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!
With everything moving so quickly after the festival, from the loss of the boys to the wedding to summarily moving out...checking on those he cares for had unfortunately taken a bit of time. Though the irony of now living in the same place Oliver had wanted to invite him to is not beyond him, and in fact quite humorous to the man. It takes a bit of hunting to find where the other man resides in a manor as big as the one they're in, and longer still to catch Oliver at a time when he's actually there, but finally he seems to have struck at a good time.
Or at least he thinks so. There is movement and light in the room beyond spilling out from the bottom of the door, which is at least promising. Lifting a hand with a sheepish smile already forming, Harper raps his knuckles against the wood and hopes that his friend is willing to entertain a bit of company tonight. He may have come prepared, but he hasn't even given Oliver a chance to expect him. Time to roll the dice.
Oliver had gotten the chance to check in on most of the people he cared about. Most. Almost everyone he had run into in some capacity or had heard through word of mouth that they were okay. There was one individual that he wanted to see, to know with his own eyes that he was okay. And that was Harper.
He hadn't really gotten any real opportunities to talk with Harper, especially considering he left the wedding super early before any of the chaos went down. So much had happened since they spoke at Fiat Lux and Oliver wanted to make sure Harper was okay, that the man hadn't been too badly hurt in the attack. Plus, he still wanted to get together with the man. Have that night that was torn away from him.
It had come to a surprise that someone was knocking on his door. Oliver was simply trying to put away some things. It had been a long day and normally, he did keep his room pretty tidy, but it had gotten a bit out of hand. The day had been so long that he wasn't exactly dressed in his finest of clothes. On top he had on a loose-fitting, ivory short sleeved shirt with a small hole in it from a little incident and then a pair of dark purple flowy pants. The blonde was just finishing up with putting away the last item, a blanket, when he heard a tapping at his door. Looking up, he slowly walked over and opened it up.
His eyes widened at the sight and a smile danced on his lips. "Harper! How did you- What are you-" He found himself laughing awkwardly as he quickly moved to run a hand through his hair, trying to fix the mess that had been ignored for so long. "I'm so happy to see you! I- Are you doing well? I mean- there's so much to talk about." Clearly since he kept stopping himself and saying something else instead. The words were stumbling out of his mouth thanks to his overwhelming excitement.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Luckily he seems to have been correct, and the door swings open summarily, followed by a surprised face on the man he has come to see. Harper can't help the cheeky grin on his own, amused by the response that he has orchestrated. While the fumbling words are hilarious, they're quite on the nose - they certainly have a lot to talk about considering all that has transpired from the Festival to now. One of which he might as well answer in that moment. "I ended up moving here, what are the odds! After Phoebe got married I wanted to give her some space, and I came here to ask Loren for advice and maybe a temporary room and well. History, I guess." Oliver likely knows of the man's penchant for swooping up strays and setting them up in his manor, if he ended up here himself.
Playfully leaning sideways to glance into Oliver's room he smiles beatifically. "Do you wanna talk about all that in the hallway, or...?" It's a gentle tease but one that holds merit. He certainly won't push the other man into inviting him inside his private area, but if that's the case he'd like to offer his own room so that they at least have the option to sit down.
Of course Loren had been willing to allow Harper into the house. It wasn't a jab at the man, not in the slightest. It hadn't exactly been something that Oliver had considered that much. He was happy to have Harper around, but he wasn't sure if the marriage was a good reason for that. From what he could tell, Sunjata wasn't exactly going to be happy with it, but now wasn't the time for his opinion on that. He had other things to focus on instead. "Well, it's great that he was able to help you out! I hope you've been able to settle in easily?" Oliver wasn't sure how many other residents there were or if all the bedrooms looked the same. The answers to those didn't really matter as his biggest concern was Harper feeling comfortable in this new home. Maybe he could offer to paint a tapestry for his room? To make it feel more homely.
"Oh! Yes, come on in." A light trace of a blush danced on his cheeks and he stepped to the side, allowing Harper entrance into his room. Once inside, he'd close the door for the other man. "We can sit on the floor or on the bed, whichever you want."
His room had actually seen quite a lot of improvement since when he first arrived. He had added a couple of baskets next to his dresser to add more storage, mostly filled with art supplies. As well, he had found a lovely rug to place on the floor, adding a little spot to sit down that could also easily be rolled up whenever he needed to paint. Along the wall was a tapestry he had acquired through trading. It was a mismatch of three shades of blue. While it was nonsensical, it still added some pop to his room, something that was much needed.
"So....tell me what's been going on! Have you been able to figure anything out? Join any guilds? You gotta tell me everything! And oh! I have so much to tell you too! But you first."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Harper thinks for a moment of his room down the hall, of the scarce few belongings he owns in comparison to what even Oliver has accumulated. He is used to living a life free of material possessions, but sometimes he looks at his old nightrunning suit in his closet and is overtaken by a wave of grief and longing for his old world. "As easily as I can I think, it's weird to have effectively moved twice already since coming here." At least moving into Phoebe's the first time had been easy considering how little he'd had coming through the portal. It's definitely quieter in the manner, which the man appreciates. Being an extremely light, paranoid sleeper is not conducive to the daily happenings of a midwife's clinic after all.
He's gestured in, and Harper immediately sprawls on the floor the second it's offered, wanting to let his limbs splay wherever they desire instead of trying to cram both of them on the bed with his starfish tendencies. "We can always move there when our butts go numb," he laughs with a conspiratorial wink. Already one of his feet is waggling back and forth with extra energy, incapable of sitting still unless he's on patrol.
Oliver's enthusiasm is endearing and causes Harper to smile. "Nothing terribly exciting I'd say. Had a few offers for guilds but haven't decided on one yet, met a ton of people. Helped a few people at the Festival, even helped build a memorial for them. And I met Safrin!" Because that had definitely been the highlight of everything for him, and likely will be for quite some time. Knowing she is always listening is more than he can stand to consider some days, overwhelmed by the fact that she is always there. Always ready to listen to him.
There's a nod from Oliver's end as Harper makes his way inside. "Don't I know it. I came here, settled into the manor after being here for a small bit, then almost immediately after I was crammed into the Temple with like....half of the Hollowed Grounds. Messy shit, I'll tell you." Oliver wouldn't go into detail about LongNight, not yet. It was just a lot to change locations so much, especially to be trapped in a building after only being there for not even an entire season. Thankfully, Harper had been blessed with more time to establish himself. The terror of Fiat Lux had made things difficult, but hopefully it wouldn't be too hard for him.
Once Harper had plopped himself on the ground, Oliver found himself taking a seat somehwat next to him. "Sounds good with me, hope that my amazing, gorgeous carpet is comfy enough for us for now. I mean, I got a massive steal of a deal." He offered a playful smile towards Harper. Thank gods the carpet had actually come in handy and was more than just for looks. Oliver was happy to finally show off his incredible interior decorating skills.
Harper would go on to say, well, everything. A lot happened and it was a lot to take in. Oliver was more than ready to invite the man to the guild, since that's kinda what was advised of him, but then he heard something even better. Even bigger. With wide eyes, Oliver practically launched himself to the ground. He was now laying down on his stomach, wide eyes looking at Harper.
"You talked to Safrin? Tell me about it!" He was so happy to find out that Harper had gone and spoken with Safrin. By the sound of it, the interaction was surely incredible and amazing for Harper, but he wanted to hear it from the man himself. Then, after that, he could talk about the other things. But for now? He had to talk about Safrin.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"At least it was more lively than here," he jokes back. It's certainly a deserted manor, not that he holds it against Loren in any way. He's still profoundly grateful for the kindness shown, and the silence doesn't bother him. Everything moves on. Harper included.
Oliver sits down beside him, and Harper sprawls farther as if to emphasize his point. "Getting a good deal just makes it seem all the more comfortable, like how food tastes better somehow when other people make it for you." Laughter bubbles warmly in his chest. That's certainly one thing he misses from his home world - takeout. Harper can work his way beautifully around the basics - meats, vegetables - but he could otherwise burn water if left unattended. Having to relearn with what's available is certainly a pain.
A surprised laugh escapes him as Oliver throws himself dramatically to the floor, demanding more information on Safrin. And of course Harper obliges. "She was amazing, very beautiful. She told me I'm an Accepted, but said that if the day came I wanted to Attune to her that she would be happy to do so. She answered so many of my questions, and ones I didn't know I had. Like how the Gods don't choose your animal forms, it's like written into your soul. And how The Voice rebuilt us here from our blueprints is the best way I can describe it." Still a crazy idea to him, but it's not like he can do anything about that now. He's kinda stuck here. "She was so kind." His voice softens here, fingers running over the rug as he recalls her scent, the way she had wrapped around him so utterly. A figure he never knew he wanted, perhaps even needed. "Have you met any of the Gods?"
That little comment about a homecooked meal is somewhat accurate. It feels special when someone else makes it specifically for you, not just for everyone else. It always feels nice when it's just one other person who's trying to show off or use all their skills. It kind of opens a unique window, showing a new aspect of someone else. "I haven't been able to really cook since coming here. I always offer to Loren, but he constantly turns me down since he's fine without help... but I'd be willing to cook something for you if you'd like, yeah. I have tons of spices, so it'd be fun. I could get us some fresh produce, some fresh meat, and then just cook a super nice, warm meal." It sounded super nice in his head and hopefully Harper would agree. He'd love to cook for Harper, even if he was completely out of practice. Any opportunity to cook would be taken with gratitude. It's a skill that Oliver believes everyone should know, so why not take the opportunity?
The joy in Harper's voice is obvious as he describes Safrin. Oliver cant help but grin as he listens to the descriptions, hears what Safrin had told him. Some of it, he hadn't even heard himself, such as the whole attuned souls thing. It's...interesting. It makes him question what part of his soul is similar to a fox with absolutely gigantic ears. Ears to match his mouth? Who knows? Safrin. She probably does. The question is soon directed towards him and he rests his head down on his arms, still glancing over at Harper.
"I've met Safrin once...she made me an attuned and gods.... she was incredible, powerful and scary... but incredible." She was breathtaking, in more ways than one. "Then recently I got to meet Frey and.... they are also incredible." His breath hitches at the thought of Frey, the image of the god before him and what exactly the god did to him. "If you want to know more about Frey, I'd recommend going to a Loreseeker. I'd say Phoebe, but she seems super busy right now." Yeah, he absolutely wasn't the greatest at advice. "The most I can do is tell you a bit about my Frey experience, otherwise I don't think it's that much of good advice because trust me... I was an absolute dumbass." Oliver shook his head as he drifted off, regretting certain parts of his interactions with Frey. It was a learning experience, for sure, but also a permanent and life changing one. Something he'd never truly recover from, only what he could grow from and become better because of.
Just to change the subject, Oliver decided to hop right back on that attuned animal train. "If you uh.... if you want to see my shifts, I can show you? I have two right now."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"He just needs some time and space," he assures softly, confident that the man doesn't intend to hold it against Oliver the way he does. Grief is a tricky thing, and Harper won't begrudge him for not wanting to accept help in doing something that may bring him peace. "But we should absolutely do that! I'm a terrible cook with anything but meat and vegetables, but I'm sure we can figure out a way to keep me from destroying everything without making you do all the work." His grin is warm, happy to poke fun at himself when the situation warrants it.
"She said being Attuned by a certain god is definitely more intimately linked, so that's good that you like her then." He hasn't met any other God, but he finds he deeply enjoys her company, and though his curiosity still gnaws away in desire of meeting the others he will patiently wait. Safrin's dismissal of them still rings heavy in his head after all. He is very reluctant to offend her when she has already been so kind to him.
"I met Jigano, maybe I can go pester him. He already told me a lot about The Voice, might as well go for all the Gods," he cheekily replies, already thinking of seeing the other man again. He's not much of a scholar, as intelligent as he is, so hopefully Jigano would not be too bummed out if Harper declined joining the Loreseekers himself. Mentions of Phoebe make him sober, still feeling worried for the woman and the choices she has been making. "She certainly has a lot on her plate. But how were you a dumbass?" He doesn't really want to dwell on difficult things, especially someone else's life when they aren't there. But the idea of seeing Oliver's animal forms makes him brighten and lean upwards somewhat. "Of course!"
There's a light shrug. "I hope so.... I've wanted to help him ever since I first arrived... and he's never really accepted any of my help. Ever." Oliver just wanted to be useful. To show his worth and make Loren realize that he wasn't a free-loader, just using the manor and all of Loren's resources. He had to repay the man somehow, but it's hard to when he refuses any attempt to do so. Unfortunately, things don't get too much better with Harper either who seems to almost completely misunderstand his offer. It's better than nothing, but not quite what he wanted. "I can help you learn. I mean...I suck myself, but hey, who knows, maybe we could create something great together. I'd really like to cook something for you, it'd be fun... I'd offer today but I don't have any fresh meat or anything." Oliver wouldn't mind doing all the work, especially if it means that Harper is happy and impressed and that he looks at Oliver as someone who has something nice and- yeah...
The topic of gods is a comfortable one, sort of. It makes Oliver happy that Harper had such a fantastic experience and that he too has a deep appreciation for Safrin. It isn't surprising that his friend has met Jigano, so it's nice that he will finally have someone to ask for information. "Jigano really dislikes Safrin, but he knows a lot about Ludo. Should know a small bit about Frey too." He should probably warn Harper about that, seeing as Jigano has a strong hatred for the goddess, meaning it's hard to really speak about her at all without hearing that she's rude and to never speak to her. Or something.
With a soft sigh, Oliver shifts slightly, sitting up a bit more. Might as well be partially honest. "I... I really messed up with Frey. I went to them for something that was super minor and honestly, super petty. Like...fuck was it bad. And I mean, Frey didn't like it." Was it a curse? Was being permanently altered a curse? This was the first time Oliver had ever mentioned this incident, which was clear by his struggle to actually put it into words.
He was happy to become an animal after telling Harper about the incident. It would be a nice distraction from his major fuck up and hopefully, Harper would completely forget about it. First, he decided to go for the easy and less exciting option. Shifting, a small woodpecker appeared on the ground. Fluttering his wings, Oliver tried to show off his colors to Harper, letting out a couple of tweets as he did so. Gotta start out small before bringing it home with the grand finale.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"Try not to take it too personally, everyone deals with grief differently. He may just need time away." He understands Oliver's desire to help, but he remembers the days after his parents had died in front of him, the scarce few hours before he'd been kidnapped. Harper hadn't wanted anyone's help no matter how well-meaning. Perhaps Loren is simply reacting in the same way.
"Yeah! I'd feel bad if you just made it for me, so I'll help how I can. Especially now that we have a giant kitchen to work with," he recalls with wide eyes, remembering stumbling across it and wondering who the hell needed a kitchen that large in the first place. At the mention of Jigano, Harper can't help but roll his eyes a little. "Trust me, I know. I'm surprised he still has a job in his Guild considering how much of an asshole he can be about different beliefs. Everyone here kind of has a stick up their ass about gods, and it's already crazy enough for me to know they exist." The dude is friendly at least, but Harper is no fan of people who project a different kinder personality while hiding their cruelty behind it. Too many years of experiencing that kind of emotional manipulation has made him bitter and unwilling to entertain such things.
Blue eyes soften with sympathy as Oliver stumbles through his mistake with Frey. "Everything is a learning opportunity at least. You're not hurt are you?" After everything Jigano had implied it doesn't seem outside of the realm of possibility. He's sufficiently distracted when Oliver sits up and shifts, turning into a...woodpecker? Harper laughs delightedly, completely impressed and endeared. "That's awesome!" he exclaims as he sits up to better look over the wings and colors on display.
Grief? Loren has always been that way. Either he constantly lost someone or he had just lost someone before Oliver had arrived. Still, Oliver would remain respectful and polite, trying to understand that maybe Loren handles his emotions differently. ”Yeah, I know. I guess I just wanna make him happy? I don’t know. I’ll make sure to give him time and space. Someday, I’ll wow him and you with my cooking.” There is a smile thrown towards Harper, bringing him to the topic of cooking for the other man. Oliver wasn’t a fancy chef, but he wanted to wow him. He wanted to show Harper he could do something great and to see him smile again.
”I mean, I’d be cooking for myself too. If Loren wants some, he can too, but it’d be fun to show you some stuff that I grew up with. Or as close to it as I can get. I think it’ll be fun. Maybe I could invite over a friend and his wife, if you’d like? They’re super nice.” A giant kitchen was absolutely fantastic so hopefully the two of them would be able to enjoy themselves. A little baby feast, seeing as apparently Harper didn’t want Oliver to spoil him.
To hear Harper’s opinion on Jigano was shocking. The man always seemed so kind, so what had Jigano done to make him so angry? ”Yeah... people just... let a bad experience really get to them. I wouldn’t tell others to fully avoid a god, that’d only make the god hate you even more.” What was the point in being so rude to others? Jigano was sweet as can be at times, but Oliver had also seen another side of the man. It was conflicting and all he could do was continue to be nice to his fellow hybrid.
The topic of Frey is a harsh one and Oliver isn’t sure if he should be fully honest or not. ”I’m...not hurt in the normal sense, no. I’m not in pain and I still feel normal....or almost normal.” His face slowly darkens to a deep red color. ”They....changed me. For good....I’m pretty sure.” It hurt to say and Oliver wasn’t sure what to even say next. Does he just say that he has a wooden dick? Does Harper even wanna hear all the intense details about his dick? Maybe he can just say that he will never be able to have sex again. Or something? Gods. This is hard.
Being an animal almost makes things better. Almost. All he can do is force himself to be happy and positive. Spreading his wings, Oliver tried so show off his colors before nodding to Harper. To show his pecking skills, Oliver gently pecks at Harper’s leg before hopping away. Now to pull out the big guns.
The bird before Harper would soon shift into a fox with absolutely massive ears. One who would take a couple of steps closer to Harper, tilting his head and waiting for a response.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Harper hums softly at the admission. "You can't make everyone happy Oliver, and not everyone wants to be. It's not easy, but sometimes you have to try and accept that and leave them be." If Loren doesn't want to heal or be happy, nothing Oliver does will fix that, he'll just be wasting his energy. "What are their names? The more the merrier!" He doesn't really care who gets invited if they're friends of Oliver's, but he's definitely curious. He has met so many people already, and this land is so much smaller than he's used to.
At the mention of Jigano the man just shrugs his shoulders, unashamed to be a jerk himself considering his history with people like the Sage. "It should be an individual choice to want to be involved with the Gods at all. If I decided to never see Safrin again, that's my decision. But spreading around that they're cruel or evil when they aren't even human is just ridiculous." It still makes him fume, and he has to take a calming deep breath so he doesn't continue getting worked up. It's a pet peeve of his, but he won't take it out on Oliver.
"Changed you?" His brow furrows, completely confused by the vague explanation that Oliver gives. Not that he'll continue pressuring the other man if it makes him uncomfortable, but he can't help but be concerned. He's distracted by being pecked on the leg, laughing and jumping at the weird sensation before Oliver shifts into a form he doesn't know off the top of his head. It's cute though, and he coos over the adorable appearance. "Awww, Ollie you're so cute like this! Does it hurt to shift?" A question he hadn't thought to ask Safrin, but one he's quietly curious about considering she'd offered to Attune him to her.
It was tragic but true. Oliver couldn’t understand how someone would refuse to be happy, refuse to enjoy life. What’s the point in living in a world like that? ”You probably have a point...I’ll still be here for him. He helped me where I needed him most, only seems fair that I offer my assistance whenever possible.” Loren has been with him so much, shown so much interest in his memory loss. It’s so meaningful and important to him. Maybe Harper gets him or maybe he doesn’t. It’s fine either way.
”You’ve actually met them! Bastien and Rex. I haven’t gotten the chance to speak with Rex really, but Bas is an absolute sweetheart. He’s so incredible. Never knew that art would be so meaningful to me until I met him.” Oliver could talk on and on about how amazing Bastien was, but that would send bad messages.
There’s a nod and Oliver taps his fingers on the floor.”While I did ask Jigano for help, it felt weird to be told to just not go to a god. Even when I asked to make sure, he basically refused to tell me anything.” Oliver completely agreed with Harper. What’s the point? Why make others feel nervous and upset? Jigano was nice but damn. Damn. Safrin was nice, scary, but nice. Why try to support Ludo by bringing down Safrin?
Ah. And Harper of course doesn’t understand. Fantastic. ”Basically.... Frey was upset with me. They didn’t say they did it, I just discovered it....but they were mad at me. I was so stupid and immature. I blew an experience out of proportion, angered Frey, and now I can.... I can’t enjoy- er- properly have sex...” Well. Let’s hope that Harper doesn’t think this is totally awkward. There goes the plan of kissing him like Bastien suggested.
Being a fox allowed Oliver to hide any embarrassment he felt. So that’s good. Placing two paws on Harper’s arm, Oliver tried to get some pets because he really missed being scratched behind the ears. To answer his question, Oliver shakes his head ‘no’. It was painless and incredible.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
