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!
11-01-2019, 03:40 AM (This post was last modified: 11-04-2019, 03:28 AM by Kaimana.)
KAIMANA
Today feels like a fabulous day to learn something new.
Here's the setting: blue skies. Shining sun. Flowers basically everywhere, even though there probably shouldn't be because it's really early in the season and the ground is still a bit frozen and cold. Yet somehow through the cracks in the earth and the breaks in the snow life has found a way, springing up around you in a cacophony of color.
Mostly green color. Every shade of it: grassy, chartreuse, sage, lime, fern, pistachio. Heck, even some seagreen, which makes you feel a little nostalgic for reasons you cannot quite place. But there's some good spots of yellow and pink and blue and red in there, too, bright tulips and playful bluebells and red cap mushrooms littered with white spots. Some of them have even sprouted up on your arms, and your hair is full of blades of grass and leaves.
Basically, you look like a cross between a gremlin and a forest nymph.
All of this is for a purpose, though. See, you've heard about some pollinators that live in the area and sing as they go about their work. Which, like, how cool is that? So you've set yourself up on a grassy hill, flowers rising up in a sea around you, a clear invitation to any nearby pollinators to come and hang out and hey, if they wanna sing a song, that sounds pretty solid too.
And so, lying on your back with your arms beneath your head, you wait with all the patience of someone who finds absolute delight and happiness in their task and has no issue whatever with the very real potential for it to go horribly awry.
Well. Loren had survived LongNight. Fancy that: despite monsters and mayhem and just a hint of arson, the Launceleyn had made it through unscathed and unpunished. And like the plants that had sprung up from the Deepfrost snows, the summoner was full of new life (and not just because he could create animals at a whim). No, this was a time for beginnings, and after the turmoil of the past two seasons he was ready to leave the past behind and emerge into the sun and the light and the growth to become a new man.
Too long he’d lived in shadow and sorrow.
Now though, he’d made his amends and his explanations and his apologies. Although not all was well with everyone he’d left behind, Loren had realized there was no pleasing everyone. Besides, they’d all changed, and at this point he was done holding himself back for fear of offending or upsetting others. Surprisingly, he was okay with that: selfishness didn’t necessarily suit him, but what he’d called selflessness and keeping other safe had been stifling him as well as everyone else. Now that Flowerbirth was upon them, it was time to move on.
However, he couldn’t leave all his past behind him. After all, for his formative years, he’d been a farmer. Part of that would always be with him, in the way that he rose with the dawn and the care he showed to plants and animals. Now that the cold season had departed—and now that he’d resolved himself to be a new man, a better person—he felt it would do him some good to get back to his roots before he totally shed his old self.
So, deep in the depths of the Launceleyn Manor (which needed some severe cleaning), he’d found some seeds for some roses. Regular ones, not magical god ones. Who knew who put them there, since Zariah and Edrei certainly weren’t nurturers. Regardless, he made his way out to the Fields. It was past time he left his own mark on the Hollowed Grounds, no matter how small. It was a surprisingly muddy trek, and though his pants were covered with streaks of dirt by the time he made it out there, he didn’t mind. He cleaned up nicely, even if he was still too thin. Astra was by his side, and she let out periodic annoyed grunts and bleats as her fur was coated; she was a creature of Deepfrost and very much disliked the new weather. However, he gave her a head rub every time and she subsided easily enough.
Surprisingly, there was another person already out there. The summoner shaded his eyes, but the other man wasn’t someone the Launceleyn knew. Weirdly enough, there seemed to be plants growing out of the stranger as well as a riot of colorful flowers that were unseasonably early. It caused Loren’s heart and pace to speed up; although he wasn’t certain, he had his suspicions about who this man might be.
”Hello there!” The Launceleyn’s voice came out cheerfully, though he watched the other man with careful eyes. If this was who the summoner thought it was, this might prove to be a very, very strange interaction indeed. ”I see I’m not the only one who thought to come out to the Fields after LongNight.” Actually there would probably be a lot of people out there soon. For now, though, they were the only two in view.
Giving the stranger a gentle smile, Loren halted a short distance from where the other man was lying down. ”So, this is going to be a strange question. But uh...do you have a twin sister?” Oia’i’o had a similar ability to make the landscape grow over her, and the summoner thought it was too unlikely that there were two strangers with similar abilities appearing around the same time to be a coincidence, especially given that she’d mentioned her and her twin had a task. Besides, the resemblance was uncanny, and not just because of the plants.
light is precious in a world so dark begin at the beginning
tell a story. make some light
Who wouldn’t want to be outside on a day like today? The darkness has fled, the snow has melted, and the flowers are popping up again. Lily feels better than she has in ages, the blight finally having worked its way out of her system and weight finally sticking to her bones again. And that feeling of being perpetually cold is waning, which is one of her main cranky triggers.
The fire-kissed woman finds herself curious about what might be happening on that hill, where Loren and his companion seem to be looking down at something. There’s an extraordinary burst of color in that particular area, and as the entertainer has nothing better to do than investigate, she makes her way through the mud at the base of the hill and trudges upwards - feet heavy simultaneously heavy and light.
She manages to catch something about a twin sister, but other than that is oblivious to whatever the summoner might have already said. No, Lily’s gaze is locked on the very green young man - is he actually growing grass on his arms. Her gaze - ever curious, ever politely inquisitive - scrunches up a little further as she tries to make out exactly what he is.
“Hi,” Lily manages to the pair, offering Astra a little scritch in greeting.
merry of soul, she sailed on a day over the sea to Skye
Turns out you don't have super long to wait, though it isn't the bees that interrupt your meditation. No, that right belongs to a human-animal, though perhaps he, too, has a proclivity for flowers. Like a spring uncoiled you sit up straight, leaves and fungi bobbing along on your shoulders and hair. One particularly brazen one has decided to grow out of your right ear, which seems bold but you like its spirit.
Anyway, the human animal. He seems friendly enough, which is good because so are you. "Hullo!" you call back brightly, smiling up with guileless eyes. "How come you're out here?" Maybe not the most graceful question, but you've been told by your twin that you need to focus more on observing than directing, and you worry that prompting the stranger any further will introduce bias to your data.
Except that then he asks if you have a twin, and just like that your caution is totally gone, right out the window as your freckled face somehow lights up further, vibrant with curiosity. "Yeah I do! How'd y'know? D'ya have an ability for that? Can you see genetic c'nections between other organisms, too?"
But there's also another person, and boy are you lucky to get to observe two of them and how they interact. Still seated in the muddy grass, you turn your attention to the fire haired woman who has now arrived, nearly bursting with excitement and curiosity. "Hullo! How come you're out here?"
If seeing the plants cover the other man while he lay on the ground was odd, it was nothing compared to seeing the stranger move. Indeed, it was downright disconcerting. Still, Loren managed to smile; it widened when the other man proved to be quite friendly, a far cry from the woman who the summoner presumed to be the stranger’s twin. Indeed, it seemed that the other man had all inherited all the enthusiasm and energy that his maybe-twin sister lacked. ”I came to check on the fields after LongNight and to plant some roses.” Explaining why he was planting roses would make the Launceleyn feel silly, but if the stranger was anything like Oia’i’o, the summoner was in for an inspection. Presumably that would include quite a few questions.
Loren’s guess about the stranger's heritage was right on the money. ”Oh, no, no I don’t.” Then the Launceleyn's eyes widened as the full weight of the other man’s words sank in. ”Wait, genetic connections? What does that mean?” Apparently the summoner was far more ignorant of the world than he’d realized. First matter, now this genetic thing? Shaking his head to focus his thoughts, he smiled again. ”Anyway, no I can’t do...uh whatever that is. But I met...Oia’i’o?” He hated the way his voice hesitated on her name. Still, it didn’t exactly roll easily off the tongue. ”I’m Loren.” He held out his hand for the other man to shake. If Loren had to touch a few plants to make a proper introduction, well, he’d been a farmer, so he’d be fine (even if they were growing out of a person’s skin this time).
Then, Lily showed up and the Launceleyn grinned at her. He was glad to have some backup for this particular interaction with a demi-god. Indeed, Loren was pretty sure they were both in for quite a few surprises, if his conversation with Oia’i’o was anything to go off of. ”Hi Lily.” Astra obviously submitted to the scritches happily, giving out a contented bleat. Then the luxere turned to the demi-god and trotted over, giving him an expectant and hopeful look. The summoner couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
light is precious in a world so dark begin at the beginning
tell a story. make some light
What is she doing here? Lily blinks in surprise at the exuberance and enthusiasm behind the question. The surprise slowly turns into an easy chuckle of delight as her gaze flips from the green boy to Loren.
She is lost in the whirlwind of twins and foreign names and genetic something or others. Interest piqued by the variety of things growing around and on the boy, Lily squats down to get a closer look at the flora, trying to examine the odd phenomena from a polite distance. That is, until the attention is turned on her and her eyes grow wide. “Short version is that I wanted sunshine and saw Loren up here looking at something. Long version is that you - I think? - made a lovely patch of color up here and it really stands out.” Her head tilts to one side, hair falling to one side of her neck and shoulder. “Who… or what are you?” she asks in wonder, and with a smile.
She’d never seen him before. Of that, the entertainer is certain.
merry of soul, she sailed on a day over the sea to Skye
Loren's encounter with your twin has indeed left him with appropriate expectations. "How come roses? An' why after LongNight an' not afore? An' why here? An' what're they for?" Is this a ritual, or simply a spontaneous gesture? Are the roses representative of something to the man? Is this an activity frequently performed by those who live here, following LongNight? Eager and innocent you tilt your head, waiting for the stranger to explain. It's a laundry list of question, but none of them are meant to pry, to make him feel that he has done ill. You're just.... really really curious.
It is very uncommon for you to be the one who explains things to others (or maybe not: maybe you used to educate and elucidate, but recently it's just been you and Oia and she's generally better at explaining things than you have ever been). Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that today will be your day to practice that skill because before you can talk about genetic connections the stranger has moved back to the topic of your twin. "Yup, that's my sister! Unless you met another Oia'i'o. Which isn't impossible even tho' it seems improbableish." Beaming up at him, you take the extended hand, silently easing any stray lifeforms off your palm so they won't get crushed. "Hi, Loren!"
The new person - Lily - seems friendly, too, and man do you want to be friends with her, except you know you aren't supposed to make friends because that'll skew your data. "How come you wanted sunshine?" you wonder, then add in response to the color: "The plants made it!" Gesturing at the colorful area around you, you finally begin to rise to your feet. Observing unnoticed appears to no longer be an option for today. As you stand, the plants that have been sprouting from you steadily march their way down to the muddy earth, where the lot of them take root in the soft, moist ground.
Her follow up question is rather difficult, and your face takes on a thoughtful expression as you purse your lips in thought. "Whaddya mean by what? 'Cus there's in terms of my genetic makeup, an' in terms of my role here, an' in terms of my familial relationship, an' in terms of my social relationships, an' in terms of my history, an' in terms of my name... which is Kaimana!" you finish off with a bright, enthused smile, the last of the mushrooms and plants now settled off your body and onto the ground.
Well, at least one thing was the same: both the children of Rae asked a lot of questions. At least these ones were slightly easier to answer. The corner of Loren’s mouth quirked up. ”Well, technically I planted roses before LongNight as well, although those were Vi’s.” Surely Kai knew about the blight, but if not the Launceleyn could give the other man a crash course.
Kneeling down, heedless of how messy he’d become, the summoner created a trowel to start gently scrape away the half-frozen and mostly muddy earth. Here, with the riot of life, seemed as good a place as any. ”I found the seeds, and I figured they would do more good being planted out here than they were in my home. And...I wanted to leave a mark here. Something that would hopefully last for a while, even if I move on.” They weren’t really for anything, just decoration and his own silly thought that he could make some small improvement to the Hollowed Grounds. Even after everything he’d done for LongNight, he still felt the need to prove himself, to bring good and beauty and light into the world instead of darkness.
The demi-god didn’t explain what genetics were, but that was alright. Loren’s brain was already stuffed full of knowledge from Oia’i’o. If her twin was going to restructure the Launceleyn’s worldview as well, he’d need to prepare. ”No, I think there’s only one Oia’i’o.” The summoner grinned as Kai took his hand, though the Launceleyn’s sharp eyes noted the plants creeping away. ”Hi Kai.” The other man hadn’t actually given his name, but Loren knew it already (though not the full thing). At that point, Astra decided the demi-god had ignored her long enough. Just like with Oia’i’o, the luxere was entranced by the child of Rae. She shoved into him, eyes full of awe and joy, and, of course, the demand for head scratches.
It was almost a relief when the demi-god turned to regard Lily. As Kai rambled on, though, the summoner decided to take pity on Lily. He made sure his voice came out steadily and calmly, though there was no way to really prepare her for the news he was about to drop. ”He’s a demi-god child of Rae.” Loren watched the red-headed woman carefully for her reaction; whatever it was, it would probably be similar to the summoner’s when he’d met Oia’i’o: shocked and reverent. The topic of genetics had come up twice now, though, which meant it was probably important. "Genetics?" Time to have his mind blown again, no doubt.
light is precious in a world so dark begin at the beginning
tell a story. make some light
Lily is initially quite overwhelmed with the litany of questions - even the ones that aren’t directed at her. The boy seems like a child who’s never seen some parts of the world before, has no previous experiences to draw from, no reason to feel ashamed or self-conscious. It’s beautiful. She can’t help but smile, finding the boy’s - no, his name is Kai (she flashes Loren a thankful look) - joyous energy utterly infectious. And, look, the woman’s never really been about kids. So this feels like something special.
Her reaction, though, probably isn’t what Loren expects. Her attachment to the Gods isn’t what some might call ‘strong.’ This being in front of her is still a person, child of whomever, and so she she simply looks as if the summoner has divulged an interesting fact. Very cool. But unless they’re doing miracles, she’s going to treat them all the same.
“Hmmm, that’s a lot of questions.” An amused chuckle. “Why so many?” Because that behavior in and of itself is a bit unusual.
Looking up to Loren, she already is struggling with how to answer why she wants sunshine. “First of all, I’m Lily.” She extends her hand out to shake the boy’s hand, if he wanted to. “I guess I wanted to feel the warmth on my face and get out of my house. The sunshine just.. makes me feel better. And I suppose Loren just answered my question about what you are. Demi-God. That’s new.” She straightens up as the other two do as well, pausing a moment to watch the mushrooms march off down the hill. “But I was asking because I’ve never seen anyone else do that with the plants.”
Unfortunately, she doesn’t have the opportunity to ask another question, because Loren is already there, asking about genetics. It’s an unfamiliar word, so she’ll keep quiet and listen for a bit. Maybe she could learn something.
merry of soul, she sailed on a day over the sea to Skye
Astra is an excellent distraction: you respond to her presence with abject wonder and adoration, reaching out immediately to scratch behind her ears and under her antlers and anywhere else she will allow. Bringing your forehead against hers, you close your eyes and exhale through your nose, allowing her to catch your scent - a standard greeting of the animal kingdom. "What're you doin' here? An' how come you're so small?" you wonder aloud - and, yes, Lily is right, you are utterly childlike in your endless questioning. Maybe it's a side effect of aging so quickly, or simply an extension of your role as a child of Rae.
Or maybe you're just really really really curious, and really really really bad at social cues and self restraint. Who can say for sure.
Turning your wide brown gaze to Lily, you blush, your freckled cheeks growing darker as she comments on your curious nature. "Was it too many? I'm tryin' t'learn everythin' I can 'bout the Hollowed Grounds an' the livin' things in it. It takes a lotta questions to learn so many things. So I'm tryin' to ask 'em all, but if it's too many I can stop and observe." A skill your sister is arguably far better versed in, but you are certainly capable of trying your best.
She doesn't seem angry, at least, which is good. Taking Lily's hand in yours (now uninhabited by plants or mushrooms), you allow her to shake it, smiling brightly. "I don't like houses very much. Sunshine is much better," you agree, nodding sagely and valiantly resisting the urge to ask a question about where her house is, or what it's like. Instead you turn back to Loren as he repeats the word genetics, not really sure what it is he is hoping to accomplish. "Yea- like the little bits of information that make things what they are, that're passed on through the reproductive process when the male an' female of the species come together to reproduce an' marks 'em as belongin' to the same family? Those genetics."
The trowel didn’t do the trick, since the muddy coating over everything just oozed into the hole that the summoner was trying to make. That was alright. He blasted it with some water, which sent it scurrying away. Smiling at his new ability, the Launceleyn dropped a seed in the hole, then scooped the fleeing mud back over it. It seemed to jiggle a bit, as if annoyed at the manhandling, but it settled in soon enough.
Luckily, Astra had distracted the demi-god of Rae long enough for Loren to finish the task. ”That’s Astra, my companion. She follows me pretty much everywhere. I don’t know why she’s smaller than most luxere, but it has something to do with our bond.” Washing the mud from his fingers with a bit more water and magic, the Launceleyn laid a hand on Astra’s back; between that and Kai’s attention, she was practically radiating happiness.
After answering that question, it was Lily’s turn to struggle with a deluge of inquiries. Seeing as the Launceleyn had already been through this treatment once before with Oia’i’o, he was more than happy to let the red-headed woman answer a few rounds. Besides, they’d been directed at Lily, and the summoner had learned not to butt in unless he felt it was absolutely necessary. He failed a lot, but he was trying.
Unsurprisingly, both twin children of Rae don’t like being indoors. Loren nodded at Kai’s comment, a faint smile tugging at the Launceleyn’s lips. However, it slipped away as the demi-god talked about genetics. The summoner’s brow furrowed as he tried to follow along with the other man’s explanation. ”So genetics is like matter for living things?” That seemed to be the closest analogy that Loren could think of. Unfortunately, he wasn’t entirely certain how matter worked, but it sounded similar.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Whatever Kaimana is, he is fascinating to Lily as well, and she watches his interaction with Astra in unabashed semi-awe. She never would have known to greet an animal that way.
She feels a little badly, though, and flushes lightly, trying to backtrack. “Ah, well… no, it’s not too many. It’s… unusual, I guess. I don’t think anyone’s asked me that many questions so quickly. But it’s not a bad thing!” She reaches out to try and indicate that he’s doing fine just as he is. “Everything is a lot. For you and for us.” She pauses, trying to find the right words. “Not everyone will be able to handle it.”
If it hadn’t been for his innocent nature, Lily isn’t so sure she could have. And will she have the temperament for it later (whenever that is), or if she’s in a bad mood? Who knows.
Looking to Loren, she shrugs. “I think we’re up for answering questions, though.”
And then they’re off to the topic of genetics, which is something well beyond her ken. Coming together of the male and female. Reproducing. (Sex should be for reproduction only, sayeth many church folk). Same family. Trippingly, the entertainer tries to offer something back as well. “And when we look like our parents? Or… don’t?” That’s the easiest way for Lily to see who belongs in the same family, theoretically. And she’s always found it interesting when someone looks different, or like they don’t belong. Women have been accused of adultery for those kinds of things where she’s from.
merry of soul, she sailed on a day over the sea to Skye
11-11-2019, 10:21 PM (This post was last modified: 11-11-2019, 10:22 PM by Kaimana.)
KAIMANA
Oh. Lily isn't mad at you. You exhale a breath of relief at that discovery, turning your brilliant smile up to her and nodding somewhat bashfully. "Ok! How many is the right number of questions? An' the right amount of time to ask 'em? An' what if I have questions 'bout the answers to the questions?"
(This, you nitwit, is too many questions too fast with too much follow up. But of course you utterly fail to realize that fact.)
Loren's question about genetics makes you glance back at the man, your head tilted in brief thought as you consider the comparison. "Uhhh... no." No, that is definitely fairly wrong, but you smile at him anyway, happy he's trying to understand.
Lily is far closer to the right track: your nodding in response might be enough to pop your neck, and you begin to rock excitedly back and forth on your feet, the mud sloshing around you toes. "Yeah! Genes livin' things what they're gonna look like, an' how tall they'll be, an' whether they'll be more likely to get sick an' stuff like that. It's half from the Ma an' half from the Da. So half'a my genes are from Rae, an' half are from..." Well. You're not really sure who the other half is from, really. "A mortal that Rae chose t'mix their genetic material with." Y'know. Turkey baster style.
Again, Loren remained silent as Kai bombarded Lily with questions. When the red-headed woman turned to the summoner, though, and volunteered them both, he nodded. His brow furrowed as the demi-god informed the Launceleyn that he was quite off, though. It stayed that way as the discussion about genetics continued. Actually, it deepened, and was joined by a frown. ”I ah, well, forgive me." He gave the son of Rae an apologetic smile. "But uh, your sister said that you were um...grown? Or rather, she said that you were planted. Is that true?"
Then Loren tilted his head and gave the other man a quizzical look. "Also, I thought they were twins. Rae I mean. So...which one did you get your ah, genetic material from?" The summoner ran a nervous hand through his hair.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
