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!
Amun had found out about the underground entirely by accident. He’d been searching for a place to hole up during the day, and had found this opening that looked promising, and well, here he was, sitting just inside the tunnel. He’d gotten distracted by some shards he thought might’ve come from an ancient pot (or maybe just a poorly made one), and was inspecting them, his eyes able to see clearly in the gloomy tunnel. He was crouched, shard in hand, the potter in him debating whether he could make something like this and what exactly that design had been.
09-21-2019, 01:07 PM (This post was last modified: 09-21-2019, 01:13 PM by Loren.)
Love mends even the broken parts
Loren had made a bit of a habit of exploring the underground. It was probably not a healthy habit, and maybe even a dangerous one. However, of everything he’d encountered down here, he was the most dangerous being. And besides, he had Astra by his side: the glow from her antlers banished the shadows, and settled his dark thoughts. Strangely enough, he came upon an unfamiliar man near the entrance, holding something in his hands. The summoner wasn't really used to seeing people down here. Slowing, the Launceleyn gave the stranger a considering look. ”Everything alright?” It all seemed fine, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
09-21-2019, 01:10 PM (This post was last modified: 09-21-2019, 01:14 PM by Amun.)
amun
Amun noticed the approaching glow first and foremost; he raised his head but remained in a crouch. Soon enough a strange man came into view and...was that a deer by his side? Shaking his head at the other man’s question, the potter stood with an easy grace and gave the stranger a wicked smile as Amun’s eyes ran up and down the other man’s body. ”Better now that you’re here, honey.” Then the potter jerked his chin at the glowy deer creature. ”Though I have to ask, what is that?” Maybe his comment was a little rude, but they didn't have such beasts where he came from, and so far everything new in Caido had kinda sucked. However, the deer was pretty cute, if he was being honest.
Loren raised his eyebrows at the stranger’s greeting, and they went up even further at the nickname. That was not at all what he was expecting and it threw him a little off balance. However, when the other man greeted Astra rudely, the summoner regained control. ”This,” and he emphasized the word perhaps a bit too strongly, ”is Astra. And she’s a luxere.” The Launceleyn didn’t take kindly to anyone who was mean to his companion. Still, the other man is a completely unknown quantity. ”I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Loren.” He held out his hand for the other man to shake.
Oooo this Loren bloke had a bit of an edge. Tall, brooding, and handsome. Just Amun’s type. Then again, pretty much anything with a dick and a pulse was his type (although given his Ascended status, the pulse might be optional). He flashed the other man and the luxere an easy grin. ”Didn’t mean to offend. But I can make it up to you.” Winking for good measure, the potter took Loren’s hand and held it for a few seconds too long. The potter even stroked the back of the other man’s hand. Just because the Ascended could only get physical pleasure from biting someone didn’t mean Amun couldn’t get his thrills from other sources. "Amun Arlun, at your service."
As the other man winked at him, Loren couldn’t help the flush that stole across his cheeks. He wasn’t used to such blatant flirting from other people, and he wasn’t sure he liked it; it reminded him a little bit of Edy, and he wasn’t sure he liked the memories of how poorly he’d treated his cousin, and how she’d died before he could make amends. However, that was hardly Amun’s fault, though that didn’t stop the summoner from retrieving his hand and clasping it behind his back. ”Not interested.” His voice came out gruffly, but not unkindly. He was trying to nip the flirtation in the bud, not be cruel. Astra, for her part, looked between the two men with wide eyes before trotting over to Amun and presenting herself for head scritches.
09-21-2019, 02:22 PM (This post was last modified: 09-21-2019, 02:22 PM by Amun.)
amun
At the other man’s curt response, Amun just grinned easily. ”Can’t blame a guy for trying.” Then the look the potter was giving Loren grew a bit more wicked. ”However, your words say no, but your cheeks say yes.” The Ascended’s gaze wandered downwards, as if to question whether other parts of the taller man’s body might also be saying yes. However, the potter’s attempts at mischief were foiled by Astra: the luxere presented herself before him with puppy dog eyes. Or fawn eyes, he guessed. He wasn’t really an animal person. Still, Amun dutifully reached out and scratched under her chin, though he didn't put all that much effort into it.
Maybe if Loren hadn’t just had his heart put through the wringer, he would’ve responded more positively to the attention. After all, it wasn’t like he was surrounded by admirers these days. However, he wasn’t quite ready for anything with another person though a certain god was probably going to change that soon enough. ”I try not to let my cheeks guide my behavior. And I’m flattered, but seriously, no thanks.” The summoner crossed his arms for good measure, tone and posture practically radiating standoffishness. Of course Astra, traitor that she was, bleated contentedly as Amun’s hand found that spot just under her chin; she tilted it to give him better access, eyes looking up adorably. Loren rolled his eyes, but he couldn't prevent the affectionate smile from spreading across his lips.
09-21-2019, 11:22 PM (This post was last modified: 09-22-2019, 12:48 AM by Amun.)
amun
As Loren bristled Amun just gave the other man an easy wink. ”Your loss, honey. As Astra here can attest, I’m quite good with my hands.” The potter gave the luxere another scratch, before patting her side. Tilting his head, Amun spun the pottery shard idly as he considered Loren. The other man was an odd one, and not the potter’s type after all (which basically extended to available, which Loren most emphatically was not). Still, it was odd to see someone else in the underground. ”What brings you down here?” The question was accompanied by an easy smile; Amun wasn’t one to get upset about a little thing like rejection.
Astra shook her coat at Amun’s pat, before giving the other man one last happy look and returning to the Launceleyn’s side. Instinctively, his hand reached out to bury itself in the fur behind her ears. Scratching idly, the happy sounds she was making quite familiar to him, Loren considered Amun’s question carefully. Of course, there wasn't any reason to lie. Or at least, not any good reason. ”I needed some solitude. And the underground is peaceful, so long as you avoid the dangers.” The summoner figured it would be worth warning Amun about those if the other man wasn’t already aware. On that note. ”What brings you down here?” Turnabout was fair play.
Yeah, Amun didn’t like the sound of danger. While it seemed that Loren was a fucking weirdo—who went underground when they needed peace and quiet? and who wanted peace and quiet anyway?—at least he appeared to know more about this place than the potter did. Granted that wasn’t saying much. ”What dangers, honey? I thought the only danger was that I might try and jump your bones.” The words fell from the Ascended’s lips easily. As for Loren’s question, well, that was an easy one. ”Trying not to burst into flames.” Amun gave the other man a toothy smile, making sure his fangs were displayed prominently. It shouldn't be too hard to put two and two together.
At this point, Loren was almost expecting the unwanted flirtation from the other man so the summoner just rolled his eyes. If Amun wanted to joke around, so be it. The Launceleyn dind’t need to help the other man with his efforts. Luckily, Loren was about to discuss a decidedly unsexy topic. ”Giant rats. Well. Not just rats I suppose. All kinds of rodents. But mostly rats. They like to eat people alive.” Actually, that last part was just hearsay: nobody had actually seen it happen. Thankfully, Loren’s magic had been more than sufficient to drive them away in the one encounter he’d had with the rodents.
The other man’s statement and smile (if it could be called that) were more than enough to communicate to Loren what brought Amun to the tunnels. ”You know, there are more comfortable places to spend the day.” Then, because he knew what Edy would say in this situation and the other man reminded the Launceleyn a little of his cousin, he quickly added, ”And no, it’s not with me or in my bed.”
Huh. Giant fleshing-eating rats. Yet another thing Amun added to his ‘reasons Caido fucking sucks’ list. It was quite long, considering that he’d only been here a short period. Well, he wasn’t surprised: everything here was either ugly or trying to kill him, and the people, except for a few rare souls, were way too serious for his tastes. Which is why the potter smirked at Loren’s second statement. ”Your bed is probably too cold for me, anyway. And I’m an Ascended, so I know what I’m talking about.” It was petty insult, and probably beneath Amun, but hey, he wasn’t trying to be perfect. ”And what was it you said? Oh yes. Not interested.” The potter was already losing a bit of interest in the conversation, so he let himself be distracted once more by the shard in his hands.
Considering the fact that Loren didn’t know Amun and didn’t particularly care what a stranger thought of him, the summoner just ignored the insult. Astra, on the other hand, came to the Launceleyn’s defense; he could feel her tense under his hand, and she let out an angry grunt. Immediately, Loren stroked her softly and gently, making soothing noises until she had calmed down. It helped him get a handle on his own emotions as well, which was probably for the best. Whenever he unleashed them, bad things seemed to happen. ”Well, the offer still stands.” A little rudeness never stopped him from trying to do the right thing. Seeing the object in the Ascended’s hands, the summoner nodded at it. ”What’s that?” Changing the subject seemed wise.
