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!
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Things were starting to come together. The preparations were underway, and before long she would have to announce her final decision on whether or not to attend the Academy. Until then, Maea upheld the idea that it was already a done deal. She went back and forth between Halo and the Ground, acclimatized her to the people, the landscape, the many new and interesting cultures and peoples (cannibals included) as well as local flora and fauna. She had taken to carrying a notebook and pen with her wherever she went, scribbling down notes, questions and attempting rudimentary sketches whenever she saw something that caught her interest. Maea had even gone so far as to remove Ludo's ragged shawl from her shoulders at one point, to fully experience the biting cold everyone complained about... and then she'd hastily replaced it again, before true frostbite set in and she'd have to seek out a healer.
Today, she had braved the strong winds and tattered, drifting clouds and made her way up to the palace. Strictly speaking it was not a place she had business at, but the girl came prepared with probable causes and excuses, and was eager to have a closer look at the structure. Compared to the tattered ruins of the Temple back at home, this was a marvel. Not only was it still standing in full, it was well kept, fully functioning and filled with people all hurrying back and forth with their own business to attend to. It was thriving, teeming and alive, and she roamed the hallways with a smile on her face, absorbing it all with delight.
Finding a courtyard to pause in, the girl settled down on a bench beneath a snow-laden arch and began to sketch. The spotty sunlight that came and went made it difficult to get any real shading in place, and capturing the true beauty of the structures around her was above her current ability. But Maea had fun, and hummed a slow tune as she worked, all but lost in her own world.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Loren had gone to inspect the newly constructed Arcane Academy. No doubt some member of his family would ask him to join soon enough (despite the fact that he technically wasn’t a member of the family anymore). So he’d checked it out, mostly for lack of anything better to do. Even he could only waste his away his days for so long before succumbing to boredom.
However, the inspection didn’t take him long, and he soon found himself walking back to the Palace proper. He bore nothing with him, and was dressed in drab browns, entirely utilitarian without a scrap of adornment. His face was lined, his features and frame were gaunt, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
Turning a corner, he halted, shocked to spot Maea there. However, his surprise faded swiftly enough, leaving the blank expression he wore most of the time these days in its place. Nodding at her, he resumed his walk, steps unhurried yet somehow giving the indication that he would not be stopped again.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
The girl looked up when she heard footsteps approach her. A bit wary, she looked to see who was coming. Not inclined to explain her presence to Zariah or the Warden just yet, she was prepared to stand and walk off in case anyone took offense to her being there... but the figure that appeared was one she recognized, to her own surprise.
"Loren!" she exclaimed, a wide smile spreading. Maea stood, quickly gathered up her notebook and hurried after, not content to let that quick nod of recognition be the only greeting she got from him. "Wait, don't run away. I did not expect to see you here."
Falling in to walk beside him if he indeed wouldn't stop to chat, Maea grinned up at him, clearly happy to see him. Their encounter in the Labyrinth had been dramatic on many levels, but in the end she had come out of it thinking of him as a friend. And in this place? An ally too.
"How are you? Have you settled in here alright?" She remembered him saying he would be going to Halo, and it did make sense seeing as he had kin here, but it was still a bit of a shock to actually see it become so.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
At Maea's words, Loren stopped. For a long moment, however, he didn't turn to face her, though as she came closer, he finally spun on his heel, clasping his hands behind his back. His posture was ramrod straight, and his eyes were distant as they swept over her. "I'm not running. And I could say the same for you." Tone inflectionless, he stood there steadily, staring at her almost unnervingly.
Obviously he didn't return her grin, didn't react to it, simply stayed where he was, expressionless. "I suppose you could say that." Again, the words came out more in a dull monotone than anything else. All in all, he lacked the spark of life and vitality he'd possessed when he saw her last, though he wasn't cruel or harsh, simply disinterested and disengaged.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Puzzled by the odd reaction, Maea searched his face and found it distant, almost cold. Considering that this was their first encounter in some time, she didn't think it was something she'd done - she'd not had the time to cause offense yet - and though the smile remained, it faded a bit.
"Well... no, I guess you are not. I'm sorry, if you're busy I won't keep you. I just... wanted to talk? It's good to see you again."
His not-quite-question was rather a bit more warranted, of course. Her presence here was not entirely warranted, not yet, but it was as much of a done deal as it could be. "I will be studying at the Academy," she revealed with a slight shrug. "Seems my quest for change brought on a few too many to handle on my own... I've come into some magic since we met." A slight grimace as she said it suggested her discovery of it had not gone down too well.
Even as she spoke, she watched Loren, his reactions - or rather lack thereof. It was decidedly different from how he'd been last time, where shadows had abounded behind his eyes but not crowded them so overwhelmingly as now. If he'd been broody before, he seemed all but numb now. It was... alarming. A bit disconcerting.
"Loren... did something happen?" she asked. Not sure if he would answer, if he wanted to talk at all. While willing to listen to her problems, he'd been none too forthcoming about his own.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
01-28-2020, 12:17 AM (This post was last modified: 01-28-2020, 12:17 AM by Loren.)
The white sheep of the family
Loren regarded her cooly, but not cruelly. "I'm not busy." As she mentioned she wanted to talk, he simply nodded, though he didn't respond. Nor did he give any indication whether he thought it was good to see her. In fact, he was barely reacting at all.
As she explained why she was there and what was new with her, he continued to look at her with a mostly impassive expression on his face. "Congratulations on both counts. What new ability have you developed. Also, best of luck with my cousin. She can be a harsh mistress." The words were not even a little bit enthusiastic. Instead, they were dull and monotone.
When she finally asked what was wrong, however, his jaw feathered with tension. "Yes. I lost someone." His eyes grew sad for the briefest of moments. "Someone else, I should say." Then all traces of sorrow were gone as if they'd never been.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Well, this was going splendid. He was responding, at least? Even if it was just the barest minimum he could manage without becoming rude.
"Thank you, I think. It's one you're familiar with, I'd say. The ice?" He should know better than anyone what a double edged sword it was, and how dangerous it would be in untrained hands. Hers, at the moment; Maea was not unlike a ticking timebomb, a disaster waiting to happen. "Can't say that I've seen anything of that side of her yet, though," she continued, recalling what little she'd seen of Zariah so far. "She was very polite and forthcoming when we met... Should I be worried, you think?"
She was inclined to continue prodding him to speak, to see if she could get him to react, in any way... but when he answered, her almost playful expression fell. Maea felt something tighten in her chest at the revelation, at the brief glimpse of emotion he let slip... before it was gone again.
For a moment, she stood mute. Unable to think of anything to say, because what was there, really? "I'm so sorry, Loren" was all she could come up with, in the end. And though her eyes reflected the empathy of his pain, she seemed quite aware that her being sorry didn't change anything for him. "Do you want to talk about it? Or would you rather be distracted from it, for a while?"
It was an offer, a hand outstretched. She could keep him company, if he wanted it. Listen, play that nothing was wrong... or leave him be, if he preferred that. But if he said nothing, she would choose to remain, as long as he allowed it.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea revealed her newest ability, Loren nodded. "The third tier of water magic, yes." His response was automatic, the result of long hours of study and discussions with Jigano.
As she went on to say that she'd only seen Zariah's polite front, something dark and ugly flickered in the summoner's eyes. "I imagine you'll be fine, so long as you are diligent in your studies, and continue to show such improvement." He took a deep breath. "If she begins to speak of joining the family, be careful." There was no real warning in his tone, beyond the words themselves.
Shrugging, he crossed his arms, expression still cold and distant. "Not your fault, and nothing to apologize for." His eyes tightened. "His name was Abasi, we were together, and he burned to death while I was standing right next to him." The explanation came a little too easily to his lips, and was inflectionless. His face was still almost entirely impassive. "I don't want anything, really. Nothing beyond the next task."
Suddenly refocusing, he gazed at her intently. "Do you need help with anything?" The question came out without much curiosity or interest.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
She nodded, confirming. The water had all come to her quite suddenly, from a trickle into a torrent and now this barrage of power that pressed and swelled inside her, waiting to be unleashed. Afraid as she was though, after the initial disaster when it erupted, she hesitated to use it, even for minor tasks. It did not help that she'd already hurt someone with her lack of control.
As for Zariah? The warning did not surprise her, nor did she ask why being part of the family might be a bad thing. She had gleaned some of it after her own conversation with Jigano, and had been alerted to some of the less savory plans the woman had tried to impose on the Hollowed Ground. And now? She had all of Halo to play with, unless the Warden interferred.
"I will keep your warning in mind," was all she said, with a shadowed smile that could mean anything.
Listening to his explanation - one she had not asked for, but that was welcome all the same - she gave in to impulse and made to lift a hand to his shoulder in quiet sympathy. There was indeed nothing she could do to alleviate that kind of pain. She knew loss intimately, perhaps not as recently as Loren or many others, but it was there in her all the same. A gaping hole where her family ought to have been. Her brother, not a twin but still her other half. The need to keep moving, to keep occupied though? That she understood. Lived it, herself, for all that it was wearing her down to the bone.
Maea thought about it, considering. She had many things she wanted and needed. Some were quite secret, others were not, but if it would help Loren to have something at hand, then... she could always come up with something.
"I've been trying to learn my way around this place," she told him, quite truthfully. "So I don't waste time getting lost when I need to know my way around. Are you situated enough to give me a tour?" She waved the notebook in her hand, suggesting she had been in the process already when he found her.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Loren merely nodded in response to Maea's reply about Zariah. As the pale-skinned woman's hand landed on his shoulder his eyes flicked to it, then back to her face. However, he still said nothing, letting the silence stretch out.
Indeed, he only spoke a long beat after she made explained she would like to see more of the Palace. "I am new here myself, so hardly the most ideal of guides." He paused, glancing up and down the hallway. "Still, I suppose we could explore it together. Less likely to be disturbed that way." As it had been the entire conversation, Turning back to her, he tilted his head, waiting for her response to his suggestion. If she agreed, he'd lead her down the hallway he'd been going down before he stopped to speak with her.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Her little gesture received no response other than a brief glance, and Maea soon retrieved her hand again, retreating back a little awkwardly into her own space.
But at least he accepted her suggestion, so with a nod she fell in beside him and followed back along the corridor, eyes roaming across walls and doors and other people as they went. For a while she was silent, a bit uneasy about it at first but easier once she recalled he was not the chattiest of people, like herself.
"I heard you have a brother here?" she asked after some time, when she recalled something Adam had said. "Someone said you found him after the portal to Halo opened..."
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As they walked through the halls, Loren was grateful for the silence. However, it didn't last, as Maea soon asked about his family. "I do. My twin. He's older, though obviously not by much." For a moment his expression faltered, the mask slipped, and his grief shone through. "My last living sibling." Then the sorrow slipped away, leaving the emptiness in its place.
Glancing over at her, he gave her an appraising look. "I suppose I didn't mention my last name when we met. Loren Launceleyn. My brother is the Warden of this place, and my cousin is the Archmage." With that, he returned his eyes to their path as they turned the corner to another hallway. "How about you. Do you have any siblings?" The question came out by rote, long years of etiquette training coming to the fore in lieu of anything better to do or say.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Was this the moment where she was supposed to reveal that she already knew his name? That Jigano had told her about it when he welcomed her back into the guild they both belonged to, and that she since had deduced - based on what Adam had told her - that some other Launceleyn had arrived to Caido on the other side of the Fangs, before the barrier had even fallen from the Hollowed Ground? The girl did consider it. But it seemed... a little unfair somehow. That she should know so much about Loren while she remained cloaked in her secrets, as surely as she draped herself with the ragged shawl?
Well. Perhaps not today. She did not want to take away from him the pleasure of making a revelation. And the information that the Warden was the brother was indeed a connection she had not quite made yet, so Maea let it color her face with the surprise she genuinely felt. Smiled at him with a grateful nod.
"So, in a way you're back home again? Amongst kin." She couldn't tell if he thought it was a truly good thing.
His own query came quite suddenly, and it left her speechless for a moment. Maea had actively tried not to think of her family for a full year now (though it still felt like only a few months had passed since she said goodbye to them that last time) and to get the question thrown at her like that was... painful. Like a punch to the gut, taking her breath away.
"Yes," she eventually said, inhaling softly in a poor attempt at keeping her tone light. Hold the grief at bay. Don't make this worse, he's already sad. "A brother, Noah. He... passed away, the LongNight before this."
It was surprising, how easily it could be said. Like it hadn't changed everything.
Bury me in this cold light I feed the wolf, and shed my skin
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
At Maea's comment, Loren's steps slowed and faltered. It was just a brief moment, but the way his eyes suddenly flashed with equal parts annoyance and uncertainty before he recovered belied how deeply the words had been felt. "I was disowned." The words came out a bit flatly, but there was an edge to them that hadn't been there before.
However, it should be clear that he very much did not consider himself among kin, let alone at home. And even if he had, that wasn't really a good thing when it came to the Launceleyns.
However, he forced himself to take a deep breath. To let go of the sudden bout of emotion, to let the emptiness take hold of him once more. His features smoothed and his eyes grew distant again. "I'm sorry for your loss." The words were quiet, and he spared her a quick glance. "Were you two close?" Then he turned his gaze forward. "You don't have to tell me, actually, if it's too difficult."
