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!
All of work put into setting up the Temple for LongNight hadn't been too hard for Oliver and honestly, he was super glad he had showed up. He had been wary of moving into one of the abandoned homes, especially considering how new he was. There were too many things Oliver feared and thus, he ended up staying in hospital area for a while. It was a chance of luck that he would run into Loren and be offered a place to stay, one he had gratefully accepted. Living with other people sounded nice, it made Oliver feel more secure and less alone in this brand new world.
And so, he had been left to wait while Loren went on ahead and finished up with setting up for the events of LongNight. As much as Oliver wanted to continue on with helping, he didn't exactly have the supplies nor did he know what else there was to do. Thus, he was left to just sitting inside with all of his belongings, feeling quite useless.
After a bit of time, Loren would eventually show back up and a smile would appear on Oliver's face. "I'm ready to go when you are." Hopefully Oliver would end up helping out Loren enough to show the man offering Oliver a home wasn't a mistake. As well, Oliver also hoped that living in an actual home meant he could start to gather even more belongings, especially ones that felt more personal and tailored to his personality.
Loren had not been super pleased to see both Wessex and Remi on the same day. For very different reasons, neither of them was his favorite person at the moment: the queen was mad at him because he continuously challenged her authority, and the alchemist had promised to stay away, and obviously hadn’t. Therefore, when the Launceleyn finally finished up his work, he wasn’t exactly in the best or most welcoming of moods. Which might be why, when Oliver smiled, the summoner just nodded instead of responding. Plus, he didn’t necessarily trust himself to speak. If the newcomer said he was ready to go, then they’d go; Loren pushed through the front door to the Temple, emerging into the snow and the cold, and began making the familiar trek back to the Manor. At this point, the Launceleyn was an expert at getting newcomers settled, so this hopefully shouldn't take that long.
Without a word, Loren started to guide Oliver towards the mansion. It was a bit awkward. Oliver wanted to talk to him, but earlier he already got a few vibes that Loren wasn't exactly in the best of moods. He wasn't necessarily unapproachable, but it did concern Oliver slightly. What happened to Loren to cause him to act in this way.
The good sign was that Loren was still being generous and helpful. If he truly had been furious, he may not have offered Oliver a place to stay. Hopefully Oliver could try to bring some light back into his life...or prevent him from feeling any worse. Still, he knew pushing it would be a bad idea and probably obnoxious.
Walking alongside Loren in the snow, he smiled faintly at the other man. "Thank you for offering me a place to stay, means a lot." Hopefully Loren could hear how genuine Oliver was. Even if Loren didn't seem super enthusiastic, Oliver would enjoy a response to at least know he was doing semi-okay.
"Is there anything I can do to help around the manor? Or help anymore with setting up for LongNight?" Maybe that would cheer Loren up? Hearing that the random dude wanted to help him out. He could just be super stressed and taking some weight off his shoulders could be helpful.
10-07-2019, 02:33 AM (This post was last modified: 10-07-2019, 11:07 AM by Loren.)
there's light at the edge of the darkness
It wasn’t surprising that Oliver got the impression that Loren was not in the best of moods, because he wasn’t in the best of moods. However, he was almost always in a bad mood for one reason or another; today, though, he was just doing a poorer job hiding it than usual because he was getting sick and tired of everyone’s judgment. When the other man spoke, though, the Launceleyn responded easily enough, even if his voice came out in a dull monotone. ”You’re welcome.” The summoner wasn’t going to leave a newcomer out in the snow and the cold, not when he had beds to spare.
There was always more work to do, assuming Oliver’s offer was genuine. Again, Loren's voice came out devoid of all emotion. ”We need people to sing to the luxere herds. They’re deer with magical glowing antlers that repel the monsters during LongNight. They like hay and apples and people with light magic and those who’ve never killed.” Luckily for the Launceleyn, he fit all those criteria. Normally he’d have sugarcoated the explanation, but he was very tired and they didn’t have a lot of time to spare on making people comfortable. Their safety came first.
Okay. So maybe Loren wasn't exactly being all emotional, but there absolutely was a positive to all of this. As Loren spoke, Oliver made sure to look at the other man's face and listen to his voice a bit more carefully than he normally would. The man didn't appear sad or angry. Just nothing. So, while that absolutely was not a good thing, Oliver tried his best to look for the positives and there actually were some. He wasn't angry or sad, so maybe he's just tired or something like that. It's better to be nothing than to filled with rage...maybe.
Back on topic, since Loren actually did talk about things Oliver could help out with. Maybe helping the other man out could bring back some life to this man. "I mean, maybe I can sing? I haven't tried since coming here." Who knows if he had a singing voice, Oliver certainly didn't. "While I don't have any magic, I do know that I haven't killed anyone." He said it confidently as though he absolutely knew that he hadn't in his previous world, when in reality he couldn't remember shit.
"I'll help out, sure. I can try my best to sing and offer them the food.". Hopefully Loren would be alright with the fact that Oliver was magic free and might not be able to sing, but the latter could easily change. "If you need help with anything else feel free to let me know. I know you helped out a lot with the temple so...if you need a break I could do some of your normal tasks?" He said it more like a question, very unsure of if the offer was even possible.
Well, luckily for them both, the singing didn’t have to be good, otherwise Loren would’ve probably scared the herds off by now. ”Doesn’t matter if you can hold a tune. They’ll like it regardless. So if you have time, go do that.” Everyone in the Hollowed Grounds, even newcomers, needed to pitch in, and that task required all the volunteers they could get. That particular one needed no special abilities, just a pure heart.
Unfortunately, even if there were other tasks that the Launceleyn could delegate to Oliver—which there weren’t, given he was a stranger to Caido, and possessed no special skills that the summoner had observed during the Temple preparation—Loren probably wouldn’t have done it anyway. He liked working, and he was a bit of a control freak, and neither of those were healthy, he knew that. However, he also knew that if he was left alone with his thoughts for too long, he might just go insane again. "I'll let you know if I think of something. Is there anything in particular you have a knack for? If not, I would urge you to familiarize yourself with LongNight. I have a book at home that explains it." That would have to satisfy Oliver's eagerness, and if there was, indeed, something the other man was proficient in, the summoner would put the newcomer to work.
It had been decided as soon as the words left Loren's mouth: Oliver was gonna go searching for reindeer. Despite helping out at the temple, Oliver still felt as though he hadn't done enough. There were multiple reasons why Oliver wanted to help out, some more narcissistic in nature. Part of him wanted to be as safe as physically possible as well to keep others safe. There were far more layers to his feelings and those would have to explored later if asked.
He still knew one thing for sure is that he felt confident enough to go looking for luxere. If a man who had no idea if he could hold a note could maybe get some luxere, then Oliver saw no reason to not try. Especially when the creatures apparently could be the difference between life or death during LongNight. He was actually pretty glad that Loren had brought it up. "Yeah....I think I'll go looking for some once I'm settled in...and once I get some more options to wear." Remi had done great but Oliver felt awkward wearing two sweaters and a coat. He had some small hopes that he could maybe borrow some clothes, forgetting that many people could probably magic up some more clothing items.
His lack of a memory seemed to shove itself into every interaction he had and once again, it made his life harder. Oliver wanted to help out more, absolutely, but how was he supposed to when he couldn't remember if he had any talents? Oliver felt like he did, but he sure as hell couldn't remember having any. Hopefully he would have the opportunity to explore this idea a bit more during LongNight or through one of the guilds. Wincing, Oliver responded to the statement from Loren. "Well, I don't actually know if I can do anything. I don't really remember anything from my past life or whatever it should be called. I cant even remember if I have any talents, sorry that I cant help you out more." A small frown had formed on his face as he apologized to the other man.
Loren simply seemed so...unhappy. He wasn't mad, he wasn't sad, but he also wasn't happy. Oliver could only hope that bringing luxere could bring some semblance of joy to the other man. "I would love to read the book, though, thank you." It'd have to do for now.
Oliver could do as he pleased, as far as Loren was concerned. He didn’t really have time to babysit newcomers these days, sad as that might be. Indeed, if he didn’t go out to sing to the luxere himself, double check everything at the Temple and check the Guild for ideas he might’ve missed, and ensure everyone at the Manor had a place to stay during LongNight, lives might be lost. It was a heavy burden, and despite Wessex’s presence and all the help he’d received, most of it fell squarely on his shoulders.
Nodding at the other man’s comment about singing, the Launceleyn’s eyes flicked to Oliver when he talked about new clothes. ”What’s wrong with what you’re wearing? Seems fine to me.” Apart from special occasions, most people in the Hollowed Grounds had serviceable and comfortable attire, rather than anything fancy. Indeed, the other man seemed entirely appropriately dressed to Loren; then again, that Fae seamstress Jiao had seemed to disapprove of the summoner’s wardrobe, so maybe he wasn’t the best person to be commenting on this.
At Oliver’s confession that he didn’t remember anything, the Launceleyn frowned. ”You don’t remember anything?” It seemed strange, for someone to have their memories completely wiped upon arrival. Indeed, no one else Loren had heard of had experienced that. Sure, some had lost memories after they’d arrived, or hadn't remembered everything from their past life, but this was something else entirely. Maybe if they survived LongNight, maybe they could look into that mystery more, but for now it was disheartening and they didn’t have time to help the other man find out what he was good at. After all, Oliver already had a lot to learn. ”You’re welcome.” The book would help with some of that, at least.
Hopefully Oliver wouldn't be too much of a burden on the other man. The only problem was that he didn't know the full extent of the amount of stress and work that Loren had to deal with, leading to him most likely being a little bit of a dead weight on the other man. Luckily, he did know a small bit already, so he wouldn't be completely useless. He had learned a small bit about the world they lived in so most of his questions had already been answered. If Loren were to ever ask for his help, Oliver would absolutely offer his services, but there was only so much Oliver knew.
And of course, his clothing comment came off a bit...misunderstood. Oliver knew he was being a bit unrealistic by wanting fancy clothes, but he also seemed to be ignorant to what exactly they could do here. "The clothes I have are great, I just might need a couple more clothing colors....and also something a little bit thicker." Not to mention that he'd need clothes to wear once winter had ended, but even he hadn't thought that far ahead. "I mean, I guess they are great, yeah." Perhaps he had been a bit too...bratty. Maybe he'd eventually find someone who felt the same way about clothing as he did, or maybe nobody else cared that much about the clothes they wore.
It came off as a surprise to Oliver that Loren reacted in such a way to his statement. Was it not common? Loren seemed like it had been unheard of. Oliver didn't explain it all that well, either. "Well, yeah. I can remember my name and bits and pieces, but no real story. Like, I couldn't tell you about my childhood or what I was doing before I was sent here, but I can recognize things. Sometimes random thoughts come to my head or glimpses of what I once head." Oliver realized he still hadn't been all that clear, most likely.
"Like...I know what a unicorn is, but I don't know my last name." Or if he even had one, for that matter. "For now I'll just do what I can and learn about this world. I hope it'll all come to me eventually." Trying to force himself to remember only caused headaches and made him feel shitty.
He was half tempted to ask Loren about his previous life, but Loren didn't exactly seem all that okay and asking may bring sadness. So...that was out. "What kind of things do you like to do? Like...do you enjoy baking? Or making things?" The question absolutely came out of left field, but right now he was just trying his best to be friendly.
Loren had never once in his life viewed clothes as anything more than a means to keep warm or as a costume or disguise to help others view him in a certain light. Indeed, they’d never been fashionable or fun for him. However, others certainly felt differently. ”There are spare clothes in the Manor. You’re welcome to take a look at them.” No doubt they wouldn’t live up to whatever standards Oliver was used to. However, it wasn’t like the summoner was using them.
Actually, maybe the other man didn’t know what he was used to after all. The Launceleyn’s brow furrowed as he listened to Oliver’s explanation. ”So you came from a world with unicorns? What other random thoughts and bits of knowledge do you remember?” If they could piece that all together, maybe they could uncover more about the other man’s old world. It didn’t really matter, but maybe it would spark Oliver’s memory.
These days, Loren basically didn’t enjoy anything. ”I don’t have much free time for hobbies.” Thankfully, the walk from the Temple to the Manor wasn’t a long one; the Launceleyn could already see his home rising in the distance. For once the summoner was glad that Zariah had an unfortunate tendency to turn every building she built into a fortress or a mansion in imitation of the ancestral compound.
Yeah. So maybe him and Loren had different clothing styles. It seemed that Remi and Loren were into similar things when it came to wardrobe. It was nice that Loren had at least offered him the opportunity to look at the clothes in the mansion. "Thank you, I'll absolutely go look." Why couldn't he have magic like Remi? Specifically be able to make clothes just magically appear. It'd be so nice to just snap your fingers and then get a gorgeous coat that looked great. Oliver would just have to look around and see what there was offered for the normal folk like him.
It surprised Oliver that Loren was so interested in his past, or moreso his inability to actually remember it. Everyone else seemed to just shrug it off, so it felt kinda nice to have someone show interest. "Um...well, I know that I've done stuff with men, so that was a thing in the world." The only reason he said that was because he remembered Sunjata mentioning his world didn't make homosexuality well known. "Oh, I also have tattoos and piercings, apparently." Yeah that was something he found out suddenly. There were a few other things too, but none seemed too important. "I'm also like, super interested in yarn, string, and fabric? I don't know. When I was in the market, I kept wanting to go and look at it. Feel it. I don't know." Now that was one of the weirder things he had noticed.
Hearing that Loren didn't have any hobbies saddened Oliver. Maybe that's why he didn't seem to happy. Once things slowed down and LongNight was no longer a thread, maybe Oliver could help him to find something to do with his freetime. "Once LongNight is done, we could try to find some stuff? When things slow down and you aren't stressed. You may like painting...or cooking or I don't know what's really offered here, but something must catch your eye."
When the mansion came into view, Oliver's eyes widened. It was beautiful on the outside. It had been well kept up and Oliver absolutely wanted to go inside. "The mansion looks so pretty."
It cost Loren nothing to let Oliver peruse the various wardrobes in the Manor. Indeed, every article of clothing the other man took off the Launceleyn’s hands was one less he needed to worry about storing. As for Oliver’s memory, the summoner was mostly trying to pass time, and figure out if there was anything the other man might be useful at. Homosexuality was allowed, which didn’t exactly narrow down the search. Oliver’s next words sounded promising, though. ”Tattoos of what?” The comment about threads might also lead them to some useful conclusions. ”Did you know what to do with the threads and yarn?” Maybe the other man had been a tailor. Or maybe he'd just knit. Still, that could be helpful.
”I don’t think I’ll have a lot of free time even after LongNight.” Although Oliver was trying to be kind, it wasn’t as if the Launceleyn didn’t have interests and hobbies. He just had far more important priorities—like keeping people alive and helping newcomers settle—than his own self-interest. However, when the other man complimented the Manor, the summoner glanced at it. ”It is.” However, it was also a fortress, and there were too many ghosts for his liking. Oliver would find it the height of luxury however.
It once again came to a surprise to Oliver that his tattoos could be something of use. He never really did consider that his tattoos could clue in to where he came from, especially when one was already so recognizable. Still, he would gladly talk about them to Loren. Obviously past him had gotten them for a good reason. They looked super well done, which implies that cared a lot about them. "There's three. One is a rose, one is a bird I cant identify from memory, and the other....I don't know. I mean, I know I should know, but I cant like identify it." It was weird, being able to look at something and go 'oh I've seen that and knew a lot about that' but not knowing a single thing about it.
"I...I mean, I like playing around with it? Fiddling with it in my hands. I think I used to work with it, maybe. It's the only thing that makes sense." He'd have to try to figure things out. What better time than LongNight.
"If you wanna see my tattoos, I can show you when we get inside?" He would have to take off his shirt...but that wouldn't be too bad, right? It'd be for scientific reasons or something. Loren could be able to identify them and actually tell him more about himself. Plus, knowing the words could bring back some specific memories or feelings towards the objects.
It didn't make Oliver any happier to hear that Loren didn't even have time for hobbies. He'd have to work on that, absolutely. Maybe he could get the man to do something simple in his free time, like bake some bread. Anything. Man, Oliver really was starving, wasn't he?
With the manor in sight, he knew things were going to get good. One, he had already been promised new clothes. Two, warmth. Three, a place to sleep. And finally: Food. Maybe. Hopefully.
"Who all lives here?" Oliver simply couldn't wait to get inside and meet all the other residents, see who else he'd be living with. Who knows, maybe they could help him remember his past or maybe they could help him take on a new hobby. So many possibilities.
Loren figured that taking a look at the tattoos himself might shed some light. However, given that they were freezing in the cold and the snow, he decided that it could wait. ”Are they high quality?” Granted, the Launceleyn hadn’t seen many tattoos, so maybe he was reading too much into this. However, it was one of the only leads they had. The other was the affinity for thread. ”Maybe you were a tailor? Or liked to knit? We can find you some needles and some tailoring supplies and see if you know what to do with it.” It wouldn’t be too hard, and it wasn’t like Oliver would be doing much else during LongNight.
”Sure.” The summoner had been planning to ask to see them, so it was easy enough to accept the other man’s offer. At least they stopped talking about Loren’s hobbies and interests. And Oliver’s next question was easy enough to answer. ”Me, obviously. Beatrix and Jace are my cousin and my nephew, respectfully. They’re kids, you might see them around.” Loren had forgotten the cover story for Beatrix, but cousin seemed safe. ”Peter was adopted into the family. Other than that, we’ve got Aonghas, Abasi, Renaud, and now you.” That seemed to be the complete list, but people were usually in and out and it was impossible for the Launceleyn to keep track of them. Indeed, it had taken him most of a season to realize Beatrix had run away from home and taken Jace with her.
