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!
Perhaps she had missed something? Her eyes narrowed at that, sensing the truth of the words even if he gave no indication on what it might be. Pursing her lips to keep from asking too many more of those dangerous questions, the girl leaned back. Still quite relaxed, but with the look of one who had been given a puzzle to solve. And oh, did Maea love puzzles.
"Hmm. Depends on the favor, really," she replied, tapping a fingertip to the table in quiet thought. "There are definitely things I'm not willing to do..." An eyebrow rose as she fixed him with her pale eyes. Thinking back to their first meeting and his overt invitations... that kind of thing would be quite out of the question. As for anything else... It all depended on what he wanted. "But if you care to offer some examples of what such a favor might be, I'm listening."
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 ♦
Raising his hand, Saiden made a show of counting on his fingers. "That's seven by my count." Winking lazily, he placed his hands in his lap. "I'll come find you when I've got something to ask." It was both a promise and maybe a little bit of a threat.
Smirking, he leaned forward, once again speaking in a whisper. "Well alright then. Why don't you tell me what lines you're not willing to cross. Then I'll decide whether what you're willing to do is worth the favor you're asking of me." Grinning, he stared at her, head cocked to one side as he waited for her response and her decision.
"It's a deal," she replied with a light smile. It would be interesting to see if he indeed could find her, should he want to. Torchline was big, but Maea travelled easily by portal, and Caido was bigger still.
Saiden leaned in then, lowering his voice even further, and she was vexed to find she actually had to lean in as well to hear what he was saying. Bracing her chin on the palm of a hand, the girl looked up at him from under long, pale eyelashes; there was a lavender cast to her irises today, brought on by the blue of the sea. White hair draped about her face, stirred by gentle winds from the sea; the sun was fully risen over the horizon by now, and it made her all but glow in the bright light.
"Nothing that would make my love have to come find you," she said with a little smirk, ticking up a finger to keep count. "Nor will I hurt people, reveal secrets entrusted to me, or steal things. Beyond that... I think I can be flexible." Her rules were quite simple. Should be easy enough to follow, and remember.
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 ♦
Saiden raised his eyebrows at Maea's terms. "Well, the last three seem a bit silly, but I suppose I can work with them." Speaking in a much more normal tone and volume he leaned back, regarding her almost cooly. He brought his hands to rest on his chest, sliding his fingers together.
"This love of yours, though, he's not a party to our little agreement." Saiden grinned mercilessly. "Nor do I even know his name, or what he might find offensive. So unless you put some boundaries around that particular clause, I'm afraid there will be no deal." Voice almost challenging, he cocked his head to one side.
Lips tightened as he pushed her to be more specific, and to her great distaste Maea felt her cheeks flushing. Why was it that everyone she met these days forced her to speak of things she'd rather avoid even thinking of too much?
"Fine," she said tartly. "Nothing... sexual, is what I meant." It was clear she struggled with the word, half choking on it like it was laced with poison or perhaps a lot of sharp thorns.
Reaching for the last piece of a bun, she tore off a bite and stuffed it into her mouth, looking away as though he'd somehow insulted her. Free from the ability to say anything else, Maea made a show of chewing very thoroughly - giving herself the time to let ruffled feathers settle again.
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 ♦
Saiden smirked as Maea spat the words out. Leaning back as she chewed, he waited patiently for her to swallow before he responded. "So nothing shady or fun, then. Noted." He chewed his bottom lip as he considered the offer.
Finally he nodded. "Alright. I suppose I can work with that." Cocking his head to one side, he considered her. "However, it's gonna be a more extensive favor if I have to help you procure the thing. So do you want just the information, or the information and the help?" He steepled his fingers and stared directly at her, waiting for her to make up her mind about this.
With a deep draft on her drink, Maea was able to get her composure back, and returned to Saiden to ponder his question. Technically she could probably get by on just the information, but these were unfamiliar lands with plenty of unknown dangers. If she wanted to get hold of that pearl - and she really did - then it might be just as well to bring this man along all the way.
Problem was, she had no idea what kind of favor he might try to coax from her in return. She had set clauses, but he had just said the people of Torchline was not fond of rules, which meant she couldn't trust him completely on keeping to her restrictions.
Still. "Information and help," the girl decided, setting her empty cup down. If push did come to shove, she could always freeze him in a block of ice or something along those lines. She was far from defenseless, even against bigger, stronger men.
Magic did have some benefits.
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 ♦
Saiden grinned, slowly and dangerously. "Well alright then. We've got ourselves a deal." Leaning forward, he reached for the knife he wore at his belt. Slicing his palm, he gripped the blade carefully and held it out for her, hilt first.
As he did, his eyes flashed with mischief. "Since you were so adverse to spit earlier, and we have to shake on every deal, I figured I'd seal it with blood this time around." The words came out a bit pointedly, and he lifted the blade higher. He wouldn't budge from his seat and he would tell her what she wanted to hear until they'd shaken on it.
Her brows rose high as he brought the knife out and cut his palm open. Maea's eyes narrowed; she took the blade from him, but held it between her fingers, making no move to mimic his actions just yet.
"Now, don't get hasty, master cook," she told him. "I've not heard what kind of favor you're claiming for this yet. I've no intention of striking a bargain without having all the details worked out first." It was the second rule of bargaining; always know what you buy before shaking on it. Her asking price was clear enough, but his? The man had said nothing, and the girl was not about to sell herself off without knowing what.
She wasn't entirely stupid.
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 ♦
Saiden chuckled, the sound bright. ”No no no. I'm afraid you don’t understand how things work around these parts.” Reaching out, he plucked the knife from her hands, though he still held it by the blade on the off chance she ended up wanting to take it back.
Smirking, he dropped his cut hand to his lap. "See, you need something from me. Yet I don't need anything from you, nor have you offered me anything particularly worth having, since by your own admission your lands have nothing valuable." Cocking his head to the side, he winked at her. "So. You can either owe me a favor, with the parameters you laid out earlier, to be collected by me at an unspecified date. Or I walk away."
Maea didn't like it. It felt like a trap, as though she was walking into something blindly, and with only half an agreement to stick to her terms - nothing shady, nothing 'fun' - which he could try to work his way around any way he pleased... She pursed her lips, thought quickly about this. How much was that pearl worth to her?
Slowly, with her eyes fixed on Saiden, she held out her hand. Palm up, presenting it to him; nodding her chin towards the blade in his hand. Offering him the chance to make the cut - or she would take the knife and do it herself.
"Fine. But if you ever try to break any of my terms, I walk away. Just remember that." Maea steeled herself, stomach clenching as she waited for the pain to bloom in her palm.
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 ♦
Staying entirely silent and mostly still as Maea deliberated, Saiden continued to stare at her, grinning all the while. When she finally agreed to the deal, his grin broadened. "Well done. We'll make a Torchliner of you yet." With that, he flipped his knife around. Slowly, he drew it across her palm, leaving a line of crimson in its wake.
Setting the blade on the table, he reached out with his own cut hand to clasp hers firmly with his own. "It's a deal, then." Leaning back, he nodded decisively. "It's a crystal, not a pearl. They grow on old cloud mantas. And the breathing underwater thing is a rumor. I've never seen it tested." He stood up from the table, snatching the napkin to wrap around his hand.
She snorted at that, even as she bit down on the pain of the knife cutting into her palm. It was a visceral feeling of burning light searing through her arm, and it lingered as he took her hand pressing their palms together. His hand was warm and steady, calloused in a way that made her wonder if fishing rods and kitchen knives truly were the only things he ever reached for... At least it was firm, and brief, and by the time he let go Maea was sure this had been a terrible mistake.
Reaching for a napkin of her own to staunch the blood, she pressed down on the wound until the bleeding stopped. "I was rather hoping to find one such crystal that was not still attached to the animal," she replied, "but I suppose that was naive of me. Are these cloud manta's hard to find?" She wasn't sure the life of a rare and ancient creature would be worth the sating of her own curiosity. If they were indeed rare... she might just put her part of this bargain on hold. Until it became necessary to call it in.
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 ♦
Saiden shrugged at Maea's words. "We can find that too, but it'll cost you, and I'm certainly not paying for that price. I said I'd help you procure it, not that I'd procure it for you." Pointing his knife at her to underscore that point, he wiped it on the tablecloth before he sheathed it.
Crossing his arms, he cocked his head to the side. "They're fairly common." Grinning, his eyes searched her features. "So. What's it gonna be?" Dropping his voice to a whisper, he added a rakish edge to it. "Are we gonna go to the market to see what it costs you? Or are we gonna go to the coast and find one on our own. Either way, a manta will have died for your crystal."
