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!
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
Oh well, it wasn't Loren's lips Remi would be looking at. Not for a long while in all likelihood. In any case though, the alchemist merely shrugged off the summoner's reply. "Two out of three ain't bad, so they say." 'They' in fact didn't exist in this world, but the saying was probably still apt enough.
"Obviously I will not be able to speak back to you, but hunting with a hawk is not too terribly hard. Mostly, do not get between me and the rabbit." He said with a boyish grin, before glancing up at the sky. His nose and cheeks were already reddening, and not wanting to stay in this ill-suited body any longer, Remi trotted forward a few steps before nimbly leaping into the air and shifting.
It felt good to be a hawk, his original shift, the least impressive (well, maybe not compared to a raccoon), but also the most him, he thought. Circling around Loren, not presuming he was welcome on the other man's shoulder, Remi merely glided towards the surrounding fields.
sometimes love is a soft touch, or a line drawn in the sand
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
They could say whatever they wanted to. That didn’t mean that Loren was going to let them off easy. Nor was he going to let Remi tease him, especially since the attempt at humor apparently hadn’t been as successful as the summoner’s earlier joke. ”Depends what the two and the three are, I suppose. Failing two out of every three attempts to catch a rabbit, for instance, would be bad.” Maybe he was being pedantic, but he was a pedantic person. So sue him under the nonexistent laws of the Hollowed Grounds.
As the other man gave the Launceleyn his marching order, he nodded. ”I’ll endeavor not to put my head in the path of your beak and talons.” Once upon a time Loren had been a noble. He knew how falconry worked. This was the same, just with a not dumb bird. As Remi took off, however, the Launceleyn had to run to keep up, what with the snow impeding his movements and the alchemist being able to fly in a straight line.
10-15-2019, 12:05 AM (This post was last modified: 10-15-2019, 12:09 AM by Odd.)
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
"Well, 'they' are being pale and thin." Remi replied. He'd been married to Ronin long enough that argumentative banter was near second nature. Loren could be pedantic all he liked; in this case, the ambiguity just didn't hold up the way he wanted. "But maybe you are not like a rabbit, given rabbits listen." He added, knowing Loren would probably having something to say about listening vs. comprehending, and not minding one bit.
Remi did circle slowly, but when it became clear that waiting on Loren was going to prove unnecessary, the hawk gave a parting trill before soaring skyward. There were few thermals for him to coast on, but even as a hawk Remi was in fairly fit shape. His muscles sang but it was a melody he was happy to keep for the time beating, and so flapping his wings much like some common crow, the hawk began to make lazy circles high above the field.
With eyes heeled and honed precisely for this, he let his gaze drift back and forth, focusing on nothing in particular and waiting for the sign of movement. Loren stood out like a beacon, trudging forward as he was. With any luck the summoner would startle something out of the underbrush.
sometimes love is a soft touch, or a line drawn in the sand
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
A flicker of a grin crossed Loren’s face. ”You sure you want to allow me to be they? That means I get to dictate what common wisdom is.” As Remi criticized the Launceleyn for not listening, he cupped a hand around his ear. ”Eh. What’s that? Speak up!” However, the other man was right: the summoner did indeed have quite a bit to say on this subject. ”I listen. I just don’t agree with most of what you say for one reason or another. Mostly bad reason.” He added that last part to forestall whatever pained look or slightly bitter jest the alchemist was about to send back.
However, maybe he should’ve been less worried about the verbal banter and more about the hunt; as Remi sped ahead and Loren struggled to keep up, he sighed. ”Guess we’re both rabbits then, given how you’re hopping to it.” Although he’d shouted after the departing hawk, the Launceleyn had no idea if the other man heard, but he definitely wouldn’t be able to respond. Still, it didn’t take long for both of them to reach the woods. The summoner entered them without hesitation.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
"That is not what I meant." The alchemist huffed, but a playful smile pulled at his lips as he shrugged. It not being what he meant was precisely the point of the back and forth after all, and so with a lengthy sigh, he nodded to concede the point. However as Loren mimed being senile (or just hard of hearing), the alchemist crossed his arms across his chest, fixing his almost-maybe-friend-again a look. "Okay, Jigano." He said sternly, though there was a shiny twinkle of mirth in his stare. Whether Loren knew enough of the Sage to get the reference was unclear, but Remi felt victorious enough in it.
Rabbits didn't hibernate, but this close to LongNight, just about everything was scarce. Banking sharply to fix his sight on a different part of the field, Remi noticed that the summoner had disappeared into the trees. It was much harder for a hawk to hunt amidst all those branches, but perhaps Loren was hoping to flush something out? Fanning his pale feathers and gliding towards the tree line, he let himself lose a bit of altitude to better focus on whatever woodland animals might be venturing towards the snow-covered wheat fields for food.
sometimes love is a soft touch, or a line drawn in the sand
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Well that was just too bad for Remi. Loren wasn’t above twisting the other man’s words around, as the Launceleyn had proven many times during this conversation. ”But it’s what you said. And here I thought I was the one with the communication problem.” As the alchemist brought up the bard, however, the summoner frowned. ”What is the deal with the two of you anyway?” There was obviously a history there—one that Loren had accidentally stumbled into briefly—but no one had mentioned bad blood between Remi and the white-haired man.
Unfortunately, in the Launceleyn’s haste to get out to the alchemist, he’d lost track of where the hawk was actually going; the woods and the fields weren’t that far from one another, and he was already under the trees by the time his mind reminded him that the hawk had been circling the dormant farmlands. Groaning, already anticipating the quip about listening and paying attention and how much easier this would be if the summoner were an Attuned, he rapidly backtracked. Then he would attempt to get Remi’s attention and mouth ‘sorry.’ Mighty hunter, Loren was not.
10-15-2019, 02:11 AM (This post was last modified: 10-15-2019, 02:12 AM by Remi.)
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
’Oh, it is still you.” Remi said with a boyish chuckle. “We always knew I was not good with words.” Humming softly to himself at the mention of Jigano’s, Remi pulled in a chilly breath and flashed the summoner a half-smile. “I will tell you over stew, once I have lips again.” He vowed, before taking to the skies.
Dropping 5ft at the sign of movement, turning out to be Loren, the hawk warbled in the air, fanning his wings in acknowledgement. He’d have called out, but that would have alerted any potential prey to his presence; hopefully the Launceleyn could work out that awkward aerobatics were a sign and not just Remi playing around.
sometimes love is a soft touch, or a line drawn in the sand
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Unfortunately for Remi, Loren was totally fine with them both being poor communicators. The evidence seemed quite obvious about that. ”Hey, I never said I was good at words. You just assumed.” Granted, they’d both made a bunch of assumptions, and that had led them here, to this sort of awkward and tenuous peace or friendship or whatever it was they were doing beyond hunting. As the alchemist grew feathers and took to the skies, the summoner called out after the other man. ”You’re not really helping your case on the communication front.”
However, then it was the Launceleyn’s turn to do poorly on the communication front, what with his foray into the woods. As the hawk dipped, the summoner’s eyes tracked it, though Remi recover quickly enough. Seeing as the Launceleyn didn’t speak hawk, he had no idea what went on there, so he just started traipsing about the field, hoping the alchemist had a plan.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
In response, the hawk trilled back brightly, sending a mental backlash of words in response. It was hardly his fault Loren couldn’t understand him.
Watching Loren simply wade through the snow below made the hawk groan and the man within chuckle. Hadn’t there been something about Loren being undercover? As a farmer? Had he been so well taken care of even then, that he’d never had to hunt? Ahhhh well. Honestly, there didn’t seem to be much game, so surely it couldn’t hurt if...
...with near-silent wings the hawk descended behind the summoner, shifting easily into a large tawny body. Not his largest, there was no need for that, but plenty large enough. Bounding through the snow with feline grace, the lion leaped up and down, crashing through the thick layers of memory-snow. Hopefully Loren was used to him enough by now that he’d not feel some sort of attack hot on his heels..errr, paws.
Roaring loudly, a sound both shocking in its volume and reverberation, the big cat continued to leap happy as a kitten through the snow, hoping to startle something that had bed down int he mid-afternoon sun.
sometimes love is a soft touch, or a line drawn in the sand
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
As Remi landed and turned into a lion, Loren eyed the alchemist warily. Apparently, they were done with the aerial portion of their hunt. Although the Launceleyn was, indeed, used to the other man’s shifts and forms—enough that the summoner didn’t even tense at the sight of the predatory cat—that didn’t mean Loren wasn't human. Unfortunately for Remi, there was something quite visceral about seeing a lion suddenly appear.
And that was before the alchemist roared.
The sound seemed to bypass the Launceleyn’s hearing and travel straight to his mind. That didn’t stop him from clapping his hands over his ears; whimpering, he stumbled backwards in the snow, trying to calm his racing heart. Unlike when he’d made his dragon roar, this wasn’t under his control, and though his ears rang, it was the fear that sprang up at him that was really dangerous. Immediately, he clawed back all his magic, even his healing. If he let it loose, he was worried he might hurt the other man.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
But of course Remi wasn't aware of any of this; his own blood sang happily in his ears, heart thudding with the thrill of the chase, and his predatory instincts heightened. His roar had done more than simply startling the summoner: a deer who had been trying to pick her way through the last of the fallen apples deep in the snow sprang into a hurried rhythm at the sound of the unfamiliar predator.
The playful frivolity the big cat had shown moments before disappeared as Remi plunged himself with new found purpose forward. The deer could spring far more easily than he could through the snow, and so with a leap, the lion shifted into a hawk, continuing the chase. Darting back and forth as the deer zigged and zagged, once he was close enough, Remi descended from the skies, shifting again into his leonine skin and dropping down onto the deer's back.
Driven by instinct, Remi's teeth clamped around the doe's throat, clenching and holding her still with his large paws until she ceased her struggling. With her lifeblood trickling down his throat and melting the snow, the big cat continued his death hold of her until he was sure that she'd slipped away entirely.
sometimes love is a soft touch, or a line drawn in the sand
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Thankfully some good came from Remi’s roar: a deer was startled out, and the alchemist immediately went on to chase it, shifting into a hawk. That gave Loren time to get himself under control. He focused on his breathing, which was far too ragged, and just made sure it was as slow and steady as he could manage. It slowed his heart as well, and once both were relatively calm, he focused on relaxing each muscle at a time, starting from his feet and working his way up. Eventually, he felt calm enough to actually do something; by that time, it seemed clear that the other man had caught and killed their prey. The summoner approached, though not too close. If the lion got possessive of its catch, the Launceleyn wanted some space to react.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
A year ago Loren's respectful pause would have been more than necessary. Since then though Remi had managed to get his predatory instincts under control. Or at least, he wasn't as tempted to tear the throats out of anyone who happened by him while shifted. Flicking an ear back slightly as the snow crunched under Loren's weight, the lion released the still-steaming deer to give the summoner a look over his shoulder. Blood trickled into his golden fur, his white teeth now a pale pink as he offered his whatever-friend a grin.
Shifting back into his own body—jacketless, which now turned out to be a mistake—the alchemist shivered in bare-sleeves, blood drying in the scruff on his chin and down his chest as well. "Well that worked out well." He chimed brightly, colour high in his cheeks from the adrenaline of the kill, succeeding only in making him look entirely crazed (what with those big green eyes, boyish smile, and copious amounts of blood).
sometimes love is a soft touch, or a line drawn in the sand
Coding base by Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Considering the sort of horrors Loren had become habituated too—and the carnage Remi had displayed earlier—the alchemist’s current state, bloodstained mouth, and crazy eyes after he shifted back to a human form didn’t even given the Launceleyn pause. However, while he was certainly in agreement that this had worked out for the best, that wasn’t going to stop him from teasing the other man.
Nodding towards the fallen deer, the corner of Loren’s lips twitched up. ”Does that look like a rabbit to you? I thought I cured your blindness.” Although he’d noted the way Remi shivered, the other man was perfectly capable of clothing himself appropriately. Still, the summoner should ask. ”Need me to call on something to keep us warm? Or to carry the deer back?” At least this time he was asking instead of barging ahead.
