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!
It was wonderful. When the dragon ceased climbing higher and began to cruise, she sat up carefully and took in the view. The horizon seemed to stretch out endlessly in every direktion. Maea had seen the ocean, swam in it, knew it was big, but even now she couldn't quite grasp how big. And the mountains were so high, towering up beyond Apopo, that filled her vision like a slumbering beast. The world was beautiful, vibrant and colorful, and she'd had no idea.
It didn't last long enough. Soon enough, the dragon began to circle back towards the ground. She climbed down on shaky legs, regret sharp in her throat as she gave the dragon a grateful pat on the neck - summon or not - and when it disappeared...
Maea turned. Took a step towards Loren, and practically fell over him, her arms reaching to wrap around his neck as she laughed and almost cried with glee. Delight, awe, longing to return... "That was.. that... Thank you! Thank you, Loren!"
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 ♦
As Maea practically fell against Loren, he found himself almost toppling to the ground. Thankfully, he caught himself (and her). Still sitting, he distractedly hugged her back, trying to catch his breath from the spell casting. It took him a moment to realize she probably expected a response. "You're ah, welcome." His voice came out awkwardly, not sure what to do with her effusive gratitude.
Still holding her, he took a deep breath to calm his nervous mind. "What did you um, see up there?" The question came out stiltedly, but he was trying to buy himself time to focus on the real world and not his magic or his meditation.
She almost knocked him flat, but he caught himself, and her, hugging her back. She didn't really notice how awkward he sounded, or if his hug was a little stiff. Maea's mind still reeled from the experience, her stomach swooping and ticklish from the defiance of gravity.
"I saw the sea! And the mountains, the horizon, and it went on forever!" she gushed. "The colors or the ground were more vibrant than I've ever seen. The world is beautiful and I never knew, not like this!"
Squeezing him tighter, the girl laughed again, exuberant, unable to find any way to thank him properly. Words just didn't feel enough.
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 ♦
At Maea's enthusiastic response, Loren couldn't help but grin. Making sure he was still holding her up, he shifted so he could look at her face. "Like I said, it's wonderful." His voice was soft, but was almost inordinately pleased that she had enjoyed the experience.
Glancing at the papers strewn about the ground, he let go of her with one hand to run a hand through his hair. "How'd I do with the mapping?" There was something almost shy about the way he asked the question. Indeed, his whole demeanor was more than a bit bashful and embarrassed at just how excited she had grown.
The girl seemed quite oblivious to the fact that she was basically sitting on his lap. Either hadn't noticed or didn't care, it was hard to tell which. "Well, you were right! And that was the most amazing thing, I love dragons, and you let me fly with it!"
Reaching for a sketch, she snatched it up and studied it eagerly, comparing the drawn version to her brief, dizzying experience. "You have an incredible eye for distances," Maea told him, "and details. This is almost perfect. The only thing off is this - " she pointed to indications of islands off the coast " - because they were much closer together now."
She looked up, one arm still holding on around his neck, her eyes bright and glittering in the light as she looked at him. There was a lavender hue to her irises, really only noticeable from up close. "Do you think it's those moving islands the sailors talk about? We actually see them all the way from here?" Maea smiled at the thought, excitement bringing life to her features.
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 ♦
Maea might've been oblivious, but Loren wasn't. Gently he shifted her so she was seated next to him rather than on him, using Astra as a pretext by pulling the luxere into his lap instead. As the Loreseeker went on about how wonderful it had been, he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Any time." His cheeks were flushed a bit with embarrassment.
Shrugging at her compliment, he shifted so he could see the map a little better. "It's part of the whole wilderness survival, good soldier thing. My family made sure I had an eye for detail and a good memory." Surprisingly, it didn't hurt to reveal that aspect of his training.
At her critique, he frowned, but nodded. "Alright. I can take another look, just to confirm." When she mentioned moving islands, however, his eyes widened in surprise. "What're you talking about?" There was an almost breathless excitement in his voice.
"I'd love to do it again! You should come with next time, it was incredible!" She let him move her aside without protest, just scritched Astra vigorously in another burst of unrestrained exuberance. The girl acted almost drunk, elation draining all tension away from her, removing restraint and hesitaion from her every move.
"That's excellent skills, I'm glad you can put them to use for something like this!"
Noticing his interest in her comment, Maea grinned widely at him, sharing the excitement in full. "Just something I heard in passing. There's islands off the Ahi coast that keep shifting about. The sailors were complaining that sailing through was a pain because the route shifted and they had to measure the depth of the sea all the time. To keep from hitting something, I suppose." Maea raised her brows, eagerly anticipating his reaction.
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 ♦
When Maea suggested that Loren should go up with her on the next ride, he immediately and forceful shook his head. "No uh..." Voice trailing off, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't think that's a good idea. Not sure I'd be able to keep my concentration." Shrugging, he gave her a rueful smile.
The news about moving islands caused his eyes to widen even further in surprise. Immediately, he pulled out a journal and began taking shorthand notes of what she'd said, using the code he'd developed for himself. "Fascinating. How do they move? Is it magic, or a natural phenomenon, or both? Can the movements be predicted? Do all islands move at the same rate and at the same time?" Realizing he was babbling out his questions, he snapped his mouth closed.
He rejected the idea quite firmly, and Maea's expression fell a bit in disappointment. "Why not? Is it that difficult to control the dragon?" She did recall the meditation, but... he had thrown a dragon at her before without it. Somehow, Maea didn't think that was the case.
At least the islands managed to capture his interest. Loren rattled off several difficult questions, and Maea had to laugh as she shook her head, offering a rather helpless shrug. "I have no idea, I'm afraid. But if you want to, we can always go find out? I'm curious about them too." And exploring was fun. Having company would be more than welcome.
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 ♦
Sighing, Loren pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kind of." He gave Maea and embarrassed look. "I'm um, afraid of flying. Or maybe heights? When I'm not a goose, that is." Shrugging a bit helplessly, he rubbed the back of his neck as remembered fear crept down his spine. "So between that, the effort of maintaining the spell, and the effort of commanding the dragon, I'm not sure I'm up for it."
Thankfully, the discussion of the islands was more than a welcome distraction. Nodding he smiled faintly. "Sure. I've been out there once, but I'd be happy to take another trip." He gave her a grateful look, still clearly not used to having someone actually want him around.
"Oh!" That clearly wasn't an answer Maea had expected to hear, but far from scoffing at him for it, she simply gave him an understanding smile. "Well, that's too bad, but I understand you. I can't really stand tight spaces... Don't worry, I won't force you. I think you've got enough to work on without adding phobias to the list."
The girl seemed perfectly content with leaving it at that, and nodded happily when he accepted her offer to go explore. It was a good thing the Arclight ocean was so big; she'd accepted offers to explore from all her favorite boys now. Between Sunjata, Amun and Loren, there wasn't a place on any map she wouldn't end up seeing at this rate.
And Maea was quite pleased with that.
"Great! I'm looking forward to it. Now... I distracted us again, didn't I?" She gave the scattered pages a rueful glance. They were supposed to be mapping...
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 ♦
Smiling awkwardly, Loren shifted his weight from side to side a little. His fingers twitched with nervous energy, though he nodded easily enough at Maea's response. "I'll work on it eventually. I'd just rather not do it dragon back when the only thing between me and the ground is my focus." It came out quietly, and it was clear he was still embarrassed by such a common foible.
Letting out a little huff of laughter, he nodded again. "That you did." Shifting Astra, who grumbled at being moved, he rose to his feet. "Why don't I see if those islands are actually moving or if I just misjudged the distance?" With that, he broke a run and leapt into the air. Mid-leap, he transformed into a goose and started flying up once more.
"If you want to. But everyone needs a weakness... especially you, since you'd be quite terrifyingly powerful without one." Maea winked at him, and went to collect her scattered notes. Looking up only to nod as Loren said he would return to the sky, she watched him take flight.
"He says he's afraid... and then he does that" she said to Astra. Rolling her eyes a bit. "Sometimes I wonder if he just pretends to be weak, so I'll be nice to him." But she grinned as she said it, and hummed a cherrful tune as she sat down again, flipping the journal open.
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 ♦
Snorting, Loren shook his head. ”I have lots of weaknesses.” Holding up a hand, he began ticking them off on his fingers. ”I don’t take care of myself when I’m upset, I can’t bear to see people I care about suffering, I have a terrible temper, I’m more than a bit violent, I don’t like things that are out of my control, and I’m shitty at maintaining relationships. Oh and I’m afraid of heights unless I have feathers.” He raised his eyebrows as he stared at Maea. ”Need I continue?” There was something almost amused about his tone, though mainly that was self-depreciating.
Astra nuzzled the Loreseeker at her words. Up above, he spotted the islands they’d been examining. Immediately landing and shifting he snagged a fresh sheet of paper. He sketched the coast and the original position he’d thought the islands were in. ”Can you draw where you saw the islands?” Holding out the paper and the charcoal, it was all he could do to contain his excitement.
