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!
12-23-2019, 07:54 PM (This post was last modified: 12-23-2019, 07:55 PM by Amun.)
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
At Remi’s enthusiastic response, Amun grinned, this time without a trace of wickedness. ”They do have a name, and I sort of know how they work. Let me just finish up with these, and I’ll tell you what I know about them.” That said, he finished the latest pot, and swapped it out to trim the last one. Once that was done, he attached the handles, smoothing them out with a brush. On one of them, he painted a blue wave pattern on the best one, then fired up the kiln and threw them all in.
Dipping his hand in a clean bucket of water, he wiped them absentmindedly on his apron. That done, he walked over to where he kept a sheet of paper, though his eyes flicked to the ring that the other man prominently wore. When they flicked back up to Remi’s face, they were surprisingly sympathetic. ”Well. I’m sorry to hear that. But I know lots of good ways to cope, Curly.” Although there was a flirtatious edge, it was also weirdly kind. "I know this is kind of callous, after that, but any chance you could give me a map of what you know about the night sky?" There was an eager tone to the question.
Taking sheets of parchment, Amun began sketching what he remembered of astrolabes, sextants, and telescopes. However, he paused and gave the other man an apprasing look. ”Well, I’m not much of a fighter. But as I said, things do keep trying to kill me. So maybe a shield, or something that could keep me out of danger? Or get me out of it when I inevitably get into it?” With that, the potter went back to his careful drawings, labeling the diagrams he was putting together as best he could.
Looking for all intents and purposes like a child awaiting his presents on his name-day, the alchemist nodded enthusiastically, all shiny-eyed and sunny smiles.
With a snort of laughter, the alchemist shook his head. "No need to cope. He has since come back from the dead. Thank you though." With a wave of his fingers the area around the alchemist shimmered faintly and began to darken. Therein stars began to twinkle and appear as small notations formed. "I can yes. Though there are more...ahh.." Remi paused, trying to think of the word, "..interactive ways for you to learn about them if you like." Shrugging—he was an accomplished enough sketcher to give Amun what he asked for—Remi let the illusion quickly fall away.
Swallowing unhappily and awkwardly beneath the scrutiny of Amun's gaze, the alchemist tilted his head slightly as he listened. "I could do either. Both, even." Remi said distractedly, peering down at the diagrams pouring from the man's pen.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
12-23-2019, 09:59 PM (This post was last modified: 12-23-2019, 10:33 PM by Amun.)
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
For once, Amun was at a loss for words. For the briefest of moments, he just stared at Remi, slack-jawed. Finally, the potter recovered with a grin. ”Well. Lucky you, Curly. That sounds like quite the epic romance.” As the area around them dimmed, though, he tensed.
However, when it turned out to be just an incredibly cool looking interactive star map, he grinned. ”I’ll take both, if you're willing to provide both. As amazing as this is, I’m not sure I trust my memory that much.” He gestured at their surroundings. Still, there was an undeniable buoyancy and cheerfulness in his voice and expression as he leaned forward to squint at one of stars that appeared.
As the illusion faded, the Ascended smilled. ”Thanks for that. As for weapons, or weapons adjacent, I’ll take whatever the expert is willing to part with.” He bent his head back to the diagrams he’d been making using much more mundane means. They slowly, but surely began to take shape.
Once he completed one—the astrolabe was finished first—he slid it over to the other man, who was clearly eager for a closer look. ”Now, I’ve only used and repaired these, never built one from scratch. But hopefully this helps.” He kept working on the other two sketches.
Shrugging with boyish unease at having his relationship called epic, the alchemist merely ran a self-conscious hand across the back of his neck before proceeding to demonstrate his illusory star-map.
"Is there not an app upgrade for that?" Remi asked with a light grin. Unlike many (if Sam was anything to go by), Remi was more liberal when it came to their ascended counterparts, not finding them offensive or as blameworthy as others seemed wont to do.
Giving Amun a pointed and amused stare, the alchemist held out open palms. "Nothing to part with, I'm afraid. I usually only work based on request." No sense simply wasting magic after all just to fill a shop that almost no one visited anyways.
Distracted as ever, Remi reached for the parchment with eager fingers. He tilted his head this way and that as if seeing through the scratches of charcoal on the page and envisioning what in fact they were meant to be. Magic sparked from his fingertips, eager to begin creating what it was laid out before him. "More than you know." Remi said with a lopsided smile.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
At Remi’s comment about upgrades, Amun shrugged. ”Maybe. I’m not really the upgraded sort, Curly.” There wasn’t any particular inflection behind those words. At the other man's comment about only taking requests, the potter grinned. "I'm much the same. In that case, I'll take a shield." His tone was excited, and his eyes were eager as they waited to see what, if anything, the curious alchemist might make.
Smirking somewhat, the Ascended kept working on his next sketch. He only glanced up at the sparkle of magic. "Always happy to help a handsome man, Curly, married or not." With that, Amun slid over the next diagram, this one of the sextant, before turning his attention to the telescope. He realized that there were two, he needed to make, and snagged another sheet of paper.
Narrowing one eye as if in a wink—though not closing his lid all the way—Remi grinned crookedly and nodded. "A shield it is then.." Palms already out, the alchemist looked down with thoughtful consideration. Glancing up to size Amun out properly now, though with eyes aimed for precision and nothing more, a shield that would perfectly fit the potter's height and build appeared in his hands. Intricate patterns appeared on the shield, though nothing overly garish. Yellow-red light burst from it for a second before settling down again. "It is fire resistant. I know how that can affect you." The alchemist said with a smile, handing the item towards the potter.
Sending a stream of unhappy air out of his nose at the continued flattery, Remi merely swallowed and watched the man as he continued to sketch.
Fire Resistant Shield | A lightweight but strong shield that resists fire magic. Made by Remi.
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
As the shield appeared in Remi’s hands, and then a reddish glow suffused it, Amun grinned. ”Well. Thanks Curly. This is very kind of you." For once, the potter's voice lacked any hint of teasing or flirtation, and his eyes only sparkled with gratitude. He took the shield and laid it in a corner.
Then he returned to his sketches, his efforts redoubling, the diagrams growing more detailed than before. Only once he'd completed the two forms of telescopes (well, kinda) did he slide them over to the other man. "Alright. I made a stationary telescope, the sort you'd use to look at the stars, and a collapsable seeing-eye glass. Let me know if you have any questions." The Ascended leaned back in his chair, waiting to see if Remi wanted to discuss the sketches.
"Very welcome." The alchemist said with a humble nod, falling easily into the role of creator and submissive merchant that he'd been most of his life.
Taking the parchment, the alchemist studied the drawings carefully. In another place and time he'd dedicated hours and hours to trying to figure out the lens shapes and densities to do what the potter had so elegantly laid out for him. Smiling at the simplicity of it all, Remi lost himself in thought for a moment as his eyes scoured the schematics as if it any moment it all might disappear from before his eyes.
"Thank you so much for this...I am not at the guild as often as I used to be, but my shop is just down the street. I can start working on a star map for you right away."
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
As Remi studied the drawings, Amun tidied up the studio. He put away the extra papers and the charcoal he’d been using, cleaned up the excess clay, and checked on his amphorae, which were shaping up nicely. When the other man finally spoke up, the potter turned, leaning against the kiln, its heat not bothering him in the slightest. ”You’re very welcome, Curly.” The Ascended grinned at Remi.
Gesturing around at the studio, Amun’s eyes sparkled. ”I’ll swing by, then. And if you need me for anything, or have any questions about the diagrams, you obviously know where to find me.” Fighting back the urge to wink, the Ascended just kept grinning, and didn't move from his current position. He nodded at the papers the other man clutched. "And I can make extra copies of that, if you misplace them."
Grinning back at the implication that Remi was the sort to misplace things (not that Amun was wrong), the alchemist nodded with a weary (but entirely fake) unhappiness. "I will keep that in mind." Sunny cheer shining through the put-on frown, Remi neatly tucked away the diagrams and headed for the door. Cracking it slightly and seeing that the sun was well on its way towards its zenith, he made sure to open the door only as much as was needed to squeeze himself through. This wasn't his first time around an ascended, after all.
With a final wave, Remi emerged into the sunlight eager to make his way home to study what Amun had given him in proper lighting and with a full day ahead of him.
~FIN
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
