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!
There was very little reason for Ronin to be at Apopo. He certainly wasn't looking for Torchline's governor, and he had no intention of getting anywhere near that townhouse. But it was the first time he had seen or even heard that there might be a volcano nearby, and his feet took him there one lazy afternoon of their own accord. The mountain was nothing like the magma-spewing crater he had imagined, of course, and his bare feet picked their way around scrub and volcanic rock while he searched for lava with increasing disappointment.
The view, at least, was wonderful, and as he finally turned to sink down on a large, flat rock, the glittering expanse of Torchline in the distance was truly something to savour. So savour it he did, Ronin leaning back on his hands and watching the sun glitter off the waves, the lush greenery of the shoreline, Haulani bustling in the distance.
Had Oliver learned from all the bad experiences that happened when he explored? Clearly not! Seeing as he was now venturing into the far off places of Torchline, exploring the more remote and unique places. At least this meant that he probably wouldn't run into Saiden since that would be very bad and should be avoided at all costs. Besides, he always sees an opportunity to explore in his shift as a good thing, so why not go out for an adventure?
Running along, his tiny paws padded against the ground as the terrain slowly shifted. Stopping momentarily, he scratched at the ground curiously, tilting his head to the side, before he moved on. He could explore that in a bit, for now he needed to get a good look at his area to make sure there weren't any dangers or something more exciting than some weird ground.
It took a bit of exploring, but soon his nose picked up on a new scent. Something very human, but also not super familiar. It wasn't Saiden, but it could also be a hunter...eh, why not take the chance. He could easily hide away, seeing as he was small enough. So now moving on much more cautiously, he followed the scent until his eyes landed on the back of a human. He was sitting and didn't seem to be in any position to harm him, meaning it was probably safe to get closer. Probably.
Which is how he ended up taking slow steps closer towards the stranger, his ears high and alert and his tail swishing ever so slightly as if he were stalking a prey, but really he was just stupidly curious in this individual.
If not for the utter tranquility of the area, it was unlikely that Ronin would have heard anyone coming. As it was, it was only the very faint crunch of paws on stone that had him turning his head to look, blue eyes widening a fraction at the sight of... well, it was clearly a fox, but never had he seen one so small, with ears so large.
"Well look at you," he murmured softly, not thinking for a moment that it could be an Attuned before him. "I'm no good for pouncing on, I don't think. Here, though - something for the attempt."
Reaching into the pack he had brought with him, he drew out some dried meat; mostly it was cloud manta, since they were apparently easy to hunt and absolutely delicious. Setting the meat down onto the stone beside him, he invited the little fox to partake.
02-19-2020, 06:30 PM (This post was last modified: 02-19-2020, 06:31 PM by Oliver.)
OLIVER
It came off as a surprise to Oliver that the man turned around to face him, but an even bigger one would come when he saw a softness in the man. Judging by how he was spoken to and by the look on the man's face, it seemed that he was appearing to be a normal animal. Now, this could be a good thing because hey, this dude may be an animal lover, but he also could be hunted down if the man so chose to do so. It meant that he would still have to be cautious, but for now he might as well see what this mysterious stranger was all about.
With ears perked up and eyes wide, he slowly took a few steps closer until he could sniff at the jerky and paw at it. It didn't smell bad, so maybe it wasn't poisoned? Giving a wary look at the stranger he tried to bite at it while still keeping an eye on the man, which probably looked super comical as he clearly missed the jerky. Finally getting a bite, he discovered that it tasted pretty delicious! So either poison tastes super duper amazing or the man was nice. Or he was fattening him up to eat. Still, pretty damn good beef jerky.
Instead of finishing off the jerky, He took a seat next to it and stared up at the man. Are you an attuned? He sent towards the other man, offering a head tilt. Part of him was tempted to shift into back into a human, but he was also having a bit too much fun right now. Would it be awkward to shift back? The longer he waited, the more awkward it would probably be. So of course, Oliver chose to remain as a fox until the man asked him if he was an attuned. Great idea, Oliver.
Well, this certainly was awkward. Not being an Attuned himself, Ronin was absolutely not able to hear what was going on in the little fox's head. So despite the giveaways - was it the little head tilt? The sudden way he took a seat next to the hunter? - Ronin did not think to question anything.
He did laugh at the missed-attempt, and he grinned out at the glittering ocean. "Well you're a friendly one," he remarked. Perhaps the mountainside was full of creatures like this one? If so, Torchline was a lot more... adorable than he had considered.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said of the landscape. Was Ronin talking to animals now? Perhaps. But he seemed happy enough with his decisions.
It would soon become obvious that the strange man wasn't an attuned, but he also didn't seem to be a hunter either. Then again, Oliver wasn't exactly sure why he had the tasty meat on him, so maybe he was just a fisherman? It didn't really matter what he was in the end. For now, Oliver felt pretty safe with him. The man hadn't done anything to hurt him and honestly, part of him did want to shift back to thank the man for what he did, but isn't that like. Super awkward? How do attuned people deal with this kind of predicament?
The man seemed content enough to speak with him, so Oliver didn't mind as much. Turning to look towards he view, he shut his eyes for a few moments, allowing the breeze to brush against his fur, his ears pinning against his head in bliss. Reopening his eyes, the little fox would turn to look back at the man and he'd nod, hoping to show that he did understand him. Maybe he was being a tad bit weird...actually, super weird, but he couldn't exactly back out on it now.
Standing right back up, Oliver took a few steps closer to the man, hoping to get the man to speak a bit more...or maybe give him so ear scratches. It had been too long since he was properly pampered and fuck did he miss it.
Ronin was exactly the kind of person to have conversations with animals (just look at he and Sugar, though the little dragon was bonded to him, in fairness), but as the fox nodded - of all things! - he started to get the impression that he was not just talking to a vulpine. Still, whatever the reason for the probably-Attuned to stay in shift, he was not going to begrudge the small amount of company on his break.
As Oliver padded forward, Ronin dutifully reached down to scritch behind the fox's large ears, a crooked grin on his face. "Listen," he said, "I've got to get back to Haulani, but I hope whatever brought you exploring up here is worth it." He winked, rising to his feet and slinging his satchel over his shoulder.
The contact against the backs of his ears earned a happy tail wag, along with Oliver leaning into the touch. It felt great and honestly, he really thought that he absolutely deserved to be scratched like this far more. It was amazing and he was great, so why didn't more people do this?
Sadly, all good things must come to an end and his new friend pulled away his hands. Looking up at his companion, Oliver tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, a bit unhappy that their interaction had been so short lived. Luckily, he had a good feeling that this wouldn't be the last time he'd see this man, so hopefully next time he'd get more scratches. For now, he'd give the man a final nod before turning his head to look out at the view, his ears pinning against his head in a bliss.
Grinning at the little fox as he decided to enjoy the warm breeze and the sight of the sea a little more, Ronin nodded to him. "Have a good day," he said brightly, before turning to head back off down the mountainside. A good distraction to be sure, but there was always more to do. The hunter glanced over his shoulder to check on the fox once or twice, and each time he spotted him still there, blissful in his simple relaxation, it reminded Ronin that he could also find that, somewhere within himself. It wasn't easy, but it was still there.
