard, updating ones that she'd told for years, and even adding a few of her own. The image faded to one of Vai handing a completed collection to Loren to place in the library (did this place even have a library?) and his heart stuttered slightly.
The woodlands. Well that was no real surprise. The Calob's had always lived a good distance away from civilization. Though almost nothing around here even seemed civilized, he could easily picture Vai and Dev on a sunlit-dappled porch in a house of the bear's own making. Perhaps Remi would have to wander through the Woodlands one of these days himself to properly scope it out.
"Yes, I did find one. It isn't much, but I've never needed anything more than just a room, and this one has two." Grinning from ear to ear, Remi opened the door of the infirmary and took a deep breath. "I suppose perhaps we should find out if there are more traps around ... if that is the most common way of hunting I would like to know so we can warn people." Remi had made it out more or less unscathed (thanks to Vai and Isla), but imagine if a child had fallen from the tree? They could have been seriously injured.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Two? That's practically the pinnacle of luxury, right?" Vai smirked across at Remi, helping him out of the infirmary and waiting for him to point out the right direction before she would start walking him home. It really did seem like luxury too - before the farmhouse she and Remi had lived in very similar abodes. Granted, as an elementalist Vai had been treated better than a shapechanger, but one room was still one room.
She nodded in agreement about warning people of the traps. "Once you're home I'll head out and scout a bit, make sure there are no others around in plain sight. But we should probably find a way to warn the people in general. I'll think on it. You, though - I expect you to rest, hear?" Vai's voice was quietly chiding.
"That's what I thought!" Remi quipped back with an eager grin.
Nodding and exhaling, Remi ran a hand through his hair. "Isla and I created a notice board just inside the Temple. It might be worth putting up a notice there to let everyone know to be careful. "
At the mention of needing to rest, Remi pursed his lips and tried to look pouty. Instead he just looked childish in an adorably charming way. "Well, my new boss at the tavern has given me quite the alcohol supply list so...." Grinning at Vai with a wink he continued, "I'm not sure what she would think about me laying in bed all day when there are orders to be fulfilled. "
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Vervain arched an eyebrow, nodding at his comments about the notice board. "That's a very good idea. At least until we can go out there and find out what we're dealing with. And who is setting them. I've never seen anyone hang nets from trees and call it a trap... unless it was a snare that was triggered by mistake..." She sighed and frowned, though it was something they could think about at a later time. Remi was alright, at least, and they knew to be more cautious next time.
Remi pouted gloriously and Vai rewarded him by ruffling his hair affectionately. "I have drunk enough beer to know that the brewing process requires a lot of patience and waiting around." She winked to him. "Besides, you'll have enough on your plate trying to figure out how your'e going to do this in a place like the Sanctuary. Devrum was talking about growing potatoes for vodka, though..." She shrugged. Her husband was nothing if not horrifically inventive.
"Compromise? Stay in bed the rest of the day, and I'll keep you company. We can make a start on writing those stories down."
Feeling a bit foolish, Remi could only nod. Looking back he couldn't even remember what the trap had looked like. He wasn't looking for one, he'd already admitted that much, but it was strange that he hadn't even been aware of it at all. Perhaps some form of magic was involved? That was perhaps an even more unsettling thought than just using traditional means for some reason.
"Well." Grinning up at her from an unruly mop of freshly-fussed curls, Remi winked. "Perhaps if you had made more than you drank, you would know it requires constant monitoring and measuring." Actually Remi much preferred making pure liquor rather than beers or alcohols, but he could diversify. In fact he'd probably have too. "Vodka, hmm?" He murmured thoughtfully, combing through his meagre knowledge of agriculture to try and think if there were any vegetables suitable for distilling which would grow faster. "Another reason to seek out the locals, perhaps." For a long time trading in alcohol had been Remi's main means of survival.
The idea of staying in bed with Vai filled Remi with a happy warmth. The huntress was so blissfully easy to be around and speak with, and right now that breeziness was something the alchemist desperately needed. Though coming to a new world was understandably hard on them all, with Loren's busy schedule and Ianto, Martha, and Delphine all seemingly in the wind, Remi was craving the closeness of the few relationships that he did in fact have.
" Only if you allow me to write it down. I've seen your writing..." Offering a sly smile, Remi crinkled his nose to indicate his disapproval .
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Well, that's what I have a genius like you for, is it not?" Vai laughed back at him, ruffling a hand through her curls and shrugging her shoulders; she couldn't really complain too much, given how much of a point he had. "You teach me to brew and I'll do the monitoring while you relax and get some rest. Deal?" She winked, seeming perfectly pleased with that arrangement. The hunter grew thoughtful as they talked further about different alcohol and what they might fill her apparently new tavern with, though she eventually settled into easy agreement that they ought to seek out the locals to learn more.
For today, they could write off hunting in lieu of other quality time - this spent out of danger and trouble. "Oi!" Vai objected through a chuckle, knowing full well how truly awful her chicken scratchings were compared to Remi's more elegant script. "I suppose you have yourself a deal, then." Her smile was easy and her step slow, Vai already thinking about what she might want to get on paper first. It would be a productive day, even if not a particularly active one.
