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!
Well. Apparently Loren was going to have to get into the whole Launceleyn sob story. Again, or at least in part. Still, he’d told it many times by now. While it never lost its sting, he was at least better at getting through it without breaking down in one way or another. ”I know she would try. And she’d say it was in the name of love.” That was the worst part.
The Launceleyn was silent for a long moment. Yes, the actions of his kin were mistakes to be learned from, and he was trying to hard to do different, be better. But he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he’d have lapses. ”My family practices might makes right. So the strongest mage makes the rules for the entire extended family.” Sort of like a miniature kingdom, except one with very few laws: don’t disobey, respect power, and family first. He’d broken all of those at one point or another, but he still found himself falling into bad habits at times. Two steps forward, infinite steps back. ”I’m trying to show those that remain that there’s a better way.”
Thankfully, Abasi understood how it had worked with the summoner and Frey—or at least had no interest in following up for more details—for which Loren was grateful. However, it seemed that the discussion of the gods had hit as close to home for the other man as the Launceleyn had half predicted it might. The anger was still surprising, though maybe it shouldn’t have been.
Now it was his turn to turn on his side and prop himself up slightly over the other man reaching out with his free hand to try and gently pull the hand Abasi had brought up to his nose away. ”I don’t blame you for resenting them. You did nothing wrong. Please believe me when I say that.” The shouldn’t be held responsible for the centuries old-actions of the new gods. The summoner bit his lip. ”Maybe...maybe when I go to speak to Frey again, you could accompany me? Alternatively, I know there are others more beloved of the gods, who have offered to bring me with them when they make their prayers.” It wasn’t quite the same as being respected by the gods. But it might give the other man a chance to meet them, and get an impression of them, and make up his mind about whether or not they were worthy of Abasi’s faith.
Honestly, Abasi quite liked the sound of 'might makes right', but he supposed that was the kind of philosophy that had resulted in his own upbringing, and while he had been successful, he had just been mourning the lack of love within his family. Perhaps, as Loren said, there was a better way.
Still, if the matter was strongest mage..."You mean to tell me you are not the strongest magic user in your family? I have seen you summon great beasts with hardly any effort. What more power could this Zariah have?" Honestly, with mortals possessing so much power, he was beginning to wonder where the line was drawn between man and God.
Loren shifted over him and he looked away, finding it embarrassing to meet his eyes (partially because it might have inspired him to kiss him again, and he had principles to stick to). "If I speak to Frey with you...is the ah..sleeping with yourself a required element of it? But...perhaps that would be good. There is a shrine here, isn't there? Do you think the Gods would listen to two Abandoned during Longnight?"
Actually, Loren didn’t know who would win in a fight between himself and Zariah. She’d been stronger than him, and had possessed more destructive magics than him, but since his return his abilities had returned in leaps and bounds. ”I don’t know. I never faced her directly, not going all out, just in training.” Although the Launceleyns went all out during training so that wasn't the best example. ”Her magic was much more directly applicable to combat, though.” At least, it had been in Northhaven, and he didn’t imagine that had changed. ”I might be stronger overall.”
It was weird to think of, since in theory that made him head of the family. Assuming he could best her. She wasn’t here. But he’d have an opportunity to test it sooner than he would’ve liked, if Rexanna’s warning was anything to go off of. Knowing his luck, and assuming he survived that long, he'd find out sooner rather than later.
As Abasi asked about whether talking to Frey always entailed sexual relations, the summoner chuckled. Then he gave the other man a reassuring grin before flopping back on the ground. Loren didn’t want to loom. Plus, he hadn’t missed how Abasi had looked away. ”I don’t know if they’ll answer during LongNight, not for two Abandoned. But no, sex is not always a requirement. With yourself or with others. I’ve heard of people who have normal conversations with them.” Granted, said people were Accepted, but probably best not to bring that up. ”There are other gods, though, if you’d prefer not to risk it.” The Launceleyn was just far less familiar with the other deities.
"Perhaps it would be best to try to see, upon her return, so that you will know who deserves to be at the top of your family. Living in uncertainty won't be any good." Abasi also knew he might quite like to see two strong magic users fight. He was sure it would be impressive, the kind of thing that might be told in a legend back home.
While he was not keen on any of the Gods he'd heard of, Abasi did not really want to talk to one where it was possible he'd have to have public sex of some sort. "I think it might be best if we tried to pray to another one. I heard there is a God of death...I used to work in a temple of our God of death and life." Secretly, even though he knew it was stupid, he hoped he might find Osiris if he was dedicated enough, hiding as this 'Ludo'.
Abasi stretched, finding himself getting uncomfortable laying on the floor even with the blankets, and looked over to Astra. The creature was beautiful, though it did serve to remind him of the times they were in. "...We should probably not stay here too long. I've seen that people here look to you as someone they can trust. Your absence will be noted."
Whether or not Loren wanted to find out who was the strongest Launceleyn of them all, he knew it would probably come to that. However, he wasn’t going to go seeking it out before it was necessary. There was enough danger in his life already. ”We’ll see what happens when she returns.” There were a lot of people who suffered under her reign, so neither of them might have much say in the matter.
At the mention of other gods, the Launceleyn nodded. ”Ludo. Or Mort. Ludo is Mort’s herald, so most pray to Ludo, though.” He couldn’t suppress the shiver at the thought of Ludo; the god had appeared once to intervene in the summoner’s life (or so he assumed, based on context clues) and that, combined with the stolen memories and tasks the deity had handed out during LongNight were enough to deter Loren from seeking out that particular higher power. That being said, Abasi should probably pray to the gods that called to him the most. Maybe that would make them more likely to answer.
At the mention that he should go, the Launceleyn sighed. It travelled through his whole body, but he released the other man’s hand. ”You’re right.” The summoner couldn’t keep the reluctance from his voice—the floor held no discomfort for him, and laying there, holding hands, had been incredibly pleasant—but Abasi was right. Loren couldn’t afford to spend too much time here. There were other parts of the Temple he’d yet to check out, and if all went well, there’d be time for more of this later.
All probably wouldn’t go well, but responsibility and duty still came first. He gave Abasi one last tender look, before standing, leaving the sheet on the other man. "I'll see you around. And feel free to come find me if you find a private spot." Maybe that was too much, but anything was worth a shot. Then, the Launceleyn left the Rathskellar, not knowing his next visit here would be far less pleasant Astra at his heels.
