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
Remi had come into this without expectations. Without planning, honestly, and so at Loren's non-reaction (save for a few looks of surprise, a wince here or there), the alchemist forced himself to simply be alright with what he did receive: a way forward. Letting his fingers curl around Loren's, Remi glanced around conspiratorially; a look of raw and real concern on his features, as his fingers closed around Loren's hand with a gentle but insistent tug to pull the Launceleyn close.
"We all plan on being out, during LongNight. Amalia and Deimos. Kiada. Jigano." He said in a near whisper, and not just because Loren was close. Once, Jigano had told them that Edy had thought the manor was rigged with listening devices and thus far, nothing seemed to suggest that it wasn't. "Every day, if you can call it that." He added. "There are monsters that disguise their voices and knock at the door. They beg to be let in. Last year only...one in every five, say, was actually real. But we plan on opening the door each time it is knocked upon. I have a piece of spyglass given to me by Safrin that can see through god-made illusions, but no one knows if they are illusory in appearance. No one who has really seen them as survived."
His fingers tightened against Loren's.
"We all have different tasks. Ones that you cannot simply take from us, but...if you are planning on being out, better you should know what it is we are doing. What it is we are up against." Remi added in a shallow whisper, the heat and colour having faded from his cheeks, leaving only the vibrancy of his gaze.
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 progressed rather quickly from friendship to another set of thorny issues entirely. As the other man’s hand closed around the Launceleyn’s and pulled him close, he allowed himself to be led, though he wasn’t sure exactly where this was going. When Remi started speaking, however, the summoner’s heart dropped. Four. Four people. At least four and probably many more. And as the alchemist kept going, Loren’s fear grew. This was dangerous, and reckless, but he knew he’d never be able to change any of those people’s minds.
Still, if they had to do this, they could at least be smart about it. In deference to the other man’s fear, the Launceleyn also spoke in a whisper. ”I know about the monsters in disguise. We came up with a code word for that reason, though I suppose that assumes the monsters aren’t telepathic. Still, would you trust in that? We could change it every day, on the off chance the monsters overheard, or every time we let someone in.” He figured the answer would be no, but he had to ask. ”Also, what are you planning to do if you let a monster into the Guild?” It seemed quite likely that they’d do that multiple times. Unfortunately, the Spark Birds in the amulets would only save them once each, if that. And if Astra wasn’t enough to protect Loren on his own, Auni surely wasn’t enough to protect everyone at the Guild. Aoife would be there, and the summoner knew the alchemist would never put his child at risk on the off chance he might save other lives.
The Launceleyn had more he knew he needed to ask. ”What are your tasks?” He was still half-convinced he should be at the Guild; however, the four names raised a new issue. ”Also, last I heard Jigano is planning to be at the Temple. Has that changed?” If not, then Loren wouldn’t be the only one at that location venturing outside.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
Pulling back slightly if only to indicate his horror, Remi exhaled a short but frustrated puff of air. "News to me. So if any of us made our way to the Temple, we would be turned away for not knowing your word?" Remi had wanted everyone to stay together for this reason exactly; so that information wouldn't be spliced. With a look that suggested they'd indeed spoken of it, the alchemist's gaze narrowed for a second as he swallowed. "Fight." He whispered, deadly serious. "It would not be the first time." And indeed, they'd opened the door on monsters before. "If you were with us though..." Biting the inside of his lip as he let his gaze grow lax with thought, minuscule muscles tightened and relaxed across his face. "..we could keep one perched atop the door. Then only humans could approach." In theory, anyways.
"We have done some singing, or at lease, the others have..." Guiltily Remi trailed off, resisting the urge to drop Loren's hand and rub anxiously at the back of his neck. Murderers did not Luxere magnets make. "..so I hope we will have a decent herd of luxere. But it was not always enough last year."
Shaking his head slowly, Remi considered. "I must open the door each time it is knocked on. And to make sure that none die cold and alone outside. Amalia and Jigano...have a lantern and a song, to collect souls lost during the week when Ludo cannot find them. As for Kiada?" His shoulders softly rose and fell. It was complicated and he did not truly understand it.
The question about Jigano made Remi's lips tighten slightly into a thin smile. "Perhaps it was always the plan." He said in a low voice.
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.
Loren bit his lip. ”Wessex posted it on the Notice Board. It should still be up there, along with all the other information about LongNight. It was supposed to apply to both locations for the whole week.” It wasn’t exactly their fault that message hadn’t been disseminated: if people couldn’t be bothered to read those updates, they didn’t have a better way to get news out to people. However, at the comment about fighting, the Launceleyn gave Remi a surprised look. ”I thought only magical light drove them away.” This was the first the summoner had heard of anyone being able to actually fight the monsters. That thought made his nostrils flare in annoyance. The next statement about having him summon the Spark Bird every time the door open didn't help. ”Well. I offered to stay at the Guild. But I should talk to Wessex first, if only to warn her.” She’d probably veto, but she didn’t have any real power over him.
At the comment about singing, the summoner squeezed the alchemist’s hand again. ”I’ve been singing since the beginning of the season, and I know others have as well. I don’t know if it will be enough, obviously, but we did our part.” And if that ended up not being enough, well, they had tried. Listening to the list of tasks without judgment, the Launceleyn sighed. ”Amalia has her staff. Do we know if the lantern produces magical light as well?” If so, they’d be as protected as anyone else.
Unfortunately, that left Kiada and Remi. ”Perhaps....perhaps I could try to see if I can make my creatures leave anything else behind?” They had one luxere staff already. If they could make a second, somehow, theorectically they would stand a much better chance. Unfortunately, this was all speculation, even the part about Jigano. ”To be clear, all this isn’t a plan. It's a series of half-baked ideas concocted between multiple groups with occasionally competing interests. Thankfully, we still have time to make one.” And now that they were talking again, they would.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
"She...she posted the secret word, in a public place?" Remi gave his friend a flat stare. "I take it the assumption being that these sentient creations of the Voice, who can mimic voices and sounds, who are incredibly strong and possess what seems like magic, cannot read?" The Queen had a lot on her place and was doing it all nearly by herself. Delegating didn't take the weight of responsibility off, just merely shifted it for a time. So the alchemist wasn't faulting the queen, but nor was he on board with the idea of code words and phrases written in public places.
"Hey." Squeezing Loren's hand and giving him a pointed stare, Remi tilted his head. If Loren was going to be upset about something, better he speak up now. There was only so much time left. "Magical light drives them away without fail. The Spark Bird protected us all for a day or so last year. But...they can be fought just like anything." For a moment his own jaw tensed and he looked down, cheeks pulsing red. "From what I have heard...the monsters are kin to creatures like the Spire Demon. When it died, it detonated, taking Ronin with it." So yes. They could be fought. To what end though? None of them really knew.
The mention of telling Wessex made Remi bristle, his fingers indeed tightening as his lashes fluttered open, his gaze hardening. "Do not let her know what is planned, Loren." He said in a low and steely voice, his green eyes seeking out the summoner's blues to silently impart the importance of this. "She will ask why you think it necessary. You cannot tell her this.."
Remi shrugged. "Then they will come to you at the Temple. Not here." The luxere obviously helped, there was no denying that. Would it be enough?
"Not that sort, no." The alchemist said with a shake of his head. "And last year, her staff only protect whoever was holding it. The glow did not seem to protect anyone within it."
Releasing Loren's hand to lean back against the counter and run his fingers through his hair, Remi tipped his head back and scrunched his eyes closed for a moment feeling that he was ever the barer of bad news. "Isla and I...tried once to separate a luxere's horns from the doe." He said this with a weighty amount of sadness. "It did not work. Even if your luxere summons left an antler, Amalia's staff was made from ... well, it was not like the others. It glowed red, for one thing." And nodding towards the Spark Bird pouch presumably tucked in Loren's belt, he shook his head again. "And neither Rory nor Jigano's feathers protected against it. Or...well, we do not think they did. The Spark Bird had come back by then."
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.
Yeah, Loren wasn’t super happy about posting the code word, though he supposed it was in the Temple, so it wasn’t outside for the monsters to read. Besides, if the LongNight monsters were lurking already, well, they were probably all screwed. ”The code word was also in code, but again, we don’t really know how intelligent these monsters are, or what abilities they have. However, I did raise that possibility in our meeting, and asked if a knock might be better. She said that we could always ask identifying questions.” In this particular instance, he felt very similarly to Remi.
At the other man’s soft hey, the summoner sighed, and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. ”I didn’t know you could fight them at all. Everyone’s acting as if they’re implacable and unstoppable.” Lowering his hand, the Launceleyn winced at the comment about Ronin’s death. ”I’m…” He trailed off, because he’d been about to apologize, and the alchemist would just reject that. ”I’m not sure fighting potentially exploding monsters in the Guild is a good idea, though.” That seemed pretty self-evident.
At the insistence in Remi’s voice, the Launceleyn felt his eyes widen. This wasn’t a promise he necessarily felt comfortable making. However, it seemed he would have to. ”Okay. But...why? And if I don’t tell her, then I don’t see any way to convince her to let me stay at the Guild.” And Wessex might just imprison him for his efforts if he did it anyway, not that he'd mind. She’d certainly condemn him for abandoning his post. ”And it sounds as if you’ll need the herds more at the Guild than those at the Temple.” Indeed, everyone, including maybe Loren, would stay safe and sound in the Temple, while those at the Guild risked life and limb.
And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. His idea about trying to make more antlers wouldn’t work, because they weren’t the right type of antlers; the feathers of the Spark Bird wouldn’t save anyone; he himself probably wouldn’t even be where he felt he was most needed. As the alchemist released Loren’s hand, he just took a few steps back, slumping against the wall again, and closed his eyes. That didn't prevent the tears from falling. ”So there’s nothing, then. Nothing I can do.” No ideas, no magic, nothing he could do about the fact that others were going out to face the darkness, and he wouldn’t be there for them.
If any of them died, a part of him might just die with them.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
"I am sure they can mimic that as well." Remi said with a sigh. "I think that is...one of their biggest strengths. Mimicry. Whatever system we come up with, I assume they will be able to replicate it."
The subject of Ronin's death always felt like a sucker punch to Remi, even when he was the one to bring it up. "I never said we were successful. Only that in the past, we managed on a few occasions...A group fought the monsters out in the field last year. It is how Kiada came to have Auni." He added gently.
As Loren argued, Remi felt a cold wave settle over him and he wondered if he'd made a mistake. He thought he could trust Loren, but on the basis of what did he think that? On a shared history he couldn't remember? The assumption that once, Loren was trustworthy and was now? That he'd be on Remi's side, despite all the evidence of the past few weeks that suggested he wasn't? Tilting his head slightly to the side, Remi tried not to give into panic. "Much as I respect Wessex..I...I made a vow to Ludo. As did the others. We did not vote for Wessex, though I know that does not mean much. But if it comes down to a vow to a god and allegiance to a queen.." His shoulders softly shrugged. "You are not a part of this. But if you want to be, you cannot do it at the expense of my trust, or at least, I hope you would not."
With a stern look rather than one of sympathy, Remi merely stared at Loren as he slumped, closed his eyes, and sank into a well of pity filled with his own tears. Kindness had once never been in short supply for the alchemist, but now, with his plate more full than it had ever been, a lack of patience seemed to infringe on the spaces once entirely filled with empathy and sympathy. "Loren. You are not our savior." Remi said gently, but firmly. "Did you think it was up to you, to single handedly keep everyone safe? That anyone expected it of you?"
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.
10-10-2019, 03:39 PM (This post was last modified: 10-10-2019, 03:41 PM by Loren.)
Love mends even the broken parts
So it didn’t really matter what they did. The monsters would probably be able to figure out or break through whatever defense or system they put in place. ”So we should probably do away with the code entirely?” He wasn’t really sure what the best course of action was, but if the monsters could mimic anything, probably best to do nothing. As for fighting, successful or not, it wasn’t so much that he was advocating for it as the fact that he’d failed to uncover that piece of information. It seemed that he was still ignorant of far too much. ”Did anything in particular prove effective against them?” Maybe he could still learn what he was missing.
Remi’s frantic words were unnecessary. ”I said okay. I’m not going to tell her your plans.” That didn’t mean the Launceleyn couldn’t tell the queen his own. However, the comment that he wasn’t a part of this made him flinch; while it seemed to be his choice whether or not he helped with the god-given tasks, hearing it so starkly from the alchemist hurt deep within. And the pain just deepened at the rest of the other man’s comments.
Maybe it was just his pride flaring up again, but he’d thought he could do more to protect people. Do something to protect people, since all his efforts seemed to be coming to naught in the end. Indeed, he’d expected it of himself even if no one else had wanted to rely upon him, or trust him, or even accept everything he was willing and able to offer. And all he was taking away from this was how meaningless his presence really was, in the end.
Perhaps that was why he was so upset by this. Opening his eyes, he stared at a point on the floor, unable to look at Remi at the moment. ”Maybe I did. Because...because I wasn’t here. Before, when I might’ve been needed. And I’m not so naive to think that I would’ve made a difference in most cases. But...I might’ve made a difference in some of them. Enough of them.” Instead, he’d failed in that. And now it seemed as if he’d repeat that experience, even after he’d returned. That thought haunted him. The other man wasn't the only one plagued by what might have been.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
"I do not know." Remi said honestly. Unlike the summoner, he didn't feel as though he needed to have answers to all of these questions. "Fire did seem to work, though they attacked in different ways. Some murdered without thought, some seemed to play mind games. They made friends attack one another. Some acted like...they were herding. A bull steered Emmett and Phoebe into the town, but not before they were attacked themselves." There seemed to be no limit to what the monsters were capable of.
Giving the summoner a wary look, Remi nodded. They had all made their commitments, and just because the Launceleyn felt he needed to repent or save both himself or others, didn't mean he could just declare himself part of things months in the making.
"We will never know. Your healing magic would have helped certainly, but you were not as strong then as you are now, and we had healers before too. No summoners though." He admitted with a shrug, watching Loren even as he stared at the ground. "Many things would have been different, had you been here." The alchemist added pointedly, his own ego bruising slightly that Loren seemed infinitely more upset about how his presence might have altered one single week, than how it had altered Remi's entire life. But no matter. "LongNight starts in a few days. There is not time to dwell on the things we might have done." He said simply.
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.
After berating Loren for professing to know that he was best suited for anything, it was a bit annoying to hear Remi admit that he himself didn’t know much about the monsters either. The summoner could use fire indirectly, but there wasn’t much he could do about mind games besides hope his history of dealing with illusionists gave him some insight into those. ”So just be ready for anything?” That seemed to be all they could do, the ones who were planning to venture out, or might encounter monsters for other reasons.
Perhaps because they were opening doors. ”Can you all take turns using Amalia’s staff when you go outside? And leave it by the door to the Guild?” That seemed like a prudent precaution, assuming the baker would be willing to part with it temporarily. And since they were going out in small groups or on their own, it might improve their chances against the monsters.
They would never know, that much was true. However, they were both smart enough to make some assumptions. Given how fast Loren’s healing had progressed upon his return, he wouldn’t have been surprised if it had done the same if he’d stayed. At the sharp tone in the alchemist’s voice, the Launeleyn looked up, eyes searching the other man’s face. ”I know. I...wasn’t just talking about…” He trailed off, not knowing how to say he wasn’t just talking about LongNight. Still, given that Remi had just given a full speech about how he constantly thought about what might have been when he was around Loren—which made the other man’s words about not dwelling more than a little hypocritical—maybe the summoner didn’t need to say anything.
Scrubbing the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand, the Launceleyn straightened up, latest bout of sorrow firmly banished. The alchemist probably wasn’t as right or perfect about all this as he claimed to be. However, if he really thought he knew better than the summoner did, then maybe Loren should actually listen to the other man. ”Then what do we have time for?” Precious little, though every little bit might make a difference.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
"That is usually the plan, yes." Anything. Everything. Without sulking about their limitations, preferably.
Biting the inside of his lip, Remi shrugged thoughtfully. "Possibly." Though the Baker would need it, and given Remi wasn't planning on just strolling down the streets with his hands free, he wasn't sure it would work. But Loren might have known that had he asked about their preparations, instead of simply assuming he knew best, even when he knew nothing at all.
There was a difference between letting himself feel what he did and acknowledging it, and constantly lamenting it as Loren did. So as the summoner vaguely mentioned it wasn't just about LongNight, the alchemist could only look at him with a neutral expression. "Well, if you are really planning on not being at the Temple, perhaps we should leave them more amulets with your magic in them. Or..." Swallowing, though trying to keep his gaze as steady as he could, he added, "..making sure the ascended have what they need from you."
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.
Again, that wasn’t a plan, it was desperation. Still, the summoner knew better than to comment on it. As for their actual plans, Remi at least was willing to consider the possibility of sharing the staff. It was as much the other man’s fault that the two of them hadn’t really talked in a while as it was Loren’s—if not more so—but at least they were talking now and no use crying over spilled milk and all that shit.
As the conversation swung back around to what they could do, the Launceleyn bit his lip. He’d already suggested all this earlier in their discussion, but pointing that out would just be petty. ”Probably. As for the Ascended, Rexanna already drank from me.” Again, but he didn’t know if Remi knew that it had happened once before. ”I’m sure Wessex will do so as well. Sam won’t, you said. That leaves Bastien and...Amun?” Those were all the Ascended the Launceleyn had met and could think of off the top of his head. "Amalia has healing magic in her amulet and her shield." Which was still maybe in Ronin's possession, but was in the Guild either way. "I don't know how many other amulets there are or what's in them." The alchemist would probably know far better than the summoner would. As with everything else these days, it seemed.
sometimes love is all that can save us, sometimes love can kill a man
Well, so they were back to half-thoughts about things. Excellent.
"She mentioned. But...I thought she also used the magic right away, to prove she could?" He asked with a brow raised, trying to hide his flush of discomfort, made all the worse given that it was Rex. "That said, I was speaking with Deimos and given the ascended's weakness to fire, it might be worth mentioning to them the risks of conjuring such a creature. Deimos wondered if it was not just Rex's hybrid..ness—" He said awkwardly, not really knowing how to talk about what it was that made the few of them what they were, "—that allowed her to do it. But I know Wessex has used Edy's pure fire in the past, so maybe it will not be a problem."
Nodding, he tried to count. "There are more, yes. And more that I can make. Wessex had me add in a heart-beat sensor in the tunnel leading to the Rathskeller, but I still have some magic left." Not enough, by far. He wanted to have kept far more than he had, but the needs of the many came first. He would make due. He always did.
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.
”She bit me again.” There was no easy way to tell Remi, so Loren just said it straight out. Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. He certainly owed quite a few people apologies. As for the Ascended’s susceptibility to fire, that was definitely a risk. ”I’ll mention it, but worst case, if we think it's a real concern, they can use my healing and we can put the Spark Birds in amulets instead.” Rexanna had not had any problems, but again, better not to risk it. Though Wessex’s experience with Edy’s fire was promising.
At the mention that the alchemist had more slots, and that he’d put in a sensor in the Rathskellar, the Launceleyn bit his lip. ”We’re sure the monsters can’t mimic heartbeats? And how many slots? Perhaps you should save at least one or two for yourself, considering what you’ll be doing.” The other man didn’t have to give away all of his magic.
