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!
Loren had been neglecting his studies. Not that there was much to study at the moment: the Caido Medical College had hosted one class, which had been on emergency field medicine, and he’d attended it. Since then, there’d been no news about further lessons. However, he figured that while he waited he could at least help out the College in another way.
Which was why, when he’d found a free moment—which happened after the sun had set—he found himself standing outside the college, staring at the coating of mud on the building. They’d need to undo a lot of the work they’d done in fortifying the school for LongNight, but that seemed like a task for someone who could manipulate stone and earth. Or at least break down doors and walls and move heavy objects and furniture (which the Launceleyn couldn’t, given his summoning was still a mystery to him). Instead, the summoner was playing with his new magic.
It was easy to create water and direct it to wash the outside of the building. However, the mud was as stubborn here as it was everywhere else, and his brows furrowed in concentration as he did his best to deter it from somehow creeping back into place. He was so focused on his task that he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings.
It had started out as a stroll outside. Ever since LongNight ended, Oliver had been spending more and more time outside, avoiding indoors or being alone as much as possible. He wanted something new, see what Caido had to offer. While today hadn't been exactly successful so far in terms of him achieving anything new, it had been a good day. Nothing wrong had really happened, but it had been spent mostly alone.
Briefly, Oliver went to check in the temple on the notice board, but very quickly left, not wanting to be reminded of LongNight too much. Being almost alone in the temple wasn't fun and he wasn't going to stay there if he wasn't forced to.
It's how he ended up over at the Medical College. Oliver half expected things to go like it had so far, him to not see anyone he really knew before continuing back on his merry way. However, instead of being greeted with absolutely nothing, Oliver saw a very familiar figure. With a small smile, Oliver walked on over to Loren, standing a few feet behind him. He seemed very conflicted, struggling a bit with that disgusting, nuisance mud.
"Need some help?" Oliver called out, looking at what he had been working on so far. "I don't know if water will help, we may have to use our hands or tools to remove it."
At the sound of the now familiar voice, Loren glanced over from the walls of the Medical College. ”Hi Oliver.” He gave the other man a faint smile. Then the Launceleyn turned his attention back to the stones he was currently washing. Honestly, he didn’t think he needed help: his water magic was making quick work of the mud on the school. Indeed, every time a clump tried to creep its way back up the side of the building, the summoner sent another spurt its way, chasing it back down to the ground. Eventually, even the most stubborn piece of mud learned.
However, it was a nice offer, and the summoner didn’t want to discourage Oliver. ”Sure. Why don't you keep it off the areas I’ve cleaned?” That would save Loren quite a bit of effort. With two of them on the job, they could probably finish much more quickly. With that, he went back to blasting mud from the next portion of the wall, trusting the other man to do his part.
they say we are what we are, but we don't have to be
Your exploration of the world of the human-animals continues today as you attempt to learn how to navigate buildings. Well, the outside of buildings anyway. You're making a mental map in your head, trying to mark out landmarks and remember them for later, but oh, it's hard when man-made structures all look virtually the same! It's not like trees, where each one has a separate shape and scent and distinct bark patterns and unique leaves. Here you have to commit to memory the different colors of the wood, or what sorts of lichen has grown from the wall, or whether or not there's plants around it.
All of which is to say, you have now become rather hopelessly lost.
It's a familiar scent and shock of blonde hair that shakes you from your fugue, Loren being instantly recognizable to you as the human-animal you have encountered most often (aside from Oia, of course). He's spraying water onto a wall with what appears to be the intent of removing the mud (why?), and there's someone else helping him, and it all looks quite interesting and purposeful. "Hullo, Loren!" you call from behind the pair, popping into place beside the friendly mage and flashing both him and the other one a broad, freckled grin. "Hullo, Not-Loren! Why're ya doin' that to the mud?"
So, Oliver went to work. He would try his best to prevent the mud from moving any further, now using his hands and a big stick he had found to swipe away at any mud that dared to approach the spot. It was almost like a game, really. It wasn't too hard of a task and it allowed him to feel useful. At least it was until a new person showed up. Briefly glancing over his shoulder, Oliver raised an eyebrow at the newcomer.
Oliver hadn't really expected any attention from the newcomer. He seemed to know Loren, so Oliver was prepared for the two to talk and for him to continue on his job. However, the mysterious person approached him and he was now dubbed 'Not-Loren'. What a beautiful name that Oliver had no idea how to feel about.
"Well...we are trying to clean it off of the building. I'm not really sure why it cant be on the building, but probably for a very important reason." The mud could be useful, yes, but it was also probably a nuisance. Loren was smart, so clearly he was removing it for a good reason.
As Kai approached, Loren gave the demi-god a cheerful grin. ”Good to see you, Kai. Also, Kai, this is Oliver. Oliver, Kai.” The summoner glanced at his fellow Abandoned when he began to explain what they were doing.
Then the other two men turned to the Launceleyn and he bit his lip. "This is the Caido Medical College. It's important that people think it's a safe, clean, environment, both to bring their sick and wounded and to come learn about medicine." He gave both of them a faint smile, hoping they wouldn't catch the slight uncertainty in his voice. "Mud on the walls won't exactly make people want to come here or inspire confidence in us." Then Loren returned his attention back to the walls and kept washing them with his magic.
they say we are what we are, but we don't have to be
You wave to Oliver the Not-Loren as Loren introduces him, listening to them both explain why they're removing the mud from the side of the building. Personally you do not agree with the Oliver - it doesn't seem like there could be an important enough reason to disturb the wonderfully clever mud, but you're willing to at least hear them out.
And... yeah, nope, you don't get it. As Loren explains the purpose of the building you tilt your head, frowning a little bit in thought. "But healin' involves the natural world," you point out, confused. "Most'a medicine comes from nature an' the mud an' dirt. Why'dya wanna keep that out? An' why would it make people think this isn' a good place for medicine because'a it?"
Glancing over at Loren, Oliver raised an eyebrow, hoping that maybe he'd get a bit more of an explanation on who this kid was. "Nice to meet you, Kaimana." At least it was nice until the kid started to talk about how the natural world is important and therefore, there should be mud all over the building. Oliver...wasn't exactly sure which side to argue. He knew hardly anything, so he really didn't have any idea which of the two was correct.
"Mostly because sometimes, the mud can also be dangerous. Or something it can make things harder. I know I almost slipped on some mud that got indoors..." Oliver had simply grown up thinking that a clean house was more presentable, more professional. "Loren and I are Outlanders, as are many of the other people who could visit here. It could just be a professional kinda thing. Where I come from, professional businesses must be kept clean."
11-13-2019, 03:21 AM (This post was last modified: 11-13-2019, 03:22 AM by Loren.)
LOREN
Loren opened his mouth to respond to Kai, but Oliver beat the summoner to the punch. Closing his mouth, he nodded along to his houseguest’s explanation. ”That’s all correct.” The Launceleyn turned his attention back to his water magic as they moved on the next section of the wall. ”On top of that, I’m not sure exactly why, but it’s important to keep a sterile environment when treating people. Otherwise wounds might get dirty.”
Then the corner of his lips quirked up. "Besides, not everyone feels the same way as you do about nature, Kai. Some people like the comforts of civilization." He flashed the demi-god an apologetic smile.
they say we are what we are, but we don't have to be
You listen carefully as Oliver Not-Loren speaks, filing away a mental note to tell Oia that Outlanders like things to be clean and think mud may be dangerous. Which is fair, you suppose- certainly you have done your share of slipping and wiping out on errant mud.
But it isn't the mud's fault, y'know?
Wounds not getting dirty also makes a degree of sense: the outside should probably stay outside to avoid infections. "Isn' it cool how some'uv nature makes you healthier an' some'uv it makes you sicker?" you remark, your enthusiastic tone making it quite apparent how cool you think it is.
Grinning back at the Loren, you shake your head bemusedly, stepping toward the College wall and putting a hand atop the mud. "I dunno- civilization isn't so comfortable if y'ask me. Everythin's all hard edges an' straight lines an' closed spaces." Reaching out with your magic, you coax some of the lingering mud onto your arm, letting it wrap itself around your limb for future transport to someplace where it will be properly appreciated.
Loren clearly had the same views as Oliver in this situation. Who knows what kind of bacteria that the mud could be carrying? As helpful as it could be for your skin, it may not exactly be safe for an open wound. In Oliver's opinion, it was best to be on the safe side of things. This new dude, however, seemed a bit...odd. He had a very strange way of speaking and looking at things. It seemed childish and stubborn, as though he only understood one way and therefore all others were far too weird to be true. On the bright side, at least he somewhat recognized that nature could be dangerous? Even though he seemed a bit too interested in that fact.
He somewhat had a point as well that sometimes, civilization could be crowded. It could be scary to be all cramped up, but Oliver did disagree with the hard edges type of thing. "Not all of civilization is bad, really. I think that there should be a very careful meeting of civilization and nature in a way where we can coexist, but that nature doesn't harm us. Yeah, some plants are nice, but the mud could still prove to be a problem. What if someone is really injured and they finally make their way over to the infirmary...only to get a disease from the mud and die only because of that?" Woah Oliver. Chill out on the death and shit.
Shaking his head, Oliver let out a sigh. "If it makes you feel any better, I personally like plants. I have one in my room back at the manor...so I'm not entirely against nature."
Loren smiled at the other two men ”It’s cool, yes.” As Oliver spoke, at length, in response to the demi-god, the summoner focused his attention on cleaning off the last of the mud before stepping back to inspect his handiwork. It was mostly washed, especially as the mud crawled onto the son of Rae.
Turning to face the other two, the summoner smiled again. ”Everyone has their own preferences." Glancing briefly at Oliver, Loren clasped his hands behind his back before returning his gaze to Kai. "I like plants and animals too. More than most people." The Launceleyn let out a little huff of laughter. "But I also recognize that there's a place for them, as there's a place for buildings and civilization." Strangely enough, the summoner's voice came out almost apologetically.
they say we are what we are, but we don't have to be
You didn't say civilization was bad. You said you don't think it's particularly comfortable, which is entirely different to your mind. But here's Oliver, saying that the germs in the mud might kill someone, as though they were an army of malicious and invisible soldiers waiting to pounce on any susceptible foe. "Bacteria needs to infect livin' things to reproduce. It's not its fault if the immune system of the host is low enough that they die."
There's a stubborn set to your chin, a strange attempt at seriousness on your freckled face. You might have said more, but Loren pipes up, his comments soothing do your defense of nature. A large amount of mud now coating your arm you move away from the wall, looking rather like a golem, your expression warming at Loren's laugh. "I know. Human social structure requires buildin's an' lines an' designated order an' things bein' clean. It's just kinda new to me is all."
Oliver really wasn't a fan of how this conversation was going. Sure, he brought up death and stuff, but why were they bickering over mud. He wasn't going to view the kid too negatively over this, but he really didn't want to continue that kind of conversation too much. Oliver didn't enjoy arguing with others all that much, especially when they all were very clearly not going to change their stance on the situation.
Instead, he chose to try and change the subject, focusing on a special comment that Kaimana had made. "Tell me more about yourself, Kaimana. You said you aren't used to all of this stuff so...where are you from? What was life like back where you used to live?" There we go. No more arguing about mud, rather, they could be happy and talk about good things. Oliver loved to hear about the pasts of other people, mostly because he was living vicariously through them.
