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!
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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!
Amun just winked, touched by Amalia’s concern. ”Not the kind of heat I was talking about, kitty, but I appreciate the warning. Guess I’ll have to take it slow.” That was often better than rushing through it, obviously, though both had their place in both life and sex. However, it was a sobering reminder just how much had changed. Jyoti was still a good enough distraction that he wasn’t bothered too much by it. And the Fae were even better. ”What’s not to love.” He gestured at his barely clothed form to indicate that anyone would be foolish not to like him.
At the baker’s mention of a pit, he grinned wickedly. ”Sounds kinky even for me. I take it you were one of the ones in the pit? What’d you do to pass the time?” Waggling his eyebrows, he gave the starwhale a few more scritches as he waited for Amalia’s response. Probably something boring.
If Amalia had been developing any reaction to the overt flirting, the implication that she would be intimate with either of her coinhabitants of the pit is enough to send her libido crashing down. "Oh, gods, no!" Adam and Kiada?! They might as well be her blood. "I mean- there were others, but-" She wrinkles her nose again with a laugh. "No. Nothing like that. I wasn't even in there very long."
The truth of the night is far stranger, somehow. "No- there was a pod of statwhales that night, and a terrible storm. It knocked Jyoti out of the sky, so I... I flew up and caught her. And the Fae chief said I could be free because of it. But not until my memories were sacrificed to a giant world turtle." Yeah, it's a strange story, and the Shield quirks her lips as she tells it, glancing at where Jyoti is still basking in Amun's regard.
Well, Amalia might be a bit of a prude, but she was pretty enough, so presumably there was something wrong with these others she had been with. ”Doesn’t take long if you know what you’re doing.” Amun winked at her, not willing to let her off the hook. ”So either there was something wrong with the pit or something wrong with the people, kitty, because even if it was only for a short time, how else were you going to pass it?” Cold, dark, pit: seemed logical they’d band together for warmth and companionship, and well, maybe one thing would just lead to another.
”You flew, kitty?” The baker must have been pulling his leg, because even though he could see the starwhale before him, the idea of the woman flying up to catch Jyoti was beyond even the potter’s overactive imagination. ”A giant world turtle? Is that something you make up to mess with the newcomers?” His voice was gently teasing, though if she was telling the truth he was obviously eager to know more.
"I was in there with my friends," Amalia replies indignantly, still blushing fiercely at the insinuations being made. Flying is far easier to explain: Amun seemed to accept her shifting pretty easily, so the baker simply raises her arms, letting feathers sprout briefly over her body as she lets her arms slip into barn owl wings before quickly morphing back. "Not just a kitty," she says with a smile, a little bit proud of her skills.
She can't say she's surprised by his lack of belief, and she shrugs somewhat embarrassingly, at a bit of a loss. "It's called a tulmhainar. They keep the forest thriving, and feed on happy memories." She smiles fondly, a distant expression on her face as she remembers the incredible creature. The smile is swift to fade, however, as she recalls the one who died beneath the Spire, as she thinks about the one in the Greatwood who even now may be dying from the blight. "I take it you don't have any tulmhainar in the jungle, then."
Amun just grinned at Amalia’s blushing response. Indeed, her awkwardness was adorable and endearing, though it wouldn’t spare her from his gentle teasing. ”So? You say that like you’ve never heard of friends with benefits.” There was nothing wrong with a good old roll in the hay between two people who were close and who needed some comfort. At least not in his book. As she grew feathers, however, he raised his eyebrows, totally willing to be impressed by the display. ”Well that’s very cool. Still, Feathers doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, so I think you’ll still be kitty to me.” Indeed, she seemed more like a cat at heart anyway, but then again, he didn’t really know. However, it was his first impression of her, and it would was very memorable, so the nickname would stick.
Well well well. Seemed that the baker wasn’t pulling his leg after all. He smiled widely as she explained. It only grew broader as she asked about the jungle again. ”No, we don’t have any giant world turtles that help the jungle grow. However, if you’re looking for something that’s larger than average, I have something in mind.” He winked at her, because it was his dick, as if that wasn’t entirely obvious. Actually, he hadn’t checked in this new form. Maybe he should do that. Probably not in front of Amalia though. She might blush herself into fainting.
To Amalia, for whom sexual interest only follows romantic investment, the idea of a roll in the hay with any of her friends offers absolutely nothing by way of temptation. A raised eyebrow and shaking head is all the response he receives to his teasing, though she reaches up to tug awkwardly at a lock of golden hair. Her expression softens into bashful, slightly bemused pleasure as he informs her that he will keep the nickname Kitty: rarely have others given her nicknames, and she finds she likes the idea of being seen less as Amalia and more as the leopard.
If Amun is trying to get a rise out of the baker, he is destined to disappointment. Her attention shifted from awkward flirting to explanations of their world, she is quick to leave behind any part of her that could easily pick up innuendo. "Like what?" the baker wonders innocently, dark eyes bright with curiosity the Shield tilts her head. He's already drawn her in with whales, and she has become quite invested in learning what else his world has on offer.
Amalia was clearly an innocent, so maybe Amun should go easy on her. Still, Amalia apparently hadn’t seen much of the world, and seemed more than a bit sheltered. If she wanted to go exploring one day, which it seemed like she might, she’d need to get used to strange men saying lewd and outrageous things to her. The Ascended happened to be one of the friendly ones. But not everyone would be the same, and while she could grow claws and feathers, she couldn’t just go around blushing or fighting everyone. So, while he felt a little bad for all the teasing, he wasn’t going to let the baker off easy. ”My dick, kitty.” He winked at her, though he was fully expecting the comment to send her over the edge.
Is she... disappointed? Confused? Trying to give him a hard time? It's difficult to tell, but Amalia's face and tone remain neutral as she shrugs her response to the revelation. She wants to learn about the worlds beyond hers, not the phalluses that fill it and their average size.
Going back to making tea, the baker lets Jyoti entertain their guest as she bustles around to the back of the shop. When she returns, it is with a steaming pot that will do Amun no good but at least smells nice. "So... in terms of eating," the girl begins, rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably. It isn't a conversation she really wants to have, and definitely not something she wants to offer.
Amalia’s response to Amun’s teasing was entirely unsatisfying. Still, he hadn’t really been expecting much, though maybe she had. That being said, he wanted the baker to have a good time. She seemed inclined to gloominess, and he much preferred smiles to frowns. ”Sorry, kitty. I used to have pretty big horns, too, if it makes you feel better.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, though his eyes grew more than a little sad as he considering the form he’d lost.
As the baker began to bustle about her shop, the potter simply amused himself by giving Jyoti some very nice scritches. However, at the mention of eating, the Ascended grinned. ”What about it?” Seeing as Amalia already seemed uncomfortable—and remembering how she’d reacted to his last penis joke—Amun decided not to make any flirtatious comments about having something for her to eat.
10-14-2019, 10:10 PM (This post was last modified: 10-14-2019, 10:10 PM by Amalia.)
Amalia
Horns does pique her interest again, and Amalia's expression regains its curiosity, though not without some wariness. "Horns?" she repeats, clearly convinced this will be another sex joke. But if not, well... Amalia has never know anyone with horns before.
He asks about eating, and the girl doesn't meet his eyes. "Well... You don't eat anymore. Or you don't have to." Spinning her cup of tea between her fingers, Amalia stares down into it. Usually she tries to avoid thinking too hard about Ascended and their fluids. "But you have... Fluid, instead of blood. And you'll have to, um, get more. At some point."
Unsurprisingly, Amalia was interested in Amun’s mention of horns. His eyes grew distant and wistful as he remembered them, and unconsciously he raised a hand to run it through his hair, as if to confirm that they were, indeed, gone. ”I used to have another form. Not like yours, nothing I could control. But when night fell, I would be transformed.” He didn’t necessarily want to talk about this, but the baker’s eagerness to learn more was so apparently that he decided to give her what she wanted in exchange for the kindness she’d shown him. Besides, the potter would bounce back easily enough.
Something about this conversation was bothering her, and the Ascended had no idea what it was. Sure, the idea of not having blood was odd and maybe a bit creepy, but no odder than her ability to turn into a leopard or a bird. ”And I take it there’s something weird about the way I get more?” It was really hard for him to determine what, exactly, Amalia was trying to tell him.
"What kind of form?" Amalia wonders, her curiosity distracting her from his discomfort, fascinated with this idea of his transformation beneath the moon. Or maybe she does notice, because though she blushes the baker pushes forward with an awkward joke. "Was it... ah... enhanced in, in other ways?" The flush of her cheeks and her slight playful giggle make it terribly apparent what she means.
Oh, she wishes she didn't have to explain this. "Well. There are two ways that I know of. One is to go to a Shrine to the Voice, and she... she replenishes it somehow, I think." That is the less unpleasant way, despite what others might say. "The other way is to... to drink it from a person." Something Amalia has never partaken in, and hopefully never will.
It was cute that Amalia was trying to engage with Amun on his level. For that, if nothing else, he decided to give her a straight answer. ”I would grow. Both in height and my horns, which curled like a ram, but far more delicate looking. And I’d grow more beautiful as well. On top of that, I would glow, shimmer like moonlight on water, and I would take sustenance from the moon itself.” Indeed, he’d been a celestial being, a son of the moon, in a true way, a way that his current form made a mockery of.
On the subject of being Ascended, it seemed there were a lot of rules. ”Somehow, hm? And where are these shrines where I can find this Voice?” There was something that the baker was holding back, and the potter gave an easy smile, though his eyes were sharp. ”And just what do I drink, kitty?” There were so many liquids it could be—some more fun than others—but he figured asking was better than testing it out.
"That sounds incredible." Breathless, the baker leans in closer, obviously fascinated with the whole idea. It is a similar idea to Jyoti, who croons her own appreciation clearly, sending out another fluttering cloud of stars. "Though any more beautiful and you might make Safrin jealous." Safrin would love him, the girl thinks- then realizes that she wouldn't, a pang of remorse and pity for him, that he is Ascended and will likely never meet her lady of the stars.
A remorse that lingers as she tries to navigate him through the process of survival in this new form. "There are shrines all over- one in the Temple, in the Antheneum, in the Fields." Rubbing the scarless skin on her wrist, the baker looks away. The answer is simple, but it still falls heavy and quiet from her tongue. "Blood."
