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!
The sun was setting into a crimson bank of clouds on the sky. As usual for this time of year, they were flimsy and thin with not a speck of rain to their name, and the ground was parched. Her feet kicked up dust as Maea walked along the road between the plowed fields, and the wind through the maturing crops was a whisper in her ears that spoke of times gone by, lost chances and goodbye's never said.
She couldn't have said why she went out here, when there was nothing more for her to go to. The Fiat Lux field was still left abandoned after the massacre; no one wanted to graze their cattle there, or till the soil to sow in bloodied ground. Nor was there a farm for her to visit. Maea had sold hers, and few if any of the neighbors were more than acquaintances. She had thought to check on Rory, see how he was doing, but... no doubt Jigano would be home too by now, and Maea wasn't ready for that conversation just yet.
So she walked. Lost in thought, listening to the sound of crickets that vibrated through the still air, longing for a cool breeze. Halo did not sound so very bad at this time of year...
But she was torn. Not sure if she wanted to go, now that there were so many reasons to stay.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
It wasn’t often that Nate really ventured away from the heavily settled parts of the hollowed ground, usually only when he needed something. And honestly, maybe he did need something. Introspection had never really been one of his strong suits, after all, why think inwards when he could cover everything up with drinks, or drugs, or easy sex? Except... he didn’t have any of that anymore.
So he had to settle for nature, and hope a walk through the dusty grounds would bring him some kind of clarity. So far, it wasn’t working, but the night was young. His gaze, focused mostly on the slow tread of his feet, moved up for the first time in a while, some sound or something pricking his attention, and he saw Maea, pintes in the deep red of sunset.
For a moment, Nate considered turning around, before he was seen, before he had to deal with... whatever was going to happen. But, he was the one who’d come out for some introspection. His feet kept moving, long strides closing the distance between them slowly, until he was close enough to call out, in a voice that was much gentler than it strictly needed to be. ”Hey Maea.”
She saw him from a distance, the tall looming silhouette contrasting sharply against the fading light. For the first time in a long while, Maea felt the urge to dive off the road and head off into the high stalks of grain. Let the Fields absorb her and hide her away from this particular encounter, like she might have when she was younger. But Amun had aimed prickly (but charming) words at her about 'running away from problems, like it might help', and she felt them needle her now. So, she steeled herself for the inevitable awkwardness, and kept going. Moving towards Nate with a steady pace, hoping he might have business elsewhere and be unable to stop for a chat.
'Hey Maea.'
Well. No such luck it seemed.
"Hello, Nate. Nice to see you," she replied. Even managed to keep her voice even despite the uneasy stirrings in her stomach. But there was caution in her gaze as she looked up at him, forced to crane her neck slightly to actually meet his gaze. Not for the first time, she felt dwarfed by his presence, made very small by his sheer size.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
The clear discomfort in Maea only heightened Nate’s own awkwardness, some deep, terrible part of him pointing out how much different it was from the last last time he’d seen her. He almost winked at that thought, but held it back, held the easy smile on his face.
”How have you uh...” He tried to begin, before sighing and pinching his nose. Something needed to be said about what had happened, he needed to say something. It had been his fault things had gone the way they had anyway.
”Look, I... I’m sorry. For how things went... during your blood test.” He forces the hard part out, at least he thinks he does until he goes to continue, and réalisés all of this is hard. Like a muscle he’s never used before. ”I... Sunjata told me you didn’t have much experience. I mean, that’s not an excuse, I shouldn’t have... acted how I did regardless, but...” He trailed off again, not really sure what the but was.
Oh, okay, so this would definitely be the awkward kind of thing she had been afraid of. Maea started blushing almost as soon as the man opened his mouth, and quickly turned her eyes to the ground. Not that it helped, given the topic at hand, but at least the color on her face could be explained by the red clouds and setting sun, yes? No? Okay, no.
"It's... you're fine," she managed to get out, shaking her head at the apologies. "I should have told you before, or... or just.. not acted the way I did." Wanton and with no reserve, oh so willing to dive headlong into more of the pleasurable sensation he had instilled in her. Just thinking about it now made her body respond, and it was decidedly not what Maea wanted to think about right now.
"Have you.. had time to do any research?" she asked, draping her arms around herself. Forcing her voice into something akin to neutrality; there had been a reason for the bite, after all. And he'd said there might be ways to find out more without actually doing it again... maybe.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
At least this was just as awkward on the both of them. It’s not exactly the most welcome thought, but it does soothe Nate a little, makes it easier to get through his hips lift. Now if Maea would just take it they could move on. ”You were fine.” More than fine, even, though he doesn’t say that. ”I’m the one who should know better.” He insisted, not thinking about how easy it was to lose control, how he really needed to get a handle on it. Before he did this again.
Maea offers him an out though, something to move them past the apology, even if it’s still technically related. It’s easier to maintain his professionalism in this. ”I’ve done some. I’m... keeping odd hours at the college right now, so I don’t run into... anyone.” Phoebe. ”I have some good news, and some... not so good news.”
Honestly, he can’t remember what he’s already told her. So he just starts it from the top, gives her the hanche to ask some questions with a clear head. ”What you have is an immunity disorder. It’s not one I’m super familiar with, but it’s one that I know how to help. In theory.” If they were in his home, he could do more, immediately. Hell, if they were in his home, she’d be seeing a real doctor, and not him.
There was a slight grimace, not sure what she ought to think about his statement. She'd been fine? As in... what? No, actually Maea didn't even want to think of it, her cheeks were already burning. Shrugging at the apology, she just nodded in the end. He was right... and no real harm had been done in the end. Only tousled pride and ruffled feathers as their relation had been plunged from acquaintances to something far more intimate in a giant leap... even if it, technically, was only proffessional.
Gods, how she hated that word. An awful shield to hide behind.
"Disorder..." she repeated, tasting the unfamiliar word on her tongue. "I take it that's the bad news. What's your theory? I spoke to one of the healers in Halo, and they suggested I simply get regular healing treatments, to catch any sickness before they can take root and become a problem."
She made herself look at Nate, face him head on as they spoke. Perhaps if they just got past this, they could go back to being friends. Their first encounter had been a pleasant one, and Maea hated to think it would be ruined beyond repair byt this... unfortunate incident.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Nate huffed out a soft laugh, shaking his head. If only the diagnosis was the bad news. ”The bad news is I don’t have anything here that I can use to... monitor it,” other than his bite, ”or, even really help.” He admitted sheepishly, his hand coming up to push through his hair, keep it out of his face.
The mention of magic healing made him wrinkle his nose, distaste clear on his face. But, Nate wasn’t quite at the point where he was going to shut out something that might help. ”Magical healing would... probably work for that. As long as you’re diligent. But it won’t do anything about the root cause.”
He didn’t notice the way her eyes moved back onto him, at least not consciously, but something in Nate couldn’t quite meet those pale eyes. If he did look, it was only a glance, enough to remind him of how much he’d wanted to take, to devour. Jesus, he really was depraved.
”If I had everything I needed, I could make an injection to administer. It’s still just a bandaid, but it would help the root cause, unlike the magic.”
He wouldn't look at her, and it made Maea's courage falter and fade, bringing her gaze down towards her feet. Both the hem of her skirt and the light shoes had been stained brown from the dust of the road; she pushed a pebble around with her toe.
Teeth began to worry at her lower lip as he explained, and the seriousness of his revelations was as clear as the dislike he showed to the idea of magic. Having grown up with the ability, it was not an attitude she quite understood, but she didn't ask him why it offended him so much. Perhaps, he just wished he could heal too?
"What... kind of things would you need for that?" she asked. "If it's something that can be gathered, or created... I've some funds to my name still, I could perhaps help with that."
If it would improve her quality of life, and ensure that healers could focus on patients with far more need than herself, then... there was no real reason to hold back.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Fuck. Even when he was trying to not be too intense, too familiar, he was somehow making things worse, making Maea more uncomfortable. This was a line Nate had never really had to walk before, and while he’d hoped it would come to him as easy as anything else, it seemed he was wrong.
At least it was easy to step back behind professionalism. Made it easier for Nate’s eyes to settle, as he hummed out a thought. ”We’d need... a way to separate and test blood, a way to screen it and make sure there’s no toxins or illnesses in it, and a way to actually administer it.” The way he was explaining it made it sound simple, and in theory, it was simple. In practice was different.
When Maea offered to help provide equipment, Nate frowned, and reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder after a moments hesitation. He wanted to be supportive, wasn’t sure how much to toe the line. ”It’s more a matter of creation than funds. I can explain the machines all day long, but I couldn’t make any of them.”
It did sound simple, but Maea was not foolish enough to assume it actually was. Just the simple fact that none of the scholars in the history of the Ground had found ways to do this indicated how difficult a process they were. Requiring either both skill and intelligence to create by magical means, or the brilliance and advanced technology necessary to build by hand. Not to mention time, and resources... She nodded, a bit dejected.
"Meaning, in theory it can work, but in practice it's next to impossible," she concluded. It was... difficult to hear. In essence, she was now relegated to the mercy of healers for the rest of her life, to ensure she could stay healthy and active. As soon as she let up on those healing sessions... it would all come back. The swollen eyes and ears, the pneumonia, fever bouts and days spent downed, unable to do more than stare into the wall.
Frowning down into the ground, absorbed by the attempts to accept this reality she'd almost dared hope to escape, she didn't realize Nate had reached for her until she felt his hand on her shoulder. She stilled, forgot to breathe for a moment. Eyes moved up, equal parts wary and appreciative; his hand was not warm, nor cold, but she could sense the sentiment behind it all the same.
Maea smiled, the twitch of her lips small and a bit shy. "Thank you for looking into it," she said.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
"No no no." Nate's voice was firm, his hand growing even more so. "It's not impossible. It's going to take work, but it's not impossible." Usually, he was composed, oozing a careless confidence, but his tone right now was the exact opposite of that. Desperate, almost pleading, but not quite. Maea's plight had gripped him, tugged on him in a painfully personal way, and he couldn't help but let himself get entangled in it.
His face straightened into something more him quickly, an easy smile returning to his lips. "You remember what I told you?" A brow rose when Nate asked the question, like he really was quizzing her, and not just trying to lift her spirits. "I said I was going to help you. And I will. Okay?"
Prepared to leave it all well alone, to accept the inevitable, Maea was quite taken aback by his protest. The frantic determination was felt in the stronger grip on her shoulder, but as she searched his face for the reason behind this insistence on continuing the task, his smile was there, easy and sure. Confident that this was... not impossible.
She couldn't help but smile back, expression lightening ever so slightly. This was more the person she had spoken to that first time, who had calmed her raging anxieties with light and relaxed conversation. Not the hungry wolf from the thieve's lair. A tension loosed from her shoulders, no doubt something he could feel under his grip, even as her pulse slowed.
"I remember," she nodded with warmer tones. "I believe you. But how? If you can't make them, you would need to relay everything to someone who can... and that takes time. And resources. Not all creationists care to share their talents." And he'd already said it wasn't a matter of funds. Which left... what?
Her head tilted with the question, the white hair dyed in hues of pink and gold by the setting sun, as it curled in soft silky waves down her back, across the shoulders, over his hand.
I'm bleeding out for you
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
A grin comes back to Maea's face, matched by a more manic one on Nate's, and things twist back to feeling better again, some of the awkwardness shed with this new earnestness. She even relaxes slightly, under his grip, something he's grateful for, because well, he's not letting go anytime soon. Not until they've figured this out, come to some kind of solution.
The fly in the batter was how. "I... I'm not really sure. I know people could do it before my time, with less technical stuff, I just... need to figure out exactly what I need." It felt like he was repeating himself over and over again, but that was how he got through big issues. Eventually his head would break through. "Something to separate blood, something to... no, I think we can do that." He hummed, then shook his head softly, unwilling to admit when he needed help, but... "Maybe.... I can ask the Voice. I know she's willing to help us."
Technically Maea wasn't part of that us, and to be honest he wasn't even sure where he stood with the Goddess after the explosive end to his relationship with Sam, but it was worth trying. Anything was, once. Nate's smile grew, the pressure of his hand easing, just enough that he could lift his fingers to brush white locks behind her shoulder.
