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!
As Samuel reached out, Loren looked at the redhead with a little bit of surprise. As he spoke, however, the healer rubbed the spot on his wrist the other man had touched. A guilty expression flashed across the Launceleyn’s features for the briefest of moments. ”I was crazy. Probably still am And...I’m not lovely.” The words came out flatly.
Still, he followed Samuel inside. Surveying the interior, Loren found that the cozy space brought tears to his eyes, ones that he swiftly blinked away. "Hard to help you cope from outside." There was an awkward quality to the response, and he hovered by the door until Astra nudged him forward.
Walking a little stiffly towards the nearest chair, he sank into it. His posture was almost ramrod straight and fairly clearly uncomfortable, though no sign of it showed on his face. "I guess I'll take that tea you offered me. Last time, I mean. If it's not too much trouble." His luxere hopped onto his lap and he relaxed a little, hugging her closer.
"Well...I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree." Sam smiled faintly, but drew back his hand and said no more on it, unsure if he'd overstepped. He was so desperate to make new friends, start a new chapter, prove to the world he was still alright; he needed to remember that these things could not be rushed, especially not with Loren, who was going through the unimaginable.
Loren went to sit, however awkwardly, and Sam went to make tea at his request. "Absolutely, let me just go and get the tray." Stepping quickly into the kitchen, he returned with a metal tray bearing a pot and two cups, a few different bags of tea leaves on the side and a strainer. Setting the tray down between the two chairs on a small table, Sam sat on the chair opposite Loren. "Would you like something more sweet and fruity, or something darker?"
For himself, he poured a fruit tea, one that had a strong smell of berries and was a dark, almost purple colour. Waiting for Loren's answer he held the pot in his hands, smiling as he looked at the Launceleyn. "It's so nice to have someone over for tea again. Thank you."
01-30-2020, 09:05 PM (This post was last modified: 01-31-2020, 01:28 AM by Loren.)
The white sheep of the family
At Samuel's question about the tea, Loren glanced up. "Oh. Something dark, please." He scratched a little bit behind Astra's ear and she let out a contented bleat. "I don't like sweets, really." The redhead took his own seat, while the healer tried his best not to look too awkward in his.
When the other man mentioned how nice this was, however, the Launceleyn bit his lip. "You're welcome." The words were soft and more than a bit stiff. "I've never known an Ascended to drink tea before." It was halfway between an observation and a question and he felt more than a bit weird even saying it.
Sam poured out tea for Loren, something dark and bitter smelling, with a more refined note beneath; not his personal favourite but one that was nice on long winter evenings. "I wish I didn't like sweets. It's always been a weakness. Though...I suppose it doesn't really matter." He could hardly gain weight or rot on his teeth, so ultimately it was probably the best circumstance in which to have a sweet tooth.
"Oh, well-" Both cups poured Sam leaned back in his chair and Mia quickly came to leap on his legs and curl up; his hand automatically began to stroke through her fur. "-Most won't be able to taste it. After Remi's patch, though, I can...and I like the ritual of it. The steeping, pouring...and it's warm. It's always been a comfort." He'd never been one to give up something pleasant once he found it - even in all the years before he'd been able to taste, he had always enjoyed a cup of tea.
Taking a sip he looked over the cup at Loren. "Do you have any vices?"
As Samuel poured the tea, Loren watched it carefully. ”Thank you.” The thanks was a bit awkward, but there were traces of gratitude there. ”As weaknesses go, not the worst one to have.” He tilted his head slightly to one side. ”Why do you say it doesn't matter?" Again, he was mostly asking to be polite, though he sounded slightly more interested than he had earlier in the conversation.
When the redhead finished, the healer lifted the cup, though made no move to drink it just yet. "What's that about a patch?" Again, the question actually had a little bit of curiosity behind it. Bringing the cup to his lips, he blew on it.
However, his slightly lighter expression and tone faltered in the face of the other man's words. "Yes. It's...nice to have something so...normal to rely on." Loren swallowed a lump in his throat, brought there by the domesticity the surroundings and Samuel's words had conjured.
Something the healer had lost his joy in recently, the day-to-day rituals of simply living life.
Finally taking a sip, he stared into his cup rather than meeting the redhead's gaze. "It depends what you mean by vices." The Launceleyn shrugged.
Did Loren not know about the limitations of the Ascended? Sam had thought they had been well-shared by now, if only to convince the masses away from The Voice. "Well, because I can't really have any of the negative effects. I don't gain weight, or anything like that. I don't need to eat, so it doesn't matter if I have an unhealthy diet." He shrugged, knowing full well that his habit of eating a whole box of biscuits in one setting would definitely be showing by now if it weren't for The Voice's gift.
At least the patch would allow him to give a full explanation and clarify his own exception. The actually interested tone to Loren's voice was rather encouraging as well. "When...Remi and I were together, he made something for me." Speaking of Remi like this was hard, after recent events (and the creeping guilt that had begun to set in as Sam had begun to realised he had perhaps not acted in the best way on the beach, y'know, maybe); Sam sighed and put down his teacup. "It allowed me to experience taste, smell, physical sensation...pain, too, but I eventually asked The Voice to take that from me. It means I am more able to be like the average person than the rest of the Ascended. So, I enjoy my tea."
He smiled at Loren as the man spoke of things normal. "Yes. That's why I returned to the guild and my shop after these last few months. I needed to...settle down in the every day for a little. It's been far too hectic lately."
Reaching down by the side of his chair, Sam pulled out a metal tin and opened it, revealing several different kinds of biscuits within - he held this out towards Loren. "Well, anything that you take comfort in that is perhaps...not the best thing for you."
Loren nodded, a bit embarrassed to have asked the question. "Right. I knew that. I just...thought there was more to the weakness than that. Sorry." Fidgeting in his seat, he took a sip of the tea to cover his awkwardness, then nearly spat it out because the liquid was still a bit too hot.
Thankfully, Samuel's long explanation about the patch gave the healer a chance to recover. "That's...very fortunate for you, I suppose. I didn't know something like that could be made." Again, there was more interest than was necessary for politeness in his voice.
However, his eyes grew sad and downcast as the redhead spoke further about things returning to normal. "Hectic is...one word for it." The words were barely above a whisper, and the Launceleyn spoke them mostly to himself.
Taking a sip of the slightly cooler tea, he considered the other man's question for a long time. Loren didn't have many of the normal vices that Samuel probably was thinking about: booze, drugs, sex, none of them appealed to the healer more than the average person. "I like...fighting. Sparring, mostly, but I...was trained as a combat magician." He bit his lip a little guiltily. "I have a bad habit of taking it too far so I usually...avoid it." That was an understatement.
Sam let Loren's incorrect assumptions go with a polite smile and a shake of his head, sipping at his tea and revelling, even if just quietly in his own head, about how wonderful it truly was to be able to taste each note of the flavour. He agreed that the patch had indeed been an immense improvement to his life, even if he could not now think of it's creator without some trouble. "It is indeed. I try to convince our Goddess that such a thing would be good for the others, so that it may be easier to persuade others to ascend...but...ah. She does not really understand human wants like that." He smiled fondly as he spoke of his 'mother'.
He sadly nodded as Loren reflected on the last few weeks...he was sure Loren had felt the chaos more keenly than he with his recent bereavement. "It can be difficult, the first months after....well, I'm sure you know. Time moves oddly, doesn't it?" Sam had been fortunate enough to not need to grieve too often (and had not at all for his father) but he still had some experience, knew how days could seem years and years could seem days.
Loren did not take a biscuit, but Sam left the tin between them in case he would like one later; for himself he took a small shortbread and dipped it in his tea. Hearing of Loren's particular vice was rather a surprise: the man seemed so intellectual, educated, almost meek in a way. "...I see. Could you not find an enviroment where you could do it in a controlled way? A...fighter's guild, of sorts? Or I know plenty of the warriors here train with each other. It's...haha. Not my area." He figured that was relatively obvious, given his wimpy nature.
"What is it you find appealing about it, may I ask?"
As Samuel spoke of The Voice, Loren just sipped his tea. ”I don’t know anything about her, really. The one time we met, she ignored me entirely.” He wasn’t bothered by that, just trying to make idle conversation.
However, his expression grew veiled and haunted as the redhead did his best to offer comfort. ”I’ve been keeping myself busy.” It came out a little more sharply than he’d intended and the healer bit his lip. ”Sorry. It’s just...hard to talk about.” He looked away.
”Probably.” Shrugging, he took a sip of tea to cover his embarrassment. ”I was...weak. For a very long time. And my family values strength above almost all else.” He found he couldn’t quite meet the Ascended’s eyes. ”I'm powerful now, but these days I hold myself back. A lot. Because I don’t really, I don’t know, I don’t want to be like my family, and I don’t actually want to hurt people.”
Sighing, Loren took another sip. ”But it feels good to cut loose.” It came out quietly and guiltily.
"Ah...were you with someone else?" Sam asked, tilting his head. He'd heard from several people that they'd met his Goddess and had a negative experience; as the only deity actively trying to recruit, she did not have a wonderful grasp of PR. Still, he'd tried to speak to her of it many times, and it had never come to anything. "If you ever wanted to, I could take you to visit her."
He was not surprised Loren didn't react well to his question about time and simply nodded at the response, chewing his biscuit and wishing he had a better sense of tact. It always seemed that he only heard the things he said after he'd said them.
Weak. Sam found he could relate to Loren's story, though they had rather different conclusions. Where the Launceleyn had taken comfort in the physical and magical power he had gained, Sam had instead found peace in knowing he didn't have to gain it. He would not judge the man for this, however: he knew how hard it could be to find peace. "Well, I hope you find some way to channel it. I don't...think it's a bad thing, necessarily. A lot of people like to hit pillows and so on when they're angry, don't they?" Possibly a silly example, but the best he had at the moment.
"I don't really...have anything I could use to attack. The Voice gave me defensive upgrades, but that's all. Do you have a lot of magic?" Sam asked, unaware of what skills Loren actually possessed.
Nodding, Loren curled his fingers around the cup of tea. "I went with Rexanna, yes." Shaking his head at Samuel's offer, the healer took a sip of tea. "Thank you, but I can't imagine it would go any better." Still, he wasn't bothered by The Voice, and his tone was almost entirely neutral.
"I like to hit things a little bit harder than a pillow." It came out without conscious thought and he flushed a little with embarrassment. Staring into his tea, he cleared his throat a bit awkwardly.
However, he glanced up when the redhead mentioned his upgrades. The Launceleyn tilted his head, actually curious about this topic. "What type of defensive upgrades?" Then a slightly sheepish expression crossed his face when the other man asked about what magic Loren possessed. "I have mastered healing, summoning, and water magic. I also have a custom magic that lets me heal with touching. On top of that, I have a little bit of telekinesis and creation." He rattled off the list as quickly as possible, not particularly wanting to dwell on it. "Plus I'm a hybrid." That was added quietly.
Glancing around, he took another sip of his tea, nearly finishing the cup. "You don't seem too uncomfortable here." It came out with a slightly questioning tone, since he was supposed to be here to help Samuel cope or something.
"Well, if you ever need to. While you may not wish to Ascend, The Voice has some very special abilities indeed." Sam left it there, though he hoped to eventually encourage more non-Ascended to see The Voice as they might any other God, a being with powers that could be useful, a potential ally and friend.
Loren's comment about hitting things harder than a pillow provoked a reaction in Sam he didn't understand himself: he felt a sudden fear, one that passed almost immediately, but one that stopped him from asking or saying anything further on the matter other than an 'mmm' hummed down into his tea.
At least his upgrades were a fun enough topic to get into, Sam liking his newfound powers very much indeed. "Well, firstly--" Starting with his feet and slowly going up to his head, Sam made himself invisible, seemingly melting out of view, his cup floating just in front of the chair and Mia looking very confused indeed just above the seat. "--I can do this. And I can make a barrier of electricity around myself...I won't, because it could hurt you and it definitely wouldn't be good for Mia." He laughed a little awkwardly, but smile warmly as he said: "With these I can look after myself. The Voice has really helped me."
Though his abilities were hardly anything compared to the list Loren rattled off, the amount of power in his hands making Sam's eyes widen in amazement. "Wow. It must have taken you a long time to learn all of that."
When Loren mentioned his comfort, for a moment Sam didn't understand. Once he did, he smiled and looked down at the fire place, shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose it's easier to feel alright with someone else here. It's when I'm alone I realise I feel odd; I was just so used to having someone else around...and you're good company." He turned the smile to Loren.
Nodding again at Samuel’s offer, Loren took the last sip of his tea, though he kept the cup. ”I don’t think I can Ascend, but again thank you.” It came out polite and grateful, since it was a kind offer, especially from one who seemed quite enamored with The Voice.
The redhead's fear was surprising, and caused the summoner to look away, chagrined. However, his gaze was drawn back as the Ascended demonstrated and explained his abilities. Indeed, the healer blinked. "Very impressive." Then he smiled sadly. "I've been struck by lightning more times than I can count, but I agree, we should protect Mia." Astra, who'd jumped off his lap at some point to settle at his feet turned worried eyes toward him.
Shrugging a bit awkwardly at the other man's praise, the Launceleyn rolled the cup between his hands. "I suppose." The words came out a little more curtly than he'd intended, but discussing his magic was a fraught topic for him.
Biting his lip, he glanced a bit awkwardly at Samuel. "Well. I'm glad I could help with that, but I will need to go soon." The smile caused Loren to glance aside, since he was unable to return it. "Though I'm not so sure as you that I'm good company." It was a little self-deprecating. Still not quite meeting the redhead's eyes, the healer set his cup down. "Can I help you clean up?"
Sam wouldn't push Loren to come with him to The Voice so he said no more on it, just smiled. As for lightning strikes, though...when he heard the Launceleyn had been struck 'more times than he could count' his eyes widened in surprise; Sam didn't dare ask about it in case it turned out to lead to more trauma for the man. He certainly had lead a difficult life, it seemed. "Mia isn't very used to it, that's true." Hopefully, she'd never be.
Loren seemed resistant to most praise; Sam found this a little odd, since the man had surely had to do a lot of work to get as competent as magic as he had. Was he not proud of his achievement? He wasn't sure he was good company, either...Sam was not used to hearing so much self deprecation from someone other than himself. "You're very good company indeed, and welcome here any time you'd like." He offered, unsure if Loren would ever take him up on it.
It was clear he was uncomfortable, so Sam shook his head. "No, no. It's fine. I drink tea here very often - I'm used to it. Thank you, for doing this. ...Could I visit you in Halo sometime?"
