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!
"I spent a long time looking for her. And...the rest of my family." Saiden grimaced, and looked away, trailing one had in the sand. "But after coming through on the Siren's Call without them, and after over a year of searching I...gave up hope." More than a bit ashamed, he found that he couldn't meet Ronin's gaze. "It's nice to think that she's been looking after me after all this time, though."
Nodding at Ronin's offer, the cook mustered up a weak smile. "Looking forward to it." Smirking a bit, he shrugged at the Dark Star's claim. "None of us are what we once were, for better or ill." Sighing, the Hali looked up at the stars again.
"I've joined a new crew, so that's been nice." Finally looking at the other man, Saiden gave a slight smile. "If you don't mind me asking...Ludo mentioned another, who mourned my niece. A man who created things?" It trailed off a little towards the end of the statement.
Ronin frowned softly, his unspoken question answered as Saiden continued to speak. So there was still no sign of the other Hali family members. Even if Vanya had searched forever, she likely would have only ever come upon Saiden. At least she could watch him from the stars now, safe in the knowledge that he was alive, that he was finding enjoyment in Caido. ”It was what she did,” he agreed regarding Van’s nurturing and protective streak, the hunter smiling gently at the memories he held of her.
Hearing the sailor out, he smiled at learning that at least he was still sailing the Ocean the family had loved so dearly. His question, though, brought a puzzled frown to Ronin’s face, one which cleared as he realised abruptly who this ‘man who created things’ was. ”Remi,” he clarified. ”When I was with Vanya in the stars, he... well. He was all Aoife had. He’s as much her father as I am. We are married now, you know.”
Saiden smiled at Ronin's comment, nodding slowly in agreement. "That it was." For a moment, the cook just sat there in companionable silence with the Dark Star, lost in memories of Vanya as well.
However, the other man's answer about who else mourned Aoife caused the Hali to grimace. Although he quickly smoothed it out, he found himself awkwardly looking away from Ronin. "Oh. I, uh, I see." Saiden cleared his throat.
"Well. I suppose congratulations are in order then. And if you could um, let him know that I want to thank him for taking care of my niece, I'd appreciate it." The normally charismatic cook was clearly quite flustered by this revelation.
It seemed as though the mention of Remi - or perhaps it was that he had married someone else? - struck a particular chord with Saiden, one that Ronin couldn't quite place. He raised an eyebrow and gazed across at the other man, ruffling a hand through his hair and offering him a lopsided smile.
"I sense some awkwardness. Is it Remi in particular? Or th eidea of two men marrying? That it wasn't your sister?" he asked; his tolerance for subtlety was at an all time low, unfortunately, and so this was all he could do.
"Whatever the reason, I'll pass your message on. Though I don't know how it will be received." Wasn't that always the case?
Letting out an awkward laugh, Saiden shook his head. "It would be rather hypocritical of me to oppose the idea of two men being together." There was a great deal of honest amusement in his voice. "And she'd be happy that you moved on, I think, so it's not that."
Finally he turned to look at Ronin. The cook gave the Dark Star an apologetic smile. "No uh, Remi well..." Voice trailing off, the Hali scratched the back of his head. "He broke my nose when I saw him in the Hanged Man. For supposedly 'stealing' the tavern from him, back in Northaven."
Shrugging, he looked out at the sea again. "So I don't know how it will be received either. Thank you, though."
Saiden’s laughter and his remark drew a smile from Ronin as well, the hunter nodding and seeming weirdly relieved at that. It wasn’t that he cared either way what people thought, but... well, Saiden was the only one, it appeared, who would ever be able to share memories of Vanya with him again. Souring that opportunity seemed silly.
Holding the sailor’s gaze, Ronin raised an eyebrow at Saiden’s confession regarding Remi, only able to just about snorting with laughter at the mental image. ”I am so sorry,” he managed, letting out a long sigh and shaking his head. ”As you can well imagine, things have been very difficult since we got here... Remi has only just become the man I recognise again.”
Still, that might not mean he wanted to see Saiden, necessarily. ”I will pass on your message and see how it goes from there,” he told him.
Waving away Ronin's apology, Saiden grinned. "It's alright. I managed to keep my pretty face, so all is well." His grin turned into a smirk.
However, it faded into a sympathetic and understanding expression. "Aye, I can't even imagine." Reaching out, he rested his hand on the Dark Star's shoulder once more. "I hope the two of you make it through this. And...just know that you don't have to shoulder this burden alone. Not anymore" The cook gave the other man a gentle squeeze.
Nodding in acknowledgement, the Hali stood up. "Thank you. For everything. Unfortunately, I should get back to my ship." Hesitating for just a moment, he smiled a little sadly down at Ronin. "If you need to find me for any reason, just seek out the Ark. And...I would like to visit the Aumakua with you some day soon." With that, Saiden turned to go, steps both heavier and lighter at the same time.
Ronin would have disagreed; he had not been alone, not even on the day when Aoife had died. But on second thought, was that necessarily true? Remi and he had been together, but they had been alone together for a lot of the time. Either way, he nodded and smiled up at Saiden, remaining seated as the Hali got to his feet. "No, thank you," he murmured, leaning back on his hands. "I hope you're able to find a little bit of peace now, knowing your sister watches over you."
Visiting the Aumakua sounded strangely nice, though Ronin already felt anxiety twisting in his gut at going back to his daughter's grave. Still, he nodded to Saiden - the man was owed that much at least. "It sounds like a plan. Look after yourself," he said, watching him off and basking, just for a few moments, in the light of the stars above.
