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!
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
She had the seed from the hearty little bush in the Citadel. Now she needed a seed from within the Greatwood. The area near the Crimson Cataract seemed as good as any, being so near the shrine dedicated to Rae and Frey. And though the warm glow of the ruby red pond usually filled her with warmth, Phoebe was struggling to find anything but emptiness as she carefully picked her way through the lush area. Pim was close by, much less careful as he charged his way through the grasses and flowers. Such was the nature of an apex predator, who had very little care for plants beyond their ability to make a comfy bed and hide them whilst in pursuit of prey.
After some searching, Phoebe found a tree that had sent little seed pods scattering around it, some even floating in the reddened pond itself. "If it's alright, dear tree, I'd like to sit for a moment. I appreciate your help in my task for Frey." she said softly to the ancient plant, sitting upon a protruding root. From there she carefully picked out a seed pod that was fresh and intact, slowly peeling away the outer coating so as not to harm the seed itself. Then she placed it in her pouch for safekeeping until she could bring it to Frey.
Despite appearances to the contrary, Loren was still doing his actual job, at least as he saw it. Part of that was searching out new medicines, since he wasn't going to rely upon his magic for everything considering he was the only real healer in Halo (for now). Rather than Torchline, he'd decided to go explore the Greatwood.
He'd been avoiding it, he realized, for fear of painful memories. Well, in the slightly buzzed state he was in those wouldn't be a problem. So he wandered through the forest, wearing a shirt, short, and boots, eyes peeled for any unusual plants or animals. Nothing immediately jumped out at him. Astra was excited to be with him, and she was bounding to and fro happily.
For his part, he took periodic swigs from the flask he carried. The woods were confusing so he didn't even try to navigate them. Instead, he let them spit him out where they willed. It took him to a very familiar looking red pool.
Before he could turn around, however, a familiar sounding voice spoke up. Raising his eyebrows, he rounded the tree, discovering Phoebe on the other side. "Still working on that, huh?" There was something darkly amused about his voice.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Phoebe should have been startled, but Pim alerted her to the presence of another well before Loren piped up. His head poked up from the grasses and he roared, prompting Phoebe through their bond. So when the summoner did speak, she did not start or jump. She simply sheathed her small knife back on her hip, before standing and turning to look at him. It was clear he was not himself, but neither was she. While he was filled with dark, drunken swagger, she was barely a person, a mere reflection of her old self figuratively and literally withering away.
"It's been a busy season." she said dryly. Whatever he found amusing about it, she couldn't bring herself to care about.
As Pim roared, Loren rolled his eyes. ”Good to see you too.” Although his voice was sarcastic, he crouched down to hopefully scratch the dragonling under his chin. Astra joined the healer, lowering her head towards Pim as well to give him an affectionate headrub.
Phoebe's words, which might be the understatement of the season, earned her a huff of laughter from the Launceleyn. "You're telling me." This time, underneath the amusement there was a hint of bitterness. Taking a sip from his flask he fished out another and held it out to her. "Here. You look like you could use this more than me."
Whether or not she took it, he leaned against a nearby trunk. "So. What's Frey got you doing here in the Greatwood?" He tilted his head to one side as he waited for the answer.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Head scritches? Absolutely! Pim grumble growled his approval at the head scritches, and even returned Astra's head rubs with his own. Not that he was any less of a grump than he usually was, but with Phoebe out of sorts, he was willing to soak up the good vibes while he could.
Phoebe took the flask, if only by impulse alone, sniffing first to see what it was. Whiskey? Sure. "Thanks." she mumbled, tipping her head back and taking a long swig from it, appreciating the burn. It took her out of time and place for a moment, and that reprieve was always welcome. She held it back out to him, sighing slightly as the burn ebbed away and once more she had to feel. "I was getting one of the seeds they needed." she said quietly. "Why are you all the way out here?"
02-11-2020, 01:39 AM (This post was last modified: 02-15-2020, 02:15 PM by Loren.)
LOREN
Loren made sure to give Pim especially good scritches. For her part, Astra, after the head rubs, immediately settled in next to the dragonling, also needing some simple comfort because her human was acting weird. Only then did the healer stand up to face Phoebe.
As she took the flask, he nodded. ”You’re welcome.” When she offered it back, however, he shook his head. ”Keep it.” He took out another flask and waved it at her before he took a long pull.
Letting out an understanding hum, he tilted his head to one side. Smirking a bit at her question, he shrugged. ”Why, I’m looking for medicinal herbs of course.” His tone was still darkly amused, though this time it was tinged with sarcasm (though that actually was why he was here). ”Why do you ask?”
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Pim grumbled and huffed as Loren removed his hand, before settling his head down around Astra. She had shiney horns. That was horde protection worthy. Close enough anyways.
Phoebe didn't argue as she was told to keep the flask. She pulled it back close to her torso, holding with with both hands. She simply shrugged at his question, a distant look in her eye. "Heard you moved to Halo. This is a long way to come for herbs." she said.
Astra was more than happy to let Pim coil around her. Indeed, she reached out to rest her head on the dragonling's for a moment and let out a contented bleat. Then, however, a playful feeling stole over her and she tried to nudge Pim to his feet. Regardless, she would spring up to try and play a game of tag.
Sipping from the second flask, Loren eyed Phoebe. Shrugging at her comment, he moved to sit next to her, putting his back against the tree. "Yeah, well, I don't know if you've been to Halo, but it's hardly the best place to grow herbs. I figured importing or gathering them elsewhere is more efficient."
Taking another pull from the flask, he scooted a bit closer to her. "How are you holding up?" There might've been a hint of genuine concern underneath the drunkenness and the smirking.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Tag? Well...Pim supposed he could play tag. He grumble growled and rolled up to his feet, taking his time as she stretched his wings, eyeing the little Luxere with a round, silvery pink eye. With a grunt he finally got moving, charging after her through the underbrush.
Phoebe shrugged at Loren's comment, looking down at her flask. "The College just acquired a farm. I'm sure we can arrange some sort of trade deal with Halo." she said softly. There would be more than plenty to go around, and with Halo's seeming dependence on magic (which was logical). But he asked soon after how she was holding up, and she sighed, crossing her arms.
"I regularly burn myself with cigarettes so that the only thing I can feel is the physical pain, and not my emotions. And I tried to jump off the Bone Bridge recently." she said bluntly by way of answer.
Astra was more than happy to let Pim take his time. She was already on the move, hiding behind trunks then peering out at them cautiously, ready for the dragon to strike. Despite Loren's despair, he smiled at the sight, and the feeling of excitement from his companion.
However, he looked back at Phoebe when she offered to trade for herbs he might need. "What do you want in exchange?" His voice was quiet, though he'd narrowed his eyes slightly.
He let out a humorless laugh "So, things are going great then." Taking another sip from his flask, he turned his head to the side and regarded her. "Have you tried pleasure instead?" His tone was suggestive.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Phoebe shrugged. It wasn't like she had thought terribly deeply on it. "I don't know. What does Halo have to offer?" she had been there, but frankly she hadn't taken the time to think too deeply on any sort of trade value the frozen nation had to offer. If Loren was growing suspicious of some sort of ploy, he would have more luck finding ulterior motives in the location grass decided to grow in.
She raised a brow at his suggestion, not really sure how to take it. "Considering I've no one to engage with and no drive to do so myself as of late, no." she said a bit bluntly.
Snorting, Loren took a sip from his flask. ”Furs and snow and Ningo feathers. Oh, and magic, but I know your feelings about that.” Shooting Phoebe a wry glance, he shrugged, knowing Halo had little to offer that she might be interested in.
Raising his eyebrows at her response, he smirked. "Ouch." Tone more bemused than hurt, he took another sip from his flask. "You wound me. Because I'm here, and, well..." Letting his voice trail off suggestively, he shifted so his body was turned to face her, knees tucked underneath. "I've found that sharing my bed is one of the only things that makes the loneliness and despair a little easier to face."
Glancing around at their surroundings, his eyes crinkled slightly. "Metaphorically speaking, of course." There was both a question and an offer in the statement.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Phoebe gave him a blank stare, not sure how to take his quip. "And what exactly are my feelings on magic?" she said, having a feeling that his answer wasn't going to be accurate in the least.
Her expression fell further as he expounded. Once upon a time she had hoped he might wish to be with her, fantasized even about being with him. But now, being propositioned so, and under the circumstances, all she could feel was disgust. "Sorry, but I don't exactly get turned on by desperation." she said dryly.
Loren raised his eyebrows at Phoebe's question. "In healing, at least, you think it's a crutch." Taking a sip from his flask, he shrugged. "I'll confess I don't know your thoughts on it overall." There was a bit of a question in his voice.
Letting out a huff of laughter at her refusal, he smirked. "Believe me, I am not desperate for partners these days." Leaning forward a bit, he let his eyes study her features. "What do you get turned on by, then?" His voice came out in a low, and seductive whisper, and the way his eyes trailed over her was more than a bit suggestive.
look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness
