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!
Bastien had never seen such a fabulous array of colours occurring in nature as he did now before him, the rainbow road so wonderful he knew he'd never be able to paint it in a way that accurately captured it's beauty. Along with the water gushing up and gently falling from above...it was rather a paradise, really.
Immediately Bastien knew what he wanted to do. It had been a while since he'd just let go and had some fun, and well...he wanted to frolic. It was early evening, the orange low sun obscured by enough clouds he did not have to worry (besides, soon the moon would replace it in the sky) about company, and the air was warm; he began to strip off, leaving his clothes on a rock where he thought it might be high enough to avoid getting wet.
He wished Rexanna could be here with him, but she as the Queen had important things to do - perhaps it was good to have moments alone anyway, so he would have stories to tell her. Letting out a happy laugh he began to walk and dance around the geysers, truly letting himself run off all the stress in the world as the colours splashed around him, totally within his own mind.
He hasn’t been to the rainbow road yet, which is somewhat surprising with the amount of time he’s spent within Torchline. So he sets out to continue, seeing what the place has to offer in the spaces he hasn’t been yet. Hearing talk of colorful stones and geysers are always somewhat surprising, somewhat intriguing, and he packs himself a few things he may need just on the offchance anything happens.
And when he gets there, he certainly doesn’t expect to see the sight he does. A man, nude and strolling and frolicking along the beach. He chuckles quietly, not in much better of a position though at least he’s wearing shorts. Tattoos on full display, he surveys the man head to toe before stepping near with a raised brow. “Somebody seems to be having a good time.” He calls out to Bastien, accent thick and an amused smirk crossing his face.
'cause i learned all my lessons that way
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
A voice drew Bastien from his dancing and meditating; he turned to Sunjata with a wild smile on his face, that quickly turned to a laugh. "I am indeed!" He agreed, no shame or embarrassment in his voice or body language whatsoever, even as he stood entirely naked before a stranger.
In fact, looking over this man, his tattoos and handsome body, Bastien thought he seemed like he'd make a rather good partner for this kind of thing. "Try it with me. Come here." Holding out a hand to Sunjata, Bastien took a step forward. If the man took it, he would run with him up to a geyser about to burst, stand where the water would spray down upon them, simply for the experience of the fluid cascading down over their heads as Bastien whooped.
He’s half tempted to snort to Bastien, to tell him that he’s not much of a frolicking type, not someone that typically stopped and admired the roses so to speak. He’s also not particularly the type to go nude. But well, it’s getting late and dark and does he really care anymore? Parts of him say yes, but then Bastien’s hand is offering, and Sunjata very much forgets his usual reservations after all as his gaze flits to the man. He’s confident.
And, he’s serious.
Well… Here goes nothing, he supposes. “Alright.” He snorts, taking Bastien’s hand after discarding his own shorts and running with the man to the other geyser, listening to the rumble as it bursts and Bastien’s whoops in excitement. His head tilts up, letting the water wash over him in such a different way than he was used to, carving paths through the water rather than letting it rain upon him, letting himself relax beneath the feeling of warmth that settles.
He looks past Bastien and spots another beginning to rumble, and he smirks toward Bastien then. “Come on, there’s another.” He says in a conspiring tone, before darting toward the second geyser.
'cause i learned all my lessons that way
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Bastien could see Sunjata's hesitation (knew that look well, having held many parties for the public) but it seemed to be over quickly, Sunjata agreeing and taking his head - a grin overtook Bastien's face as the man even stripped to join him. They rushed to the geyser and the water running over them was warm and pleasant, the moment enjoyable as just two human souls taking in the experience.
"A man after my heart." He declared as they went to a second, reliving the moment again, Bastien unable to keep the smile from his face as the water went from a cascade to a few drops travelling down his cheeks. After that explosion there was no rumbling to be heard for the moment so he let go of Sunjata's hand to push his wet hair back out of his face, then turned to look at his new companion.
A handsome young man, someone he hadn't seen before. "Grant me your name, friend?"
In all honestly? It’s just the two of them, and while he doesn’t know the other man, he seems confident and free enough to not care much either. A roguish grin is sent Bastien’s way at the comment, broad shoulders rising and falling in a shrug. It was… Freeing, to be honest. To not give into those cares at all, roaming from geyser to geyser.
Soon enough they’re at the second one and he feels the water begin to slide down the lanes of his face, reaching up to brush it away from his eyebrows to keep it from pouring into his eyes. He looks to Bastien then, far more fully, noticing when he speaks that he’s Ascended as evidenced by the smiles. He knows those fangs well, bears the scars multiple times along his chest, even his thigh. “Sunjata.” He says, offering a grin to the man.
“And you are?” A dark brow raises as if it’s some sort of secret.
'cause i learned all my lessons that way
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
As Sunjata gave his name and noticed Bastien's fangs, Bastien in turn noticed the bite marks practically littered over his new companions body with an amused raise of his eyebrow. "Bastien. I see you've met a member of my family." He said with a knowing laugh and smirk, wondering who it was that had had their way with the man (all the more power to them; he was handsome - had Rexanna been there as well, he'd be suggesting something more than geyser-hopping).
The warm air making it so he didn't mind being wet, Bastien stretched then sat down on a rock that looked out over the rainbow colours, patting the space next to him for Sunjata. When another geyser erupted he had no objections to more frolicing (who would?) but for the moment it would be nice to take in the view and talk to his new friend. "What has brought you here then?"
A rough chuckle leaves Sunjata at Bastien’s observations. “I have.” He rumbles a bit offhandedly. “Technically three, though only one took the bait.” He teases with a playful smirk, before shifting to follow Bastien to the rock — filtering what he knows of this man. The artist, the husband to the queen, the woman who likely despised him as much as the rest of them.
He reaches up to rub a hand along his neck, tilting his head up toward the sky a small amount as he hears Bastien’s comment. “Thinking about moving to Torchline, just wanted to explore a bit.” He offers, looking back to Bastien with amusement. “Though my bar is in the Grounds so I’ll never truly get too far away.” Another playful jest, before his brows furrow toward the Ascended. “What brings you here? You’re… Married to Rexanna, right?” His tone is a bit apprehensive.
'cause i learned all my lessons that way
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"Three? How lucky. And...which one fell to your seductions?" Bastien asked, a smile on his face that could only be ascribed to someone eager to hear some gossip. Not that it would spread far - he tried his best to upkeep himself as a figure of trust in the community, only told the things he learnt of peoples personal lives to Rexanna in their bed at night, where whispers could contain the most deadly secrets of anyone and everyone.
A bar? He smiled at that, glad someone was taking up the reigns after the destruction of the Rathskeller, a place he had not spent much time within but had always appreciated as somewhere the people of the Hollowed Ground could go to unwind and socialise. "What is the name of your bar? I must visit." Not that he'd be able to drink any of the items on offer, but there were far more interesting parts to a pub than the drinks menu.
Sunjata's question made his smile turn to a grin, Bastien nodding and looking away from the rainbow colours and spurting water to nod at him. "Yes, indeed. I am that delightfully lucky man. In fact, I was here with her, on a search for adventure. She has returned to the Ground, though."
A snort is given to Bastien at the mention of which one fell to his seductions, when in reality it was quite the opposite. “Nate.” He shrugs to that, reaching up to rub a hand along his neck, crossing over the Ascended bites with a bit of a ghost-like touch. “He has some sort of upgrade that helps him figure out if you’re sick or not. More… Internally, stuff that you can’t see with the eye. So he checked me out and found something.” A quick glance given toward Bastien with a look that seems to say ‘so that was that’.
But the mention of the bar has Sunjata almost shifting to a bit more of a professional tone. “VlamVloed. It’s in the Domiciles.” He says with a slightly brighter grin to that – something he’s proud of at the very least. Almost as proud as it seems like Bastien is for being married to the Queen of the Grounds. Even the comment of it has Sunjata chuckling lightly. “I imagine work is never quite done.” He rumbles, having never wanted a title like that or anything of the sort – having actively strove to get away from it. There were plenty of people that were better at it than he is at the very least. Those with interest, as well.
'cause i learned all my lessons that way
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"Nate.." Bastien repeated, rolling the name around on his tongue, frowning as he tried to remember which of his family that was - there had been quite a few new additions recently...when he realised who it was, he gave a little surprised smile. "That was Samuel's love, I thought. He must have moved on. Or perhaps they have some kind of arrangement?" He was hardly one to judge for polyamarous relations.
The bar had an odd name, one he had to try to practice moving his lips around before he was confident saying it aloud. "VlamVloed...how did you choose the name? Have you ever owned a bar before this? I imagine it must be quite the learning curve, if you haven't." Even himself, who had had extensive experience in running the kinds of places he ran, had struggled at the beginning of his Sanctuary.
"She is...very busy. But that seems to be how she is happy -- I feel often like my role is reminding her to spend some time winding down." He winked, though this usually didn't take the form of sexual things; sometimes just painting together, laying and chatting, going for a walk.
As Bastien recognizes Nate’s name to no surprise, so too does the Ascended offer some information about the doctor that Sunjata listens to with a slightly avian tilt of his head. And yet… Samuel had tried to come onto him too. Had he known? Sunjata can’t say, all he can do is feel the smile and excitement fade a small amount, turning his gaze to the geyser in his uncertainty.
“I’m not sure. We haven’t talked about it.” A small shrug, because they hadn’t really. All the Korofian knew was that it had effectively ruined his marriage and Nate’s relationship. Anything else? He didn’t know.
The mention of the bar does bring a nostalgic smile to his face. Asking about the name has him reaching up to run a hand through his hair, hand resting on the back of his neck. “I worked in one for a while, never quite owned it. The name means Fire and Flood.” He explains, turning to look at Bastien. “Back home they called me the Flood, called my girl, Lusea, the Flame.” A small explanation, a nod to that.
The mention of Rexanna is met with a nod and a small quiet snort. That, at the very least was assuring. That she had taken it seriously, had taken the reins and not changed much to start a riot already was a good enough sign for him. But he wouldn’t be staying in the Grounds long anyway, so it didn’t matter much to him whether or not she was fair and just.
'cause i learned all my lessons that way
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Whatever Sunjata and Nate had been doing together, Bastien suspected there was a lot of drama under the surface...but he wouldn't dig for it, at least not right now. "Looks like his mouth was a little too busy for speaking, I suppose?"
The tidbit about the bar's name and it's origin interested Bastien greatly and he leaned in with a smile and wide eyes. "How did you earn these nicknames? How wonderful they are! Oh, I hope you have a good story for them." Often, when people told you they had a cool nickname it ended up being something they'd subscribed to themselves; it would be seen whether Sunjata had actually earned this name or if he'd just given it to himself.
A snort is granted to Bastien, replacing any of the awkwardness of the wheels turning in his head. A small half nod granted as he folds his arms along his tattooed chest, shrugging lightly in agreement and not quite denying the fact. But the mention about the bar has the Ascended leaning in, and Sunjata’s gaze returns to the man with a slight raise of his brow. A good story? Really, he has plenty. So he snorted to that too, reaching up to run a hand through his wet hair, pushing the dark hair back as he recalls where it truly started.
“I was part of a rebellion back then. And Korofi flooded a lot, but I had been trained from a pretty young age how to handle the flood waters, how to hold my breath for longer. Part of that training was also for enforcement, where I was taught how to subdue and take control of situations and interject myself into them.” Part spy, part officer, part of a boy that had never wanted to be any of those things. Mix them up and you get, well, this.
He offers Bastien a light smile to that. “But when I joined the resistance and started actually fighting for them, they paired me with my girl. She had a tendency of leaving fire behind wherever she went – a personality to match. Eyes like flint. Fire and water. She’d ignite the spark and I’d overwhelm.” A small shrug to that, brow raising as if to ask if that was the kind of story he was looking for. "It sounds better than saying Sunjata Senzaok and Lusea Kotze, doesn't it?" A quiet chuckle to that.
'cause i learned all my lessons that way
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
