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!
Alright, so her cat form is definitely more sexy than her bird form. The bird can sing the fuck out of any sunrise and move unseesn through the world, but the cat? The cat can saunter and prowl and coil alluringly (if you’re in to that kind of thing, of course), and after she’s given herself a thorough bath, she fucking shines like fire and onyx. Cat-Lily has spent several hours admiring herself in the mirror prior to coming to find Sunjata, so she is quite confident about how she looks.
Padding through the domiciles with her beacon of a tail at full mast, it’s early evening when Cat-Lily makes her way to the VlamVloed. A couple of days to recover from the Fiat Lux disaster and she’s still sore but more or less alright. The healing magic did the trick on her legs and someone was able to push her shoulder back into place. What Lily has conveniently missed is the Phoebe drama and is very unaware that the man she currently has an interest in is more or less spoken for, causing her to peek in to the bar through an open window (it’s hot, ok? Of course windows are open) - and when she finds the bar unattended for the moment, hops in. Skirting across the floor, the red cat leaps up to the bartop and settles there, content to wait as big, pale green eyes scan the place.
Well, it’s almost his wedding day — and without being drunk and emotionless as he wanted to be, he’s stuck trying to keep from doing too many things to keep his mind busy. His breathing still crackles, lungs still full of fluid, and he hates it the more and more it moves on. The bar has been slow, it’s too bright and too hot to be drinking, he supposes. But at the end of the day it’s fucking dull. He’s wearing little more than a pair of pants and a sleeveless shirt, the tattoos along his shoulder on full display.
And when he rounds the corner from the back rooms of the bar and spots a cat just sitting there — copper and onyx fur shining like a living flame, his brows furrow briefly as he comes to stand on the other side of the bar, facing the bar. “Hello, you.” He says softly, edge of his lip curling up in a small smile. “Are you hungry?” Not thinking the cat might be Attuned, Sunjata leans back slightly, arms braced on his edge of the bar, waiting to see if she comes closer.
i'll never be that me again
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.
He appears! Turning to look at Jata as he makes his entrance, Lily chirps at him after he asks if she’s hungry. His distance and quiet tone make her think he’s rather oblivious (which makes her wonder if there are a plethora of cats that show up to his bar on any given day - is this normal for him?) to the fact that the cat may be more human than feline. But oh, the entertainer is up for games and is more than willing to play along for a bit.
Her tail flicks back and forth as if deciding whether or not he’s trustworthy (an equally feline and human conundrum), and eventually rises, slowly coming closer. She stops about three quarters of the way to him and meows inquiringly, sitting back down and blinking at him, before she’s momentarily distracted by a fly buzzing in through the open window.
It’s quite possible that strays do arrive often, given he harbors a feline shift himself. Perhaps it makes them more prone to him, perhaps they’re just cold and want a place to get out of the rain and mud of Flowerbirth. But her presence doesn’t surprise him, nor does it when she debates whether to come closer. He remains still, solid, unmoving to let her decide. Her small meows do elicit a slightly broader smile to cross his face, and he tilts his head slightly as he looks to the other feline.
“Alright then.” He says, pushing himself away from the bar and slipping through the door to the side, and when he returns a few moments later, there’s a plate with a bit of fish left over on it that he sets along the bar and leans against it once more. “Eat up, vuur.” He rumbles, head tilting slightly as he nicknames her something in his language.
i'll never be that me again
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.
01-04-2020, 02:16 AM (This post was last modified: 01-04-2020, 02:17 AM by Lily.)
LILY
Her paws press against the wooden top in anticipation - it’s some weird version of him making her dinner, almost - but she’s curious what eating while in cat form will taste like. Will things taste different? Will she want anything more than meat? To what extent does her human brain override her animal brain? Sunjata returns and the smell of fish hits her and fuck it smells good. Her little paw reaches out to try and grab the plate except - of course she can’t, she has no hands!
Up on her hind legs just a tad, she waits for the man to set it down and then investigates. Seems alright. Also fucking weird to eat without utensils, but… here she goes. Nose to dish, she eats as daintily as she can until the food is all gone. Tongue darting out over her mouth, her teeth, and she takes a paw to her whiskers for a hot second before looking at Sunjata.
That was lovely, thank you. What does vuur mean? And do you have any vegetables? After all, a well-balanced meal is of the utmost importance. And it turns out her human brain wins this round.
He doesn’t bother that cat as she eats, just simply spends the time glancing around the bar for more things to do, unsure where to start or what to do after the next couple of days are through. He doesn’t notice when Lily stops eating, when she cleans herself, when she moves away from the dish. No, his attention shifts back to her when he hears her speak, steel eyes darting to hers with a coy smirk along his lips.
“Means Fire.” He begins with a slight huff of amusement. “I’m sure it can be arranged. But have you come to compare notes?” He asks with a tilt of his head. It doesn’t last long as he shifts to his panther form, hopping up onto the bar to see her eye to eye. I thought you’d get something bigger, Lily. He teases her, his attuned voice deeper and more accented as he lowers his broad face to hers.
i'll never be that me again
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.
Yeah, compare notes, let’s call it that. I like it, Lily hums non-committaly as Sunjata reveals his panther form, cat eyes far less readable than what her human expressions might have betrayed. Black suits him. The big, predator is easily five times her size, but she cheekily reminds him when they’re eye-to-eye, size isn't everything, Sunjata. It's what you do with it. Which, given his apparent proclivity towards big, black things, she cattily wonders whether or not he’s packing in the pants department.
My bird is even smaller - you’d never even know I was there, the cat says with a gentle little boop of her paw against his flat nose. Which may be the point. Secrets are so much easier to acquire when people aren’t expecting a normal, average, everyday bird to be listening.
She comments on his panther form, and he lowers himself along the bar top – steel eyes focusing on the small feline before him as his whiskers flicker while she gives him a somewhat cheeky response. A snort is sent down the bond, amusement tracing it. Ah, indeed it is. He agrees, head tilting to inspect her further, long dark tail sweeping up to brush by her fiery fur. But when she mentions her bird form is smaller, his head cocks curiously.
The boop to his nose does add a small amount more of amusement before he shakes his large, square head again. Is that so? I can’t say the same for mine. He offers, shifting before her into his macaw form, the hues of the feathers matching tattoos inked along his body with near perfection, though they shimmer in the light in reality. Dark eyes ringed with gold inspect the cat before he shifts back into his panther form, listening to the question as he flexes his claws along the bar top.
I didn’t. I didn’t want to possibly shred up what might make for a good coat, you see. His gaze flits back to her, nothing but a hum and amusement that leaves him as he continues. Took my bow and arrows and took it down that way. Old fashioned, if you will. A playful wink is sent her way, the briefest rumbles of a deep purr within his throat.
i'll never be that me again
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.
Watching him shift from a sleek black panther to blue and purple macaw leaves her slightly envious of her own forms - which, don’t get her wrong, suit her. They are her sex and her voice, they are her hardworking past and she understands now what they mean when they say the soul is attuned. Lily simply is not the fighter Sunjata is. She has her own life and she lives it just fine - and she has her friends to protect her. He can protect her, she imagines, rather well.
Green eyes study the macaw and then she suddenly shifts into a nondescript brown bird. Tilting her head up at the bigger, colorful specimen, it isn’t until she opens her mouth that he can see what’s special about that form. The clear, high-pitched song of the nightingale rings from her open beak, a pulse of contentment and happiness coming along with it.
The back to cats they go, and Lily flops to her side, tail-flicking idly. Ahhh, good call. I really do love it, and thank goodness it survived the mud and everything. A little cat side-eye from her as she eyes the man.Did you… come through the disaster alright?
He would protect her, if it came down to it. But that’s exactly what he was – a protector, a fighter, a soldier, born and bred for the best of all traits. Though that could be debatable, depending on who was asking. Where Lily excelled in her own traits, Sunjata also excelled for far different reasons. But that’s fine, they each have their part to play in the end. Still, he’s surprised to see her shift into a small almost nondescript bird, wondering where all the flair and pomp has gone with a shift such as that – but then she opens her beak and the song that leaves is incredible, and he pulses back his own pleasant surprise back to her happiness and contentment.
Shifting back into the panther is easier, and he lets his steel gaze linger on the feline as she flops onto her side. Her question does give him a small pang of regret, however, sure that she can feel it as he tilts his head away from her to look out over the empty bar. I’m glad you made it out. He offers, before his broad head swings back to her. I was stuck in the monster when it barreled through the Festival. But… Aside from some lung condition, I’m okay. He shrugs his feline shoulders, laying onto his own side and letting his whiskers flicker with it.
If the mud did get it I would’ve got you another one. There’s a small amount of amusement beneath that tone – sure that if it had become destroyed the day he’d gifted it to her, that he would’ve done something about it.
i'll never be that me again
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.
Back to the cat it is, since there’s not much to admire other than the bird’s song (which is lovely, but also one hundred percent not why she’s here). More or less, she agrees with the tiniest of nods, not really wanting to think about the Fiat Lux disaster - even if his offer to replace the item was above and beyond generous. What a gentlemanly offer, she purrs, simultaneously trying to ease the tension and begin teasing him again.
She remains sitting while he lays on his side, quietly admiring the dark sleekness and big-cat-muscle that she’ll never have - or need, really. So, those notes… I have to say, I think you got cheated. Frey is hands-down the way to go for Attuning. And she’ll seriously consider cat-fighting anyone who tries to say otherwise.
There’s an attempt at a purr that leaves his own throat in response, but it comes out somewhere akin to a growl. And he tilts his feline head toward her with soft steel eyes. I aim to please. He muses, the feeling of a chuckle shifting from his side of the bond over toward her.
But in response to her notes Sunjata drifts nearer, until his face is before her, large head on his large paws in comparison to her. Is that so?” He asks, rolling over into his back and shifting into himself, gazing at the cat as he lays atop the bar. “Do indulge me, Lily.” He rumbles, winking to her.
i'll never be that me again
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.
Her whiskered nose twitches as he gets close. She blinks slowly as he flips on his back and then shifts back to human. Well, now that she’s not pretending to be a real cat anymore, she might as well turn back to her human self too. Plus - hands. She really appreciates her hands now.
When she turns back, she’s sitting on the bar while Sunjata lounges, her legs over the lip, looking down at him. There’s a self-satisfied smile on her face as she recalls the day everything changed. “Mhmmm. Well, you got a kiss. And I got an orgasm. A full-bodied rebirthing. Pleasure in every inch of my body. And that explosion… pushed me out of my normal, boring being and in to this being. This… Attuned body.”
She giggles impulsively. “And then we lounged together. In a sunswept meadow.” And it was glorious.
She shifts back into her beautiful self, and Sunjata smirks toward her as he remains upside down – steel gaze simmering as he listens while she speaks, conveys, explains how she’s changed. And to be honest? He’s not too terribly surprised. It is Frey, after all. Anything less would be an absolute disappointment. Still, he offers her a small smirk in understanding, listening to her giggles as though they’re music to his ears.
“Mmm. Frey does seem the type to make you think you’re getting reborn, I imagine.” A thoughtful turn of his head to that, toward the bottles that linger on the back wall of the bar behind it. “What I wouldn’t give to have an earth shattering experience such as that.” He teases her lightly, eyes lifting to meet her again with a wink.
i'll never be that me again
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.
