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!
08-12-2019, 08:06 PM (This post was last modified: 08-12-2019, 08:06 PM by James.)
from mixed drinks to techno beats it's always
"Nets are meant to catch. Fish, colds, handsome men." He added with a rich laugh. Whether the handsome man in question was himself or Ianto was entirely vague. "Well alright." James huffed as the towel was torn from around his shoulders. "No need to get all grabby."
With a look both coy and mischevious, James glanced down as if needing to remind himself just what it was he'd put on that morning. "Would you believe me if I said that I happen to have on the most dashing pair of sequined pants under here?" He asked through a shit-eating grin.
"Trade? Well why didn't you say so!" The snake exclaimed brightly. "As it happens, I've got a chime that can calm down a giant." Pulling out what was in fact a broken-off piece of wind-chime from outside of Ianto's wagon (don't ask where he had it), he held it up to the fox waggling it ever so slightly. Upon hearing the merchant didn't want his weeds, made up or not, James huffed indignantly. "Best that you don't, see'n as they aren't for you anyhow." He sniffed.
Pulling a face at the wet towel, deciding he didn't actually mind at all, James scrubbed at his mop of tightly-wound curls. Grinning so wide he just about dropped his cigarette from the side of his mouth, James beamed lazily up at Ianto. "Well I hope that kink doesn't just end with a little bit of leather." He said leadingly.
"Never heard of the seven statues!?" James repeated, a hand over his heart as if about to properly keel over at the lunacy of it. Scooching over and patting the mattress with a hand still clutching a rapidly shrinking cigarette, James cleared his throat dramatically. "If'n you haven't heard of the statues, I take it you've never heard of the flying city?"
"Well someone forgot to reel you in, by the look of it, little fish." Ianto grinned, flashing gold in his smile as he pottered about with cups and tea leaves, neglecting to comment on his being grabby. The man had waltzed into his wagon and his life and Ianto was the one getting grabby? There had been a time when he'd have rolled more easily with the interruption, but a season of torture made one something of a stick in the mud, it seemed.
He scoffed and turned around, two cups of tea in hand. "Seeing is believing. And you stripping off that fishnet will stop you getting my bed soaking wet, so go for it. Let's see your pants." Smirking, Ianto set the cups down on a small table, sinking onto the space made for him on his own damned bed.
"I guess you'll have to know me better to find out, won't you?" he replied teasingly about the leather, plucking at the collar and shrugging it off like it was nothing. That all changed however, when invited to partake in the ridiculous lie, Ianto becoming animated and excited, a perfect audience for the willing story teller. "Never," he breathed. "What is this flying city, pray tell? Are the statues there? Is that where you are from, sir?"
"Little fish." James repeated, wanting to sound annoyed at the nickname but finding nothing truly biting about it.
The real trick with being a successful liar was ensuring that there was enough truth sprinkled about to cast doubt overall on just how much bullshit there was. Or at least to keep your audience wanting more such that it hardly mattered. Standing, James began possibly the least attractive striptease there was. Owing only partially to the fact that it was hard to look seductive when trying to climb your way out of a shirt made of a net, and mostly to the fact that James' body was pale, scrawny, and covered in various tattoos with only a smattering of hair on his chest and a pathetic treasure trail leading downwards, still the grand finish was worth it. (Probably. Hopefully).
Indeed, shucking his way out of the net revealed a pair of silvery-sequined underwear. Placing his hands on his hips and rolling them in a circle, James grinned at Ianto. " Eh? Eh? What did I tell ya'?"
Plopping down, his rod and tackle a happy bulge behind the silver sparkles, the snake waggled a finger at the fox. "I'll tell ya if you cut that sir shit out right now." He admonished with a grin, before wrapping an arm around Ianto's shoulders to draw him in close just as James exhaled a haze of smoke.
"The flying city of Azadoom hovered over the silver sea. " He began, voice far away and well-timed as any good narrators voice should be. "Long ago there was an entire city that floated, just like a cloud." James continued in a whimsical voice, punctuating the tale with rings or puffs of smoke when appropriate. "All manner of attuned lived up there, but all with wings of course. Now one day a bunch of pissy non-flighters—" Here James nudged Ianto as if to say and obviously you know what I mean by non-flighter, before continuing. "Got Rae on their side, and—" Making an explosion gesturing with his fingers and then whistling a note that went from high to low to indicate something falling, James' fingers suddenly flew apart when his whistle reached a low enough tone, indicating an explosion. "Down she came. The flying city and all its people landed in the silver sea. But Rae wasn't one to be heartless, so they gave 'em all a new fish-y shift." Taking another drag on his cigarette and letting it out, he offered Ianto a lazy wink.
"And that's how the merfolk came to be down there. The floating city landed at the bottom of the sea. "
It was testament to Ianto's investment in performance that he (somehow) kept a straight face as he was presented with his new friend(?)'s pathetically awkward striptease. The fox nodded approvingly, as if he was at the theatre or a talent show, leaning back on one hand and arching an eyebrow at the sequined pants presented to him. Glorious, truly. The bed shifted as the other man sat back down, Ianto grinning at last. "You did tell me," he conceded. "And I do apologise. I'll stick with little fish from here on, shall I?"
Dragged closer through no decision of his own, Ianto had to take the pipe from his lips to avoid spilling ash all over "Oli"'s sequined lap. For all of the clumsiness and annoyances thus far, however, the fox was sold on one thing - the man in his wagon really could spin a yarn. He listened intently at the description of the flying city and its eventual downfall, the inhabitants simultaneously blessed and cursed by Rae (sounded about right).
"Merfolk, you say? Sounds amazing. Where did you hear such a tale? Or are you one of those flying Attuned, eh?"
"For now at least. Later if you're good I'll show you why they call me the snake." James tittered with a playful bounce of his eyebrows and slight gyration of his hips. The real answer was, of course, his snake-shift, but that was for future-Ianto to learn, and present-Ianto to wonder about.
"Hear it?" James guffawed, "Why it's practically history mate." Had he a tie, the snake might have straightened it indignantly. Instead, he merely stiffened and puckered his lip to show his distaste. "A flighty? How dare you even suggest such a thing."
Tapping his fingers lightly against Ianto's shoulder, James suddenly shrank and warped until there was a black snake draped around the fox's shoulders. He was hardly more than a foot and a half long and only a few inches wide. I know it because I was there. James hissed into Ianto's mind, his accent all the more musical as his forked tongue flickered from his mouth. Sliding his head across Ianto's shoulder, the snake popped his head into the opening of Ianto's shirt and began to descend.
Later, if he was good, Ianto hoped he might get his wagon to himself for a bit to get used to not living out in the Greatwood with Arduinna breathing down his neck. But for now he supposed he would content himself with knowing why Oli was called the snake. Still, he narrowed his eyes a touch at the mention of flightys, Ianto snorting and straightening up indignantly, a flurry of crimson feathers appearing in his hair. "Having recently become part of that particular club, I feel it is my duty to take offence to that."
But then before he could speak further there was no longer a man, but a snake draping around his shoulders, and Ianto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "But of course you are," he said, only for the other man to promptly start wiggling down his shirt. "Do you mind," he huffed through laughter, given how much it tickled. "What do you mean you were there? No one has been beyond the Greatwood in years." As far as he knew anyway.
But of course I am? The snake repeated, as if the shift wasn't entirely fitting. Not even a little. He hissed back, forked tongue darting out towards a nipple. No, James did not mind one bit.
Oh sure, I guess life just stopped for everyone because of the barrier. James tittered making his way onto Ianto's stomach, nosing innocently against the barrier of his pants. Come'on mate, you can't be that dense. The world is still out there. Every big beautiful dangerous bit of it. I'm proof of that, seein' as I was born on the coast. James said with a shrug, which was really more of a weird sort of shuffle.
08-19-2019, 06:27 PM (This post was last modified: 08-19-2019, 06:27 PM by Ianto.)
IANTO
"Oi!" Ianto protested, writhing in a strange sort of dance on the bed as the snake continued his strange southward descent, hissing by a nipple along the way. It was only as Oli reached his pants - and mentioned the coast of all things - that Ianto reacted properly, reaching to (gently, at least) grab at the disappearing tail of the snake, drawing him back out of his shirt to stare into his beady little eyes.
"I'm a liar," he said simply. "But you don't lie about shit like this. Not about freedom. Be real," he said, even the word seeming strange on his tongue. That and he swore the collar constricted around his neck a little more with the taste of it.
James hissed indignantly as he was pulled from from the warm body, the black noodle that he was writhing in Ianto's grasp. Not once had the fox said he wasn't welcome in his shirt or pants and so the tone of voice and sudden jettison was really quite uncalled for.
If I shifted back right now, can you imagine what a back-breaker this position would be? James sang entirely casually, imagining Ianto gripping him by the toe as he slithered about on his chest. The snake was flexible, but not that flexible.
"Who said anythin' about lyin'?" James protested, small beady eyes peering back into the fox's, his tongue forking forward. The storms have only been up a season or so. I'm sure they'll pass soon, and then it's off we go back to the coast for me. Y'can come if you like. Beaches, booze, rocks that'll sing you to sleep.." James trailed off with a wistful sort of sigh.
Unable to help himself, Ianto snorted a laugh and raised his eyebrows at the danger noodle wiggling in his grasp. "I dunno," he said. "You're hardly built like a brick wall, friend. Though you're a lot cuter as a snake, if I might say so." Scrunching his nose as the little forked tongue hissed out, he resisted the urge to reach out and tickle the snake under the chin.
Instead, growing markedly thoughtful as the other man continued, Ianto carefully draped the snake back around his shoulders, planning on discouraging any future adventures into his shirt. "Back to the coast," he repeated, closing his eyes and remembering the distant roar of the ocean in his ears. "That does sound good," he agreed. "But I can't, I'm afraid. I'm bound to the woods." To Arduinna, more like.
It's the scales and the beady little eyes. Gets 'em every time. James agreed, and had he eyebrows, they would have bobbed just then.
Winding his tail around Ianto's collar as if he were merely a new accessory Ianto had picked up (which in a sense, he had, as James was absolutely never leaving this wagon of smoke and blue amber eyed men), James' head crested around one of the fox's ears, his tongue forking against the unshaven scruff on Ianto's jawline.
Oh right, sure. The snake hissed dismissively, running the side of his face through the coppery-squiggles of hair. Stories say she likes a good trade. We'll just find some git and do a swap. Nice and clean like. And then it's just you and me, some treacherous trekking through the swampy bits and straight on to the ocean.
Ianto, merchant of strange things, walker of the Wildwood, saw nothing wrong with a snake scarf at all. In fact, he thoroughly enjoyed his new accessory, and he finished his pipe and set it aside whilst the snake made himself comfortable nosing at the scruff on his jawline. Oh right, sure wasn't exactly the reaction he'd expected from the other man as they spoke about Arduinna, though he definitely appreciated his bravado.
"Some git huh? And you reckon that's what I'm worth - just some random from the Hollowed Grounds?" He arched a coppery brow, sounding thoroughly unimpressed; the swampy bits didn't sound great either. "Perhaps I can carry you through the swamps instead," he suggested with a smirk.
Well having only just met you... James started to say, though immediately hissed in earnest at the mentioned of the Hollowed Grounds. Are you taking the piss? The snake asked, coiling himself around to peer directly into one of Ianto's eyes. Arduinna likely not trade a cabbage for one of them. The snake added with a wiggle of distaste.
Dropping back down again with shocking control, James slithered along the tops of Ianto's collarbones, super casual-like. Definitely not testing the waters for a second time.
Well I ain't gonna sayno. The snake agreed. Plenty of nasty things in the swamp. Though if you truly are a flighty, mayhap we can just bypass it all. I'm not very large as you've pointed out.
Ianto snorted out a laugh as the forked tongue came hissing out again, the fox holding up his hands as if to placate the noodle around his shoulders. "Groundist," he accused with a crooked grin, the fox rolling his eyes. "Since the Hollowed Grounds and the Greatwood are kind of the extent of our cage right now, I suppose the only other person it might be is you," he said. "Are you worth more than a cabbage?"
He frowned gently at the feel of the snake along his collarbones, suspicious of his proximity to the inside of his shirt but not stopping him - yet. "Unfortunately, I'm not large either as a flighty. Can a cardinal carry a snake? We'll find out, I suppose. Otherwise I suppose you could always hitch a ride while I'm a fox."
