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!
01-22-2020, 05:31 PM (This post was last modified: 02-18-2020, 03:13 PM by Oliver.)
OLIVER
The lightning that electrified the sky called out to him, beckoning him closer as if it were a Siren, speaking his most true desires. Arriving to the portal, he was surprised to see a couple of people going in, which means that something was up. None of these people seemed ready for the frigidness of Halo, increasing his curiosity. Had...a new place been discovered?
With a bit of hesitation, Oliver waited his turn before entering the portal. His body was pulled towards the sign labeled Torchline and once entering through the gateway, he found himself in an all too familiar setting. It was the closest he had ever felt to home. His body relaxed and he found himself closing his eyes, taking in a deep breath to smell the beautiful ocean. It was incredible and rushes of faint memories came to mind. None had true stories to tell, but more like images and senses and emotions. Sitting out to watch the sunset on the water, a picnic by the sea, the joy he felt as he played on the port. It was a fantastic feeling and one he just couldn't shake.
It spurred him to travel more, venturing out far away from the portal. He wanted to investigate, see if he could bring up any other memories or hints to his past. Without realizing it, he was smiling. It was a wonderful feeling and nothing could take it away from him.
01-23-2020, 02:40 PM (This post was last modified: 01-23-2020, 02:40 PM by Saiden.)
just take your time wherever you go
As soon as the Ark had sailed into port, Saiden had begun to hear the rumors: a portal, and new people from far off lands coming through it. Obviously that was worth looking into, so after helping unload the latest cargo, the cook had meandered over to where the strange pillar of light had unexpectedly appeared.
He was dressed in a loose shirt and shorts, with a rope belt around his waist. A cutlass was strapped to his left hip, a knife on his right. For a while, he just watched the strangers come and go, looking around at the beauty of Torchline. However, as one of them wandered off from the rest of the group, Saiden pushed off the crate he'd been lounging against. Padding out of the shadow that had half hidden, he'd called out to the other man. "Looking for something, mate?" There was an easy smile on the cook's face.
For someone who was venturing into an unknown land, Oliver sure was unprepared. All he had on him were the clothes on his back, a canteen of water strapped to his belt, and a knife stuffed into his boot. Not just any knife either, a brand new, small knife he had acquired from the market place. Oliver wanted something that was easier to conceal as well, he felt that he didn't need a big knife to cut away spices. Right now, though, he felt safe with what he had on. The way back to the portal wouldn't be too hard to find and so far, nothing seemed dangerous about this town. No frigid temperatures, no gigantic monsters roaring in the distance. This place seemed like a dream come true.
His eyes were lit with curiosity as he looked around, his eyes constantly searching for new things until something else caught his attention. A voice. Nobody else was really around him, right? Much like many of the times Oliver has met people, someone had approached him from the side. Turning to look at the man, Oliver let out a simple shrug. He was a small bit wary, but he couldn't just reach for his boot and pull out a knife. Instead, he decided to act calm, hoping that nothing bad would happen.
"Oh, no. I'm just looking around, not really looking for anything in specific." He offered the stranger a friendly smile. "Did I interrupt you? If so, I'm sorry for that, but don't worry. I'm not lost or anything." From his angle, he was actually pretty calm and collective. No reason for the man to be alarmed or anything. All was well in his mind.
At Oliver’s less than friendly reply, Saiden grinned easily. ”Nahhhh you didn’t interrupt me. Simply enjoying a bit of shore leave, is all.” He gestured around at the bustling port. "There's lots to look at, though I take it you're one of those outsiders I've been hearing so much about." Tone excited, he took a few steps closer to the other man.
"Have to say, you're doing Torchline wrong if you're not looking for something specific, mate." He pointed at the docks proper. "Pretty much anything can be found here, if you're willing to pay the price for it." Resting a hand comfortably on his cutlass, he continued grinning. "I'd be happy to show you around. Of course, that'll cost you too."
Shore leave? Interesting...did that mean that there was even more to Caido? Where there even more places to be visited? Officially, the man had piqued Oliver's interest, something that was probably super obvious based on the look on Oliver's face, who now had raised eyebrows and slightly wider eyes. He wanted to know more, wanted to ask more, but he wouldn't verbalize it, not yet at least.
The man had an air of confidence to him, similar to three other men that Oliver could remember. If this had been a season ago, Oliver would've been falling apart in his arms, but he knew better than that now. Still, he was still quite a bit interested, so maybe he hadn't fully learned yet. "What kind of payment are we talking about? And what exactly do you recommend that I go see, sailor?" Oliver could offer a small bit of things, but certainly nothing valuable. He didn't exactly own anything super fancy, nor did he even have anything all that great on his body. He obviously could offer a service, but he wasn't about to climb aboard the ship and leave behind all of his friends.
Saiden’s grin gained a bit of an edge, veering into the territory of a leer. ”Well that all depends, mate.” The words came out slightly tauntingly. He began to walk in a slow circle around Oliver, the cook appraising the other man without bothering to hide what he was doing.
"Depends on what you're willing to offer, that is." The slow stalk continued, and his hand still rested on his cutlass. "Do you have anything of value?" It was a loaded question, and he made no attempt to hide that. "If not, now worries. You're a pretty boy. I imagine you'd be quite popular in the brothels, and some of the patrons can be quite generous." Saiden's voice dripped with amusement. "Only some of them. The rest, well..." He let his words trail off with a chuckle.
The mystery man started to circle him in almost a predatory way. Luckily for Oliver, he had many means of fighting back. While the man clearly had a very big weird diamond shaped sword, Oliver had the benefits of magic and animal shifts. This man seemed to be an accepted, from what Oliver could guess, so he could probably fight back with telekinesis and illusions, absolutely.
The offers were less than flattering. He wasn't sure what a brothel was, but based on him being a 'pretty boy' he could make assumptions on what they meant, as well as the promise of most likely being paid for services. Oliver wasn't about to be a prostitute, even if he had a normal dick he wouldn't do that to his body. "Not interested in that kind of payment." He spoke bluntly to make it clear he wasn't going to do it. No matter what.
"I don't have much on me, but I could always....create something for you?" Ah yes, his other magic, one that he had literally discovered like...barely a couple of days ago. It was oddly convenient, but also super limited. He tried to pull a Remi and make a magical item to with luck.
Saiden continued grinning, though it had indeed gained a predatory edge. ”That’s nice, mate. But it’s less about what you want, mate, and more about what your clients want. Y' understand?" As he continued to walk around the newcomer, the cook's fingers tightened on his cutlass.
At the mention of the other man creating something, however, the Hali came to a stop. "Oh? Is that so?" He gave the other man another appraising look. "So tell me, what kinds of things can you create that would be worth my time and energy?" The words came out challengingly and taunting, and Saiden raised an eyebrow as he waited for the answer.
The blonde's eyes tried to carefully watch the stranger's movements, shifting as he circled around him. Oliver had seen this predatory stance in Sunjata when he was almost killed, but to see it in another human was an entirely different experience. "I don't think any of your clients are going to have any interest in me, trust me." He wasn't nearly as bubbly as before, even if he was hardly friendly in the first place. He had a sort of bite to his voice now, as if he were trying to steer the conversation away from the idea of selling his body to a stranger.
By this point, Oliver didn't even want to know what the sailor was going to show him. What sort of hidden things had to be paid through sex? And not even proper sex, the disgusting form where he was miserable and the other person reaped the benefits. Still, he could at least try to bargain so not to end up in that miserable position. "I can create almost anything....but it must be small and not magic based." That much he had figured out. He couldn't create a chair or a magic comb, but he had created a cup before. "I can make you a hat, a new shirt, sandals. Name it and I can try my best."
Saiden continued to leer at the stranger. ”Why? You sick or something?” The words had an ugly edge to them, as did the cook’s expression. ”If not, you’ve got holes to be filled.” The statement didn't need anything more to be suggestive, but he smirked anyway. "You might even enjoy yourself. It's an old and noble profession, after all."
Drumming his fingers on the hilt of his cutlass, he considered the other man's offer. Finally, the Hali grinned. "Alright then. Let's see it. Make me a a hat, mate." He held out his free hand and beckoned for the stranger to get on with it. However, Saiden's eyes were wary as watched the other man for any sign of funny business.
That...was unfortunately something that never occured to Oliver. Even if he fought back by saying he was cursed, the man did have a terrible point. Someone might not care about his own personal enjoyment, rather, as long as they feel good, does it really matter if Oliver can get off from it? His face pales and he turns his eyes away. "I doubt I'd enjoy it." Was all he had to say. This wasn't something he wanted, not in a longshot. He wanted to be with someone he knew or at least that wanted him to feel good, not someone using him as a quick hole and then throw him away once they were finished. Noble? Sounds miserable.
The man decided to call his bluff and Oliver really was caught in a trap. This...did seem better than being fucked by a stranger, so he decided to play along. Thinking for a moment, Oliver tried to figure out a hat that could....possibly work. Reaching out his two hands, he closed his eyes and soon, a hat would appear within them, which he would then hold out. "You didn't specify so here's a hat." No way was Oliver going to tolerate the sailor bitching to him about how he made the wrong hat or some stupid shit like that.
Still smirking, Saiden shrugged. ”Like I said. It's less about you and more about the patrons. Keeping them happy means you get more out of it, one way or another." There was still a wicked tone to his voice. "And if you don't, well..." His words trailed off, since it really didn't need to be spelled out.
Reaching out, he plucked the hat from the other man's fingers. The cook plopped it onto his head, uncaring of the exact angle or the way it actually looked on his head. "Thanks mate. Much obliged." There wasn't actually all that much gratitude in the words.
And with that, he turned and left the stranger behind without a backwards glance.
This talk of selling off his body was not a pleasant one and not something Oliver ever planned on doing. A small part of him was still hopelessly optimistic. A part believed that the man could simply just be bluffing in an intimidation attempt, especially considering he kept holding his weird bent diamond sword. It was weird and it seemed like a con in all honesty, but the man also hadn't laid a finger on him yet.
And even with that, another part of Oliver was still intrigued. He still wanted to know more about this land. The man seemed to be all talk, so maybe that was just him trying to weed out the weak ones. "Hey! Where's my end of the bargain?" Oliver called out to him, trying his best to put on his 'I am strong' voice. He wanted to know what could be seen in this world. At least, he wanted to see anything except for this brothel place.
Saiden just chuckled at the other man’s cry. Although the stranger was staying where he was, the cook decided to discourage any thought of pursuit. Glancing back, he waved a hand almost contemptuously. A tendril of seawater rose up and blasted towards the other man. It had quite a bit of force behind it, enough to knock Oliver over if the other man didn’t move or brace himself.
However, the Hali didn’t stick around to find out if his blast had worked. He simply continued weaving through the crowd, trying to lose himself in the press of people. Considering how populated the port was, that shouldn't be difficult.
