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
Obedient as a child exchausted after a long day, she wiped the blood off with the butt of her hand. It smeared a little over her cheek, but she was too tired to notice or care. Walking all the way back to the Snowcloak would be a nightmare, even with Amun to offer his support.
"Good. Thank you." The relief in her was unmasked, all abilities to hide behind masks and jokes burned away with the ice. Maea felt drained, empty, but it was in a good way. Cathartic, as if she'd really needed to let off that steam.
The little bump almost saw her stagger down into the snow, had it not been for the supporting arm he held around her. It was strange to think that she'd been afraid of him, not so long ago. Where had all that come from? And where had it gone?
"You didn't want to be the monster," she countered, trying to keep up with his banter. "Means you'll have to be the good guy instead. No take backs now."
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 managed to get blood all over herself, Amun decided to just reach out and wipe up the smear with the scrap he’d torn off his sleeve. Considering they were in Halo, everything was slightly damp so the blood came up easily enough. ”Any time.” Then he made sure she was properly supported as he kept nudging her to keep walking.
At her comment about being the good guy, he chuckled, the sound dark and low. "You say that like there are only good guys and bad guys." The potter kept up his teasing tone, more than happy to keep her talking if it kept her moving. "But most people are just the innocent bystanders. The merchants, the friends, the ones from the doomed hometown. They never asked to be part of some hero's quest or some villain's path of conquest or darkness."
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Acting the child, feeling the child as she had her nose wiped and her face cleaned, she took a quiet pleasure in being spoiled. Just this once.
"Would be easier if it was only two sides," she pouted. "So what parts are we playing then? I don't really know anything about you at all, and you know a lot about me. Even saw my home. It's not fair."
A prodding finger sought to poke him in the side. Not really expecting a reaction, just... feeling the need to do something. Keep her mind occupied as she moved one foot in front of the other. Forward.
Though she wasn't sure she would make it all the way back like this. Not without stopping to rest somewhere.
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 ♦
Amun just grinned and shook his head. ”Sorry life isn’t neat enough for you.” As Maea asked which roles they played, he chuckled. "I imagine we are the two fools in the comedy, the ones who are complete opposites from one another, and yet still friends, which is where the humor comes from." That particular analysis didn't bother the potter in the slightest.
When she complained about not knowing anything about him he shrugged, though the motion was a bit awkward given that he was supporting much of her weight. "Ask away. And if you want to see my home we've got to get you home first." His voice was cheerful, a far cry from her grumbles.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
What she wanted to think about was a warm bed and maybe some hot food. To sleep for a long time, and use her head not at all. Coming up with questions about him felt like a massive chore... but he made her feel a little bad for grumbling, so she tried.
"Family?" she asked, leaving for him to decide how detailed he wanted to be. "Friends? You're in the Artisan's Guild?" If his comment about her joining was any indication.
Thinking, she tried to remember what had been said before. He didn't like Jigano over much, did not need a lot of things, and there had been a moment where he'd looked very, very old. Far more so than she could quite comprehend.
"Where were you, before you came here?" What had he been? But she didn't quite dare to ask that.
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 ♦
Maea’s questions weren’t that surprising, but Amun still didn’t answer them right away. ”No family, though I suppose I was adopted in a way in both my last world and in Caido.” Still gently urging her forward, he grinned. ”I guess you now too.” The words were a little cheeky.
”As for friends, I’ve got a few here. And yes, I’m in the Artisan’s Guild in addition to the Artist’s Sanctuary.” He smirked a little. ”Apparently pottery is both art and utility all wrapped up in one." There was an unsurprising amount of pride in that particular statement.
When she asked where he'd come from, however, his easy manner slipped away and the twinkle in his eyes dimmed. "My world didn't have a name. But it was large, and I sailed its many oceans for many years before I finally had to settle down." Despite his best efforts, there was a great deal of longing in his voice.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
His inclusion of her into his family earned him a squeeze around the middle, accepting the bargain without reservation. Brother... family. It tasted sweet on the tongue, and she found that it didn't matter all that much whether she knew everything about him or not. Amun's persistent tendency to care about her was far more important, as was her desire to be worthy of that affection.
And hey, they already bickered like siblings, so why not.
"Potter, sailor..." she mused. A far cry from the monster prowling in the night she'd accused him of being. It seemed he was right, once again; the world really wasn't a black and white place. "You miss it? The sea..."
How strange, that so many of the people she met longed for it. Jigano, Sunjata, now Amun... what was it about the waters that bound them together and pulled them in? They all seemed to connect with her too, in different ways. As if she was some kind of moon, pulling and pushing their tides.
What a ridiculous notion. She could barely control her own waters.
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 squeezed him, Amun gave her a much gentler squeeze back. Then he grinned. "Other way around, actually. I was a sailor long before I was a potter." Still he wasn't bothered by the characterization.
Her question actually took him aback, and he took a moment to consider it, his expression serious. Then he shrugged again, still careful not to jostle her too much. ”I do. Not so much that I’ll run away to it forever, but seeing it again was nice.”
Then his expression grew more playful. "Like I said, I sailed many oceans. The one in Torchline is nice, that's for sure, but there are other seas out there, and I'm sure that some of them will be as cold as that one is warm." He wanted to see them all, as evidenced by the longing in his voice.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"I haven't been to Torchline yet," she admitted. Placing one foot in front of the other. Staggering ever so slightly, but recovering quick enough by leaning into Amun. It wouldn't take more than a breeze to topple her at this point, she noted ruefully. Maea thought she would make it a point to never spend all of her magic again like this, even in a crisis... it made her far too vulnerable afterwards.
"Take me with you, some time?" There were others who had promised to take her, of course, but she didn't think it was something she could experience too many times. If the wistfulness of his tones was anything to go on, the ocean wasn't something to ever grow tired of.
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 ♦
Amun tutted his tongue at Maea, though he wasn't actually disappointed in the slightest. Hopefully the mischievous light in his eye and the playful tone to his voice would convey that. "Well that's a shame. It's much more exotic than Halo or the Hollowed Ground." Whether or not that was a good thing, was up to her, but he thought it was.
And that wasn't even getting into the sight of the ocean.
Nodding easily at her question, he grinned. ”Obviously. Just tell me when.” Reaching out with his spare hand, he poked her gently in the side. "In exchange, let me know next time you're planning to travel to a remote wilderness area without telling anyone where you're going, yeah?"
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"Exotic how?" she asked? Maea had seen the new name of the sign as she traveled through the portal from the Grounds to Halo, but never gone that way. Not even for a peek. Sunjata had been ecstatic about there being oceans, but aside from that... she knew nothing.
The poke to her side made her squirm, ticklish despite her weariness. "But you're so good at finding me when I do," she retorted, with a cheeky little grin. "Where would be the fun of... telling you in ad-advance..?"
She got the words out, just barely. Then had to stop the slow march forward as a cough tore at her lungs, nearly doubling her over. If it had been dry and wheezing before, it sounded far worse now. Wet, as if it had sunken straight into her lungs.
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 ♦
Amun chuckled, the sound dark and low. ”Now that would be spoiling the surprise, wouldn’t it?” Once again, he gently nudged Maea with his hip. ”It’s tropical. That means it’s warm, and sunny, and sandy, with palm trees and all sorts of beautiful creatures in a riot of colors roaming the beaches.” He did his best to paint the picture with his words as surely as he would with a canvas.
Before he could quip back to her, she stumbled. He did his best to catch her, to support her, to hold her up as she coughed. ”Easy now. The road’s close, and from there it’s just a quick trip back to civilization.” Indeed, he could see the path, his Ascended eyes having no trouble piercing the seemingly ever present snow in Halo.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Warm. Vibrant. Colorful. "Not sure I'd fit in very well, then," she commented, once she was able to breathe again. Looking up, she could indeed make out the darker line of the road up ahead; she hadn't even noticed the snow when it began to fall again. No doubt it would get darke soon, too.
"Though wouldn't mind a bit of sun right about now..." Just a little. So she wouldn't be as tempted to close her eyes and make a nest in one of the snowdrifts. With the shawl about her, it wouldn't be too different from curling up on a lumpy bed. Not cold, not dangerous. As long as the rags were kept in place, at least.
But she had a feeling Amun wouldn't allow it, so she relented. Kept going. "This might not have been my brightest idea," she admitted.
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 ♦
Amun gave Maea a wicked grin. ”Where’s the fun in fitting in? Life’s more fun when you stand out from the crowd.” The words were playful, but he wasn’t entirely kidding. ”Plus, you’ll look great with all that color at your back.” Indeed, she would make a fairly striking contrast.
Laughing, he shrugged. "You'll forgive me if I don't quite share that sentiment." They were almost at the road by now, and he continued nudging her forward, not letting her stop or even slow her steps. "Technically, it was my idea, so feel free to blame me." Smiling, he pointed at their destination. "We're close, though, and all's well that ends well."
