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!
”Look, you can deflect and I can badger you until I annoy you into telling me, or you can skip all that and just tell me. Those are your only two options” Hopefully Loren had amply demonstrated that, when it came to the important things—like Remi’s health and well-being—the summoner could be as stubborn as the alchemist. However, at the other man’s clarification regarding the doors, the Launceleyn’s eyes widened. Then he shook his head. ”I don’t need anything else that allows me to put up barriers between myself and the world. No more escape routes or hiding away for me.” Hopefully Remi would understand and agree with that sentiment: the librarian was finally displaying that honesty the alchemist had wanted. It felt surprisingly good, all things considered.
At the mention of Zariah and her policies, Loren snorted. ”Seriously? That’s pretentious and dumb. Besides, just because people are abandoned doesn’t mean they can’t be found. Or find themselves. I’m living proof of that aren’t I?” At least of the summoner was proof of the former. He’d been lost, but he’d come back. However, even Zariah couldn’t keep Loren’s spirits down, not after the way Remi had reacted to the summoner’s half-baked dreams. ”I was thinking of a school. You know, sort of like the one we had back at Northaven? Where I...or, whoever, could train the Abandoned in the use of their gifts. And train them to see them as gifts.” He gave the alchemist a sheepish grin.
all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies
"I told you what happened here." Remi said tensely. It wasn't that the alchemist was afraid to reluctant to display weakness, he never had been that. But he wasn't sure why Loren was labouring the point. "What Zariah did." Besides, what was Loren going to do about it? Give Remi a hug? Letting his arm flop to his side, the alchemist shook his head. There were no threats now and gods knew Remi was used to deal with the ghosts of his past lingering over his shoulder.
Peering across at the Launceleyn, Remi considered for a moment before nodding. It was refreshing to see and hear some conviction from Loren that wasn't attached to stubbornness. "Alright. It comes down, then?" He asked, turning to look at the door with his head tilted slightly to the side.
"The name might be pretentious but I think it was more about...well. Just changing how you are referred to. Being found is one thing, but never having been abandoned is another. Because in most cases, it is not that. Especially not with the outlanders."
Glancing over his shoulder, Remi furrowed his brow and shook his head, ignorance awash on his features. "School?" No, the alchemist didn't know, or at least he didn't remember. For someone like him the school Albus ran was worlds away from his every day life. Still, one side of his face dimpled with a crooked smile as he imagined Loren before a group children and adults, going on about summoning kittens. With a look of adoration, Remi chuckled to himself and let his eyes drop slightly to around Loren's midsection as he nodded. "That sounds like a really great idea."
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
”You did,” Loren agreed softly. ”But I asked if you were okay, Remi. And I thought we were practicing honesty.” The details of the events that had brought the alchemist here were less important, right now, than the other man’s state of mind. However, if Remi didn’t want to talk about it there wasn’t really anything the Launceleyn could do. Despite the fact that every instinct called out for him to stay right where he was, Loren somehow found the courage to walk over and lay a hand on the other man's shoulder for a brief moment before it slipped away. Progress.
At the alchemist’s question, the summoner nodded firmly and then stood beside Remi, facing the door. There was no going back. ”It comes down then. It and all the rest of them.” Besides eliminating any remaining concerns the librarian might have about the hidden doors and the rooms and tunnels behind them, it would also wipe one more reminder of Zariah from the manor. Somehow, the fewer there were, the more comfortable Loren became. Unfortunately, others didn’t seem to feel the same.
Sighing, he rubbed his temples, his good cheer finally ruined by his cousin. ”But there are naturals with magic too. And, whether we like it or not, we’re in Caido now, and we have to live by the rules of this world. Moreover, I’d rather change self-perceptions of who we are, and while a name might help with that, it can only go so far. Plus, banning a word is just going to make people want to use it more out of spite, especially if the ruler is unpopular.” Once again, his cousin, even though she had good intentions this time, had the absolute worst execution. There was nothing the summoner could do but try and provide an alternate vision of the future, one that brought people together instead of driving them apart.
Even the adoring look Remi sent his way couldn’t salvage the librarian’s good cheer; if anything, it just served to make him more depressed about everything, since it made his heart ache to see it. It wasn't something the librarian could allow himself to get used to. ”Well, I’m glad you approve. But I doubt it will ever happen, given everything else going on.” If Loren survived LongNight and the blight it would be miracle enough. And now, instead of his formerly secret and recently voiced dream all the summoner wanted was to knock these dumb doors down. Hopefully Remi would fulfill that particular request and they could finally get on with their lives.
all our lives i watched you search beneath the fallen skies
"I replied." The alchemist said lightly. That his reply had been a vague hum and a shrug of his shoulders didn't make it any less of an answer. Watching with a pale and uncertain stare as Loren neared, Remi's head tilted slightly as his body tensed. Thoughts of harm at the hands of the Launceleyns were still flowing through his mind, and knowing what he did about Loren, he could think of no reason for the man to be approaching other than to inflict some sort of—
—oh.
The alchemist offered the summoner a small but knowing smile, able to guess at just what the gesture was costing his almost-friend. "I might not be okay, but I am alright." The alchemist clarified as his shoulder relaxed beneath a touch that was already being withdrawn.
And so it was that as Remi transmuted the magical walls and doors he'd made with various skills and acts of strength, he and Loren discussed the merits of Zariah's plans and how the summoner might implement them differently.
~FIN
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
