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!
Her vision blacked out. There was a strange ringing in her ears, a taste of blood in her mouth where she had bit through her lip, and her whole body ached. Especially the legs and her lower body, that lay pinned under the dead weight of the cloud manta. Saiden's voice came to her from some great distance; Maea couldn't quite make out what he said, but was conscious enough in the darkness to be relieved. He was alive, at least. And she was too, probably.
A groan was the only lifesign she could give him however. Though she thought to move, the notion did not quite make it from her brain all the way to her limbs. The fingers of a hand twitched, her chest was still rising and falling with proper, if a little strained breath. But she was quite out of it, knocked senseless by the ice. A gash just over the temple was drizzling blood down over her face, painting it a horric mask of crimson and white.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Well, Maea was alive. Unfortunately, she didn't appear to be particularly coherent, and she was definitely in bad shape. Saiden wasn't either, but at least he was awake. For now. However, he was still basically trapped under the weight of the woman and the manta.
Growling a curse, he managed to wiggle out one hand. Reaching up, he grabbed some of the rapidly melting ice. Ignoring the cold sting against his fingers, he pressed it against the gash on her temple. At the same time, he gathered up all the cold water to try and press it against any other injuries or bruises he could see on her.
A few nicks and scrapes were the only other injuries on her. She would be black and blue with bruises in the days to come, but at least she wasn't bleeding much. The cold of the ice against her temple made the girl flinch, and again when frigid water found the rest of the cuts. Before long she was shiver in the heat of the day... but it did bring her enough back to life that she could open her eyes.
Dilated pupils darkened her gaze as she pried up heavy eyelids. Very slowly she moved the head, immediately regretting this idiotic decision when pain lanced through her skull, the world spinning so wildly that she had to shut down again. At least she had seen his face - way too up close, though not even the realization that she was lying on top of the man made her able to move - and knew he was awake.
"Sorry," she managed to say, in a hoarse whisper. It felt somehow very important that she apologized... though the reason for it evaded her as soon as the words were over her lips.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Saiden didn't even bother trying to move even as Maea stirred. Instead, he just kept the ice on her forehead, and continued bathing her skin with the hopefully still chilled water. "Nothing to be sorry about. Saved me from much worse pain, I reckon." He tilted his head upwards, trying to figure out when or if she might be able to move.
Figuring the best thing to do would just be to wait until she was ready to get up under her own power, he sighed. Then, however, he couldn't resist grinning. "You know, under different circumstances, this wouldn't be the worst position to be in." His voice wasn't flirtatious, just amused with the whole situation.
This time she could actually make out the words he used. Understanding what he said took a little more time, but eventually Maea understood the gist. 'No worries'. Except, she couldn't help but worry anyway. The sledgehammer in her head kept pounding away at her skull, and even with her eyes closed she felt like she was spinning violently. There was a nauseating feeling in her gut, like after eating spoiled food, but she clamped down on it, skin turning clammy from the effort not to retch.
Not surprsingly, his second comment did not meet with much of a reaction. The girl sprawled limp on his chest, too focused on breathing and not drifting back into unconsciousness to do anything... though through clenched teeth she did manage to speak again. "... I'm sorry.." It was really the only thing she could come up with. For dragging them into this situation. For being boring. For not playing along with his rules - or lack of them - even though apparently that's how things were done her in Torchline.
She tried to move again, to shift her legs and pull them out from under the Cloud Manta. But again the searing pain lanced it's way from her head and down the spine, and she collapsed back onto Saiden, shuddering. "I think... concussion.." Which would explain the nausea. And her incoherent thoughts.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea apologized again, Saiden frowned. He was starting to get an uneasy feeling at her lack of recovery, though he didn't let it show too much. "It's alright." Then, when she admitted she might be concussed and confirmed his suspicions, he sighed. "Alright. It's going to be alright." He tried to make his voice as reassuring as possible, and he continued holding the ice and water in place though honestly he had no idea if he was helping.
Reaching out to the sea that was never too far, the cook managed to grip some of the water as a wave crashed against the shore. He gathered it to him, along with all the rest he could reach. Then he tried to roll the manta carefully off of her using his magic.
The ice was the right thing to do. It kept her headache down, kept her tethered to the waking world just enough that she could hear him and offer some weak responses. But between the dizzyness and the nausea, and the carcass pressing down on her, there wasn't much Maea could do. If she had been alone...
But fortunately she wasn't. Saiden's water made the Cloud Manta heave up and over - it was heavy, but offered no resistance, as it was still quite dead - and it flopped limply to the ground beside them, belly up. The other Mantas had long since fled and the two humans were left quite alone on the color-splattered coast; not even scavenging birds had arrived yet, and only the rumble and rush of the geysers filled the silence.
Maea groaned when the weight shifted on her, but once the pressure was released from her, she seemed to breathe a little easier. "Thank you," she managed to say, though the words were quite slurred.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Saiden decided to just take this one step at a time. Keeping the ice on Maea was one. Two was getting rid of the manta, which he succeeded at. As his water pushed it aside and its weight vanished, he sighed in relief.
Time to move on to step three. "Don't thank me yet. Come on, up you go." So saying, he would gently try to lift her off of him. Doing his best not to jostle her, he would either try to get her up, or at least get her to move over so he could get out from under her. However, if she grew too distressed, he'd stop immediately.
He moved her, and it was another dagger to the head, splitting her skull open temple to temple. Maea tried to help, to move, to get her legs under herself, but it seemed every limb had become so much salty water and no bone left to shore them up. She made the mistake of opening her eyes, and the world jostled and swayed before her eyes, aggravating the nausea to a new level.
It was all she could do to roll off from Saiden, but then she got no further. Slumped onto the ground she retched, spewing the contents of her stomach. Not on him, fortunately. And apparently she hadn't eaten much for breakfast - or at all, really - so there wasn't much to it... but it was enough of an effort to leave her shuddering and weak, spitting and hissing at the foul taste, the reek that filled her nostrils.
Yeah... it might have been too soon to thank him. Too soon to do anything at all, really... but what could they do. Staying on that rainbow patch of rock wasn't much of an option.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
02-14-2020, 09:36 PM (This post was last modified: 02-15-2020, 03:06 AM by Saiden.)
Progress. Step three went off with a little hitch as Maea rolled off him and vomited. Saiden followed her, his own body protesting the movement, but it was better than leaving her. He actually pulled her hair back and placed the ice on her neck for a bit, before returning it to her forehead.
Grimacing, he glanced around at their surroundings. "I'll be right back." With that, he dashed (well, hobbled, but quickly) to retrieve his cutlass. He cut the crystal out from the manta, then slipped it into his bag.
That done, he limped to the ocean. Calling up as much water as he could, he commanded it over to Maea. His goal was to try and wash her into the ocean, then float her to where the healers were. "Stay calm. I got you."
Even in the midst of her dazed, pained misery, Maea could tell she was being cared for. Hands pulled her hair back from her face, and blessedly cool ice was pressed to her neck. It felt like something that might save her life... though it was probably an exaggeration. She wasn't actually dying, it just really felt like she should be.
Unable to tell how the flow of time worked anymore, it seemed like mere moments before Saiden disappeared, and an eon before he came back. By that time Maea had dragged herself a little away from the stinking mess she'd made, and pulled the shawl over her head to shield her eyes from the sun. It seemed unbearably bright, stinging her eyes until they watered and ached. As if she needed anything more to hurt.
Then, with a whisper of ocean in her ears, the girl felt water rise up around her. Not hers, she had no focus left to wield magic with, which meant... ah. Saiden. It seemed he was a bit more skilled at the use of his magic than he'd shown so far. Annoying... but a bit reassuring too. Enough that she let the waves claim her without resisting, and allowed herself to be carried off. Maea closed her eyes again, and before she knew it, she drifted off. Down into darkness, and whether it was sleep or unconsciousness, she couldn't tell.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Thankfully, he managed to get Maea to the ocean without incident. Slipping in himself, he sighed as its warmth soothed his muscles. Careful to keep her floating, he gripped his making tightly. With that done, he used it to propel them down the coast. Thankfully, it wasn't far to more populated areas, though he was almost out of energy by the time they got there.
People peered at him curiously as brought them to a careful stop. "Someone fetch a healer. A good one, please." A small child of indeterminate gender nodded and went off at a run. Saiden knelt by her side and placed a careful hand on her shoulder. "Easy now. Help is on the way."
The child showed up with a woman in tow. Glancing at the situation, she knelt by Maea's side. "It'll cost you."
He flashed her and the child an easy grin. "I'll give you both something nice from the Ark's next haul." Nodding in agreement, the healer placed her hands on Maea as the child ran off to collect another favor elsewhere. There was a sort of burning smell in the air, which he supposed meant the healer's magic was working say at the upgraded level.
Maea drifted in and out of consciousness as Saiden towed her down the coast. At times she was perfectly clear on where they were and why, but her thoughts drifted in strange and erratic ways and time was a mystery that came and went, stretched and shrank in peculiar ways. When she finally came too, it was with the face of an old woman hovering over her, and Saiden kneeling by her side.
Blinking carefully at the sun overhead, Maea looked around. Very gingerly, ready for the cutting pain to lash at her again... only it never came. She tried to move, testing the function of her limbs. They were sore, but responded almost like usual, though she would no doubt retain a few bruises even after being healed. She drew in a deep breath, found her lungs working just like they should... and smiled at the woman. "Thank you, Elder," she said, hoping the address was correct, that it was how they honored the older generations here as well, and not only in the Grounds.
Trying to push herself up on her elbows, she turned to look at Saiden. Bemused, guilty, grateful... wary. "You saved me..?" Why? seemed to hover at the end of the scentence, but she didn't finish it.
No doubt this help was going to cost her dearly.
Nothing lasts forever, I thought you should know
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
The healer scoffed at being called an ‘Elder.’ ”Do I look like an elder to you?” Voice tart, the woman glanced at Saiden, as if trying to convey that this insult would come out of his tab.
Grinning disarmingly at the irate woman, the cook shook his head. ”No harm meant. My friend’s just not from around here. Thanks for the assistance.” The healer, charmed by his, well, beauty and charming tone, sniffed one last time before sweeping off.
Only then did he turn his attention to Maea. "Aye, I did." Grinning a bit, he fished around in his bag. "I just didn't want your lover boy coming to find me. Gotta nip those cycles of vengeance in the bud, y'understand." Pulling out the crystal, he offered it to her. "Or maybe you just saved me from my own folly. I imagine that manta would've done a lot more damage to me than it did to you." He shrugged. "Don't read too much into it. Today, we were a crew, and you don't leave crew behind."
