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!
Letting out a huff of laughter as Abasi returned Loren’s flirtatious comment with one of the undertaker’s own (subtle though it was), the summoner let that particular strand of conversation drop. Thankfully, the other man’s reaction to the phoenix—plus the fact that the Launceleyn wasn’t upset to begin with—was more than enough to lift Loren’s spirits. ”I know. I was just teasing you.” There was a matching smile to Abasi’s on the summoner’s lips.
Unfortunately, it slipped away when the conversation swung around to the rest of the Launceleyns. ”I don’t know about great trial. I’ve been through worse. And my kin have been around, and so far no fighting.” His tone was quiet, and his eyes were distant and filled with sorrow.
The other man’s response was more than sufficient to bring the Launceleyn’s mind back from where it had wandered. Grinning giddily after the kiss, he reached down to take a bite of his food. Making sure he fully chewed and swallowed, he still had that happy look on his face when he finished. ”Again, I know. I appreciated it. And I appreciate you.” He took a sip of his wine, momentarily overwhelmed by the depths of feeling he felt for the undertaker.
That Loren's family being around had not yet actually resulted in any fights was surely a good thing, Abasi thought. "So you think your family may be getting along? Or...perhaps civil is a better word for it. That's good, right?" Loren's family dynamics were so complicated he often wasn't sure. His own family had been dysfunctional, but at least it had been simple. Over-expectant father, depressed mother, anxious son...and...no no, it wouldn't help him to think of that.
Abasi went to eat after their kiss too, smiling. "We sound like two lovesick children on a boat ride." He laughed, shaking his head. "You know, the scholars in the library would call me qalb barid, 'Cold Heart'. As the son of the High Priest and then the High Priest myself, I had many women come to me...I...suppose now I might regret how I rejected them." It only occurred to him as he was saying it that his brash and swift rejections might have been cruel.
All this talk of how much they appreciated each other, possibly even loved, reminded him of something he had been considering for a while. "Loren, I was wondering. How attached are you to the manor? Do you only live there from a sense of obligation? You do not seem to use many of the rooms."
Immediately, Loren snorted and shook his head. ”No, Zariah still hates my guts, and all we do is argue. Plus, she disowned me and threatened to kill me.” His voice came without a hint of doubt. ”Still, perhaps it’s better to say that we tolerate each other.” There was a great deal of regret and sorrow in his words, and he glanced away from Abasi, taking a sip of wine to wash down his sadness.
However, the conversation about them was definitely enough to lift the summoner’s depressed mood. Letting out a huff of laughter, he placed his hand on the undertaker’s knee. ”That sounds pretty nice to me. I didn’t really have a childhood, so I hope you won’t blame me for trying to recapture that joy now.” Then one of the other man’s words fully sank in and the Launceleyn grinned brilliantly. ”Lovesick, huh?” He couldn’t keep the amusement and happiness from his face or his voice.
As Abasi when on to talk about how others used to see him, Loren’s glee faded, though echoes of it lingered in his eyes. When the undertaker finally finished, the summoner squeezed the other man’s knee gently. ”Then those scholars didn’t really know you at all,” the Launceleyn said firmly. ”As for regret, would you have changed your actions?” He took a bite of the sandwich as he waited for Abasi’s response.
The question caught Loren off guard. His eyes widened, but he made sure to chew and swallow before he answered. ”I’m not really, I suppose. I mostly let new Outlanders stay there while they get their feet under them. I personally don't have a strong attachment to it.” Tilting his head, he stared at the undertaker with curious eyes. ”Why do you ask?” Aside from curiosity, there was no small amount of confusion in the summoner’s voice.
"Mmm, but--" Abasi looked up at Loren with a hint of a smile on his lips. "--She has not killed you yet. I do not doubt at all if she wished to truly she would." While it was clearly not an ideal relationship, he felt it could probably be worse - tolerating was at least a form of getting along.
His lips opened to explain his use of 'lovesick', but Abasi realised he did not have an explanation other than...well. One that he did not feel prepared to give. "In truth I do not know how to be childlike. Even as a child, I was focused on my future and my studies." In fact, he only really had one memory of careless youth and it was hardly wholesome nor typical.
Loren's squeeze of his knee, his soft words...Abasi wasn't sure he believed them, but they drew a smile from him anyway. "Oh, they did. You would not believe the ways I have changed since arriving here. As for regrets? ...Mmm. I do not know. I don't think I'd like to be married to any of the women I rejected, yet I did not know them well. Maybe I could have found happiness with one." He shrugged. "If I was destined to end up in this world anyway, it is probably for the best. I would leave a woman without a husband and my own heart broken."
Hearing the answer he had hoped for to his question, Abasi hesitated for just a second before explaining: "Well. The house beside my Mortuary...it is empty and the structure within is sturdy enough that one could live there. I've been going in to clean it every so often. Originally I thought it might make good storage, but then it came to me that...it might...make a good home. A suitable place..." Slowly he rose his eyes to meet Lorens. "For the both of us. The manor feels awfully like it does not belong to the either of us. You would be away from your family, we could...attempt to do something akin to starting new...I..." Uncertainty was not common in Abasi's tone, but it crept in at the edges.
"I suppose you might consider this too fast. I am just...suggesting the idea." He was suddenly very interested in his sandwich, though he still watched Loren carefully, wanting to see the Summoner's answer.
At Abasi’s comment, Loren laughed, a full laugh, the sound bright. ”She can try.” He gave the undertaker a fierce grin. It shifted into a much softer expression. ”Maybe we can both teach each other to live a bit more in the present. Childhood might be beyond us, though.” The summoner’s tone was gently hopeful.
”Well, I’ve found the best way to deal with regret is to avoid the behaviors that are making you feel guilty in the future.” Hand still resting on the other man’s knee, he gave it another gentle squeeze. ”And I like the changes. Plus, I hope you don’t mind me saying that I’m glad you made your way here.” Voice still soft, his smile gained a bit of a tentative edge.
Loren stared at Abasi, the summoner’s expression confused for a long moment. When understanding finally dawned he blinked. Once. Twice. A third time. ”You w-want to, to build a, a house together?” His response was stammered and his eyes were wide. Falling silent, he simply stared at the undertaker for a long moment.
Then the Launceleyn flushed a furious crimson. ”I uh, guess I just, never ah, never thought about it. And it's, it's, it's very ah, very...sudden.” Voice half-choked, and incredibly awkward, he lifted his hand from the other man’s knee, and it flailed in the air for a moment. Loren forced himself to take a deep breath. Another. Another, and another, until he was calm.
Then a grin broke out on his face. ”Yes. I think...I think I would like that.” He swallowed, and placed his hands in his lap. ”I would like to still maintain the Manor if that’s alright, if only so others have a place to stay. But...yes. A place for just the two of us.” Strangely, he found tears spring to his eyes, though they didn’t fall. He leaned forward for another kiss.
"Yes. I think...perhaps...more free adults, would be a better goal. After all, children can hardly work as Undertakers or Summoners." Though, he had started his work when he was very young. Truthfully, he thought he might find it harder to, as an adult, try and be childish.
As much as he missed his home, Abasi nodded along to Loren's comment. "No, I am too. I yearn for Egypt in my heart every day, yet here I have succeeded in ways I never had or would have done at home. I have spoken to new people, made...new connections." He squeezed Loren's hand, stroking up his wrist and arm fondly. "Found out things about myself that I never thought I could. So...it has been for the best." He could not have imagined hearing himself say such things when he first arrived; how quickly everything could change.
The long pause after his suggestion made him almost certain Loren was going to refuse; though the first thing the Launceleyn said implied that maybe he simply had not heard correctly? "Yes." Abasi confirmed, nodding with a frown, worried that he had not adequately explained himself. What he had managed to say had apparently rather rattled Loren and he waited patiently for an answer, his hands wrung together in his lap.
When he finally did receive an answer, it was worth the wait. Abasi laughed with pure surprised joy, eagerly leaning in to return Loren's kiss with far more passion than he usually permitted himself in public. Finally pulling away after a breathless moment he whispered, still close to Loren: "I am very pleased indeed. I did not think you would accept."
12-28-2019, 08:07 PM (This post was last modified: 12-28-2019, 08:07 PM by Loren.)
there's a fire starting in my heart
reaching a fever pitch
Loren nodded, a faint smile lurking on his lips. ”More free adults. I like it." Then he let out a huff of laughter. "Though a summoner is more who I am than what I do. I actually finished building my school, I just haven't had the chance to start classes yet." His voice came out easily and joyfully, with far more hope for the future than it had ever had before. I should probably come up with a title for myself." His words were mostly idle speculation.
The glee faded, somewhat, but glimmers of it still lurked in the corners of his lips and his eyes. And he smiled a brilliant smile at Abasi's comment. "I am glad to hear you say so." The summoner turned his hand so he could capture the fingers that the undertaker had around his wrist.
They were both breathless, and the Launceleyn's eyes crinkled at the other man's comment after they broke off the passionate kiss. "Why wouldn't I accept?" There was an almost shyness in Loren's quiet words. He leaned back and picked up his food, nibbling at it.
"Ah, yes. Well, I don't know if I can call you a teacher until you have taught one of those classes." Abasi pointed out with a huff of laughter. "Though I have no doubt you will be an excellent one. You must let me attend your first classes; I would love to see how you teach." He was sure it would be very different from his own approach; it was a sign of his own growth that that now excited rather than infuriated him.
Their hands held and lips together, Abasi's mind was pleasantly empty of the usual constant and analytic thoughts he held there. As they parted he went to eat himself, though did not move too far from Loren. "I thought you might think it too fast. In Egypt two people did not usually live together unless married. Though I suppose we already do, but....in different rooms, which is not what I mean." For a moment he glanced up at Loren with a nervous smile, as if making sure they were on the same page about that.
"People may talk, you know. I'm sure your family will have opinions." He warned, most likely unnecessarily.
Loren grinned a bit sheepishly. ”That’s fair.” Then, however, he flushed slightly at Abasi’s compliment. ”Of course.” Smiling a bit shyly, he took a bite of his food.
When they finally parted, the Launceleyn shifted so that their legs were touching. Chewing, he grinned at the undertaker's response, though made sure to swallow fully before speaking. "I understand. And maybe it was fast. But definitely not too fast." The summoner shrugged. "My home was much the same, with the added fun of most marriages, at least among the nobles, being arranged."
Taking a sip of the wine, the Launceleyn's grin gained a fierce edge in the face of the other man's concern. "Let them talk. My family voided the right to have opinions when they disowned me." Loren's tone was confident, but he reached over to give Abasi's knee a reassuring squeeze. "I don't care what other people think. Just you."
Abasi smiled as he ate, excited to see Loren teach when the time came. He was sure it would be different from the approaches of tutors in Egypt - perhaps they could learn something from each other. The school would surely go through a development process while everything fell into place.
Their legs easily tangled together; the familiarity of it was something wondrous in itself, something Abasi had never had. "Ah - there were a lot of arranged marriages in my home too. Or at least, people seeking each other out on a basis of wealth or success rather than love....I am sure my parents, if they can see me now, are..." He paused. "Actually, you would be considered a good match, except for your being a man. Perhaps it would not be such a problem."
Loren's family didn't just talk, they fought bitterly, and Abasi thought to point it out, but he didn't want to drag down this conversation. "Well, I think this is all going very well."
Loren smiled a bit faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. Instead, those were distant. ”You’d be a pretty good match as well, except for being a man.” He nudged Abasi’s leg with the summoner’s own. ”Polite, well-mannered, from a wealthy family, and possessing magic. Mostly the magic part.”
Then his smile slipped away. ”But not being able to have kids would be unacceptable." His voice was soft, and he took a bit of the food and a sip of the wine to mask his slightly haunted expression.
His joy came back full force at the undertaker's comment. Indeed, the Launceleyn grinned. "So do I." He leaned over to steal a kiss from the other man.
"I was thinking about that." Abasi said as Loren nudged him, smiling but his face falling back to a more thoughtful expression soon after. "In this world with such powerful magic, where you can heal a wound with only your hands and mind...would it not be possible to find a way for babies to be made and born magically too, with the essence of two male parents, or indeed, female?" Maybe it was a ridiculous idea, but it seemed once magic was an element to contend with, anything could be possible with enough work. "...To clarify though, if such a thing is available, I do not want to be pregnant."
Kissing by the side of a river in such a beautiful forest was a scene so romantic even Abasi found himself swept up in it; he pushed his fingers into Loren's hair and returned the kiss. "I must say I am looking forward to organising the house with you, now. There will be some work to do. We will have to decide what you want to bring with you from the manor."
Loren couldn’t help but laugh at Abasi’s suggestion. ”I mean, I’m happy to ask Frey, but I imagine they’d just tell me something along the lines of ‘the normal ways work just fine, and you shouldn’t be such a prude or so exclusive in your tastes.’” Smiling gently at the undertaker, the summoner nudged the other man with a knee. ”So you want kids, then?” There was something soft and worried in the Launceleyn’s voice and expression.
Shrugging, he gave Abasi a bit of a shy look. "I'm looking forward to it as well. But you have much better taste than I do, so I imagine we'll bring whatever you think is appropriate." Voice bashful, he took a bit of his sandwich.
"If you mean to say this God would advise you seek a woman outside of our relationship to have a child with, I cannot pretend to be happy with that." Abasi stated, frowning a little. Admittedly, such things had not been uncommon in Egypt, but he felt a tug at his heart as jealousy refused to let him imagine Loren taking someone else to bed. He wasn't sure when it was he'd grown so attached to the idea of being the Launceleyns one love, but he knew he wanted no one else involved.
As for the question...at one time, he would have simply, robotically answered 'yes'. It had been his duty, after all, to continue his family line, make an heir. Now, though? That all mattered less, yet he still found in his heart a willingness for the possibility. "...I think so, yes, though...I fear I would make a poor parent. I am not good with children. They tend to need a...softer hand than I know how to give." Abasi was well aware his brisk manner came off as rude to many adults, never mind children, who mostly seemed to assume he was angry immediately and become upset.
"You truly think I have better taste? I wish I could take you back to Egypt to tell everyone there." Laughing, he took a drink of wine and shook his head, looking over the river. "I am a different man here, clearly. You would not recognise the me from my home. ...Do you think you have changed as drastically?"
