From Attuned to Ascended to Ancient, Kiada Njovu-Reyes has been reborn several times throughout her short life, but her fighting spirit has never once been diminished. With beauty, grace and a quick wit, Kiada is the whole package wrapped in an infectious smile. Recent endeavours have found her in the heart of the Hollowed Grounds, aiding the region and bettering it for her new Ancient kin, and whatever she does next, we know it's sure to pack a punch.
Congratulations, Kiada!
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
It was selfish, and she realized it as soon as he said it. Of course she shouldn't try to push Amun into that whole mess, it would only make it more complicated. Not a kind thing to do, not a solution to anyones problems. And she was about to apologize, but he went on, demanded a name and caught her chin, made her look at him.
Maea's eyes shuddered away from his, then came back. And the name she offered up was the answer to both his questions, to all of her own, explained the full extent of her difficulties... or would, at least, if Amun had kept himself up to date with recent gossip.
"Sunjata," she said, and blushed.
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 grinned at Maea’s revelation. ”Wait, isn’t that the dude who just got married to that chick from the medical college? I mean, he's hot and all, but you can do better.” Turns out, he wasn’t very up to date on Hollowed Ground gossip at all, what with being busy opening portals and all that.
Tutting his tongue and shaking his head, he wagged a finger at her, though his eyes sparkled with amusement and mischief. "Recently married men are tricky. Not impossible, but tricky. You sure you wanna get involved with someone who's, well, involved?" He tossed her a wink. Then he raised his eyebrows as he waited for her to respond, though his expression was still mostly gleeful.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
The flush intensified, a dramatic splotch of red in the black-and-white landscape. "He's not married anymore... they broke it up not too long ago," she said. It was true, but... didn't exactly excuse the part where she'd gotten involved with Sunjata while he really was... well. Involved.
As for Maea? She was already in to her nose, just about drowning in the whole mess of a situation. And other suitors weren't exactly lining up outside her door in the morning. "You seem awfully sure that anyone else would even be interested. So far, there have been no others to even offer."
It didn't mean that she ought to throw herself at the first one to show up, but... unfortunately, that's exactly what she had done.
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 tilted his head at Maea. "Wait, really? That must be some sort of record for shortest marriage." Chuckling, he shook his head. "Not exactly helping his case there, is he?" The potter's voice was almost mocking at this point.
"Well, I'm going to venture out on a limb here and assume you haven't exactly been putting yourself out there, or going where you might find eligible men. Or women, if that's also your thing." Though he was still teasing, there was no malice or animosity behind it. Leaning towards her, he dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Also, I don't know if you heard, but you can be the one to express interest. Novel, I know." He winked at her.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Ugh, no. He had a point. To all of it, infuriating as it was.
"I wasn't even interested in looking," she told him, a bit sullen. "I got along fine without getting into anyone's business, or them into mine. Things were going great. Then he showed up from nowhere, and suddenly I'm a mess. I keep breaking all the rules I set up for myself, doing all the wrong things."
Making a frustrated gesture, she added, "I'm not even sure if it's for any good reasons. Maybe I'm just a pushover who falls for anyone." A touch of self loathing there, that definitely should not have been allowed to slip.
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 shockingly sympathetic grin. ”You are many things, but I would not call the woman who interrogated her rescuer a pushover.” The words were teasing, but also weirdly complementary, hopefully the perfect antidote to the self-hatred he heard in her voice. He gave her a (very) gentle squeeze on top of it.
Then his grin shifted into a smile, a normal, friendly smile. "Why don't you tell me how it happened and how you're feeling about it all. Then maybe we can revisit your rules and figure out what to do?" He glanced ahead, but they still had quite a bit of road left ahead of them, and the talking would keep her from thinking about her ordeal from earlier.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Maea looked at Amun, considering. Many of the things that had passed between herself and Sunjata were secrets offered in confidence, not something she wanted to divulge even here. There had been a promise to keep what happened by the river that day a river's secret. But here, in the light of day, with only cold snow and harsh landscapes around, and time between then and now? It seemed a ridiculous thing to keep quiet about.
So. The short version. Real and to the point.
"First time I ever saw him was at his wedding. Was there for his wife, as she's sort of a friend... though not exactly close. Second time, I went to trade with the VlamVloed, and arranged to stay there while I dealt with the farm. Nothing, we just talked and did business. Third time, I came across him quite by accident, and we started talking. He started flirting. I kept my distance and made it rather plain I didn't want to be a cheat.
"He seemed fine with that, but then as we kept talking things got... close. I don't even know why, or how but... he kissed me. I made to leave, and he... took off his wedding ring. Said he didn't want to be in the marriage from the start, and just... dropped it in the sand."
She swallowed, jaw clenching as she bit her teeth together, half reliving the dense, tension-fraught moment. His wordless implication that he was choosing to free himself then and there, and her offer to accept him if he stuck to that. Which he seemed to accept, by taking her offered hand, by kissing her again.
All of that she related to Amun in short, terse words, that tried and failed at neutrality.
"Next time I saw him, he was wearing the ring again. I was... not happy about it, and said we could stay friends but nothing more. And he seemed to agree to that, it's just that... every time we come into contact, there's this slip back into that feeling by the river.
"I don't think he's playing with me on purpose, but even though I try to keep away, he's always there in the end. Wanting things I don't want to give, not... not so lightly. I want it to mean something. But he... doesn't seem to share that view."
There was more to it, more details, more complications - Nate, for example - but Maea felt a lump begin to grow in her throat and clamped down on it, growing quiet. Waiting for the judgement to be passed on her.
What a mess it was.
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 listened to Maea’s rather long story, an easy grin on his face the whole time. When she finished, the grin broadened. ”Want me to beat him up for you?” Despite the teasing tone, the offer was quite serious.
Still grinning, he nudged her with his hip. "Quite the mess you've found yourself in." Giving her a squeeze to let her know that he was actually sympathetic to her plight, he glanced towards her for a moment before returning his gaze to the road. "Well, alright then. What do you actually want to do? Because it sounds kind of complicated, and in those situations sometimes it's just best to end it cleanly."
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
The offer came out a bit too seriously for her taste, and the look she gave Amun was quite alarmed. "Why would you do that? It won't help anything... I'm not even sure it would make me feel better." Though a little tiny part of her wondered if she actually might... It would be rather satisfying. But mostly she was touched by the suggestion that Amun would avenge her if she got hurt, and the nudge she gave his shoulder was quite gentle.
"I... want to be with him," she admitted, after some thinking. "When things are good they are great, and I do feel rather seriously about him. But... I can't accept being one in a crowd. And if he doesn't want to commit, then... There's nothing to do about any of it, really."
She shrugged again, a sad gesture that conveyed her hopelessness over the whole situation. "Maybe I'll just move to Halo and get away for a while. See if things cool down when we're not running into each other all the time."
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 grinned a bit wickedly. ”Seems like the brotherly thing to do, beating up or at least threatening the cad who is playing with your heart.” The words were teasing, but also kind of heartfelt.
As Maea mentioned that she was split between wanting to be with Sunjata and moving to Halo, the potter smirked a little. ”Ah yes, running away from your problems. That always works.” Obviously his tone was teasing, and he gave her a slightly pointed look.
”You’re wrong, though. There is something you can do. You can tell him that it's you and you alone, or else you're breaking it off. If he won't commit to that, you're better off without him." His words had gentled somewhat, and he gave her another squeeze as well.
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
"You seem quite eager to help here, should I be worried?" she asked him, falling back on that teasing tone. She was genuinely moved by the offer, by the sentiment. Had anyone been so eager to leap to her defence before? Not since Noah... "Tell you what though. If you ever find me crying over him and it's not because of my own stupid decisions, you're free to do as you please. Deal?"
As for the rest... he was of course right. Maea knew it, and knew that's what she was trying to do now. She'd made it plain what she wanted, and now...
"I just have to find the strength to actually follow through with that kind of ultimatum," she sighed.
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. "Maybe. Only one way to find out." Nodding in agreement with Maea's offer, he waggled his eyebrows. "Deal. Though if you're crying, I might just assume it's his fault, because you don't strike me as the type to make stupid decisions." He nudged her playfully with his hip.
As she expressed concern with her ability to stay strong, he chuckled, the sound full of life. "Orrrrrr and here's a thought: you could rely upon other people to help you through this." He winked at her. "How's this sound? Every time you feel the desire to seek him out, come find me instead and I'll find something to keep you occupied until the urge passes."
Carry me through this world alive I feel no more, this suffering
Oh, he obviously had no idea. "Shall I remind you that I tried to stage a coup to create a governing group in the Hollow Ground without letting my friends know about it first?" she said, a bit pointedly. "Or I could tell you about how I'm planning to join a school for magic, founded by the most hated woman in the Grounds, against the wishes of my guildmaster. I assure you, I have no shortage of bad decisions to pull from." But she grinned as she said it, able to make fun of her past errors. The present ones too, for that matter; it was rather amusing how she managed to step in things quite without meaning to.
"Hmm... that is a thought," she continued. "And where would I find you, when you're not finding me? The Artisan's Guild?" She realized she had no idea where he lived, or indeed which crowds he might be moving with.
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 ♦
Chuckling as Maea revealed what she thought was a litany of bad decisions, Amun poked her in the side. "If that's the worst you got, I stand by my statement." His voice was entirely gleeful. Indeed, he wasn't at all bothered by her so-called revelation. "Besides, life isn't fun unless you make some poor life decisions every now and again." He honest believed that.
Winking at her, Amun grinned. "Well, gee, I don't know, the pottery studio I own, run, and live in? The one right by the Artist's Sanctuary?" He'd been open for quite a while now, and while obviously he hadn't been working without a hand, he was a bit miffed she hadn't heard of it. However, it didn't perturb him too much.
