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!
His offer to come with him on his boat made the girl brighten into a wide grin. Folding the other wing tightly to her back, she bounded over to Amun and slung her arms about his neck, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. "I'd love to come!" she told him entusiastically. "I've heard some stories about merfolk, would be interesting to see if there really are any."
"And if I get these wings to work, maybe I can take you flying? If it's all magic, it might not be impossible to carry someone else." She made a slightly teasing measure of their heights with a hand, implying he shouldn't be too much of a dead weight... as he wasn't really all that much taller than herself. If she could bring him even a little bit close to the sky he so missed, then Maea wouldn't even hesitate to try.
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 enthusiasm. "Great. I'll keep you posted. Though I confess I am fascinated by these stories of merfolk." Indeed, his voice was as excited as hers, and quite curious to hear what she knew of the elusive race.
As she offered to take him for a flight, his eyes widened in surprise. Then he chuckled, the sound dark and low and shook his head. "Maybe one day. But I think I will let you master your wings before I let you take me along for the ride. And maybe practice with someone else too." He winked. "I'm tough and don't feel pain, but even I might not survive going splat."
Alas, there wasn't much more for her to tell him about the merfolk. "I've only heard rumors, sailors talking to one another," she admitted. "Supposedly there's a city of some sort in the ocean, but I've no idea if it's a myth or actual fact. I've been looking for a pearl that's supposed to make you able to breathe underwater; if I get it, perhaps I'll be able to find out more."
"Nor will I," she teased him, over the flying. "I've a lot of work left, no doubt, so don't get your hopes up too much... but I'll let you know if I'm getting close." Maea wasn't sure she'd actually dare take anyone else along though... Amun was probably the sturdiest person she knew. Being Ascended and all.
Still, the offer stood.
"Now, what do you want to do?" she asked him, and brought her arms down behind her back. With a shrug of the shoulders her wings disappeared; they were too bulky to keep out in the shop.
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 ♦
Nodding, Amun shrugged. "That's about what I've heard as well." However, he raised his eyebrows when she mentioned a pearl that would let her breathe underwater. "Neat trick. And since I don't have to breathe, at all, if you'd like some company on your jaunt, let me know." He was actually excited at the prospect, though he'd already raised a similar idea with his Ascended family.
Grinning, he leaned over to bump his shoulder against hers. "You do that with your wings and I'll do that with my boat." As she asked what he wanted to do though, he raised his eyebrows as he returned to lean against the kiln again. "What do you mean?"
"It's a deal, on both accounts," she agreed, quite eager as she thought of them finally playing in Torchline together. It was quite easy to forget that she wasn't supposed to love that place, that she should avoid using the portals and frown on any attempts to make new ones... Those kinds of things seemed very distant and unimportant when she spoke to Amun.
"Well, I've tried pottery now. So now it's your turn to choose. What would you like to do, now that I'm here, and at your disposal?" Her smile was expectant, clearly hoping for more fun distractions. Fervently hoping he wasn't pressed to work more... though of course the risk was there.
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 ♦
02-13-2020, 03:38 AM (This post was last modified: 02-13-2020, 03:38 AM by Amun.)
amun
Nodding in agreement, Amun grinned. "Looking forward to it." Heading to the front of the kiln, he checked the amphorae. "Just a bit longer," he reported as he closed it up again.
Glancing around at the studio, he shrugged. "Well. I suppose I did say I would let you teach me a song or two, didn't I?" He winked at her. "I'm afraid most of the ones I know have dirty lyrics, which is good because I don't have a voice for the prettier ones." His voice was cheerfully teasing, though he did look a little excited at the chance to hear her sing.
"Very well, singing it is," she said cheerfully. Maea wandered off and found a seat to perch on, considering. If most the songs he knew were raunchy ones, then... simple melodies and fun tales might be the best way to go.
"I know a few you might like, then. How about this one?" She picked a fairly fast paced tune about a farmer who struggled to clear Magna Vermis from his fields in spring - only the rains only made more puddles, and as soon as he was rid of them, twice as many showed up to replace them. It was of the never-ending type that cycled through events only to return to the beginning; common enough among the children of the Grounds. It was possible Amun had already heard it in passing.
"Found a Magna,
in a puddle,
in the morn' one Flowerbirth
Picked up shovels, grabbed my bucket
set to work, to clear the fields
Picked a Vermis
fought it fiercely
slew it bold, one Flowerbirth
Made a stew and drained the puddle
then went back to till the fields
Came a shower,
ran for cover
in the barn, one Flowerbirth
came back out to sow the barley
and to plant the lovely fields
Found two Magna,
in the puddles..."
Her voice was surprisingly rich and steady, unschooled and without much technique but deep and vibrant, and Maea sung without embarrassment, quite enjoying herself.
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 nodded as Maea agreed to singing. However, he hadn't heard people sing this particular song, considering he didn't exactly spend time with children. It was simple enough, though, and his foot began tapping along with the beat. By the third verse, he was humming it.
And when the repeat came on the fourth verse, he joined in.
"In the morn' one Flowerbirth
Picked up shovels, grabbed my bucket
set to work, to clear the fields."
Raising his eyebrows, hoping to communicate that he hoped he was doing it right, he continued singing. His own voice was similarly untaught, and more enthusiastic than talented, though he at least hit the right pitches.
"Picked a Vermis
fought it fiercely
slew it bold, one Flowerbirth
Made a stew and drained the puddle
then went back to till the fields"
He didn't actually know if it changed from there, but he figured he'd correct any mistakes by listening to Maea.
Maea smiled back at him when Amun joined in, and kept the rhythm steady, the pace even so he had time to figure out the lyrics. His voice wasn't half as bad as he'd made it sound; perhaps not at the level of a minstrel or a bard, but decidedly pleasant.
There were more changes in the lyrics, though minor. One puddle became two, then three, then five, increasing in leaps and bounds into ridiculous numbers. So too did the Magna multiply in numbers - perhaps it was meant to be a teaching song in the end, for clever minds that could do addition - until finally, when Amun was singing along without much of a hitch, Maea rounded it off with a gruesome end for the farmer.
"Came a shower,
ran for cover
in the barn, one Flowerbirth
Never saw what came thereafter
drowned in puddles one Flowerbirth."
And then she laughed, bright and mischievous, eager to see his reaction.
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 sang the last verse, Amun tripped a bit over the unknown words, singing nonsense syllables instead. When she laughed, he chuckled right along with her, fully delighted. "So you started me off with one of the simple ones, huh?" Voice teasing, he reached out to ruffle her hair.
That done, he turned to open the kiln again. The glaze had baked by then, so he wrapped his hands in cloths and took the amphorae out. Nudging the kiln closed with an elbow, he carefully carried the project over to a shelf. "It's done. But it's also hot, so don't touch it for a while." Obviously it didn't bother him, but the warning was genuine for her.
She grinned and nodded, eyes warming with affection as he patted her head. "Of course. It's how you bait traps... start with some easy pickings, and before you know it the prey won't be able to get out of the snare. You'll be singing like a bird before we're done here," she teased, halfway between threat and a promise.
Following with her gaze, she watched as Amun pulled the amphorae out and set it aside to cool. The colors of the paint had brigthened in the kiln and she made a soft 'ooh' at the way her novice artistry had been brought to new life.
"It actually doesn't look half bad, does it?" On any less elegant piece it would have looked terrible, but with Amun's skill as a base, it had been turned into... something quite acceptable. Decidedly worth offering someone as a present. Especially when it was the contents of the container that would really matter.
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 Maea’s analogy, Amun cocked his head to the side. ”So what, I’m some wild animal that needs to be tamed?” Giving her a gentle punch in the arm, he grinned. "You got me. I'm a predator. Rawr." He lifted his hands to make mock claws, eyes sparkling with mischief.
Nodding at her comment, he stepped back to look at it. "Not bad at all." Then he nudged her with his hip. "Of course, it could look terrible and it still shouldn't matter because it's a gift from you given to your boy. He should thank his lucky stars every day that he's with you." Tone equal parts teasing and affectionate, he glanced at her, wondering how she'd take that statement.
"Oh, I'm terrified!" she said, clutching at her heart in mock fright. Swatting after him and rubbing her arm in an exaggerated display of hurt, she stepped over to look more closely at the amphore, careful not to touch it, or indeed even come to close.
If he'd expected some jest in return for his words, she probably left him even more disappointed than usual however. Maea considered them quite seriously, and her eyes softened a little. "I hope so," she said. "I hope it'll make him happy. That it'll be enough..." That she would be enough, her silence seemed to say. But there was plenty of doubt there too, a deep fear that somehow, she just wouldn't be able to fill the needs of the man she had come to love. There were so many complications to consider...
She reached out an arm and tried to sling it around Amun's back, head leaning in to rest a cheek against his shoulder as she continued to regard the container. If she could fill it with wishes for the future... Maea wondered what they would end up tasting like. Salty and bitter as the sea? Or like something sweeter..?
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 response to his antics. However, the conversation shifted to a more somber tone, and he nodded thoughtfully at her worries about the amphorae. Turning to face her, his eyes searched her features.
Then he nodded decisively, and when he finished he was smirking. "He will. And if he doesn't, fuck him." The smirk turned into a full blown grin. "I mean, not literally." Expression gaining a bit of a sly edge, he looked at her appraisingly. "Unless you're into that, which is your business."
Chuckling, the sound dark and low, he leaned into her embrace. Slinging his own arm across her shoulders, he rested his cheek on the top of her head.
