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!
07-16-2019, 03:10 PM (This post was last modified: 07-16-2019, 03:16 PM by Zariah.)
ZARIAH
I haven't been falling all this time - I've been flying
Zariah waited patiently for Edrei to arrive with this Devil fellow. While she waited she contented herself with some light reading, drawing on various tomes that might lend some insight into the sort of character she was dealing with. Mostly folklore stories that had made their way over with other Outlanders, and while nothing was conclusive, she did have a decent idea of just what she might be in for. She just hoped he lived up to the hype.
Lucas was brought by Edrei to the safe room beneath the Manor, eyes covered with a thick blindfold as ordered. With a nod from her Queen, the Left Hand would remove it from his face and quickly depart. The Ascended would find himself in a dark, windowless room, the two possible exits blocked by heavy doors. A series of candles along the walls and in ornate candelabras gave the only light by which to see the long table that separated him from the Queen, who at the moment was not facing him.
”The Devil, an incarnate of evil in its purest form personified, whose name and appearance varies across cultures and religions in an infinite number of dimensions. Satan. Lucifer. Beelzebub. Mephistopheles.” she said, her tone low and sultry, each word said with care. The Queen turned then, hazel eyes locking onto this so called ‘Devil’, blood red stained lips pursed slightly, the only hint of an expression on her otherwise blank, doll-like face. As always her wild curls crowned her head, and heeled boots seemingly far too high to allow the grace of her movement. Her standard look of choice for this meeting - tight black pants and a top with a neckline that reached her sternum, disrupted only by a chain clasp near her collarbones that held a soft flowing cape in place. In silence she watched him, analyzing every small twitch and shift, the candlight illuminating her face in an eerie way.
”That is quite the name you’ve given yourself and your little group.”
Blindfolds and mystique and secretive journeys to meet this her Royal Highness?
Kinky, if you asked Lucas.
Still, the darkness did not bother him a stitch, and once his blindfold was removed, Edrei dismissed and the door firmly closed, the Ascended beheld his queen across the table without so much as needing to blink to adjust to the new lighting. He stood with his hands linked loosely behind him, his back straight, shoulders relaxed.
And then Zariah started reeling off his former names and descriptions, and damn it, if his cock still worked it would have been standing at attention from the compliments.
"Thank you, but I just go by Lucas these days," he purred, cat-green eyes locked on her. "As for my little group, they have their own talents. Not quite as far reaching as my own, of course. But they are useful enough."
I haven't been falling all this time - I've been flying
The Queen said nothing, continuing to stare as if she might see into his very soul. ”I suppose you would. Even the devil could not escape the changes that come with being torn from one’s realm.” she said at length, looking away for a moment to examine her nails which were long and filed to sharpened points and painted to match her lips. The Launceleyns had become weaker in the transfer of realms, though the matriarch had begun to understand the twisting form of magic here and grown into it. For all that Lucas was supposed to be, all that he had been, here in Caido he had to reprove himself worthy of such titles. Her hazel gaze flicked back to Lucas, considering him for a moment before moving towards him.
The clicking sound of her heels echoed lightly, her gait the stalk of a predator, the sway of her hips exaggerated by her lithe frame. Was she acting seductively on purpose? Perhaps. Clearly he had not been immune to Edrei’s charm, and she was by no means above all forms of manipulation. But where Edrei was bold and forward, the Queen was measured and reserved. Where Edrei leaned into the wild abandon of youth, Zariah was a calculated veteran. Edrei played games, Zariah won them. Zariah came to a halt mere inches in front of him, far too close for personal space, the height of her heels making them perfectly eye level. After a moment’s unblinking stare, she glanced down, obviously looking him over, as if able to determine his worth and capabilities with only a look.
She hummed thoughtfully, lips pursing in an almost pout. ”And just what sort of value do you think you can offer me? The only devil in my homeland was my teacher, and I’ve already surpassed his accomplishments tenfold; Edrei can confirm if you think I’m bluffing.” she said with a low, mirthless chuckle, perfect white teeth showing in stark contrast to her stained lips. She lifted one hand to rest her chin against her fingers, her elbow held but her other hand as it tucked against her waist. ”She sees something in you, but I am much more difficult to impress. So make your case, Lucas.” she said, emphasizing his name with a sultry hiss.
Her comment was needless and nothing that they both didn't know already, so Lucas didn't waste his not-breath on a response. He remained stock still as she approached, following the one they called the Merciless with his eyes and eyes alone, though he did not try to hide the way they drank her in. And as she drew close he met her gaze with a stare that came through centuries, though guts and blood and horror and heaven, and found in her a source of inspiration.
"One of the titles that you missed was the Prince of Lies, Your Highness," he purred. "I assure you that I do not think you are bluffing. You need not flaunt your plumage to me."
As for stating his case? As for his value? An indulgent, fanged smile spread across his face. "More than anything in the world, what is it that you desire?" he began.
07-17-2019, 09:55 PM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2019, 09:55 PM by Zariah.)
ZARIAH
I haven't been falling all this time - I've been flying
For a moment, the Queen felt she was looking into her own eyes on days when they were more green than brown – but with more years behind them. She had seen her own fair share of guts and blood and horror. She had lived her own moments of heaven. His experiences spanned centuries while hers were uncomfortably forced into a short 25 years. Where he found inspiration, she found familiarity. No wonder Edrei had been drawn to him so.
A smirk quirked her lips, a low hum of a chuckle pressing through them. ”I suppose not, but I do hope you’ll indulge me if I do. It is a rare man indeed that can appreciate such plumage, Prince.” she said, almost playfully, while acknowledging his point.
”More than anything in the world, what is it that you desire?”
Neron… The ghost of a though drifted through her mind but was quickly banished for folly.
”Power. To claim what should have rightfully belonged to me as my birthright.” she said, voice restrained but eyes gleaming for a moment with fiery passion. The Launceleyn were rightfully rulers, conquerors, creators, and destroyers. The mistake of her forefathers led to their enslavement, and now that they were free, she would see them all risen to the glory they had always been due. But…her wish had grown in coming to Caido, and for a brief moment she considered him. If anyone could suss out whatever extra answers she needed, she supposed it would be an Ascended.
The Queen tilted her face forward, lips gently brushing against his ear as she whispered ”And to be to the Destined what your goddess is to you.”
With a smirk curling across his lips, Lucas inclined his head to accept her point. Flaunt away, then. Keeping his eyes forward like a good boy as she began to speak, Lucas's smile only grew as he listened, her lips brushing against his ear, her warmth radiating against him in a sensation he could barely feel. Ascension had a lot of perks, but there were still some things (a lot of things) that he missed.
What the queen desired was, naturally, ambitious as all hell. But he of all people could understand her wishes, and his shoulders relaxed a touch. "You asked me what my value was," he purred. "You will be disappointed to know that it is not to give you what you desire most. Rather, I am able to find out what it is your enemies desire most. And then take it from them." He grinned. "If you need proof, look no further than yourself. You volunteered your deepest desires from nothing more than a question. People do love talking about themselves."
Also, she had no idea what the Voice was to Lucas. And that was probably for the best.
I haven't been falling all this time - I've been flying
Zariah pulled her head back, watching Lucas closely as he responded, a light smirk on her lips. Using her as proof only made her shrug as she turned on her heel, walking back towards the table where a few glasses and a bottle of red wine sat. ”My deepest desires are no secret, really. I am happy to reveal them.” she said, knowing that her real desires were not something she would ever share or else be called weak. Quietly, she opened the bottle of wine, pouring two glasses.
She gestured for him to approach, sipping her wine.
”So you are offering intelligence.” she said swirling the wine in her glass as she considered him. ”In exchange for what?” That would be the real kicker, still not entirely certain that intelligence alone would be worth whatever price he had in mind. Surely it was something more than Edrei had ever indicated. At any rate she assumed he would start high and work his way down to something reasonable for her to accept.
Oh, of course she was. Lucas didn't expect her to be honest, now, and to admit that perhaps she had given away a little too much with his initial questioning. Whatever. The devil walked slowly as she indicated for him to approach, taking up wine he could no longer taste and sipping at it, imagining the flavours it might set to dancing on his tongue. "Intelligence, problem solving, the retrieval and delivery of items, the execution of ne'er do wells... your wish, blah, blah, blah..."
As for what he wanted, that brought a fanged smile to his face. "Free rein of the Hollowed Grounds and the Greatwood would be a nice start. And I wouldn't say no to a night with you either."
I haven't been falling all this time - I've been flying
She sipped her wine contemplatively as he spun his list of services. ”So you and your cronies would do my dirty work.” she said, watching him over the top of her glass. Her free hand lifted to her hair, twirling a curl around her finger thoughtfully. ”As much as I like doing the dirty work myself, it is an interesting prospect. Though I shall be saddened to have less blood on my hands.” she said with a wistful sigh and playful smirk.
His price? That was a bit more complicated. She took a sip of her wine, thinking it over. ”The Grounds is easy enough, so long as those I’ve an interest in stay off your target lists.” she said with a light shrug. Clearly people doing her work, like Remi or Rexanna, she didn’t want offed by his group. ”The Greatwood is more tricky. I am happy to give you a few passes to give your members to traverse the Greatwood…but not ascended may use them. If an Ascended enters the wood, or any enter the Sidhe Village…” she took another sip of her wine, letting the implication stand. ”I cannot allow my reputation to be sullied with the Fae so I must uphold that wish of theirs. But I should think that a standard given, that should your actions be discovered, my connection to you may as well be nonexistent.” She could support them from the shadows, but not in broad daylight.
His last request though made her chuckle. With deliberate steps she walked around the table, pausing in front of him. With her free hand she placed two fingers together and shoved them beneath the edge of his pants, pulling the fabric out and blatantly looking in to see what exactly Lucas was packing. ”Hm.” she hummed, a smirk on her lips as she pulled her hand away, a mischievous grin on her face as she looked at him. ’You are bigger, but his works, so I think for now I’ll have to pass. If you ever get that worked out, perhaps we can talk.”
07-20-2019, 06:51 AM (This post was last modified: 07-20-2019, 06:51 AM by Lucas.)
"Cronies? They will love that moniker, I'm sure," Lucas said in a low drawl, though the predatory smile on his face told that he didn't particularly care what she wanted to call them. "I'll admit, though, from past experience, that keeping your hands clean is more of a necessity than an interesting branch of thought." He laughed under his breath. "That is, if you want to stay upon the throne for any great length of time."
That she actually considered his offer (which he had pulled out of his ass and had not thought much more about) was a surprise that showed on his usually blank face. "Oh but of course. I hope you understand that the same is true for myself and my organisation. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, we never met. If you give me a list of those not to be targeted, I can work with this."
And in return they would have more freedom, and potentially a blind eye turned to their actions? Perfect. Lucas was done at that point, but then Zariah approached an unceremoniously took a look at the goods not-exactly-on-offer for reasons linked to his race more than anything.
"It's in the pipeline," he said with a wicked grin. "Thank you, Your Highness, for indulging me tonight."
