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!
Loren could see why having a prince like Sunjata join the rebellion would have lent it legitimacy. ”Did they force you to prove that you were trustworthy?” If the child of the Launceleyn’s sworn enemy had come to him and offered to join his cause, the summoner would’ve immediately assumed it was some sort of trick. Then again, he had technically been trained as a spy. When the other man mentioned his love had been a resistance fighter, Loren tilted his head. ”How’d she feel about Prince Sunjata when you two first met?” Again, the Launceleyn figured this wasn’t a love at first sight story, though maybe he was wrong about that.
At the mention of Phoebe and swimming in the oasis, Loren’s eyebrows went up. ”Oh? Is that so? Were you both swimming?” The Launceleyn could easily see how quickly one thing could lead to another in a situation like that; just because he wasn’t looking for anything ever didn’t mean others weren’t more free with their desires than he was. Then the summoner gave Sunjata an embarrassed look. ”You want to know a secret? I can’t swim.” He’d spent his childhood in a locked compound, and then his teenage years working as a farmer, so somehow it had never come up.
”Strange things. Though at least the walls around here seem to be coming down, even if it they just bring more monsters in their wake.” Loren would rather have the freedom to go as he pleased—he didn’t like walls and cages at all, for obvious reasons—no matter the danger, than be trapped as they had, both back in Northaven and at first when they came to the Hollowed Grounds. But the world was slowly opening up due to their efforts (well, others’ efforts, though he was finally contributing) and he couldn’t wait to see what came next.
Of course they had different names for him other than Prince, but when he had won the trials, it was estimated that he would succeed the Arbiter. And with it, titles and names came with. So he nods to Loren with a nostalgic smile. “Mhm. I got involved with their boxing matches, underground gambling ring.” He says, eyes drifting back over toward the librarian. But he snorts at what Loren says next, shaming his head as a smile crosses his face and he averts his gaze down. “I blacked out during a fight and woke up bleeding with a broken nose on a table like this one. She ran the bar upstairs and was stitching me up.” He pauses, lifting the corner of his shirt enough to show the half arc’d scar that lined the top of his hip, pale in comparison to the rest of his slightly tanned body.
“I was incredibly drunk, too. She told me she didn’t trust me, and I lit a cigarette and told her not many people did.” He snorts once more, gaze lifting back to Loren. “She took my cig and told me to stop, and I quote, ‘stop bleeding all over my fucking table.’” There’s a brighter laugh that accompanies it. “Sounded better in our language, but the idea was the same.”
He nearly shrugs it off before he mentions it Phoebe went swimmingly too and he nods slightly. “She didn’t know how to swim, I offered to teach her.” He hums with an air of mischief before it’s dashed away with a shrug. But he looks over at Loren again with a raised brow. “Really? I suppose it’s not that surprising. Phoebe said much of the same.” He acknowledges with a slight smile. “We had to learn to swim in Korofi or we’d die. It was a necessity with the floods. They took us as toddlers and tossed us into the lake and saw who would sink or swim.” He shrugs, though he remembers the log that his foot had been trapped under, how he’d almost not made it out.
Still, he understands Loren’s words, nods along with them as he starts on his third drink. “I came in after the barrier fell. I’m glad I missed all of that.” He hums a bit of laughter at it, shrugging.
and when I go into the ground
they gotta bury me, bury me face down
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
As Loren listened to Sunjata explain how he’d integrated himself into the rebellion, a faint smile formed on the Launceleyn’s lips. ”I see. So you started off by beating them up and taking their money? Sounds like a perfect way to get them to trust you.” As the story went on to explain how the other man had met his lady-love, the summoner couldn’t help but snort; having treated his fair share of reluctant patients, he knew a stubborn case when he heard it. When Sunjata finished his tale, Loren grinned. ”I’m not sure that sounds good in any language, and I am firmly on the lady’s side of this argument.” Tilting his head, the Launceleyn realized he didn’t know who this woman was, and if she was in the Hollowed Grounds now, he probably should. ”What’s her name?” If she had half the spirit that Sunjata had described her as having, Loren figured he’d like her.
It sounded like Sunjata honestly had been trying to do the right thing with Phoebe, and while he may have screwed up at the end, Loren could hardly fault the other man for that. Indeed, the dead love of his life coming back to life would’ve given anyone pause. ”Yeah, it didn’t come up much in Northaven. Or Northwind.” At the mention of tossing babies into the water, however, the Launceleyn’s eyes widen. ”Wait, seriously? So you all really don’t care much for your children, do you?” The Launceleyn flushed with embarrassment, knowing how offensive that comment was. ”Uh...sorry. I didn’t mean to...sorry.” This was why he didn’t have friends: everything would be going well, and then he’d go and shove his foot down his throat.
”I wasn’t really involved with that, though I was here. Still, I’m glad it’s down despite...everything.” Despite the blight, despite the tensions with the Fae, despite the actions of Zariah, it still felt good to be able to venture outside the Hollowed Grounds.
He chuckles at the comment from Loren before he shakes his head. “Oh no, they came to see me get my ass handed to me and enjoy it.” He winks with a grin of nostalgia. But the chuckle grows a bit bolder at his next comment, before he shrugs. “I’ll let you be the judge.” He leans forward to turn toward him slightly. “Hou op bloei oor my hele tafel.” He hums, accented, a direct translation of the language back home. His head tilts as if to ask which is better, before he settles himself again.
“Her name’s Lusea.” He says softly, after a moment. His flame, his fury, the opposite to his floods and storms. She had been his anarchy queen, after all. They needed to balance each other out, and so help the person that faced the wrath of them both.
But the thoughts of heists and wars slip from his mind as he mentions Northwind and Northaven not having any real reason to learn how to swim, and he nods, until Loren’s voice breaks through and sets Sunjata into a full laugh. “Gods no. Only the strongest survived, that was how they looked at it. Parents kept an arms length from you in case you died. It was easier to live without the attachment.” He says bluntly, a half smile on his face as he looks back at Loren. “So needless to say I have absolutely zero interest in having kids.” He nods his head as though it still stands.
Besides, what kind of father would he even be? He didn’t have the greatest upbringing for an example, and with everything he’d done in his life, would he turn into his father or his own man? Too many hypothetical questions that kept his mind spinning, along with the alcohol, before he shakes his head again. And he manages a nod despite it to Loren with a slight half buzzed crooked smile. “Now if only we can get a fucking ocean.”
and when I go into the ground
they gotta bury me, bury me face down
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
”Ah yes, that would do it.” Loren could see how the rebels would enjoy seeing the son of the ruler making a fool of himself. However, after seeing Sunjata’s skills in the woods, the summoner was pretty sure the battles weren’t completely one-sided. After listening to the odd words fall from the other man’s lips, the Launceleyn grinned and shook his head. ”Nope. Still bad.” It was actually a pretty language, which Loren would admit if pressed.
The woman’s name was unfamiliar, and Loren shrugged. ”I don’t know her. You’ll have to introduce us some time.” Some time when everything wasn’t falling apart, that was, if a time such as that ever came. However, as Sunjata spoke about his people’s customs, the faint smile slipped from the summoner’s lips. ”That’s terrible.” Hesitating, the Launceleyn found his leg tapping anxiously and stilled it. ”It’s awful what people will do, parents will do, in the name of making their children strong.” Loren knew more than he ever wanted to about horrors like that. Smiling sadly at the other man’s admission that he didn’t want kids, the summoner couldn’t help but think about how he’d never even considered the question before being saddled with Beatrix and Jace. ”How does Lusea feel about that?”
”I’d drink to that, if I had anything left to drink. Even though I can’t swim.” He was trying his best to recover the good cheer from earlier, though he wasn’t sure how successful he was. It was hard in the face of what they’d been discussing earlier.
He nods in response. Many people had come just to see him bleed, without seeing the interior of him that bled with the people. He had been a tool, created and honed to continue the status quo, but he had drifted from it the moment the strings were lengthened. He wonders if his father regrets it, or if he had a chance to even care? Instead, he laughs at Loren’s comment, a rise and fall of his shoulders in a shrug. “Was worth a shot.” He admits, a smile crossing his face as he looks down.
He mentions he wants to meet her sometime, and he nods his head in agreement. “She’s still adjusting, but I’m sure you’ll cross paths at some point.” He offers easily. He’d never make decisions for Lusea, having his ass handed enough by her in the past, he knew better than to do such a thing. But he’s almost thankful when the conversations shift to how fucked up Korofi had been when it came to building their empire, building their city. He nods in agreement, about to tell him just how much of a terrible thing it was (though he’s sure the man can guess) when he asks what Lusea thinks of not having kids.
His head shifts back toward him, slate eyes landed on Loren’s face with a half smile. “It was an agreement we both made when we started going together.” He offers easily, drinking from the glass again until there’s maybe just a quarter of it left, when Loren mentions he’d drink to that.
“You can finish mine if you want, if not the spider can have it.” He says, offering the rest of the contents for Loren should he want it. “You could learn, it’s easy when you have a patient teacher.” He admits with a small laugh. The softer version of him would have loved that, rather than being tossed and hoped for the best.
and when I go into the ground
they gotta bury me, bury me face down
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
It had been worth a shot, so Loren just grinned at Sunjata rather than responding. When the other man mentioned that Lusea was still adjusted, the summoner nodded understandingly. ”Of course. Whenever she feels up to it. And if that’s never, no worries.” Having recently coached someone through the transition to this world, the Launceleyn knew how difficult it could be. When Sunjata revealed neither he nor his lady-love wanted kids, Loren smiled. ”That’s good. That you’re in agreement, I mean.”
Shaking his head at the proffered wine, Loren wondered whether Sunjata would understand that alcohol turned the summoner into someone he didn’t like. It was probably best to steer well clear of that subject. ”The spider will make much better use of it than I would, but thanks.” At Sunjata’s next very kind offer, the Launceleyn snorted. ”Let’s wait until we find the ocean, or at least until it’s not cold enough to freeze the bits I’d like to keep. But I warn you, if you dump me in the deep end on our first lesson I will make you pay for it.” There was a mock deadliness in Loren’s tone (though the truth of the matter was that, well, the Launceleyn probably would make the other man regret it).
“Eh, she’ll be around eventually. Couldn’t try to contain that fire if I tried.” He hums with another chuckle before he shrugs. If Loren ever does meet Lusea, he’s sure the man would know her from a mile away – whether from following the smoke or finding the flame. Still, he nods his head along in agreement to his and Lusea’s own agreement. It had been vital, a necessity, the two of them deciding to not subject a child to that kind of upbringing Korofi had. Despite how much he loves her, they knew it was a horrible idea.
And they had spent the last five or six years under that same agreement.
As Loren dismisses the alcohol, Sunjata leans forward to pour it into the cup for the wine spider, steel eyes lingering on the creature as it sluggishly tries to latch onto the glass. “Suit yourself.” He says softly with a light hum before he sets the glass on the table and turns back to Loren with a soft smile and raised brow.
“Ah yeah, no. I’ve never seen snow, I’d hate to see how cold the water is if it does that.” He snorts, an arm braced against the back of the chair with a small nod, before he chuckles at the end of Loren’s statement. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
and when I go into the ground
they gotta bury me, bury me face down
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Knowing a little bit about not being able to contain fires—Edy sprang to mind, as did Zariah, as did, well, pretty much all of his relatives, both dead and alive—Loren just smiled. ”I’m looking forward to it.” Strangely enough, he meant that. For someone who didn’t necessarily like others or social interactions, he was definitely getting a lot of exposure to both.
Raising his eyebrows at Sunjata’s confession that he’d never seen snow, the summoner chuckled. ”Don’t worry. You’ll be sick of it by the time Flowerbirth rolls around. But yeah, stay away from the water next season.” Deepfrost was long, and hard, and that wasn’t even getting into LongNight. ”By the way, I don’t know if anyone’s warned you or Lusea, but at the end of Deepfrost there’s a period called LongNight. Stay indoors, in a fortified position, and don’t open the doors to anyone. There are...monsters, that take the shape and form and voice of those we know to trick us into inviting them into our homes. If you and Lusea need a place to stay, you’re welcome to come to the Launceleyn Manor.” Even though multiple people had warned him that no one wanted to stay at the Manor, he was still stubbornly trying to make it work.
He nods lightly to Loren’s answer. He doesn’t know how excited Lusea will be to meet a variety of people who know her while she doesn’t know them, but he plays the part regardless. A charming grin of agreement. The conversation shifts toward snow, and his head tilts at the thought of it, of growing tired of it quick. He imagines he will, once he gets past the bewilderment of it all.
But next, Loren mentions Longnight, the event he’s heard and learned so much about in the recent month or so. A brow lifts in silent question as the man offers up the information as well as his own home for the ability to keep people safe. His head tilts as he contemplates before his steel eyes slide over to Loren with a smile. “I’ll talk to Lusea about it, but I think that might be a good idea.” He offers. Staying in a manor as opposed to the rickety home they had found beside the Devil’s Advocates (Lucas’, really) to fend off monsters in the night. “I will let you know.” He offers in a quiet, tentative agreement.
and when I go into the ground
they gotta bury me, bury me face down
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Loren nodded at Sunjata’s words. ”Great thanks. And if you could spread the word around to others too, I’d appreciate it.” The more people they could convince to stay behind safe walls the better. From what he’d heard about last year, most of the problems came from people not heeding the warnings and not fortifying their own homes well enough, or foolishly venturing outside. Stifling a yawn, the summoner realized just how much time must have passed. Looking guiltily at the other man, the Launceleyn tried to come up with another conversation topic, but his tired mind refused to supply one.
“Absolutely.” He agrees quietly, brushing off the ruffle in his shirt before he makes his attempt to stand. Head spinning slightly as the buzz shifts toward something a bit more definitely getting drunk, as he eyes the spider and relaxes slightly. “I’m in need of a smoke, and a bed.” He admits a bit sheepishly, a chuckle leaving him as he reaches for the cigarettes he’s left on the table. He fumbles in his pocket for his matches, before his steel eyes land back on Loren.
“Looks like you could use a bed too.” He smirks at the sight of Loren’s yawn. It had gotten late, and Sunjata had already had quite the eventful day.
and when I go into the ground
they gotta bury me, bury me face down
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
09-11-2019, 01:38 PM (This post was last modified: 09-11-2019, 01:38 PM by Loren.)
They say blood makes you related but
loyalty makes you family
”I think I’ll pass on the smoke, but you’re right, a bed sounds nice.” Giving Sunjata a friendly nod and grinning at the spider Loren stood up. Stifling another yawn, he gave the other man a wave. ”Hopefully I’ll see you and Lusea around.” With that, the Launceleyn left, though he had a lot to think about, and maybe, just maybe, had made a new friend today.
Offering a small wave back to the Launceleyn, Sunjata gives him a light nod. “We’ll be around.” He admits – somewhere, sometime, around but yet not. He’s sure they’ll cross paths again, but it could be as far as Longnight for all he knows. He’s not exactly a man with a plan anymore, and lives and moves along day by day. Regardless, the man gathers his own things and slips out the Rathskeller – to smoke, head home, and the bed he’s been wanting.
and when I go into the ground
they gotta bury me, bury me face down
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
