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!
The pounding of his feet as he jogs towards the dancing area matches the thump of his heartbeat, hand still wrapped over Oliver's wrist to drag him onward. Lily's voice rises above the crowd, the music writhing like it's alive, and Harper whoops happily as he spins to face Oliver smoothly on the balls of his feet. "Come on!" He reaches to grasp both of the other man's hands, to spin them in a few crazed circles before attempting to lead Oliver through a few spins under his arms. Content to make mistakes, to bumble around the grass and merely enjoy being close, dancing, sharing the joy of spring with friendship.
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
A loud laugh leaves Oliver as he is dragged over to the dance floor. Or well, less dragged and more like he happily ran along with Harper, clearly excited to dance for the first time since coming here. He could vaguely remember dancing, but he hadn't really done it yet, so this should be a fun adventure. "I honestly haven't danced in ages, so I guess you'll have to take the lead." Oliver grins at the other man and throws in a wink at him, his voice ever so slightly flirty. And take the lead he does. Harper is easy to read when dancing, allowing the two to move smoothly, Oliver’s body gracefully sliding to where Harper commanded him to. All in all, it’s tons of fun.
Once the two had properly started dancing, Oliver was faced with a situation. An inner battle, of sorts. Should he wait before popping the question? Or what if he waited and then his entire chance was completely ruined. Once they weren’t moving around wildly, Oliver decided to take a chance. With a soft sigh, he smiled at Harper and spoke in a quiet, but genuine, tone. He didn't want to ruin the dancing for anyone else. "Would you possibly be interested in coming over to my place after the festival ends? I have alcohol back in my room and some baked goods, if you'd be interested." He had high hopes that Harper would accept his offer, wanting to spend way more time with the man. "Seeing as we probably wont be able to spend too much time together at the festival. You could show me some acrobatics and I could show you my tattoos and other talents."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Harper grins, face alight with the warmth of his exuberance and joy. "I'll take that as a challenge!" He has no problems with leading, with taking them spinning and tripping over the grass, directing Oliver wherever he desires. Oliver follows along flawlessly behind Harper's broadcasted motions, spinning beneath his arms and around his body to the beat of the music. It's graceful, enjoyable, and gets his blood pumping delightfully as Lily's vocals lead them through the throng of other dancers.
Until he notices Oliver's distant gaze, and begins to slow until they're mostly rocking back and forth in small circles, Harper shooting the other man a curious look. When he speaks it's quiet, and Harper is grateful for having slowed their pace so that he can lean in and listen, better hear the words that fill the space between them. The offer makes his features soften, smiling gently. To Harper, there was no need to have been nervous about asking in any way. "Of course, I'd love to hang out after the festival! I'm not a big drinker but I'm sure we can loosen up for a night. I can find you after it winds down here?" He's not sure where Oliver lives, and would rather not go stumbling through the Domiciles blindly at night knocking on every door.
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
The two move beautifully together. Oliver puts all his trust into Harper and moves wherever the other man guides him, his feet falling gracefully and his body twirls around the other man, moving to the vibrant tune being sung to them. The time seemed to stop as Oliver moved in synch. A smile had appeared on his face and he truly was at peace.
The dancing slowed down and he found the perfect opportunity to pop his question. Part of him was worried Harper had plans already or maybe he’d find someone else to go home with, but instead he was happy to receive the exact response he wanted. Oliver grinned from ear to ear and he nodded. ”Great! We don’t have to drink too much, just light stuff. Just find me whenever you’re done and we can head back over.” He’d get the time to simply hang out with Harper, see how things were going with him.
”For now, I want you to show me what you got! Dance with me like there’s no tomorrow.”
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
The idea of having friends so soon after being dropped in this new world warms Harper to the core. He'd never had an abundance of friends in his own world, living in a city too rough-edged for people to trust his goodhearted nature. He's like a flower finally getting the sunlight it needs to survive, thriving beneath the friendship and attention offered to him. So of course he accepts, and he squeezes Oliver's hands to punctuate his agreement.
"Sounds like fun! I'll be there." If he knew what was coming when Oliver says to dance like there's no tomorrow, perhaps his grin wouldn't have been so bright and mischievous. Maybe he wouldn't have spun Oliver back into a circle, dancing to the rhythm that seems to vibrate the very earth beneath their feet. But Harper is not omniscient, cannot see the future, and so he dances carefree and happy with his friend across the grass without thinking of what may come next.
some things take insane bravery
but after that, you'll be free
Even when Oliver and Harper had only known each other for a short period of time, they still managed to enjoy each other's company. The two spun with each other, Oliver occasionally tripping over his feet but quickly jumping right back into things. Sometimes, they'd manage to move in perfect sync, Oliver moving with Harper's arms guiding him, understanding what he wanted without a single word uttered. It was a beautiful sight, truly, to see two friends simply enjoying themselves.
The smile on Oliver's face was a genuine one. One that was excited for the prospect of spending more time with Harper, happy that his question hadn't completely failed. He was in an innocent bliss, one that was completely ignoring the idea of anything going wrong. He had no idea what would eventually happen and was only left with happy thoughts of the future of their night. Imagining what may happen between the two or what else Oliver could enjoy at the festival.
Finished?
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
