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!
11-05-2019, 06:46 PM (This post was last modified: 11-06-2019, 05:56 PM by Oia'i'o.)
& so it goes
Kai has done most of the work to make your abode in the woods serviceable. He is the one that can animate matter after all. Currently you've moved a few feet away from your 'beds', and are in the process of trying to create a blind. There have been several animals that come through during the evening hours or when you and Kai are quite (so, when he's asleep for the most part), and you've been eager to get a better look at them.
Despite your nature, still the creatures are skiddish, hence the blind. By making a natural obstruction around yourself and then sitting still, you will entirely disappear into your environment allowing you to observe without making anxious the creatures who roam by. These were their woods first after all, it wouldn't be fair for you to simply disrupt it.
Being asked to meet in the woods by someone she did not know raised quite a few red flags for Phoebe. Frankly, it seemed a bit like she would be asking for her death if she went. But...something about the wording also struck her as genuine. It was a wanted ad after all...if Pim came she ought to be safe enough. So leaving the boys with a friendly neighbor, not wanting to risk them if the good will of this solicitor was a false notion, she headed out to...explore the woods.
She wore a light dress with her hiking boots, the honeysuckle crown Frey had given her on her head, as if to prove her identity based on the description. Pink was clearly Pim, who was sniffing about, suspicious of all this nonsense. His head picked up at the sound of rustling, and he growled a low warning as he headed towards it. "Hello? Is someone there? You were looking for the friend of Frey?" Phoebe called out, unsure where in the woods this person was, but following Pim.
11-05-2019, 08:22 PM (This post was last modified: 11-06-2019, 05:56 PM by Oia'i'o.)
& so it goes
"Confirmation." You reply. Though likely you should be, you do not tense or otherwise display fear at the sound of growling. Whether it is some pheromone you give off or simple luck, you've had almost no encounters with death in your life. Animals seem to simply like you, and when they don't, you have magic enough to evade their efforts to maim. You don't fault them of course; it is their nature.
Rising from where you were, bark and moss and earth falling away from you as your magic breaks its hold, you step out from behind your blind to see a woman and a pink dragon.
You note the honey suckle on her head and her brown eyes. It's impossible to tell if she's busy, though. "Are you skinny?" You ask, having no idea how such things are judged in this place.
Phoebe stared in awe as a person suddenly manifested out of the trees and moss, blinking in surprise as she froze stock still. Pim snarled, placing himself between Oia and Phoebe. He sniffed a few times before plopping down to sit, licking some dirt off his scales. A Rae-ling. This was fine enough. "U-uhm...hello. I'm Phoebe..." she said softly, but was caught off guard by the question.
"Uhm..." She looked down at herself, pressing her hands to her waist which was indeed narrow against her delicate fingers. "Yes, I would say so." she said with a nod.
11-05-2019, 08:36 PM (This post was last modified: 11-06-2019, 05:56 PM by Oia'i'o.)
& so it goes
As the dragon moves to sniff at you, clearly placing himself between you and the girl, you begin to form a hypothesis in your mind. You allow this inspection, and once it has concluded, you return your gaze to the one called Phoebe.
You watch her fingers lower as if the answer to your question will be revealed there (which, indeed it will), and nod. "Are you busy? Are you acquainted with a place of learning?"
This was beginning to feel more like an interrogation than anything. Phoebe blinked slowly, considering the questions. "Yes, I am busy. I am raising triplet boys on my own, running a midwifery practice, and I am Dean of the Medical College...which is a place of learning." she said, clasping her hands in front of her. "Are you...uhm...I'm sorry I don't know how to pronounce it... Oiya-i-oh?" she tried, sure she butchered it. Pim yawned and grumbled, opening and closing his jaws to mimick human talking in a mocking manner.
11-05-2019, 09:08 PM (This post was last modified: 11-06-2019, 05:56 PM by Oia'i'o.)
& so it goes
"That is not how you say it. Unless you are trying to say something else." Anyone else likely wouldn't have thought at all that there was anyone with a name even close to yours, but there is a non-zero chance of it, and you aren't one to make unfounded assumptions.
Glancing towards Pim as he mockingly pantomimed your conversations, you glance towards Phoebe and then back at the dragon. "Humour?" You guess.
She expected the correction...but not the lack of an alternative pronunciation. "Oh. Uhm...how is your name pronounced?" Phoebe asked, hoping to get clarity on that at least. She glanced towards Pim as Oia did, considering her observation that it might be humor. "A mocking sort of humor, yes. Pim thinks humans are noisy needlessly." she said, earning her a little glare from the dragon, as if she had spilled his big secrets.
"If I may...why were you looking for me?" she asked.
"Oia'i'o." You reply making no effort to slow or breakdown the vowels that slip like rainwater from your lips. Then again you don't expect anyone other than Kai to be able to say it properly. You've long ago given up making corrections.
"I agree." You say, nodding towards the dragon. You aren't surprised that you do though. Normally you tend to agree with animal's view of things, especially when it comes to human-animals. Needlessly noisy was certainly an apt assessment of them.
"I was looking for the Friend of Frey. It is possible that you meet the criteria and are not she." Improbable, but possible. "Were you she, I would like to know about the blight."
Well that was about as clear as mud. "Uhm..." Phoebe felt horribly pathetic in that moment, unable to to decode how to say her name so quickly. "Do you have a nickname?" she asked, hoping there was a simpler, shorter name she could call the woman. Pim blinked at Oia with one round, silvery eye, the clear protective lid clicking as it closed, as if he were sizing her up. Just because he accepted her didn't mean he couldn't change his mind.
"Oh well...I'm the only one around here that is Frey's friend." she confirmed. The only one with permission to say so anyways. At mention of the blight she looked surprised. "Oh well, all of my research notes are back at the College. I'm happy to show them to you if you'd come with?" she offered with a small smile.
"My twin calls me Oia sometimes." You reply. Some find it easier to say given it lacks the strange pauses so many speakers find themselves tripping over.
For a moment you consider asking her how she knows this: has she polled everyone? Or perhaps in speaking with the herald they confirmed it was only the Friend of Frey who was indeed their friend? But again, that circled around to your initial problem of being unable to confirm that this woman was the one who you were meant to find. But then she mentions having notes and immediately you perk up. Note taking isn't always an indication of a careful mind, but more often than not only studious human-animals bother to take notes.
Phoebe smiled at her warmly. There was a nickname she could say! "Oia. Well, I am glad to make your acquaintance. " she said with a little nod. Pim stretched his front legs and then his wings, flapping them slightly with a hint of a growl. A greeting perhaps. Or he was bored. Likely both.
At least she was willing to come with her to the college. "Great! I'll lead the way." she said, turning to head back towards the town. Pim quickly trotted up next to her. "Did curiosity about the blight bring you here?" she asked Oia conversationally.
It's really not worth wondering what you've been doing. Something ridiculous, no doubt, like attempting to survey the trees for new growth or seeing just how many species of butterflies you can catalog. The important thing is that you're here now, standing quite suddenly beside your twin as the blonde stranger with the delightful pink dragon begins to lead you both... somewhere.
You kinda missed all the parts before.
"Where're we goin?" you ask Oia, bright an eager as a fledgling first thrown out of the nest, not even hesitating in joining the adventure. Your twin is going, after all, so it must be something grand.
You don’t really do conversations, and so despite Phoebe’s rather sing-song like vocal quality, you don’t respond with much that she can reply to. In fact, all you say is: “Yes.’
Turning as Kai appears at your side, for the moment you do absolutely nothing. You’re used to him simply appearing at the most opportune times (or any times, really), so his sudden presence doesn’t make you do anything (like, calling out to Phoebe for instance, to let her know the duo is now a trio). “This may or may not be the friend of Frey that Delphia told me about. There is a high probability it is. Regardless she seems to know about the blight, but telling me about it requires going to The College for Her Notes.” You pronounce the capital letters with no small amount of disapproval. You carry your notes with you, why doesn’t everyone else?
