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!
01-28-2020, 12:38 AM (This post was last modified: 01-28-2020, 12:38 AM by Loren.)
LOREN
Even though Loren cared for little, these days, he was loathe to rely upon Neron’s largesse for long. Or ever. Even during the summoner’s retreat from the world, he still worked. Worked harder, even, as evidenced by the gauntness of his frame and the dark circles under his eyes.
He’d set up an igloo in Snowcloak, using his hands more than his magic, which ran out alarmingly fast these days. It took a while, but he’d managed it, though he’d likely have to establish something more permanent. Outside, he’d hammered a sign into the snow:
Healing, Courtesy of the Warden
Inside, he’d dragged a cot, a small table, a chest, and a stool. Supplies and tools were stuffed into the chest and littered the table. He was currently sitting on the stool, staring at the entrance as he waited for the next patient to show up. As they always were these days, his eyes were blank.
Halo, like the Hollowed Ground, was suffused with it. But unlike the latter, the frozen region did not seem stymied by it. Grief was about, but it was a whisper on the wind - a promise as much as it was a reality. But even so, this grief she sensed, whispered to her by spirits in the ice and snow, was fresh, open, aching. Hmm. Compelled, she followed, making her way quietly through the snow.
And she only was tripped by the spirits twice she was proud to say.
Her trek led her to a small shop it seemed, based on the sign. She ducked in, eyes adjusting to the darker light quickly. And to her surprise it was Loren. She smiled at him warmly, gaze brimming with love and adoration. "Hello, Loren." she said softly, expression changing ever so slightly to one of compassion, knowing well (from encountering it so often) what he felt. "You did not escape suffering last season, I see." she added gently.
01-29-2020, 12:25 AM (This post was last modified: 01-29-2020, 12:27 AM by Loren.)
LOREN
As Delphia, of all people, walked into Loren's little igloo, he stared at her with a dull sort of surprise. "Delphia. Long time no see." The words were as dull and lifeless as everything else about him.
He looked down and away at her comment. "No. Nor this one, or the one before, or any season of my life." The statement might've been sad, but it was as monotone as anything else that came out of his lips these days. For a long while, he continued staring at the ground.
When he finally did look up, any flicker of sadness had dissipated. "How can I assist you today?" It was polite, businesslike, and distant.
However, at her appearance an idea had presented itself deep in his subconscious, and it started to nag him.
The way she looked at him was filled with warmth and compassion and care, as though in the short time they had known eachother, Delphia had truly come to love the man very deeply. "That only means you are living, and soon your grief will grow light again. Though I know that truth brings little comfort now." she said gently, head tilting to the side as she remained silent, giving him the space he needed to collect himself.
He asked what she needed help with, and she smiled, more with her eyes than her lips at it. "Put on your coat and come. Enjoy this day of life with me as I endeavor to do work under my father's guidance. That is how you will assist me." she said, tone happy and bright, but not gratingly so.
At Delphia's comment, Loren stared at her. For just a brief moment, a dark and ugly light flickered in his eyes before they faded back into that dull and empty sheen. "I know. Like I said, I've had a rough life. But right now, my grief is fresh." The response was as quiet and emotionless as everything else he'd said to her.
"That doesn't really answer my question." Still, he rose from his stool and threw on his cloak. "I'll help. But I'm afraid enjoyment is beyond me at the moment." He walked towards the exit, blinking at the lighter outdoors.
Lifting the sign, he tossed it almost carelessly inside the igloo. Then he turned to regard the demi-god. "What has Mort asked you to do?" There was no enthusiasm or curiosity behind the question, just a weary resignation.
The adoring look in her eyes did not leave as anger flashed in his. Grief did strange but predictable things to people. That she had never felt it herself and very likely never would made it difficult to empathize but she sympathized. And so she did not hold it against him, nor respond to the words that would likely only goad him to grow cross. He was but a dog barring his teeth to snarl, and she would not provoke him to bite.
"Try. Give your weary soul a rest and immerse yourself in enjoyment of this bright day in Halo, where there skies are clear, the wind is soft, and you've a friend at your side." she said encouragingly, walking towards the outskirts of the town where people were less likely to stare at their antics. "Mort has given me wisdom on how to secure a Cat Sith, so I might bind it to me and use its guiles to find lost souls with greater expediency. But I must do a great number of things with rocks first, and with your talents, you are the perfect helper!" She said, eyea crinkling at the corners with a hidden smile.
As they walked, Loren just stared at Delphia. "Are we friends?" There wasn't an accusation or anger behind the question. Indeed, there wasn't much of anything there: after the initial outburst, his emotions had faded to a dull emptiness once again.
That didn't mean he wasn't listening. Nor did it help him to understand what the demi-god needed. ”Mort asked you to collect rocks, and you need my...talents? You need my talents to help you do it.” The healer's confusion was evident, though he wasn't bothered or curious, simply seeking clarification.
He shrugged. "Alright. But I'd like your help with something as well then." Again, the words came out quietly without much inflection.
His question did not through her off her happy yet calm demeanor for even a second. ”I suppose I don’t really know. I’ve never had a friend before that wasn’t dead.” she said with a light, haunted sounding laugh. ”But I think you are clever and funny, and you don’t seem to mind my presence. That would make us friends, wouldn’t it?” she asked back. Was something like friendship really more complicated than that? She hoped not otherwise she might struggle to fulfill that aspect of her obligation to her father.
She nodded as he questioned her further. ”I need a rock that is taken up so high in the air that the air is thin. One that is struck by lightning. One that is pulled from deep within the earth. One that is burned. And one that has been submerged in water.” she said, counting them off on her fingers. All the elements – how perfectly balanced!
Loren shrugged almost imperceptibly. ”I don’t know what friendship is either. So I can't help you there. But you're right about not minding your presence, wrong about me being funny or clever.” Unlike Delphia, who seemed amused by the situation, he was still responding to everything in pretty much a dull monotone.
Blinking as she listed off what she needed, he crossed his arms. "Any rock? If so, I can do most of that, except maybe the earth part." He waited patiently for her to explain if there was anything further than that.
As she asked what he needed, however, he hesitated. Glancing aside, he studied the ground for a long moment. "Frey asked me to bring them something that is real, but most people believe is fake. I thought your ability to manifest ghosts might fit the bill."
"Bold of you to say my perception is wrong when you have not perceived yourself through mine eyes." she said lightly, a small smile on her face, undeterred by his sour attitude. He was grieving. It was expected. If she could bring even a small amount of brightness to his day in this moment of darkness, her father would be pleased with her.
"I have rocks, from the Greatwood." she said, patting her small bag. "Yes, the earth one is tricky. Perhaps you could conjure an earth creature to dig very deep to procure a rock?" she suggested. Frankly she didn't know how magic worked. Not Abandoned magic anyways. All her own came from her divine parentage.
His request was...odd though. Ghosts not being real? How strange! Though perhaps he was considering his own world, and really who was she to question what he thought he needed to gather for Frey? "I will gladly do so for you." she said.
Delphia’s response didn’t garner much from Loren besides a slight head tilt. "What have I done that you have found particularly clever or funny?" Disinterested as his tone was, it was obviously clear that he still didn't believe her.
Simply nodding as she agreed to the exchange, he held out his hands for her rocks. "Alright. Let's go in order then. I'll figure something out for the earth one, and if not I'm sure someone else can help you with that." As he spoke, he called upon the non-Abandoned part of his magic, seeking out a suitable bird to compel for the task. Eventually, a goose like himself appeared and landed in front of the daughter of Mort.
It opened its beak almost expectantly. "You can give it the rock. It'll fly it for you. I'll work on the rest while it does."
"The way you think. I find it clever. And sometimes amusing." she said with a soft smile, shrugging a bit. That he might want a specific instance was not immediately clear to her, nor did she think it necessary. Though she might have one, the question was more about perception, and just because she viewed a specific instance in a certain light, he might see it another way.
But of course, with a certain amount of suddenness, a goose of all things flew down and opened its beak to her. "Well hello there feathered-friend." she said, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a smile. She knelt and carefully placed the rock with the air symbol on it in its beaks. "I did not know that geese could fly up so high." she said with a bit of surprise.
Loren raised his eyebrows, more out of habit than anything else. "Like what?" Voice still dull, he stared blankly at Delphia, trying to figure out what exactly the demi-god saw in the healer.
As she put the rock in the goose's beak, he compelled it to take a firm grip on the rock. The he ordered it to go as high as it possibly could without killing or injuring itself. It took a running start, and beat its wings to lift itself in the air. He watched it as it rose before turning his attention back to her, keeping the compulsion going in the back of his mind. "I've never tested it, but they can fly quite high." He held out his hand for the next rock.
"What do you mean, like what?" she said, oblivious to any what she could be more specific than that. But she was a bit distracted watching the goose take the rock and fly up and up and up until it was far and away, well out of sight. The corners of her eyes crinkled, both from a hint of a smile and squinting against the sun. "I did not realize that. I wonder if Oia and Kai know geese can fly very high." she said, handing Loren the rocks with the fire and lightning symbols.
