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!
'Ocean...There is one. Once the portal is complete in Halo, it will lead to the ocean..." But it's your mind blurs, all memory of Torchline completely gone.
Sitting up, you peer down at Amun as his fingers remove the square. You blink at it in the dim light finding it hard to differentiate. It looked...remarkably plain. As he rolls up his sleeve you bristle for a moment, the constant worry of physical contact very near to the surface especially after Fiat Lux, but relax as he places the patch on himself.
It makes the skin look bruised almost as it reflects the purples and reds of the sky. Tilting your head to the side like an inquisitive dog might, you glance up at Amun before returning to the strangely-coloured skin. "How...does it work? What is it?" Consider your curiosity captured.
i think i'll pass on the summer
don't wanna fall for it this time
Nodding at Oia’i’o’s comment, Amun turned his head to look at her. ”Torchline, yes. There are islands there too, and a tropical climate. Though if Caido is the only continent, I imagine there are other oceans out there too.” For a moment, the potter’s voice was filled with longing.
It ebbed out of him slowly as he let her examine the square more closely. At her question, he shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. I stumbled upon it while I was exploring the Underground and something called to me. Near as I can tell, it lets me alter the appearance of my body that's underneath it to a small degree. It responds to my thoughts." To demonstrate, he had it make his skin scarred and pockmarked.
"Or just one large one. If there is only one landmass, wouldn't it make sense that it was all the same ocean?" You don't notice the longing, it being far too subtle an emotion for you to pick up on. Instead you ask, "How do you know? About the islands and oceans?"
Your mouth makes an O of surprise at his words and the changes. 'It called to you...Does it have something to do with you being an ascended? Or are you speaking metaphorically?"
i think i'll pass on the summer
don't wanna fall for it this time
Amun nodded thoughtfully at Oia'io's words. "I suppose you're right." When she asked how he knew, he simply shrugged. "The Voice told me." The admission came out softly, though without any trepidation.
Shifting his skin back to its normal appearance, though not removing the patch, he lowered his arm. "Ascended can scan their bodies to check for any damage or changes. I was doing a routine scan, and it alerted me that there was something in the area I should look into. I have no idea why or how." He shrugged again, then tilted his head slightly so he could look at her. "Have you heard of anything like that?"
It makes sense to you that the Voice held such information, but not why she would share it. Though perhaps that was a bit of how she held her strange created-family together: morsels of information that would leave them craving more. That, and the fact that she quite literally sustained them, so perhaps bribery wasn't needed.
At his question, you shake your head. "No, never. But information about the ascended outside of this area is extremely limited. Most of the records have been lost or destroyed over the years. Many thought there would never be a day we saw ascendeds again, and so it didn't seem important." You pause thoughtfully. "I wish I could do scans of things. That would be quite useful."
i think i'll pass on the summer
don't wanna fall for it this time
Amun listened silently as Oia’i’o explained that Ascended were relatively unknown outside the Hollowed Ground. "Good to know. Is that why you asked me all those questions when we first met?" His tone was still quiet.
Shrugging when she mentioned she might want the ability to scan herself, he moved his hands back behind his head. ”It's quite useful, yes. Maybe if you talk to The Voice she’d be willing to grant you the ability.” Finally he sat up.
However, he didn't move from her side quite yet. Instead, he just continued to quietly watch as the sun continued its steady descent and night continued to fall.
"Confirmation." You reply, nodding slightly. "Rae has tasked Kai and I with observing this area. I take it one of the primary reasons other than it being a closed ecosystem for three centuries, is the presence of the ascended."
You consider this thoughtfully for a moment. "I wonder if that is allowed. I doubt Rae would mind." You add as your mind moves the idea around like a tongue might a piece of candy.
You don't necessarily watch Amun as he sits up, your peripheral vision giving you more than enough information about roughly what he's doing. Unlike most you don't feel the need to mirror movements to make yourself or others feel more comfortable. It simply isn't something that you understand.
"When the Voice makes Outlanders, she is forced to fit them into whatever race most suits who they were before. Or else she would make everyone an ascended. That you are one means you share something with them. What do you think it is?"
i think i'll pass on the summer
don't wanna fall for it this time
01-21-2020, 08:18 PM (This post was last modified: 01-21-2020, 08:18 PM by Amun.)
amun
At Oia’i’o’s question about Amun’s past, he hesitated. For a long while, he didn’t respond, just watching the sun as it continued its steady course into night. Finally, he shrugged. ”Could be any number of things.”
He drew his knees up to his chest. ”In my world, I was...well, I was very different. I had lived a devout life in service to the god of the moon. For my piety, I was placed among the heavens. ”I don't know how long I was there. Seconds, centuries, maybe? Time was immaterial.” For just a moment, his eyes tightened with grief. "Then I fell to earth and I was...different than I had been before. During the night, I was beautiful, horned, and glowing. I was immortal, though I could be killed, and I sustained myself off the moon’s light. During the day, though, I was turned into a normal human.”
He glanced over at the demi-god. ”That was my plight, cursed to lose my form every day and regain it every night. I lived like that for many years, making the most of my life. Then I was brought here.” Shrugging, he looked back at the sky. ”I imagine I became an Ascended because I was already an immortal creature of the night that needed nothing but the sustenance from my god.”
Just as you're about to huff at this answer, it being any number of things is precisely why you asked as you haven't the ability to narrow it down on your own, you fall silent as his explanation begins. You don't notice the changes in his posture, the weariness that threatens to creep in nor the grief. You, observer of this world, fail to see much when it comes to things like this.
"Like a jellyfish." You whisper, picturing Amun now as an ethereal sea-creature rather than what he actually had been. 'Why was it a plight?" You want to know. Most creatures change at night; metabolism slows, mental functions tend to cease. "Many species of plants demonstrate the same sort of physical changes from night to day."
Pulling out your notebook and sitting up as well, you record this under a section heading that already has Amun's name.
i think i'll pass on the summer
don't wanna fall for it this time
Oia’i’o’s comment was so unexpected that Amun shot her a startled glance. ”What do you mean, like a jellyfish?” Turning his head so he could look at her more fully, he gave her a confused and slightly bemused look.
However, all traces of amusement slipped away when she asked her question. "I guess it wasn't so bad. But I had no control over the transformation, and I missed my more beautiful form during the day. And at night, I missed my time in the heavens." The words came out quietly. At the end of them, he raised his eyes to the sky once more, which was becoming more night than day at this point.
"Based on the rate their cells change they are effectively immortal. And many species glow and possess certain features that look like horns." You reply with a small smile. You aren't sure how you know this...and you scribble down a note to ask Kai about it when you see him next.
"You don't have control over lots of things. Why did that bother you so much? And why did you miss having it during the day? What's wrong with the night?"
i think i'll pass on the summer
don't wanna fall for it this time
Amun nodded. ”Ah. I see. I didn’t know that about jellyfish.” He glanced over at her, legs still pressed to his chest. "No, I actually had horns. They curled like a rams, they were indestructible, and they shimmered like an opal." His words were a little amused.
Shrugging, he went back to watching the pretty colors of the sunset. "Because I don't like to feel like I'm not in control of my life. I missed it during the day because it was more enjoyable being beautiful, beloved, and powerful than it was being a normal human. And there's nothing wrong with the night. It just...couldn't compare to being one with the cosmos."
You shake your head as your stomach tightens and you sit up. "I don't understand that." You say, though strangely it's without judgment. Normally you would judge since it sounds like egoism and pride wrapped together, but for now, you merely shrug at it.
"I should go. It's almost the time when Kai and I begin our bedtime rituals." So saying you stand, brushing some of the lingering grasses off of you. This is difficult given that, you know, the stiller you are, the more one with nature you become. Literally.
"Departure formalities." You say and even wave, before disappearing back towards your woodland hideaway.
~FIN
i think i'll pass on the summer
don't wanna fall for it this time
