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!
It was late in the afternoon by the time she found the pottery. It had not been difficult, and she had to wonder why it had taken her so long to realize where it was located. A lack of need for ceramics, perhaps? Or maybe it was just a lack of focus paid to anyone who wasn't leaping into her space and demanding attention. When the world was changing around you at a dizzying pace, it was sometimes easier to just close your eyes and focus on coming down on your feet. Looking too hard at the scenery would just make you dizzy.
But, Amun had rather firmly concluded that he was to be part of her circle of friends, and Maea saw no reason to deny him this. Was honestly happy to concede in the face of his stubborn refusal to lose faith in her... and that's what brought her to his shop. A promise had been made to come and play, to relax and laugh and just enjoy life for a bit... and honestly? Maea needed a change of pace right now. Wanted to absorb some of his carefree way of looking at life, and just have fun.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Unfamiliar scents and sights greeted her within, and as the door closed behind her with a quiet thump Maea turned on the spot, simply absorbing everything there was to see. If her head had not quite been in the best of places before coming here, the simple pleasure of seeing something new certainly began to shift her mood in the right direction.
"Hello," she said, after a moment. Looking about, to see if her friend was within earshot.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Surprisingly, Amun was actually working when Maea entered the studio. It was a modest business. There was a kiln in one corner, a cot in the other. Against one wall, there was a table with a stool. On the table, there was clay in various stages of work along with the tools to work it. Shelves lined the walls, with various completed ceramics on them. In the center of the room was a pottery wheel.
He was seated at the wheel, a half-finished pot between his hands. As she entered, he glanced up, then immediately looked back down, fingers carefully shaping the clay. A bucket of water was on the ground next to him, and he had an apron on. The apron (and the rest of his clothes) were splattered with bits of clay. "So she finally made it!" His voice was cheerful.
It was a different setting for sure, not at all what he had come to represent in her mind. Thus far the man was firmly associated with the vast expanse of the Tundra, an errant existence that came and went freely under dark cloaks with nothing to tie him down. But here, that vision began to fray at the edges. There was something very homelike about this place... the half-finished projects, the sharp tang of water and clay in the air, burned pots lined on the shelves, ready to selll... It spoke more of a quiet and rather peaceful life, not at all like the rogue adventurer.
"She finally did," Maea said with a smile and came strolling up to him, careful to keep hands and elbows to herself as she went. Not wanting to risk knocking anything over. "I don't understand how I missed this place for so long, though, when it's been right under my nose this whole time."
Coming to stand beside him, her attention was fixed on the clay spinning between his hands, the rotating wheel and the half-formed pot taking shape under his ministrations. It looked almost like magic, how the clay rose and formed from the barest touch.
"What are you making?" she asked, trying to guess at the purpose for this particular piece but coming up rather blank.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Glancing up once more, Amun smirked a little. ”I hope you’re not expecting me to have an answer for you. I'm just as surprised as you are that you haven't been here before.” The words were gently teasing.
With that, he returned his attention to his project. It was wider at the bottom, with a narrow and tapering neck. Her question wasn't all that surprising, though he didn't answer right away.
Instead, he continued working the top, drawing it slightly higher. Every once in a while, he kicked the base to keep the wheel spinning. Reaching his hand in, he widened the bottom by stretching his fingers out. Removing his hand, he dipped it into the water. "It's just a vase." However, there was a quiet pride in his voice.
Laughing she shook her head, quite absolving him of trying to respond to a rhethorical question. "Well, now I'm not likely to forget about it, so there's that," she said.
As his attention went back to the project before him, so did hers. It was a comfortable silence that settled as he worked, the hum of the spinning wheel allowed to fill the room. Something warm and quite peaceful, easy to relax into; he replied, and the girl nodded. Heard the pride, and regarded his expression for a while, a smile on her own face.
"Not 'just' a vase... I'm sure it will be beautiful," she said. Looking up, Maea saw the finished pieces, the careful precision behind every line in their design. "You've some skill at this, master potter."
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun grinned a little cheekily at Maea's words. "I'll believe it when I see it." Shooting her a wink, he returned his attention to the vase, smoothing out the last bits of it.
With that, he let the wheel slowly come to a halt. "I'm aware." The words came out without any hint of humility. Lifting the still wet clay incredibly carefully, he carried it over to a corner to dry.
Returning to the bucket, he washed his hands free of clay, then wiped them on his apron. "So is this business or pleasure or a little bit of both?" The question was teasing. Heading to a corner, he pulled out the patch she'd been so enamored with last time he'd seen her, though he made no move to put it on his skin.
Oh, he knew? Of course. "Staggering sense of humility there," she pointed out, dry amusement riddling her voice. "Now I almost want to take it back." But of course she didn't mean that. What craftsman was unaware of his own prowess, really? It took confidence to maintain a business, that sense of self-esteem to hawk wares and ensure that they were that notch above everyone elses, so customers kept coming back.
"Pleasure," she admitted happily as he stood and set the vase aside. Maea strolled over to inspect the piece he'd just made from a little closer, careful not to disturb it or even breathe too hard at it. "I realized I missed your face, so just wanted to check in. See if you had time for some fun."
Straightening, she turned and tilted her head, curious about what he was doing in the corner. Upon seeing the curious item in his hand, her eyebrows rose high, curiosity coming alive in her eyes. Maea remembered the glow it had made in his palm, how he'd refused to answer any questions about it... but in all honesty she hadn't even thought about it again. It certainly wasn't why she'd showed up today.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Chuckling at Mara’s comment, Amun gestured around at the shelves of finished pieces, each one both a work of art and a practical and useful item. ”I would be doing my teacher a disservice if I didn’t acknowledge the skills he imparted to me." His voice was cheerfully teasing.
Smirking a little at her words, Amun waggled his eyebrows. "I always have time for some fun, you know that. Can't say I missed your face though." Winking to let her know he was kidding, he cocked his head to the side. "What did you have in mind?"' He couldn't keep the excitement from his voice.
However, it seemed she wanted to find out more about the square, if the way her eyes lit up was any indication. "Go ahead, ask your questions." He smirked at her.
Clasping her hands behind her back, the girl inched closer, one meandering step at a time, torn halfway between suggesting he could keep his secrets and really wanting to know what the item was.
"Oh, you know... I've never tried pottery before. Or we could always teach you how to sing... though I suppose dancing will be tricky in here." Stopping just before Amun, she looked up at him with pursed lips, face bright with both mischief and curiosity. She looked much more cheerful overall than last time they spoke, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. The cough was gone too, her breaths smooth and effortless.
"Buuut... now that you've pulled that thing out, how about you indulge me with a story first? Like, where did you find it? What is it and how does it work, and what is it for?" Her eyes flitted from his face to the device and back up again, as if suspicious that he might try to hold out on her again. Another ruse to lure her into a bargain? (Not that she particularly minded.)
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Amun grinned at Maea's suggestions. "Why don't we start with pottery. Then, if you are still up for fun, we can move on to the singing and dancing. Since I imagine we'll have to move the wheel if we want enough room to dance properly." Heading over to the workstation, he gestured for her to take the stool. He himself leaned against the wall.
Setting the square down on the table, he shrugged. "I found it in the Underground. It's a square that lets me change my appearance in the area underneath it." That was pretty much all he'd been able to figure out, but he paused to see if she had any questions about it.
"Sounds like a plan." It was a fair suggestion, and Maea nodded with a light grin, happy to accept pretty much anything at the moment. For all that she felt a little strange, standing here in his shop and interrupting his work, Amun had a way of making it seem perfectly natural. Like this was how things were supposed to work.
As for the cube... she looked at it more closely, rather disappointed that there wasn't more drama behind it. "That's it? You made it sound like a terrible secret when I asked before. How much of a change is it? Can you make it apply to all of you, or just in that spot?" She reached out to pick it up, curious to see if it might work on her as well.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Reaching out, Amun took out a lump of clay and a wire with handles on either end. He also went over to pick up the bucket of water. "First lesson. Cutting and shaping." He nodded at the bucket. "Wet your hands, then use them to wet the clay. Once that's done, cut off a piece you think is large enough using the wire." Then his brow furrowed slightly. "Actually, figure out what you want to make first. I guess that's the first lesson."
"Did I?" He cocked his head to the side. "Or did you just assume it was some super powerful item and I failed to disabuse you of it?" Shooting her a cocky grin, he waggled his eyebrows.
As Maea picked it up and tried to get it to work on her, he chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry. Ascended only." Indeed, no matter what she tried it would remain a slightly rubbery square in her hands.
Reaching out, he plucked it out of her hands. Laying it on the back of his hand, he had it turn into a geometric red and blue pattern, then held it up to look at it more closely. "Not much of a change, and just in that spot."
She frowned at the thing, feeling half cheated as neither her magic nor anything else made it respond to her. When Amun took it back she watched closely what he did - realizing that he didn't really seem to do anything at all - and finally gave up, with a sigh. "I suppose I was hoping for an interesting story at least," she admitted, grinning a bit sheepishly. "At least you have something to light your way with in the dark." And with that she seemed content to let the matter drop, foregoing it for the equally interesting task of making pottery.
Taking note of Amun's clay-speckled clothes, she pulled the ever-present shawl from her sholders and folded it neatly to set it aside, out of harms way. After tying her hair back and dipping her hands into the water as instructed, she looked at the shelves for some inspiration.
"Hm, something simple, I think, and practical... A cup, perhaps?" Eying the lump of clay and measuring with her eyes, she set her damp hands to it. Found it cold and stiff under her hands, strangely both smooth and gritty at the same time. A very new sensation.
I'm an angel bored like hell And you're a devil meaning well
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea took off the rags and tied her hair up, Amun chuckled. "Right. Of course. Hang on." Heading towards the front door, he took down the spare apron. Returning to the workstation, he handed it to her.
Grinning as she settled on a cup, of all things, the potter nodded. "A cup it is. Should be simple enough." With that, he returned to his spot leaning against the wall. "And it won't even require the wheel."
Nodding approvingly as she sliced off the clay from the larger block, he crossed his arms. "Alright. Now you're going to want to make sure all of it is wet, both inside and out. While you do, just try to get a feel for it." His eyes were sharp as he watched her.
