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!
The dagger piercing into Loren did hardly anything to stop him from continuing on. Unfortunately, the man was also far from over with his actions. Despite the blood dripping from his hand and body, there was far more to come. As thankful as he was to have the ice stop, he was far from happy to be shot at with a projectile stream of water. Crying out, Oliver thought he would be able to hold his ground at first. Simply being hit wasn't bad...right?
Wrong.
The stream became stronger and sharper, now hitting him even harder.
He felt his body hit roughly against the ground and in a panic, he immediately shifted in a leopard, growling and clawing at the ground to try and at least turn his body so he wouldn't be drowned. Memories of having water shot at his mouth and nose flashed through his head and he desperately wanted to escape. Get out of this before the water overcame him. Why couldn't this stop? Couldn't Loren see that he had enough? Claw marks etched into the ground as he dug his paws in to try and pull himself away from the stream.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
As Oliver shifted into something, (the Launceleyn wasn't quite what, considering the water and the table in the way), Loren's eyes narrowed. Gathering up all the water and the ice that he could reach, he redoubled his efforts pressing it against his fellow hybrid. The healer wanted the other man totally surrounded by water, everything except his head.
That, the Launceleyn left exposed. Because as Oliver tried to escape, Loren snarled and shook his head. With a cruel twist of his power and jerking his hands down to his side, he froze the water all around his fellow hybrid. The healer was aiming to entomb the other man in ice.
No amount of trying to claw away seemed to stop Loren. At this point, he was ready to simply shift back into a human and fling the table to Loren, but by the time this idea came to mind it was too late. The water started surround him, but luckily not at his head, that seemed to be the best part of this. Then, he was met with a freezing cold, restrictive, ice barrier. One that trapped him in a cocoon.
Letting out an animalistic roar, he growled at Loren, clearly unable to break out. He was in pain. He couldn't move. He wanted out.. As he tried to fling his body around, he sent a mental message to Loren, one that couldn't hide his distress. Let me out! I yield! I give up! Obviously, he was in a large amount of discomfort. There wasn't anything he could do at this point and he didn't understand why Loren did so much. Why couldn't he just stop. Why did he do this. Why did he make him bleed without asking to see if he was okay?
Almost a little contemptuously, and definitely dismissively, Loren waved a hand. As he did, the ice melted away from Oliver. The healer actually made sure there was a warm orb of it around the other man. Then the Launceleyn walked over to a window. Opening it, he shooed the water outside.
After that, he moved over to Oliver. Without bothering to ask, Loren rested a hand on the other man. Healing magic poured through their bond (assuming the other hybrid would allow it), repairing all the damage the healer had done to Oliver. That done, the Launceleyn turned his attention to setting the room to rights as best he could.
The moment his body was released from the icy prison, he found himself shaking, but not from the potential cold. He was scared, overwhelmed, and clearly anxious. He hadn't been restrained like that ever in his life, so feeling that powerless was terrifying. Even though Loren was his friend, there was a brief moment where he feared for his life. There could've been the chance of him freezing to death or being drowned by the water, that this attacker wouldn't hesistate to end his life. It was horrific and it brought chills down his spine, making his body tremble.
Once his body had been healed, he lay there silently for a couple of seconds, unblinking and his tail only flicking ever so slightly. Slowly, the leopard sat up before Oliver shifted back into a human. Sitting with his legs sprawled out, Oliver stared at Loren, his heart still continuing to thump loudly in his chest, vibrating in his ears and overwhelming all of his senses. Taking a few deep breaths, Oliver finally spoke, his voice trembling and giving way to his current state.
"I....can you fix the holes? In my clothes?" He wanted to be mad. He wanted to yell at Loren for piercing his skin, for nearly drowning him, for nearly freezing him to death, for scaring him so much...but he couldn't bring himself to say it. To say anything regarding the manner. "I didn't bring a change of clothes and I don't think I'm welcomed to stay very long. Holes in clothes are not good for keeping the chill out." His voice had a small bite to it, showing a sense of frustration or resentment for the other man, but it was still filled to the brim with fear. With worry that in a brief second, Loren would be stabbing him in the heart or trapping his head in a globe of water.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Ignoring Oliver's obvious distrss, Loren nodded at the other hybrid's question. "One second." Heading to the door, the healer opened it and looked out in the hallway. Spotting a servant, he beckoned the woman closer. "Could you please fetch me a sewing kit?" She nodded and ran off.
Closing the door, the Launceleyn glanced at the other man. "I'll take care of your clothes. You're welcome to stay until that's done." Loren's voice was polite, but not exactly friendly.
That taken care of, he went back to tidying the room. "Joining the school gives you a resistance to cold, by the way." Not looking at Oliver, the healer just bent down to move the rug back into place.
Part of Oliver wanted to see a kind, nurtering side of Loren. One that would stand by his side and maybe apologize for any pain inflicted on him, but rather, he was ignored in that department. At least, Loren still had some semblance of respect seeing as he went out of his way to ask someone for a sewing kit. Who it was, Oliver had no idea, but it didn't really matter. Loren most likely wouldn't introduce them and there wasn't much he could do with that information.
Staring down at his clothes, Oliver could see holes that were stained with blood. The majority were on his legs, but there were a decent amount on his stomach, enough to made his stomach churn. With a glance back up at Loren, Oliver stood up. "Do you want me to take my clothes off? Or will you repair them like this?" He'd figure out how to wash out the blood, seeing as Loren probably didn't even give a fuck that he had bled.
It was hard to hide away his frustrations towards his friend. Loren had always been aggressive with his training techniques, but never did Oliver expect to actually bleed because of it. All he wanted was an apology for fuck sake, is that too much to ask for?
With a huff, he shook his head, trying to hide away any anger. "I doubt my body will ever adjust to the cold, but sure. Fine. I'll give it a try and join the school. What do I need to do to join?" Looks like he was signing himself up for the school. Hopefully with time, he'd learn magic enough to beat Loren and get an apology out of him like he deserved.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Loren raised his eyebrows at Oliver's question. "Whichever you prefer." At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. The healer went over, and took the sewing kit from the woman outside. "Thank you." Turning back to the other hybrid, the Launceleyn gave Oliver an expectant look.
Reaching out with telekinesis, Loren locked the door, since he figured the privacy might make his fellow hybrid feel better. However, the healer's eyes narrowed at the less than polite inquiry about the magic school. "You just need to talk to Zariah."
Shrugging, he gave the other man a confused look. "What's your problem?" Honestly, Loren didn't understand Oliver's anger.
Whichever he preferred? Well, right now, he'd really rather not have Loren touching him in any way. It was harsh but whatever, Loren stabbed him, he stabbed Loren, no need to put their hands on each other. However, Oliver did choose to wait a little bit, until they got the sewing kit. He didn't want a complete stranger busting in. Loren had already seen him shirtless so this really wasn't far off, but he would be extremely cautious.
As Loren spoke with him about his less than happy response, Oliver shrugged and started to work on taking off his top layers. Shedding them off until he was bare-chested, he lay the clothing articles on the couch before turning his eyes back to Loren. "I'm...fine Loren. Sorry for being rude and snappy." He honestly didn't have the energy to fight back or really do anything anymore. There really wasn't a point in it.
Walking back over to his stuff, he pulled out one of the coats that he had taken off and placed it on him. The coat was a bit too big for him, but he chose it specifically for that reason. Fastening it up, it now covered up his chest and hip area. Only then did he feel safe enough to shed off his layers of pants, which were placed down on top of the other clothes. Taking a seat, he was happy to have underwear and could only hope that Loren had chosen to be respectful of him because the last thing Oliver needed right now was for Loren to notice his....curse.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Loren’s eyes drifted over Oliver’s bare chest for a moment. Then the healer reached for the clothes that the other hybrid had taken off. Opening the sewing kit, the Launceleyn threaded two needles, making sure they matched the colors of the clothes, though he couldn't care less about fashion.
That done, he bent his head, and sewed one article of clothing with his hands and the other with his telekinesis. ”Rude and snappy isn’t fine. You’re almost nauseatingly cheerful and optimistic.” Glancing up, he smirked as the pants were added to the pile of clothes. Then his eyes were drawn to the odd bulge in Oliver's underwear.
The smirked widened, though Loren focused his gaze on his work again. "So come on, spill. Though it looks like you might be more excited than upset to me."
Loren was the second person to say that to him. That him trying to live a happy life was a bad thing. With his eyes looking far away from Loren, he shrugged. "I'm fixing it, don't worry. Trying to not be so annoying and overly happy." Loren only wanted the best for him and if he was being annoying them fine. He could fix it.
What he couldn't fix, and what he couldn't hide, was the issue that Loren so kindly pointed out. The most mortified look appeared on Oliver's face. He was far from embarrassed, no, he looked like he was going to throw up at any moment. His stomach ached and his face become flush white, nearly the same color as his hair. Swallowing hard, he trying his best to adjust the coat, realizing now it was far too late.
"It's not you, trust me. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable." His voice was quieter and had lost any punch it once had. It was as if he had been kicked multiple times and was struggling to speak through pain. "I....was cursed...." He couldn't even look Loren in the eye, his eyes far distant, staring off towards the window.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Raising an eyebrow at Oliver’s response, Loren glanced up briefly from his work. ”I didn't say it was a problem." Looking down again, he shrugged before resuming his sewing. "I simply noticed it was different, and decided to ask what was on your mind." However, his tone indicated that he didn't really care one way or another what was bothering his fellow hybrid.
The healer didn't comment on the other man's reaction to the Launceleyn's observation about whatever was going on in Oliver's underwear. Loren just kept on with fixing the other hybrid's clothes. However, the healer frowned slightly when the other man finally responded. "Cursed how?" The Launceleyn's question came out with a cautious tone.
If it wasn't a problem then why point it out? Why make fun of him and say he's 'nauseatingly' happy as if it were an issue. It may have been poking fun to Loren, but to Oliver, it was him being made fun of. There was nothing good about being so happy that it makes someone else mad. Oliver wasn't really sure what to say or how to respond to his remark. With a slight shrug, he glanced over at him briefly. "A lot is on my mind....and honestly, I don't think you would want to listen to all of it so I won't bore you." Was a nice way of saying that Oliver knew Loren didn't give a flying shit so why waste his time. Loren made it clear that he rarely ever cared about Oliver's personal life, the only time he seemed to care was when it came to his memories.
Oliver half expected Loren to laugh at him. To continue to make fun of him for being oh so excited and turned on by whatever the fuck Loren thinks he's into. It's not that Loren isn't attractive, but Oliver would never view him like that. Never. He's said it before, Loren is a brother to him. Of course, he cant help but want to say more. Oliver told Harper, but now it looks like he's telling Loren. Unlike Harper, though, Loren is a bit more forward.
A soft sigh escapes his lips and he turns to look at Loren, finally landing his eyes on his friend. "I fucked up with Frey." He was tired, exhausted, and regretted every moment of that interaction. "To put it simply, I went to Frey because I was so in love with a certain ascended. He flirted with me and I thought that meant he wanted to date me or thought I was a great person, but I let it get to me and honestly, it ruined me. It was stupid of me to do that and of course, stupid me had to go ramble on to Frey about my horniness for the dude." Some of the choice words came out harsh and aggressive, showing just how Oliver viewed himself and the situation.
So unlike with Harper who didn't actually see what happened, Loren knew. Oliver couldn't beat around the bush about it. "I can no longer use this." He gestured down to his crotch. "As far as I'm aware, it's permanent." And with that, he finally let out a deep sigh and paused for a moment before speaking a final time. "Any questions?"
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Loren just shrugged at Oliver's offer. "Alright, suit yourself." The healer's voice came out distractedly and yes, disinterestedly. If his fellow hybrid didn't want to disclose what was bothering him, then the Launceleyn wouldn't pry.
Focusing on the sewing (though he was listening to the other man), Loren's expression grew inscrutable. For a long moment, he didn't respond to Oliver. Finally, the healer sighed and glanced up briefly. "Yeah, Frey doesn't really care about our problems. They just want us to live fulfilling and exciting lies."
Looking down again, he moved on to the pants, mending them with sure motions. "Could be worse. You're alive, and in possession of your mind." His tone indicated that there were far worse curses than not being able to use a dick properly. "What makes you sure it's permanent?"
