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
"Can't argue with that," she admitted, and stood still as he pushed off from the wall and came over to stand by her. She accepted the hand on her shoulder without comment or complaint, simply aware of the slight warmth that spread from the touch.
Then came the light, and the girl closed her eyes. Did not try to fight it as it seeped into her. Maea had been healed enough throughout her life to be familiar with the sensation, but it was still odd to her. Equal parts itchy and ticklish, warm and cold, like a vibrating hum that thrummed through her. When it worked through her lungs, she was sent into another coughing fit; but when it ceased she was breathing easier again, surprised to realize how difficult it had actually become.
"You've more strength in your healing than most I've been treated by," she mumbled, remaining where she was until he deemed the work done. "Most they ever could do was calm fevers and ease the breathing..." Then again, her father could never quite afford the most expensive healers. The best ones. He'd only been a farmer, after all. Not like the upstanding Wordsworth family, for example.
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 ♦
Before responding to Maea, Loren kept his eyes closed. His hand still rested on her shoulder, and he sent another pulse of his magic through her body, repairing the minute damage done by her illness and weak immune system that he hadn’t focused on in the first round. At the same time, he tried to bolster her immune system further, doing what he could to postpone its weakening.
Finally he opened his eyes and lifted his hand from her shoulder. "I have more healing magic than most, yes." It wasn't proud, simply an acknowledgement that he not only had mastered healing magic, he could also do it from a distance and summon unicorns to do the same. "How are you feeling?"
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"Out of all the magical abilities out there... I'd say it's the closest one to a blessing," came the simple reply. As Loren withdrew, she rolled her shoulders and took several deep breaths. Stretching, testing. Not only had he repaired her lungs, she no longer felt the strain of training hard for several weeks without proper rest. Fading bruises from her spars with Sunjata had disappeared, so had stiffness and fatigue.
She nodded at him, smiling. "I feel great. Like I could run for days. Thank you."
Savoring a few deep, relieved lungfuls of air, the relief was enough to make her actually twirl on the spot in sudden glee. Coming back around, she gave the healer a look that was halfway between sly and apologetic. "I've no doubt this isn't the last time you'll be doing this, Loren. Would it be terrible of me to say that I'm glad you are here in Halo, too?"
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 just shrugged. ”Hardly a blessing. All magic is a tool, to be used for good or ill.” There was a slightly bitter cast to the words, and he dropped his hand to his side.
Waving away her thanks, he clasped his hands behind his back. "Like I said, just doing my job." Now that he'd completed the task at hand, he was lapsing back into the slightly distant, slightly detached demeanor he'd possessed when she first saw him.
However, as she twirled and then spoke, he stilled almost entirely. "Well. The circumstances that brought me here were..." His voice trailed off as his eyes grew momentarily haunted. Shaking his head slightly, he turned to face the hallway. "Shall we continue the tour?" The brief trace of sorrow was gone as swiftly as it had appeared.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"How do you harm someone with healing?" she wondered, with a brow raised. "The only thing that would be smarting after that would be bruised ego. And stubborn pride mends quite quickly." She thought of Sunjata - his idiotic refusal to be treated despite being sick - and snorted.
It was sad to see him revert back into the laconic stillness again. Nodding her assent to continue the journey through the castle, Maea thought of the relative lightness as he'd been working, the relief brought on by a sense of purpose. A task to focus on, rather than brood over why he was here, alone. Without the person he'd lost.
"Speaking of harmful magic," she said, venturing a sidelong glance at the man, "could I ask a favor of you? Since the healing didn't count."
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 question, Loren's eyes tightened. "There are ways." His voice came out slightly guilty and slightly bitter, but entirely exhausted. "Some people like to keep their scars. And others would have rather you didn't heal them, choosing to die or suffer instead." His expression darkened into something almost ugly.
However, her request for a request distracted him from the gloomy turn his thoughts had taken. He turned to look at her, eyes distant and veiled again. "You can ask. But no guarantees that I can or will provide it." Studying her features, he kept his hands clasped behind his back as he waited for her to ask whatever it was that was on her mind.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
She hummed, nodding as she thought about it. "I know someone like that. Stubborn fool, would rather cough his own lungs up than let anyone help. As if letting it get better on its own would make it any more healed than magic would." She shook her head, clearly disapproving of the idea. While she could understand not wanting to ask for help, it was just stupid to refuse if it was being offered.
"I've next to no control over the ice I mentioned," she said, a bit cautious after the tentative permission to ask. "I nearly turned the VlamVloed into a glacier when... when it grew. If... you don't mind, could you maybe teach me.. how to control it?"
She knew he had it too. Knew of the ice he'd used during the Fiat Lux... they had that in common now, and Maea was certain he had far better grasp of its usage than she.
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 eyed Maea as she brought up someone who fit his description. ”Sunjata is a stubborn fool, yes.” Then he tilted his head and gave her a pointed look. ”Of course, I could’ve cleared up your own recent troubles at any time if you’d approached me about it.” Despite the admonishing words, there wasn't actually any chiding tone to his voice.
As she explained that she had little control over her ice magic, he raised his eyebrows. "I can help with that, yes, though I'm a terrible teacher." Glancing around, he began walking. "But not here." He led her towards a nearby door.
Opening it, he revealed one of the Palace's many sitting rooms. This one was plain, and he held the door open for her. "Do you know how to meditate?" Once she was inside, he'd let the door shut quietly behind him before settling into a cross-legged position on the floor.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"Oh, that's right... you know him, don't you?" Perhaps nothing to be surprised about, considering the man owned the only tavern in the Grounds, but still. Maea couldn't help a smile from appearing on hearing the name mentioned, and it was a touch too fond. "I tried to talk him around, but he wouldn't listen. The best I could manage was a promise to get help before Ludo came with its lantern to claim him."
She did look a touch surprised at the rebuke; could only shrug at it. "I didn't know where you were," she replied. "And you seemed rather relieved to be leaving when we parted, so I thought it best not to push my luck by go looking." He'd just called her out for being jealous and childish, after all.
Somewhat surprised to having her request accepted, the slender girl followed without objections and entered the room he found for them. Mimicked the pose he sat down in, though she didn't know what purpose it served... there were perfectly adequate chairs just over there.
"I don't even know what it is," she had to admit to the question. But her eyes were keen, clearly interested; she'd always enjoyed learning, and it seemed her thirst for it would be sated a little more today.
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 nodded, though his eyes narrowed imperceptibly at the tone Maea used. ”Supposedly we’re friends.” Shrugging, he let his features go blank again. ”When I spoke to him last, he didn’t seem like he was in danger of dying.” The words came out without any real inflection.
"That's fair." However, he frowned slightly at the rest of her response. "I was bringing herbs to the infirmary. I did offer to let you call upon me at any time, though, even if it was just for tea." His brow furrowed in confusion. "Didn't I?" At least, that was the last time he remembered them interacting.
As she answered that she'd never heard of it, his fingers drummed a beat on his thigh. "Okay. Find yourself a comfortable seat then." He wouldn't move from his spot, though he'd wait for her to relocate, if she wished. "Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. I want you to take a deep breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth." He demonstrated for her, though he kept his own eyes open.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"Well, no. But he certainly wasn't taking it easy either." It felt a little too good to talk about the Flood. Too easy, for that matter, and she had a few secrets too many to keep for him. So she easily let the subject drop, and tried to explain her lack of reaching out to Loren instead.
"You did, but I wasn't sure you actually meant it," she admitted, looking away for a moment. "I thought... maybe you were just being polite."
Once in the room, she did as asked and settled in on the floor, with her back lightly resting against the seat of a chair for support. Closing her eyes, the girl followed his instructions, breathing in through her nose, then out through the mouth. She found it soothing, breath automatically deepening and slowing a little more for each exhale...
Her shoulders sank a bit, relaxing.
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 just shrugged, not really caring how Sunjata lived his life and just as happy as Maea to move on. However, the healer raised his eyebrows at her next statement. "I can be polite and still mean something." Again, given how dully he spoke it was hard to tell if he was hurt or just making conversation.
As she followed his instructions, he nodded though she couldn't see it. "Good. Keep breathing." He made sure to keep his voice as low and soothing as he could, as well as encouraging. It was a little shocking how well he succeeded. "As you do, I want you to let you mind go blank. Let go of whatever is worrying you. It's okay for there to be thoughts: just acknowledge them, then let them leave on their own time." This was usually the part where people struggled, so he watched her closely.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
She could only smile and shrug at that. A quiet apology, a resolution to make up for it later.
The breathing part came easy enough. But when it was time to let her thoughts drift... too much came rushing in at once. The pale girl was a classic workaholic. Keeping herself busy to keep the mind from racing, from being overwhelmed by her own thoughts. It seemed so easy at first, to rest in the quiet dark behind her eyelids. But then, images of the farm began to surface. Of family members. Faces of those she had loved and lost. Places she would never visit again.
They surfaced, and she shifted uncomfortably, unease flitting across her mind. Grief mingled with old fears, when the nightmare came to join them. A door broken open into the snow. Blood on the threshold, and the room beyond... empty.
A twist of her neck made it pop, and as she struggled to contain the memories with clenched fists, frost began to leak into her breath. It clouded in her exhale, crept across pale knuckles like feathering ferns... The cold ought to hurt, but she didn't even seem to notice 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 grew agitated, Loren frowned slightly. Apparently her thoughts were more unsettled than he thought. The frown deepened as ice began creeping over her body and the room and the temperature dropped.
Tapping into his own magic, he did what he could to negate it. Ice turned to water and lifted from her skin to gather into a little sphere floating in front of him. ”Focus on the sound of my voice. Just breathe. In. And out. In. And out.” He repeated that in as calming a tone as he could manage for a few seconds longer, eyes trained on her.
Regardless of if it helped, he decided to switch tactics. "As you breathe, I want you to focus on the points of contact with your body and the world around you. Feel where your legs press against the floor, where your back touches the chair. Let that ground you."
