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!
For an ascended, going outside at odd hours was the norm, but for abandoned or attuned? It probably wasn't all that normal, yet here he was, going out for a late night stroll in the middle of the night. It was a brilliant choice, really, only the best interactions happened at night. It was mostly due to how restless Oliver has felt of recent. The manor has become quiet and barren, only a couple of people remain within its walls and he feels bad that he has to bother them or annoy them for company. It's in those last hours of the night where he hears nothing that he has to go outside, afraid of being driven mad by the utter silence that the manor has now.
Venturing outside, Oliver didn't have much on him. He had two blades on him, one secured in each boot, and a small bag of different colored stones attached to his hip with the hopes of possibly bartering with late night vendors. Who knows, maybe they'll take an interest in what he has to offer or he could provide a service. For now, though, he remained away from the vendors and simply explored the area, relishing in the sounds of the night and the feeling of a breeze lightly brushing up against him. It was freeing and he loved it.
Sam had taken to a lot of late night walks at the moment, when he was at home. It distracted him from his empty bedroom, the side of his bed that was filled with Loren in Halo, but no one here, where Nate had once been and where Remi had been forgotten; it was best to be somewhere else until morning some nights. By himself he could stare into the sky or wander out to the Outskirts, think until the sun rose and he could go to work.
Passing by the location of his old book stall he smiled fondly - it was a cake stall now, the space having been quickly snapped up as soon as he had moved away from the market. Running his fingers over the wood, he wondered what it'd be in ten, twenty years, if the market would still stand then. Unless something ended him beforehand, he would still be the same, observing the changes around him; seeing new people come and go for all eternity.
He noticed Oliver walking along - speaking of Outlanders. Sam had only ever seen Oliver in the background of events, been idly aware of him; he thought it odd the man was walking around at such a late time of night. Approaching, he gently asked: "Hello, um, are you alright?"
As his eyes traveled along the faint remnants of decorations on one of the walls, a voice seemingly appeared from nowhere. Looking around, he only really saw one person: a ginger man who seemed just around his height. Blinking, Oliver realized that the man must surely be talking to him...unless he's like that Delphia girl and can speak with spirits or something.
Oliver didn't offer the man a smile, but that didn't mean he was upset. His face was plastered with a look of confusion, as if he didn't realize how weird it was that he had chosen to go outside. "Yeah, I'm fine." The answer was short and sweet, but...had it been too short? Had he not properly answered the man's question? "I'm just going out for a walk, that's all.... why do you ask?" His guard was up almost immediately, but it would be fine most likely. Oliver could absolutely fight this man if it came down to it.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Oh, of course; Sam supposed he was being overly nosy. Outlanders were a strange lot and it wasn't like he'd never seen anyone out for a late night walk. Holding up an apologetic hand, he gave Oliver a smile. "Sorry, I just...I'm not that used to seeing too many people out at this time of night, that's all. It's usually very quiet." He knew the man before him wasn't an Ascended, so he didn't have the reason of darkness to venture out like his family.
"Don't let me bother if you, if you have somewhere to be." With a nod of his head Sam stepped aside in case Oliver wanted to walk past, motioning down the street with his hand (fingertips still slightly odd-looking from the Prince's acid).
Rather than being bold like many of the people Oliver had met, this stranger seemed to be the exact opposite. He wasn't quiet and lacking in expressive emotion, like some people, rather he had seemingly taken on a different angle. Already, Oliver was receiving an apology for seemingly no reason at all. This stranger had no reason to apologize seeing as he hadn't exactly done anything wrong. Then it proceeded to get even weirder when the stranger assumed that Oliver had somewhere else to be.
A light blush made its way onto Oliver's cheeks as he realized that maybe he had appeared to be a bit rude. He hadn't intended on intimidating the man or making him feel bad in any way, but it seemed he had managed to mess up a bit. Offering the man a small smile, Oliver remained where he was. "Honestly? I kinda just...didn't wanna be cooped up inside all alone. You know what I mean? I wanted to be within the fresh air...and I know some people are out at night, so I knew I wouldn't be completely alone." Oliver wouldn't really mind the company. This man seemed friendly enough, so why not?
"You're free to join me, if you'd like. I don't really have anywhere to be or any goals for tonight."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"I see. Yes, I understand that." Sam smiled in a way he hoped seemed friendly, thinking back to his own empty bed and rooms, the way his steps sounded somehow louder when he was alone, how the sound had become mocking. In some ways he actually felt better to know he was not the only one in the Ground with that problem, that there were other nighttime wanderers trying to deal with the quiet of their own homes.
When Oliver offered that they walked together he was taken aback, unsure how to respond for a moment. Usually at night people wanted to be with their thoughts...but he supposed if they were both lonely, perhaps some company would be a good idea; he could always turn invisible and run if Oliver turned out to be somehow malicious. "...Alright. I was walking through the market. I like to walk through here at night, when it's not noisy or crowded...it becomes almost eerie." An odd kind of beautiful.
Holding out his hand before he stepped forward, he said: "Samuel Wordsworth. Yourself..?"
It hadn't occurred to Oliver that Sam may want to be totally alone, seeing as his problem was the exact opposite. So it was to be expected that Oliver would be happy to find out that the stranger was willing to spend time with him. Friendships could come from anywhere and Oliver wouldn't turn down any company. "I understand that.... it can be loud and chaotic... it's also nice to be somewhere you feel safe, rather than the middle of the woods."
The name rang in his ears and Oliver had to hide his surprise. Was it surprise? Was it disgust? If anything showed through, he wouldn't show his negative emotions towards the other man. He knew that name. This was the natural who chose to poke a monster, the one who lost his fingers. It was a stupid move and Oliver couldn't believe that a natural would do it, but Oliver would try his best to be kind and respectful. Samuel had been nothing but kind towards him, so he would reciprocate it, even if he know viewed the man in a different light. If anything, that would mean that he'd have to do the protecting if anything went wrong. It also meant that no way was Sam going to attack him.
Reaching forward, Oliver shook the other man's hand and offered him a faint smile. "Oliver. Don't really have a last name myself, unfortunately."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"The...middle of the woods? Are you usually there in the middle of the night?" He asked, a little alarm passing through his eyes - did this Outlander not know about the Domiciles or the rooms in the manor? Sleeping in the woods certainly didn't sound pleasant at all, especially not when Deepfrost came (And he thought he remembered seeing this man last Longnight).
There seemed to be a pause after he gave his name, but Sam didn't think much of it. Shaking Oliver's hand, he tilted his head to one side slightly. "Why not? Did you not...have last names, where you came from?"
The blonde shook his head, noticing the change in expression on Sam's face. "Not usually, no... but sometimes I do end up there when I'm trying to clear my mind..." Oliver had spent too many nights laying in the darkness all alone. It felt as though escaping to the forest was a possible solution, a very risky one, but it did help at times. "I've stopped going, though... last time I did, I got into a heated discussion and it honestly kind of ruined my mood for a bit. Plus, it seems safer staying in town." The more Oliver spoke, the more he realized that he sounded like a lonely looser who had no friends. It was a decently accurate statement, seeing as his only friends were either in a different part of Caido all together or had more important things to be doing at night. It was shitty and every night Oliver was in bed sleepless, he was reminded of the fact.
Hopefully his name wouldn't be tainted by this evident loneliness that Oliver constantly experienced. So far, the weirdest thing seemed to be his lack of a last name. "Nope. I actually just can't remember it. I know I have one, but I lost almost all my memories when I arrived. A lot have come back, but my full name isn't one of them." The blonde seemed way too casual about this, like this was just a normal thing for someone to deal with. To him, it was. The number of times he had explained to someone his memory loss had only normalized his situation.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Perhaps it was nosy, but Sam found himself curious about Oliver's story, and he'd found that at night people tended to be more willing to tell their deeper secrets. "A...heated discussion? In the forest?" He asked, casually wanting more details - with another Attuned? Fae? It seemed like an odd place to meet for an argument (though he knew well they could easily jump upon you in no time at all when least expected).
Losing all memories upon arrival was certainly horrible; Sam had lost only some of his and had hated it since it had happened. With wide sympathetic eyes he reached out to pat Oliver's arm. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm....glad you retained some of your name, though." Other Outlanders became obsessed with their old memories, so much so that Sam had never really considered that the opposite could occur. "Do you think..it made it easier to start new here?"
Oops. He probably shouldn't have said that. Averting his eyes to the side, his face darkened with a hint of a blush, realizing that he had just mentioned petty drama to a man he didn't even know. "Yeah...I met someone who really likes to argue, so you know...it was kinda unpleasant." And yet, Oliver still kept doing things for the man. It was pitiful and downright embarrassing, to say the least. Looking back at Sam, he offered him a faint smile. "Don't worry about it, it's in the past." Yep. Don't ask anymore questions and everything would be completely fine.
It wasn't uncommon that Oliver would receive an apology, but it happened far less than people simply brushing it off or not caring. Most people simply didn't vocalize their opinions. By this point, Oliver wasn't hurt by it, so he was fine with sharing information. Who knows, maybe it'd be helpful for Sam in the future. "Yeah and luckily, a lot of stuff has come back to me recently, so it hasn't been too bad." His last name didn't change who he was or how he lived his life, so he could happily spend the rest of his time in Caido simply not knowing.
Raising an eyebrow, he hummed for a moment. He hadn't really thought about that question recently. Back when he first arrived, Oliver thought he was cursed and his life was ruined since he couldn't remember anything, that he was already at a major disadvantage, but overtime, he had started to take on a new perspective. "It's kinda...both? I mean, sometimes it's easier, like... I don't really miss a lot of stuff, unlike some people. By the time I remembered people, I had been here for an entire season, so while I do miss them, I'm already attached to so many people here." Not to say the new people completely replaced his family, moreso that his time adapting hadn't been a struggle. "It's also hard...since I don't know what my skills are and I kinda feel useless a lot of the time, plus, like I said, I sometimes cant remember basic stuff and some people look down on me for it." His voice softened once he had to speak about people treating him worse since he couldn't remember as much. It didn't happen often, but when it did he felt like absolute shit.
"I've learned to adapt, really. It doesn't bother me anymore and I'm living my best life. But enough about me, tell me more about yourself."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"Oh. ...I believe I know the kind of person you mean." Sam nodded, thinking over several of his acquaintances - some of them certainly did seem to love arguments.
He waited patiently to hear Oliver's answer as far as his new life went, curious to find out what he'd think. While Sam was the Naturals advisor, he thought it was still pertinent to learn about the issues Outlanders might face. Remembering people that you suddenly missed had to be hard and he nodded sympathetically, thinking of how he had learnt of Remi and the odd, pulling sensation in their chests when they saw each other.
"You forgot skills, as well? Have you recovered any of those?" Memories were one thing, but forgetting your own abilities? It sounded horribly difficult.
As for himself...Sam hummed. "I assume you know I own the book shop?" Pointing in the direction of his shop, he looked back over to Oliver. "You'd be welcome inside any time, if you wanted to read something."
The faintest flicker of a smile appeared on his face once Sam showed an understanding. "Yeah, so I try to mostly keep a positive attitude. Doing so has really helped me to establish myself here." He offered his new companion a smile, trying to show that he was trying his best to be happy and positive. Why should he purposefully go somewhere he knew he'd be miserable?
There was a soft hum and Oliver shook his head. "Well... kind of? It's like... I remember a ton of skills, like I know kind of how to bake and I've really developed my sewing and art skills, but there's something there. Like.... something I can feel in the back of my head. I know it's there but it just wont click." It was the best way to describe it. He obviously knew how to tie his shoes, get dressed, and speak, but there were some things he just forgot.
A new flame seemed to light up in his eyes and he visibly grew more excited and happy. That's right! Jigano had mentioned a bookkeeper, this must be him! Oliver had genuinely missed sitting down and reading for joy, rather than to cram and learn things. It was hard to suppress his excitement over this newfound knowledge. "I'd really like to do that! What kinds of books do you have? Do you have any narrative pieces? Or are most things informational." Oliver could remember some of the tales he were told as a child and he'd love to just be immersed in a new world, to momentarily escape from his worries and stress.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Oliver's description of something in the back of his head that just didn't quite make sense resonated with Sam and he nodded sympathetically. "Well, I hope you find it one day. I'm sure you will eventually....Caido is certainly very good at throwing a variety of challenges at us." He'd found within himself skills he'd never thought he could possess out of necessity in the last couple of years.
It was rare he saw someone get so excited over his bookshop and Sam gave a slightly confused smile as Oliver's enthusiasm immediately ramped up. "Oh, I have many different things. Fictional stories and legends, and a lot of information too. Of course, the Atheneum has far more than I do there...I have made a lot of the books there too." Or re-made, as the more appropriate word might have been, but still.
"Are you aware of Jigano's guild?" He asked, straining to think if he'd ever heard his friend mention this man. "His Loreseekers guild should be able to help you find anything you might need information wise...I might be better to ask about stories or legends."
