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!
Aisha's reaction was clearly...well, if not impressed, definitely not disgusted; Sam smiled and let her touch his hand, which slowly came back to visibility under her fingers. "I can do it with my whole body. There are...other Ascended with more..impressive powers, but..." He shrugged. "This one is mine." There were others, but he didn't want to electrocute her and there was nothing to show off his finger upgrade with nearby.
"So...what do you think of Ascended now?" He asked, hoping he might have improved her perception somewhat.
05-09-2020, 04:43 PM (This post was last modified: 05-09-2020, 04:43 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
d is for delightful and try to keep your trousers up
The air twitched when she touched his hand, gently poking then running her fingertips along his. It felt the same as it had when she'd shook it, tangible flesh, just invisible. It came back into view, pale skin in the dusky light, Aisha dropped her own hand back to her hip. Impressed was definitely the word, she scoffed playfully at his statement, "Uh, I think turning invisible is pretty damn impressive."
She took a moment to think over his question, her opinion of the ascended. "Well you're not really vampires, and I don't think you're a robot either," she said, eyeing him sharply, "I think there has to be downsides to it too," she said, wondering if he'd give any away. Or did The Voice really have that much power to give, without taking something as due.
i think you should know you're his favorite worst nightmare
"Well, thank you." Sam laughed, a little embarrassed now. "I know some Ascended who can do things like diagnose illnesses from a bite or even teleport, though. In comparison, my abilities are quite bland." Useful for him to be sure (he had much more need for defensive than attack abilities) but in the greater context, not all that exciting.
He had heard the word 'vampire' before, but not robot: Outlander terms he supposed. If they helped her understand the Ascended, he wouldn't argue too much. "There are. We have to have the Voice replenish our fluid every so often...we can..drink blood instead.." He said hesitantly, not wanting to scare her. "...But it's not as good, so we don't usually do that. ..Also, younger Ascended find it hard to be in the sun."
d is for delightful and try to keep your trousers up
There seemed to be many perks to turning invisible, sure it wasn't teleportation but you could pretend it was. Start somewhere, go invisible and reappear elsewhere. The perfect trick. Sam was clearly modest, "Well if you're bland, then most everyone else is a stale cracker, she said with a laugh, referring to those who lacked any abilities at all. How she'd loath to be one of them.
"So you do drink blood," she said with a slight smirk, somehow satisfied that she'd known that much. The downsides he gave were definitely vampiric, and raised some more questions, "Do you age?" It felt unlikely that he did, considering what he'd said before. Some would think eternal life a curse, but Aisha had always thought it would be amazing. To be young forever, to experience everything the world had to offer.
i think you should know you're his favorite worst nightmare
Sam laughed and shook his head, having never been someone most people would consider 'exciting'. "I'm in bed before 9 most nights and I've never been to a party. You might want to meet some more Ascended before you decide that." While his self confidence had blossomed in the last year, he was realistic about the fact that he would never be cool.
He just nodded, not wanting to get too indepth about drinking blood: some people found it fascinating in a way that made him distinctly uncomfortable and he didn't want to encourage that in Aisha. At least his age was a mild enough topic. "No, not physically. I'm 28, but I don't think I've changed since I was around 23. I've met Ascendeds who are about 300 but look the same age as myself, too." Whether he liked this or not was unclear, probably because Sam himself wasn't sure how he felt about eternal life.
Aisha's eyes widened, genuinely shocked to her core. Never been to a party?! Aisha had once been royalty, and where for many that would mean being cooped up and sheltered, on her world it meant being as involved as possible. The monarchs were to be exemplary figureheads, leading with the people and paving the way. While that didn't stop hierarchic differences and political issues between the governors and the governed, it did mean that the princess had attended all sorts of parties; from festivals in the streets to private dinners.
She had loved to live in luxury, but preferred the gritty, exciting hum of a thick crowd, sweaty and warm and together. That was the kind of party she missed the most. To think Sam had never been to any, well this definitely was a tangent but wow was Aisha shocked! "You've never been to a party," she restated with emphasis, and a hint of amused incredulity.
Once again Aisha found herself in awe of the ascended, very much interested in meeting one of said three hundred year old comrades. "Do some of you come through the portals that way, or are all of the ascended made by The Voice?" she asked, questions and questions, fiery fascination fueling her curiosity.
"Um. Yes, that's right. I suppose I might do soon though..my sister is getting married and I believe I'm invited to the reception." Sam told her with no small amount of clear excitement in his face, though he was also a little nervous of making a fool of himself at the event. "Is that really so strange? I just..have not had that many friends for a lot of my life." Trying to make that sound less sad he added a smile at the end, but it came out more pathetic than intended.
Sam pondered Aisha's question, because he wasn't really sure if the Ascended that came through the portal that way were transformed by the Voice upon arrival. Still, he could at least give a general answer. "There are Outlanders who come here as Ascended, yes, though they seem...rare. Most Ascended are naturals, or Outlanders who have come to the Voice later on."
Had Sam not been as kind, open, and frankly important as he seemed, Aisha might not have held back the laughter that threatened to burst from her lips. The halfhearted smile, the statement about not having friends? Aisha's sense of humor was definitely cruel, but god was she amused. For his sake however, she stifled her bemused look into a purse of her lips, trying to hide how badly she wanted to give even the slightest giggle.
"It's not that strange, I'm sure your sister's reception will be a really fun first." There, and she did mean it. She'd been to a couple weddings, and they'd all been among the more exciting festive events she'd attended.
"And you're one of the naturals," she said with a nod, less of a question and more of a confirmation. She'd yet to really talk much to the naturals, but was interested in how they lived. In what life was like before the outlanders arrived.
Sam saw the held-back laughter in Aisha's face, which did smart a bit: at least she was trying to hold it back, he supposed. When she finally spoke and it was nice he was relieved and nodded. "Yes. I hope so." Amalia and Deimos weren't exactly what he'd call 'party people', but he thought they'd want to celebrate their marriage properly.
"I am, yes...I can't imagine the people were would be happy if the Natural Advisor was an Outlander." He laughed gently, trying to make it clear he wasn't trying to be cruel. "I was born in the Grounds and I suppose I'll probably die here eventually. I love to hear about everyone else's worlds, though. Where they came from and the stories they have..."
Aisha laughed lightly along with him at the notion; no, the naturals probably wouldn't be too happy about that. She sure wouldn't, if she was one of them. But she'd never loved having people tell her what to do, or speak for her, anyways. "Guess not," she replied with a soft shake of her head.
The girl had once felt very similarly about her own homeland, about the capital. In the wisps of imagination that her ego had curated, she would be in the courtyard, under her favorite tree, her loved ones all around in silence as she passed peacefully. The people of her city would be quiet in the streets, waiting for the news. It was a strange thing for someone to fantasize, but Aisha had always had a flair for the dramatic. As well as a deep admiration for the world she'd known.
Even in Caido now, she was Angchoran at heart.
And so she nodded at his words, agreeing wholeheartedly, and flashing a small smirk his way. "Well I'd be happy to tell you about my home sometime, I probably owe it to you," she said with a shrug, thinking back to all the prodding she'd done into his own life.
"I'd love to hear it. Come to the Atheneum and I could write it down...I'm working on a book about all the worlds Outlanders have come from." Of course, not everyone wanted to share with him, so it was not an exhaustive list, but he had a good collection of testimonies by now, enough to know there were many worlds out there.
With that said, it seemed he had kept Aisha for long enough. With a polite smile he looked off down the street, clapped a hand against his thigh. "Well! I suppose I should head off to continue my work. Thank you, though, for the conversation. I hope to see you in the Atheneum soon." A nod, then he was walking away, happy to have met an Outlander with an open mind.
