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!
"What can I say, the blond hair is very eye catching even from up here," Harper laughs at Oliver's dramatics, which really is just the perfect revenge for all of Harper's idiocy. Softened only by the fond and appreciative look the man gives him at the following words, seeing past the joke about scarves to the sincerity beneath. "Thanks, that means a lot. Though I don't really think I could pull off a scarf." Chuckling he brings a hand idly to touch at his neck, imagining it. Definitely way too hipster for him.
Oliver's blush redirects his attention, and a very slow-dawning realization starts to tickle at his brain. It could be...but no, he's being too egotistical clearly. They're friends for sure, but there's no way it's anything more. Harper's musings are broken by the sharp sound of ripping paper, jolting out of it and happily accepting the piece with wide eyes that only widen further as the compliment is given. The puzzle pieces move slowly, he's never been that sharp romantically, but maybe..."I- thank you, but I'm just me," he says weakly, fumbling under the sincerity. He doesn't think he's grotesque but handsome has never been his go-to adjective either.
That is absolutely true and Oliver will gladly take the blonde hair as a compliement. Throwing in a playful wink, he laughed. "Yes and I absolutely pull it off amazingly. I guess it's a good thing I'm so recognizable." It's both a blessing and a curse to have such spectacular hair. Being so recognizable can only be good for so long, but so long as Harper liked it? Well, that'd be great. "What? You'd look amazing in a scarf! Besides, they're so useful, especially during Deepfrost." Why knock scarves? Harper would look great! But then again... Oliver is clearly biased.
While the gears are slowly clicking in Harper's head, Oliver is meanwhile trying to set certain plans into gear. He doesn't want to make it sound like it came from out of nowhere, but he also doesn't want to be too forceful and blunt. So... how the fuck does he find the balance? Glancing down at the other man's lips, Oliver looked back up at Harper and hoped to meet the other man's eyes. "Harper... you can be yourself but also be handsome. I mean... just you? Just you is spectacular, handsome and just- amazing." There was an obvious smile on his face as he just tried to contain so many opinions. How could Harper be this humble? Was he sincerely unaware of how attractive he was?
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"Loud and proud," Harper cackles, reaching out and flicking a chunk of blond bang. He never dyed his hair back home but man, now he never really can if he ever wanted to try. Bummer.
"They're so hipster, and I'm not fashionable at all!" The objection is swallowed by his laughter. Another pang follows as he realizes nobody is likely to know that term, which really cuts down on his meme potential.
Oliver glances at his lips again..
Oh. OH.
The flattery is becoming uncomfortable, not because of Oliver's insistence necessarily but because he truly doesn't find himself very attractive. "Thank you," he mumbles softly, eyes falling away. "Sorry, it just...it's hard to hear so repeatedly when I don't necessarily agree. But thank you." Because he doesn't want to make Oliver feel bad for finding Harper attractive, it's not a put-down against him after all. Though he doesn't say anything about his sudden epiphany, not wanting to assume or put Oliver on the spot.
The flick earns a light laughter and Oliver shakes his head slightly, allowing his hair to bounce lightly. "I'd like to also call it pretty damn fluffy and soft. I mean, I take great care of it! I pride myself on having only the best hair possible." If someone ever saw Oliver with bad, unkept hair? That would only spell for trouble.
There is a raise of his eyebrow. "Hipster? Is that like... a hip person?" Oliver knew what 'hip' meant when referring to someone, but a hipster? That was very unfamiliar. "But hey, anyone can be fashionable if they throw on a nice scarf and some boots. You could turn any outfit great by adding those two." Then again, Oliver just really loved boots. No, he didn't think they were sexy, he just thought they were great.
The obvious shift in Harper's expression caused Oliver's face to soften, his smile dropped and he looked worried, nervous. "That's fine.. I understand, Harper." Oliver tries to offer a small smile, one to hopefully ease the tension and disperse the now nervous feeling building up in Oliver's stomach. Had he pushed it too far? It seemed that he had. "I really hope that you'll be able to believe it someday, but for now I guess just remember my words." How was he supposed to flirt now? There was a clear bit of panic reflecting in his eyes, but that would only be seen if Harper looked. "I'm sorry if I made you upset." Oliver drifted away slightly, beginning to rethink his entire plan. The mood was just ruined all because he couldn't calm down- and how was he supposed to continue on with his plan if Harper was so upset?
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Harper shakes his head in bewilderment at the care Oliver uses, chuckling. "I used to be pretty obsessive, but the products I used are understandably not available here." While not one to find himself very attractive, he'd still taken pride in trying. In being put together and as polished as possible.
"It's like...someone who only wears certain clothes because they think nobody else appreciates how cool they are? But they're really pretentious about it." God how the hell can you describe a hipster to someone who doesn't know them? "I'm more of a barefoot guy myself," he laughs instead. "Or dance shoes, but those aren't common here either." It makes him ache with longing for the little things.
Shaking his head, he gives a weak smile and runs his hand through his hair, tugging on it slightly. He feels just as bad for upsetting Oliver, placing the blame wholly on himself and his inability to take a damn compliment. "No no, you didn't upset me. I just don't have much self-esteem, it's not your fault. It's hard sometimes when I hide so much, physically, and people say such things..." Sighing he reaches for his shoulder subconsciously, tracing over a scar left by a stray bullet before he catches himself and puts his hands in his lap. "I know you mean well, but I can't help but feel you think so highly of me because you don't know me well. And that's normal, we've only known each other a short time, but it makes it hard to accept physical compliments."
Of course, most people don't fully understand Oliver's dedication to his hair. It's important to him and allows him to express who he is. "Hey, don't use that attitude. I used to use tons of potions and stuff to get it this fluffy, now? I have a- get this" He made a dramatic attempt to look around himself before continuing on. "A magic hairbrush. It makes my hair super fluffy and soft. I could let you try it out, if you'd like?" And there he goes, letting his crush use the hairbrush that was specially made for him.
That idea really does click in his brain. While Oliver cant picture anyone specifically, he can absolutely imagine that. "Oh boy, I knew tons of people like that. There were these kids who would wear the ugliest vests ever in the dead heat- just because they thought they weren't popular and wanted to make a statement." He holds back a bit of laughter, reminiscing on his memories. These ones had become more clear with the explanation by Harper, allowing Oliver to understand it more.
It's a lot to take in and Oliver struggles to really think of how to respond. Chewing on his lip, Oliver stares down at his lap, clearly contemplating this hard. Looking back up at Harper, he wanted to reach forward and place a hand on his- to comfort Harper. "Whenever you feel comfortable you can show me whatever you want, the things you want to hide... because I can assure you, I will continue to like you and enjoy being around you." The words had multiple meanings and could easily be interpreted in many ways. There was a tug at him, calling him to say something but he resisted for now, hoping to make the feeling more positive and lighter.
"I... I can assure you it's not just because I've only known you for a couple of seasons... the moment we first met, I knew you were something special... something that would be amazing." He let out a soft sigh and offered his friend a smile. There was so much more to say... and it was a lot to let out. "It's not because I don't know you well... trust me." This was becoming steadily harder to explain everything. Hopefully it would be easy to finally step up and do it.
Biting down on his lip, Oliver looked away, having an internal fight. Does he just do it? "Harper?"
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
03-23-2020, 03:37 AM (This post was last modified: 03-23-2020, 03:39 AM by Harper.)
show me all of your affection
let it rain on me
Dark brows rise incredulously at the notion, chuckling slightly. "A magic hairbrush? Don't waste something that fancy on me." Harper won't take offense if Oliver does anyway, it's definitely an important item that he'd never dream of asking to use.
It helps that despite certain modern day terms and jokes not registering, some things are universal. And wouldn't you know, hipsters just so happen to be a world-wide time-hopping pest.
Harper stifles a sigh, not wanting Oliver to think he's mad or exasperated. At least, not at him. Harper is definitely feeling that way towards himself. He'd intended for this meeting to be relaxing and fun, and now it's just spiraling out of control because of his own fucked up trauma. "You must rely heavily on your intuition then," he says weakly, not really sure what he could say with how neither of them would back down from their stances. Standing at opposing sides. Lifting blue eyes at his name he tries to wipe any negativity away, to refocus and give Oliver his attention. "Yeah?"
03-23-2020, 03:48 AM (This post was last modified: 03-23-2020, 03:48 AM by Oliver.)
OLIVER
The expression on his friend's face wasn't too surprising. Most people had magic staffs or a magic shield, but Oliver? He had a magic hairbrush. Something purely for making himself look pretty, rather than protecting or helping others- though, he could certainly help another person with a bad hair day. "Hey, it's not wasting! Trust me, if you wanna try it out I can grab it for you." Just to make sure Harper felt comfortable enough to do it. It wouldn't be fun to force it on his friend.
Like Harper, Oliver had wanted this time to be fun and relaxing, but it seems his horniness and attraction towards the other man had ruined it. That only really seemed to give him one option: a thing that would explain why he had been saying those compliments. Show Harper the truth so he could understand it all.
With all of the attention on him, Oliver found his hands shaking slightly, which he tried to hide by putting them out of the general view. Luckily, Harper was looking him straight in the eyes...or not so luckily because there was a chance that he could see the nervousness. The worries that were reflecting back. Biting down on his lip, Oliver spoke out far softer than before. His overwhelming energy had seemingly been snuffed, replaced with a far more relaxed version of himself. "I'm sorry if this isn't the right time- but-" Taking in one final deep breath, Oliver had to force himself to maintain eye contact, despite all the fear. Get it out. Then he'd never have to worry about it again. "Would you like to go out with me?" The words left his mouth and all he could do was wait, hoping that his amounts of worry weren't bleeding through.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
03-26-2020, 04:41 AM (This post was last modified: 03-26-2020, 04:42 AM by Harper.)
show me all of your affection
let it rain on me
The offer is genuine, which makes it all the sweeter, but Harper shakes his head with a warm smile. "Maybe next time, I wouldn't want to waste it when I'm just going to be laying in bed like a lump all day today." It would certainly feel wasteful at least to look so good and yet not show it off.
Oliver's nerves are distinctly apparent - though oblivious to any kind of romantic notion, Harper is still a detective after all - and it makes the man's brows crease in concern as the younger man becomes restless and agitated. The only thing he can do is wait it out, especially as Oliver begins to speak haltingly, clearly wanting to say something. Harper feels like he's frozen in time, sure he knows what is coming but still terrified it's something worse, something dangerous or harmful. Never truly able to shake that fear after so many times of being told someone had died or that a war had been lost.
It's almost a relief when it isn't that. Though Oliver looks seconds away from throwing up, which isn't a good sign. Harper inhales slowly, mind going a mile a minute despite not moving much outwardly. Then he gently reaches forward to touch Oliver's knee, and gives a weak smile. "I'm sorry Ollie, I'm not really the type to jump into a relationship so soon. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but I promise it has nothing at all to do with who you are as a person. You mean a lot to me." Withdrawing, he gives a soft sigh, feeling heartsick and cruel. He'd never been very good at rejecting people. "It's not a hard no. But a few months is such a short time to know each other, and I'm still gauging how I feel about you. Whether it's familial, romantic, or platonic." Currently it's definitely platonic with a side of 'aww, cute'.
Wiping his palms on his thighs, he makes himself look into Oliver's eyes, not wanting to disrespect the younger man and the bravery it had taken to ask. "Give me some time, and we can see where things go? I just need to move slow. It's not a guarantee, but it's all I can really offer. And you're still young! You're just as likely to find someone way better than me." Warm blue eyes crinkle with his smile, feeling keenly the age difference between them for a moment. He has so much baggage, and Oliver still seems so young to him. But it's the best he can do, though he doesn't want to lead the young man on, which he hopes he has made clear with his words. That there are no promises, nothing sure or finite, one way or the other. Nevertheless he exudes an aura of calm and kindliness, not wanting Oliver to shrink away or feel like he has ruined anything. "And this won't change anything between us, I promise it won't be awkward. You're still my best friend, and I don't want that to change."
Those terrifying words left his mouth and... and Harper didn't respond like Oliver initially wanted. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what he had hoped for. Maybe he had been too wishful, thinking a man he hardly even knew would want to go on a date with him. Hell, Harper misunderstood what he meant, but it was too late for him to say anything. The point had already been made: unfortunately, Harper wasn't interested in him. At the very least, the man had let him down as lightly as possible and he also seemed so calm.
The delicate touch did cause Oliver to pause, his entire body freezing. Even when Harper pulled away, his back was rigid and body hardly even moved. He looked as if he were a deer, caught straight in the line of traffic. It was time for him to speak and... he wasn't even sure what to say. "Thank you Harper... I'm sorry if this made anything awkward. I guess I just wanted to get it out and- I'm thankful that you wont let this change anything." And Oliver knew he wouldn't mention it ever again. Harper had made his point and Oliver wasn't going to make him feel uncomfortable, not in the slightest.
"I guess... I should probably get back to work? I really should clean the manor, it's been a while since it's been properly cleaned." It was a clear excuse since, well, he wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to make Harper feel uncomfortable or awkward. While they may be friends still, he wasn't even sure what to say anymore at this point.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
The rigidity and tension to Oliver's form, the crumpled expression he can't fully hide, only hurts Harper's heart further. It's not fair to him and he knows it, but even a date seems too out of reach for him right now. It's been years since his beloved was killed, and every attempt at dating after has crashed and burned. He can't stand to hurt someone like that by giving them false hope and letting them get attached, only for his own issues to cause them pain and end up wasting their time. Oliver deserves more than that. More than Harper and his multitude of mistakes and problems.
"You didn't make anything awkward, I promise." There's a warmth and sincerity to his words and expression that he hopes Oliver will not ignore. He is not a liar even on a bad day, so hopefully the words will be taken at face value. Though the dismissal still hurts, making him wilt at the clear desire for Harper to go far away, he understands that time and space will help this more than his continued presence. Smiling despite the clear bittersweet tinge to it, Harper rocks forward to give Oliver a brief hug if it's accepted. "Okay. I understand. You know how to find me if you need to, though." Standing smoothly he doesn't try to say more, to make Oliver any more uncomfortable with his presence, and instead gives an awkward little wave as he slips out the door to go back to his room and have his own little pity fest.
