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!
Everyone had been busy preparing their gifts for the last couple of weeks - finding and sticking and painting and buying; now it was finally time for them all to be exchanged. Excited children clasping badly-wrapped boxes, sweethearts glancing at each other hoping that their love could be the one - everyone is excited to begin the day's festivities.
There is no order to the event. Drinks on a table, decorations around and smiles on faces; everyone waiting to be approach by their gifter and hoping they will not be disappointed.
--
Lets give out some prezzies!!
Post with your character trying to find their exchangee and go from there (things might get a little messy in this thread with different replies. If you want to split off should your characters begin a true conversation, please do.)
Included in your post, please link to the thread where your character made/gathered items for/prepared the gift they are giving! Posting here with that link allows you to claim your 20 MP. :)
As much as he didn't really care for the woman, Bastien was excited to give Phoebe his gift. He was proud of his work, thought it had ended up being very beautiful indeed; hopefully even despite their differences, Phoebe would see that too.
Wrapped in a piece of glittering blue fabric, he held what he had made. A ornate candle holder shaped like a blooming flower, with one of the petals shaped to hold burning incense. The whole thing sat in a plate filled with glistening polished stones from the edge of the Oasis. It was reminiscent of some of the Hindu shrine ornaments he had seen in Venice, though being himself, he had been sure to add more detail and flair, painting tiny designs in gold on each of the petals.
When he saw the midwife arrive he approached her with a dazzling smile, as if they had never had a bad word. "Happy Fiat Lux, Phoebe. I have made you something for your shrine." Carefully he held the fabric parcel out towards her, waiting for her to open it.
Upon finishing her designated bestowal, the youth hadn’t been very proud of her work. All in all, it’d been completed, but her first work at knitting left a lot to be desired. Staring down at the bundle in her arms, portions of the sleeves far longer than the other, the collar wobbly and not uniform, the dark navy hue not as bright or emboldened as she’d liked, she could’ve surveyed the entire thing and done away with it. But it wasn’t for her, which made it all the more difficult. She smothered a few wayward sighs, raised her chin, and folded it to the best of her ability, hoping a nicer presentation might give way to Peter’s potential disappointment.
Maybe that was what she dreaded the most – this poor person she didn’t even know, saddled with her pathetic, ignorant efforts.
But the day already loomed, and the gift exchange was underway, so she buckled down, committed to her part. The youth’s heart beat with a sensation of apprehension, and Fangorn was a loving soul, bouncing and bounding beside her, their connection aimed to be a comforting balance – but the girl’s hands were aflutter when she sought out the man doomed to receive her gift (and the thought loomed about him refusing it too, causing more consternation). She forced a smile along her features, generous and wide, when she approached, and hoped to all the gods he didn’t notice how much she’d struggled, or that he appreciated how much she’d still tried (did that matter?). “Hello Peter! I’m Melita. I knit you a sweater!” Would the enthusiasm in her voice betray anything? Fangorn grumbled down by her ankles, as if telling her not to continue spiraling into worry; prevailing with earnestness.
12-22-2019, 05:11 PM (This post was last modified: 12-22-2019, 05:12 PM by Oliver.)
OLIVER
With the tapestry nicely rolled up, Oliver arrived to the party where they would finally be exchanging their gifts. His heart was fluttering in his chest out of nervousness and excitement. Would Bastien like the gift? He sure hoped so. He had put in a solid couple of hours of work simply into making it, not to mention the time it took for him to actually obtain the materials to make it. Overall, it was a lot of work, not that he minded, and he could only hope that it'd be perfect for the guild.
Watching Bastien give his gift to Phoebe, he waited a bit before approaching the man, trying to hide away his nervousness. It would be obvious to those who knew him well, as his smile was a bit more awkward than normal, showing his nervous feelings. "Hey Bastien....I got you as my person. So....here."" He held out the tapestry in the palms of his hands, presenting it to the man as though he were holding up a gorgeous, shining sword. Eagerly, he watched and waited, hoping to see some sort of response from Bastien. "I hope it'll work for your guild."
12-22-2019, 07:02 PM (This post was last modified: 12-22-2019, 07:03 PM by Lily.)
LILY
oh, cover your crystal eyes and let your colors bleed and blend with mine
The entertainer is practically wiggling with delight, her gift for her friend hidden in a small leather pouch clasped tightly in her hand. She seems to be looking for someone - and when that someone is spotted, Lily very sneakily makes her way towards her fellow redhead, lurking somewhere behind her until her recipient’s gift has been delivered. A breath after Peter’s reacted to his gift, Lily moves up and taps Melita on the shoulder.
First, she offers her friend a hug. “Happy Fiat Lux, Melita!” When they part, she opens her hand and offers the medium-sized leather pouch to her friend. When opened, she would find a dazzling red, amber, and gold necklace that seems to flicker, even in low light. In the sun it would be radiant. Just like the honeybee’s hair and spirit.
“Do you like it?” she asks, almost anxiously, hoping she didn’t disappoint by not getting Melly a weapon.
---------------
Melita has received:
Fire-Stone Necklace | A beaded necklace of gold, red, and amber stones that each flicker and glow as if there are small wildfires held within, producing a small warm light. Gives off no heat. Made by Remi.
12-22-2019, 09:28 PM (This post was last modified: 12-22-2019, 09:28 PM by Sunjata.)
SuNJATA
the flood
After hunting the wolf, he’d taken the pelt to Hotaru to have to woven and changed to be quite the warm and fashionable jacket. And when the day arrives to give the gifts, he can’t help but feel a small amount of pride in the thoughtfulness he’d had with it. All it had said was a fur coat, hadn’t specified what kind of coat, what kind of fur. And so he hopes she appreciates it, the work that had gone into it.
He waits until she’s done with the gift exchange of her own, before he slips up beside Lily to drape the fur cloak around her shoulders, before he rounds to stand in front of her with a knowing smirk lingering along his face. “It’s a wolf, hope you like it.” He explains, steel eyes lighting up as he focuses on the fit of it, hoping it’s exactly what she wanted and envisioned.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Amun walked in, bold as anything, a bundle tucked under one arm. There was a wicked grin on his lips, and he whistled jauntily as he wove his way through the crowd. Luckily, it was quite, quite easy to spot his intended recipient, given that the man literally stood head and shoulders over the rest of the crowd.
Walking up to Sunjata and the much (much, much, much) shorter Lily, the Ascended grinned. ”Hey there, hot stuff. Looking good in your new cloak.” With that, he turned and presented the other man with his gift, which was wrapped in a blue cloth and tied with a blue ribbon. ”I got you everything you asked for, tall drink. Still think I can’t afford you?” The potter raised a challenging brow, though his eyes glinted with mischief, and it was clear he was totally kidding.
If and when Sunjata chose to unwrap it, he’d find an amphorae filled with blueberry wine. After hearing the genie call the bartender ‘flooded one’ the potter had added wave patterns in every shade of blue he could imagine to the pot. Remi’s addition was in there as well, a beautiful set of brass knuckles adorned with sapphires.
In addition to the amphorae with wine, Sunjata will receive the following:
Flooded Brass Knuckles | brass knuckles inlaid with sapphires. When something is hit with these, jets of water pour from the sapphires with shocking force. Made by Remi.
12-24-2019, 07:10 AM (This post was last modified: 12-29-2019, 08:53 PM by Peter.)
Peter makes sure he does not arrive last for the actual exchange let of the celebration, despite the lateness of both his entering and creating his gift. Of course, not being late certainly doesn’t mean he’s first, people mill about, some exchanging their gifts and some standing, waiting for people to either give presents to, or get presents from. It seemed he was in the former group, as he didn’t see the boisterous demigod, surely impossible to miss. He clutched his messily wrapped book to his chest, a loosely scrawled name on the front of the brown paper: Kaimana. And under that, ready to be seen when it’s torn open, in a silver ink he managed to borrow, a date, and the words Full Account of the Settlement.
Though he was waiting to give away his own gift, the person who had gotten him was already there, a girl he had to squint at, certain he’d seen her before, in passing. ”Hello” The returned greeting was all he managed to get out before she barrelled on, his eyes dropping to the neatly folded bundle in her arms. Truth be told, he has been so eager to give away his gift that he’d forgotten he was going to be reviving one too, and now here it was. The colour was perfect, and he reaches out slowly, just to feel it, before looking back up at Melita. ”Thank you.”
Unlike most days, he had put some effort into his appearance, one thing that he’d mostly meant he was in fewer layers than usual, and had a silhouette that wasn’t a mass of fabric on legs. A wonderful side effect of this was the fact that he could pull the sweater on immediately, shuffling the present awkwardly from hand to hand while he did. The material was cozy and soft, the arms extending past his hands, a fact that brought a bright smile to his face, before he remembered there we’re other people here. ”Thank you!” He repeated, with far more feeling.
She waited, almost dancing back and forth on her feet just for the sake of nerves, jittery, anxious, and restless; more or less prone to springing into action instead of patiently standing. When Peter finally did take the gift – quiet, hushed, her brazen little heart beat frantically in her chest, nodding at first so only her bright locks fluttered around as he pondered over it, as he offered his thanks. The youth wondered if he’d say anything about the weird shape, about the horrendous knitting, about how it wasn’t right at all, but then he shifted it into his hands, and put it on – and somehow, likely a miracle, it all seemed to fit together. A sensation of relief tumbled along her, and she was suddenly a lot more carefree, an easygoing smile fluttering back into place. “You’re welcome! I hope you like it!” Then she likely would’ve stayed there, awkwardly waiting for some other telltale sign, or for a comment about the sleeves not being quite the right length, when Lily tapped her on the shoulder.
The honeybee girl and Fangorn spun around, the bright, illustrious grin emboldened on her features again at the sight of her friend. “Happy Fiat Lux, Lily!” She conjured in response, then grabbed hold of her in a warm, affectionate embrace too, snarling and snagging and mighty, before parting, glancing, pondering over why -
Oh. A gift.
Truth be told, Melita had forgotten half of the things she’d written down, granting and giving so many options over the numerous plethora of things she liked and adored – and then in her worry about the knitted sweater for Peter, hadn’t thought over what she’d be receiving. Perhaps she’d lucked out in being anointed Lily, because her eyes scorched upon an absolutely beautiful necklace (balking almost at once in her head, for there was no way she deserved such a gift), like fire, like igniting embers, like coiled cinders, like the piercing lands of the Dragon’s Throat beating before her eyes. “It’s lovely,” and she wasn’t sure what else to say that could convey the amount of surprise and gratitude in her heart. “Thank you,” was entangled on a reverent whisper, as she very carefully placed her fingers around the bands of infernos. “How did you make this?”
It had taken longer than he'd expected to fire up Caiside's almost-ready forge and finish the more finicky bits of the crafting, after he'd obtained the materials at the Whispershore. Goldfish scales had needed to be lacquered to hold their shape and color, and sparkling stones had needed to be polished and fixed in metal settings. Jigano had been stealing time away from Fiat Lux preparations to work on it right up until the last minute, and he had ended with scooping them into a small folded-paper box sealed with vines and a flower courtesy of his earth magic.
He wasn't surprised to find that he was far from the first to arrive, though he was a little chagrined at how late he was. Still, it made it easy to spot Oliver 's blond head in the mix of those exchanging their gifts, and he approached the young man with a grin, offering the box proudly. "Oliver! Happy Fiat Lux! I hope you enjoy your gift."
Within the box coiled a bracelet-and-earrings-set, oval gold and silver scales gleaming in the light and hinged together with gold and silver links. Between each scale was set a shining stone from the Whispershore, red and green and blue and clear. The bracelet was a simple stretch of scales and stones, while the earrings had a single yellowish stone (likely a citrine) set at the post, and a cascade of 3 scales hanging below, each hinged with another, smaller colored stone before the second set of scales that hung below them so that they would chime and swing when Oliver walked.
____
oh, cover your crystal eyes and let your colors bleed and blend with mine
The entertainer is all smiles as she watches Melita take the necklace. Is that a pleased look in her eye? She wavers for a moment, but the whisper of thanks tells her what she wants to know and the small dose of anxiety settles in her stomach. “Oh, I didn’t, I just had the idea!” she exclaims with a laugh. “Remi helped. With the glowy bits. And the replication. I have it’s twin, minus the fire-like part.” And maybe one day they could wear the necklaces together.
“Let me put it on you.” Motioning for Melita to turn around so she can clasp it around her neck, she proceeds to do so if her friend lets her. And as she lets the beautiful red curls fall back against her neck, Lily feels something heavy drop on her shoulders. Letting loose a little squeak of surprise, she twists halfway around and sees Sunjata behind her (what a train they make!). Her hands fly to the thing and feel the soft, thick outer fur, causing her to gasp in surprise. A coat! The very thing she’d asked for!
And a wolf one that that. My, is she impressed.
Following his path as he comes around, she looks at the man with apparent awe and adoration. The impulse to kiss him is there - so she does - chastely, this time. Taking his hands if he’ll allow, she lifts herself to her toes and offers him a kiss on the cheek. “I love it, it’s perfect.”
The surprise works out well, as Lily is nearly shocked by the sudden weight on her shoulders. And he smiles perhaps a bit brighter as he rounds to stand before her, somewhere near Melita whom he nods his head to and winks before turning his attention back into Lily wearing the fur cloak. And the look on her face is enough to have made it worth it, his eyes lighting up as she takes his hands and he squeezes her own gently, ducking his head and height enough to meet her half way as she places a kiss to his stubbles cheek. His own meet her own cheek before he pulls back and nods.
“Good, I’m glad. I hunted it myself.” He says, leaning into her space to tell her as though he’s telling her some secret. But before he can make much more of a comment, Amun approaches and greets Lily, before turning his attention onto Sunjata, and the panther removes his hands from Lily’s to grasp at the items with a grin forming, a deep rumble of a chuckle leaving him.
“Gods, I didn’t expect you to get all of it. I just didn’t know what to ask for.” He admits, giving the man a bright smirk. “Though for these alone you might be able to afford me.” He winks, reaching for the brass knuckles specifically to inspect them. The blue of the sapphires matches his tattoos in a way that surprises him, but he appreciates every second of it. “Thank you. They’re lovely.” He imagines he’ll display the wine and the rest of it at the bar. The brass knuckles though? Those are going with him.
love will save you, but it won't save me
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
But she’d cherish it all the same too – swallowing down the tiny bits of apprehension collecting in her throat, because it was like fire, precious and fleeting, powerful and potent, and everything she wished she could be. She’d have to thank Remi when she saw him next, generous and wonderful all the more, and Lily had the twin – her heart bloomed and blossomed, a shuddering sigh quaking through her lungs. “Thank you!” Which felt like she could say it over and over again and not express enough gratitude; turning around so Lily could place it around her neck. No heat presided from its essence, despite the alluring materials and substance, but still a beatific flicker and glow, warm light, indulgent, tranquil, like embers along a hearth.
As Lily squeaked, Melita glanced over her shoulder to see one more had been included in their train of granting and gifting – smirking cheekily and lightly at Sunjata as he proffered to the other redhead.
12-29-2019, 07:55 PM (This post was last modified: 12-29-2019, 07:55 PM by Kaimana.)
You show up a little bit late because you are often late to things because you get terribly distracted like a small child had Important Observing Of Things to do. But you show up, which is good- because you have a gift to give.
You're carrying the big basket bed thing your arms as you approach the bard and his companion, grinning over your prize with brown eyes shining. "Hi, Isuma! I made you a bed!" The bed is made of aromatic pine limbs, sanded down and woven together through magic. There's a pile of snow moss growing inside, coating the limbs happily and growing rich and dense. "I hope you like it!" you say almost shyly, your freckled face flushed.
