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!
For some reason, Abasi began moving them in a specific direction. Loren followed, but it took him a moment to figure out it was to extract them from the crowd. As they approached the fence, he released the undertaker. The summoner leaned against the fence, eyes half-veiled as he waited for the other man's response.
At the end of it, the Launceleyn bit his lip. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "That's good. And I understand not being able to break the habits and customs of a lifetime." He gave Abasi a tentative smile. However, the summoner didn't move from the fence.
light is precious in a world so dark begin at the beginning
tell a story. make some light
Well, the mood had definitely slapped to the ground like a wet pancake (very ancient Egyptian metaphor); Abasi nearly cringed as Loren's hands left him and went to push through his hair, the picture of an uncomfortable man.
"You know...there a lot of customs and traditions here that would be deeply offensive to me, if I was not willing to learn and accept new things." He pointed out, looking over the dancing people, the way they twirled and jumped about happily; so alien from his old life. "The way the dead are treated, the strange matter of your Gods, the way people speak..." Abasi shook his head, sighing before he looked back to Loren.
"It is only natural that Outlanders from different places would have different moral beliefs and traditions, isn't it?" Maybe harping on this was a bad idea, maybe it was best to just let it be, but Abasi found himself a little defensive, uncomfortable himself in a way he wasn't quite sure how to recognise.
01-10-2020, 02:43 PM (This post was last modified: 01-10-2020, 02:43 PM by Loren.)
LOREN
Loren sighed, and looked past Abasi at the happy dancers. Although he did his best to hide it, the summoner’s expression was still troubled. "I said that I understood. And that I applauded you for trying to accept customs and traditions that are difficult for you to swallow. I know how hard that is." His voice came out quietly.
Finally his gaze returned to the undertaker's face. "It's only natural, yes. But I have to know, are you asking me to try and accept slavery?" The Launceleyn's voice still came out softly, but there was a quiet intensity to it. And his eyes had lost their sparkle and their joy as he continued to steadily regard the other man.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Abasi realised, as Loren spoke, that he probably would have done better to not continue at all, but he had, so now he had to try and save himself from the hole he was digging.
"No. I would not ask you to simply accept any of my beliefs. You are a grown man with your own thoughts and experiences, after all." Besides, as he'd said, he had no plans to gain any slaves, nor encourage the practice in Caido. It wasn't his place anyway, and he had found he didn't need them. Whether or not the true moral wrongs of the concept had reached him was a different matter, but there was no intention.
He leaned back against the fence with crossed arms. "I understand the reasoning people hold against it. And in fact, perhaps in this world, I would agree. It seems here people are made equal, even the Abandoned have a chance at redemption. Where I came from..." With a sideways glance to Loren, Abasi wondered if what he was about to say would make it all worse. "Those suited to a life of servitude were made from the mud and unworthy of the higher things in the land. To live a good life and be obedient was a chance to rise in your next life. I am sure I have had previous lives of working for others, to have been born where I was."
Loren frowned for a brief moment. However, he soon sighed, and shook his head. ”Okay, well, I didn't accept it. I don't accept slavery." He felt his hands clench into fists before he forced them to relax. "It's wrong to own people, to make them subservient to your will, and to deny them their freedom." Though the words were quiet, there was a great deal of intensity to them.
However, as the conversation went on, he crossed his arms and found himself unable to look at Abasi. "Did you see them get made from the mud? Or was that just a convenient story in order to justify a system that benefited you?" Again, there was an edge to the summoner's voice, one that surprised even him.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
"I assumed you believed that and I will not try to convince you away from it." Abasi had no interest in proselytising his position to the people of the Hollowed Grounds.
Loren did not seem to want to look at him anymore, a bad sign indeed; Abasi had not predicted that this could have been such a large issue. If he had known he would have simply not mentioned it.
But he was here now, and Loren was questioning his people's beliefs and traditions, and he could not sit by and let that happen, even if Loren was important to him. "Of course I didn't see it. It happened before time, when the Gods were making the Earth. How you think you know better than I about my own world I don't know. It is a fair system - men serve until they can be more. My own father, to pay a debt, placed himself into servitude for a time. Many slaves buy their own freedom or own houses." He really was beginning to feel defensive now, sensing that Loren did not think of Egypt as the oasis of intellect and civilisation that Abasi did.
At Abasi's explanation of what he assumed about the conversation, Loren simply nodded. When the undertaker got defensive, however, the summoner sighed, and rubbed his temples. "You're right. I'm sorry." Although his voice was truly contrite, his eyes were troubled.
Tapping the fingers of his left hand against his thigh, he looked back at the festival grounds beyond the dance floor. "I should probably get back to manning the Loreseekers booth." The words came out quietly, barely audible above the music. He made no move to leave just yet, still leaning against the fence. His eyes drifted back to the other man as the Launceleyn bit his lip.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Loren apologised, said Abasi was right....yet somehow, it didn't feel like a victory. Especially not when the man declared he had to leave a moment later, a clear show of discomfort. Abasi's chest felt uncomfortably full in the way that happened during tense moments like this; how had their pleasant dance devolved so quickly?
"The stall will be fine." Jigano was there caring for it and Abasi was sure the bard ran a tight ship. "You promised me at the beginning of our relationship that we would be honest. Then, if this viewpoint of mine makes you think me a brute, a monster, say so. It is always best to work from a foundation of the truth." He hated things unsaid, glances that were more than just looks, words with double meanings - it was best if Loren just spoe out all his frustrations, so they could see what they were working with.
Loren’s fingers tapped a more rapid beat against his thighs as Abasi continued speaking. ”I don’t think it makes you a monster or a brute.” The words came out quietly, and yet they were half-choked.
Finally, the summoner took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Can we have this conversation somewhere a little more private?" He glanced around at the happy dancers, the sunny Fiat Lux for now, a totally inappropriate setting for the discussion that the undertaker apparently wanted to have.
Assuming the other man was amenable, the summoner would lead them away from the dance floor. Finding a hidden spot tucked between two currently unmanned stalls, he ducked into it. It was a little cramped, especially because the Launceleyn was still reluctant to touch Abasi. Still, Loren studied the undertaker's features. ”Were you ever a slave?” The question came out barely above a whisper.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Loren's assurance was difficult to take as genuine when it seemed to be such a struggle for him to say, the man nearly choking on his words; he was right when he pointed out it contrasted with the mood of the event. This felt like a conversation for a dark bedroom or a quiet, tense isolated place. "Yes. Let's."
He followed Loren willingly, assuming he would know better where they might get some privacy in the midst of the festival. As he walked he expected to, once they stopped, receive a barrage of harsh words about his position on this matter, maybe an attack on his character...instead, Loren's question threw him off.
Frowning for a moment, quiet, he looked down to the ground, the trodden grass of the field. "..Yes, briefly. My family accrued many debts and I was expected to assist in helping to pay them. I served a family for half a year." Abasi did not like to speak of this; it was shameful. "Does that...change your mind on it?"
As they hid from the rest of the festival, Loren became increasingly aware of their proximity. However, he hovered just apart from Abasi. When the undertaker looked away, however, and spoke in an ashamed tone, the summoner felt his expression sink. Lifting a hand, he rested it gently on the other man's shoulder.
The Launceleyn didn't respond at first. Instead he simply gave Abasi a gentle squeeze. "Maybe" Loren tilted his head. "How did that make you feel? From your tone and your posture, it sounds like it was an unpleasant experience, and that you didn't have a choice in the matter." His voice was shockingly gentle and sympathetic, though his eyes were sad.
But not pitying.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
The hand on his shoulder was the most contact Loren had given him since their stilted conversation on the topic of slavery had begun; Abasi looked up at the touch, perhaps a little hope in his eyes that it was going to be dropped.
No such luck, however. Loren had more questions, and he tried to look amenable as he gave an answer. "It was shameful, because of my noble family. It is a thing many people do, but there is still an element of disgust held towards those that must take the position." He paused after saying this, tapping his fingers idly against the stall next to him. He knew that wasn't the answer Loren wanted; he assumed the man wanted him to say it was awful, so that Loren could point out that was how the slaves must have felt normally.
But...it had been bad for him because of his noble background. Somehow, he suspected that wouldn't go down well. "...I think it is becoming rapidly clear that the systems in our worlds were different and that perhaps our different viewpoints are due to those different ways the world worked. If you'd like one day I could sit down and explain the entire way the power in Egypt worked; this kind of piecemeal explanation is not serving either of us well."
01-15-2020, 07:31 PM (This post was last modified: 01-15-2020, 07:31 PM by Loren.)
LOREN
Loren gave Abasi another reassuring squeeze, though the summoner’s smile looked a bit forced. He was still deciding how to respond to the undertaker’s initial comment when the other man offered to continue the conversation at a later date, in a more appropriate setting.
Slowly, the Launceleyn nodded. "Yes. I think that would be good." Hesitating, eyes suddenly troubled, he dropped his hand and rubbed his wrist a bit nervously. "There are...things that you should probably know about me, as well." Unsurprisingly, he couldn't quite meet Abasi's gaze. "I am excited to get to know you better though." Loren's tone was tentative, and he glanced back the way they came. "Would you like to go back to dancing?"
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Loren seemed willing to drop it for the moment, though Abasi half wished they could continue the conversation as the Launceleyn spoke of 'things' Abasi ought to know - had Loren not been entirely honest with him so far? If he found that was the case, it would be a problem indeed.
He looked back to the dancing couples, took in a breath as he glanced over their happy faces; he found he was no longer in the mood to put up with it. "...No, I...think I might simply go home, actually. We can speak later." With a (admittedly weak) smile he would turn and try to walk away, unless Loren stopped him. Of course, Abasi would not make it home before the festival erupted into disaster, but he did not know for a blessed few moments more.
