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 no, they aren't good things. But that doesn't mean they aren't useful. A skilled hunter only gets that way by being calm, ruthless, prepared... not all good things either." Vervain shrugged lightly, smiling down at her daughter as she curled against her, more than happy to hold her there on the ground for as long as she was wanted. She met Ashe's eyes and leant in to press a soft kiss to her forehead. "It's okay, not to know," she said. "As long as you try. And if you don't know where to start, look at where you've been..."
Vai gazed pensively off into the trees. "Last I remember you were about to join the Storm Guard. In fact, the captains of that Guard wrote your recommendations, did they not? And if I recall, you trained regularly with one of those captains in particular." She smirked a little. "Am I being too subtle? Should I say it outright?" she joked, laughing quietly. "Whatever happens though, Ashe, you won't figure it out wandering around in the woods."
She glanced up at Vai with her brows pulled together as she thought about what she said.. and the hint of a smile ghosted over her lips before she turned and followed her mother's gaze into the trees. "I haven't seen Ronin since he was wounded," she murmured quietly. Joining the Storm Guard... that felt like a lifetime ago all of a sudden. At first she had been finally willing to join to convince officials to make her a shapechanger. Nothing had come of it of course, and she'd found her own way.. but she had still been thinking of joining, of serving under Ronin.
Her best friend. She hadn't been a good one, couldn't remember ever being a good friend to him - not the way he was to her. Her throat constricted, and Ashe swallowed hard. She missed him, loved him like he was her big brother. "Maybe.. I'll go and see him," she said quietly, but she looked down as her eyes filled. 'You are incapable of such things.' She seemed to shrink in on herself, and she had to blink rapidly before her eyes overflowed.
"Have you been doing okay?" Ashe asked hoarsely. She was afraid to ask after Dev, after Remi. Afraid of the confirmation that she was not wanted. At least my mother wants me, she tried to remind herself. She had a mother to want her, and she would hold onto that with everything she had.
"No? Well then I guess you have an apology to make as well as a catch up to have, don't you?" Vai smiled back at her daughter, her tone warm and good natured. She knew the ex-captain well enough to know that Ashe would have nothing to worry about from showing up on his doorstep unexpectedly. Nodding in agreement, she mussed Ashe's hair affectionately and finally gazed back out into the trees. "I think going to see him would be a very good start," she agreed. "Remind yourself that there are people out there beyond Alistair, people who care about you very much."
She had half expected Ashe to turn the conversation around on her, so when it finally happened Vai was prepared. "Things are good," she said, and she meant it. "Devrum is building a house in these Woodlands for us, away from the Sanctuary. You know how he can be. So if you come across it, don't panic - it's meant to look like that right now, apparently." She laughed. "The Rathskeller is doing well. Remi has started an alchemy shop and he's helping to brew some of the alcohol for the place, and I have a couple of new and eager bartenders."
Ashe furrowed her brow as a heaviness settled in her chest. More than just Alistair.. yes, she knew that. But she couldn't tell what she wanted anymore, couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or not. She always broke the things that were hers, hurt the people that were never meant to be hurt. She'd hurt Alistair with one foot in their marriage and one foot out. A part of her had always been running from what was deeply embedded in her own head, using whatever means she could to just run.
Ashe took a deep breath and looked up at Vervain as she explained the recent goings on. She swallowed hard at the mention of Dev, something in her chest cracking as she curled closer against her mother. He had told her a long time ago that he'd kill her himself if she ever hurt Alistair, and she'd told him she'd let him. She didn't think he'd ever look at her again.. Still, she couldn't help but perk up at the shared news of her family, holding onto it as she realized how much she missed them. She flickered a smile, wondering what her mother meant about how the house looked... But the conversation moved on to the tavern, to Remi. She looked out to the trees again, nodding. It had been a long time since she'd seen him too. "I'll have to go and see his shop," she murmured half to herself. "I haven't seen the Rathskeller since it got busy.. I'll stop in some night."If you're the one working. She glanced up at Vai again with a slight cringe before dropping her gaze down to the forest floor.
She'd find her way to go, to leave everyone free of her... but not this way. Not if it was going to hurt everyone worse. She'd find a way to do it the right way. For now... maybe she could let herself be little bit selfish for a little bit longer. Leave the woods, pay more attention to what was happening with her family, with the world. "Did you want to hunt more, is the pheasant it for the day?" She turned her eyes back up at Vai, the silent question there: Can I come with you?
Vervain held her daughter as she curled closer towards her, holding her close as though she could protect her from herself more than the world around them. Ashe was broken and she had been long before Vai had found her. But broken things could be fixed, little by little, and while her husband had not been able to weather the storm of her conflicts, her mother wasn't going anywhere. "You will," she agreed with a bright smile. "I'm sure he would be very happy to see you. He's asked about you on more than one occasion."
Visiting the Rathskeller too? It must have been Vai's birthday. "I am there everyday before it opens, and most nights too," she said, a hint of reassurance in her tone. "Drop by whenever you like. I'd love to see you there."
Talk of the pheasant finally brought Vai's attention back to her prey, and she tilted her head. Truthfully she had only come out under the pretense of hunting to find Ashetta, but there was always more to hunt and mouths to feed. "I don't think so. Shall we see what else the forest has to offer? I have only one caveat." She grinned to Ashe. "Anything we hunt, you come back to the Rathskeller with me to skin and prepare it. Deal?"
Ashe blinked in surprise. "Remi asked about me?" Her heart squeezed in her chest as she straightened up, looking up at her mother again. She didn't think.. she hadn't realized Remi thought of her as someone worth asking after. He was family in her eyes and heart, but she wasn't... she wasn't anything. She swallowed and nodded, turning away from that line of thought and towards Vai's work schedule. "I'll stop by," was all she said - though sincerity rang in her words.
She was eyeing the pheasant again as her mother addressed her unfinished hunt, and Ashe turned back in time to see the raven haired wiman's grin. The wolf girl couldn't suppress the smile she weakly echoed. Perhaps it was unsure but.. she nodded. "Okay," she agreed. She lingered under Vai's arm for a moment longer before she pushed forward and rose to her feet in a fluid motion, feet quiet and soft as she stepped toward the pheasant.
She turned back to look at Vervain as she leaned down to retrieve it. And.. through the crushing silence in her head, the empty dark, she felt a glimmer of anticipation when a realization struck her: she had 't spent enough time with her mother, just the two of them. "Lead the way," she said, adjusting the straps to her harness bag.
Ashe sounded as though she meant it and that was good enough for Vervain, the huntress smiling to her daughter and nodding. She arched an eyebrow at her tone - Remi was probably the sweetest man Vai had ever met, so of course he had asked after her and worried about her. "He did. Maybe you ought to stop by and visit him after you visit Ronin," she suggested, giving Ashe a gentle squeeze and waiting for her to decide whether or not to take a step back into civilisation. Unsure her nod might be, but it was better than nothing. "Good," she murmured, releasing her so she could get to her feet.
While Ashe retrieved the pheasant, Vai found her feet as well and checked over her bow and arrows, glancing down at her daughter and offering her a bright smile. "I always will," she said with a wink, stepping across the clearing and pausing to slip a warm arm around her daughter, kissing her hair and holding her close. Then she was off, slinking into the undergrowth with the leaves dancing around her and keen blue eyes on the forest floor.
