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 blonde nods and he offers his companion a faint smile. "Yeah, right now I just kind of do whatever. Almost everyone seems to know exactly what they're doing and there aren't exactly many roles that need anyone." Seeing as they had a bookkeeper, a medic, and so on and so on. The Hollowed Grounds seemed to have everything it needed, leaving Oliver as the awkward kid still trying to find his place.
Maybe he was a bit too excited. Oliver could see the look on Sam's face and he visibly tried to calm himself down, dropping the smile. He shouldn't ruin the chance of a friendship so early seeing as his happiness seemed to do that frequently. Once Sam seemed done with explaining everything, he attempted to remain as calm as possible when speaking again. "I am aware of the guild, yes, but it just didn't seem to be a proper place for me... but I would like to learn about the other stuff. The lore and legends." Jigano had been nice at times, but also a bit narcissistic. Learning information was important, yeah, but there was more to life than just that. You can visit a place with tons of knowledge, but if you lack an understanding of the culture, nothing good will happen.
"I really want to learn more about the things that other Outlanders tend to forget about. If you'd be willing to tell me, I absolutely want to learn more."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"Oh, I can promise you we don't all know what we're doing..." Sam chuckled quietly, shaking his head. At least, he certainly had no idea what he was doing. "I'm sure the farmers will need help with the harvest season. They're always asking for more hands, if you wanted to offer yourself up for a while." He'd never done it himself (he was not the kind for manual labour) but he'd heard it paid well in food and board and was satisfying, if hard, work.
Oliver's decision that the guild wasn't the place for him was fine, but his reasoning seemed a little odd. "I've been working on a book of legends for the Guild. That research is fine to conduct within it's membership as well. After all, that is lore." Maybe if they met up again in the Atheneum, he could show Oliver his large, illustrated tome of legends (still half finished, but not for lack of work).
"Tend to forget about...what kind of things do you mean?" He asked, tilting his head.
Despite what Sam said, Oliver had his major doubts. Though, the idea of working on a farm for a couple of days didn't sound too bad. "I wouldn't mind that. I'd get some food possibly as payment, build up my nonexistent muscles, and maybe even get sunburnt." He offered the man a grin, clearly joking at the last part. It wasn't hard to tell that the boy was pale as a sheet, meaning he most likely would burn to a crisp if not careful with the farmwork.
His eyes perked up at the mention of what Sam was working on and he tilted his head to the side. "I don't think I'd really be able to offer much to the guild as a member... but I would like to visit, if that would be okay? See this book of legends you've been working on? I'll even support you guys through whatever means you need." It was a small offer, but would hopefully be accepted by Samuel. It wasn't official membership, but it was a promise of something at least.
Shifting his eyes away, the blonde shrugged, beginning to realize how idiotic he was sounding. "I guess just... about all of the lore. I feel like some outlanders only care about the festivals and stuff, but I want to hear the stories and legends. It's not really forgotten, I guess I just haven't been told about it yet." His face was slightly red now. Great job Oliver, making a fool in front of the dude you were supposed to be annoyed by.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Sam nodded, for a moment wondering if Oliver's last comment was some kind of jab at his Ascended skin, but deciding it likely wasn't meant that way. "You'd probably meet lots of interesting people too. The Outskirts have a lot of little houses and cottages with people living there that don't come to town too often." They were mostly weird and difficult to talk to, but that didn't stop them from being interesting.
"Of course you can come see the book...the Atheneum is open for anyone, after all. I'm not sure what support you could offer the guild - you'd need to speak to Jigano for that." Oliver might find that the support was more exciting than he wanted it to be - the first thing Sam had ever done with Jigano had been pretty thrilling, to say the least.
Oliver's explanation didn't strike Sam as stupid at all; in fact he was happy to find an Outlander that wanted to know more. "Oh! Absolutely. Um..here, let's sit." Patting a nearby short wall he sat down himself. "What would you like to know? My knowledge isn't limitless, but I have a reasonable amount of experience."
04-02-2020, 08:00 PM (This post was last modified: 04-02-2020, 08:00 PM by Oliver.)
OLIVER
Fortunately for Sam, the jab was more at himself than at the Ascended. If only Sam knew how badly that blonde could burn and his inability to look like anything other than a ghost. "I never really thought of that, but I guess you're right! Should I just approach them and offer my assistance? Or is there a certain way I should deal with offering my services to their farm?" After all, Sam was elected as the Natural leader or something. Adviser? Whatever it was, that meant that he should be able to give Oliver advice on this sort of thing.
A light in Oliver's eyes seemed to shine through when Sam confirmed that he could come and see the book without even being a member of the guild. Fantastic! "I'll come and see it sometime then! What sorts of stuff are you currently writing in it?" It was almost as though any of Oliver's preconceived notions of Sam had been washed away. He was far more occupied now with learning more, hearing what the red-head had to say. It was an interesting relationship being formed, to say the least.
His eyes widened when Sam actually understood what he was saying. His original request wasn't actually bad, it might've just been poorly worded. Hesitating for one moment, Oliver followed Sam over to the wall and took a seat down next to him. The question was a hard one, absolutely, but there was one thing he had in mind. "I've only heard of one story that someone heard growing up... and I want to hear more. I want to know the fables and stories that are taught around Caido, especially the Hollowed Grounds... do you have any to share?"
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Truthfully Sam had never worked on a farm in his life (his little noodle arms didn't really call to the hardened labourers of Caido), but he confidently gave Oliver an answer anyway, unaware of any official channels: "I believe if you just approach someone harvesting when they're not too busy and ask for a job, they'll give you one if they have it." He'd never heard of a farmer turning away a helping hand.
"At the moment, I'm working on a collection of various creation myths I've heard for various things around Caido. Like the mountains in Halo, or the Glade here...everyone has their own little story about who made it, why, when.." He smiled, having thoroughly enjoyed the project and the chance to talk to so many of his townspeople. "This is the fifth volume though. I've done a lot more before."
Oliver's question was still very broad and Sam struggled to narrow down the hundreds of stories he'd read over the years to one to share, was silent for a moment as he tried to think, tapping his bearded chin with a finger. "Erm...Well...When I was a child, very young, when my mother still read to me..." That hadn't lasted long and had usually been some kind of ploy to guilt him into something the next day, but that wasn't somethin Oliver needed to know. "...She once read me a story about Ludo playing with some blackbirds..but they were once brightly coloured, until Ludo won the game...then it coloured them black, so they would remember the lesson."
Sam shrugged. "No idea if it's true - after all, a lot of these will be stories made up to entertain people or teach children lessons, then taken down through oral tradition."
The two of them both seemed to have noodle arms, but unlike Samuel it seemed, Oliver was filled with way too much confidence and really wanted to prove himself as useful. So farm work it was! "Well, I'll certainly try! No harm in that, right?" Who knows, maybe he'd make some farmer friends and get a good hookup on some good food! Or he'd learn about some of the traditions! The possibilities were endless and Oliver would just try his best to be hopelessly positive to ignore the oncoming threat of LongNight.
Samuel spoke about the book and Oliver nodded along, showing that this really was fascinating. "Yes! I really love those kinds of things! It's so cool to hear how different people tell different stories about the same thing." It was fantastic to find someone else with a shared passion for such a weird niche. Oliver wasn't entirely a fan of researching rocks, so it turned out, unless it led to some artistic creations. What he had fallen in love with were the stories and tales. The fables and rhymes taught to children from such a young age. It was a passion, mostly because he had so few memories of his own to grasp onto. His parents remained unseen, only knowing of their existence vaguely. It wasn't fun, but why dwell on that? Why not learn? And learn was what he planned to do.
As Samuel told the story, Oliver listened intently, clearly happy and maybe even excited to hear what the story was. It was rather short, but it was still a lovely tale and gave a small window into the perspective of a Natural. While that perspective was something he'd never truly experience, it was still something he knew that he should acknowledge. "Most children tales tend to do that, don't they? They either teach us about the world we live in or they help us to learn an important lesson. It's... amusing." Oliver laughed and thought back to one of the few stories he could remember. It was a fond memory and something he was happy to be able to recall. "Do you know what game Ludo played? In the story?"
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"Mhm. I'll ask the farmers how you're getting along next time we meet." A lot of The Hollowed Grounds naturals were labourers from the fields and Sam had made an effort to get to know them better, scheduling semi-regular meetings to assess their needs and thoughts. While he got the impression some of them laughed at his wimpy ways after they left, he still kept trying.
Sam had always been a keeper and teller of stories and he'd found that if most people were given the chance, they were interested in it too; it was a large part of what made humans human. The desire to share narratives, to create one in their own lives. "There's plenty of work like that for the Atheneum. I regularly read and gather interviews and statements from the townspeople about their beliefs and family stories. I'm sure some of them are tired of me asking by now." He had certainly bugged the elders with good stories more times than was necessary.
"Amusing? How so? ...A lot of the stories I was told as a child were designed to be scary and that was all, really." His father had always been good at a monster story and any time Sam had been tempted to do something unapproved of, there had been a beast lurking in the shadows nearby. "I don't remember. Something with dice, maybe? It was a very long time ago."
It's intriguing to hear how dedicated Sam was to taking down notes. Maybe that's why he was a Loreseeker. It also showed what was required to really join the guild. While Oliver loved to hear narratives and gain knowledge, he wasn't nearly as passionate about it. The act wasn't a major driving force for him and it also wasn't something that he wanted to do for the rest of his time there. As well, his interests were in strangely specific sectors. So much so that he probably wouldn't be the most useful to the guild.
"I'm sure they're fine with it. I'm glad that you're recording these things down, it really is helpful and great for the Hollowed Ground. I know I'll be interested in reading whatever research you've done so far." He offers the man a soft smile being letting out a sigh, his eyes wandering off to the distance a bit. "I'd offer something of mine, but my memory isn't the greatest...plus I'm not exactly a natural so it wouldn't help at all with research."
Shaking his head, Oliver bit down on his lip. "Amusing isn't the right word...I'm not sure what word I would use. I guess it just- makes me feel more connected? Like, I don't feel nearly as distant from other people or the world I live in? I don't know..." His voice trails off and he turns to look off to the side, the blush once again highlighting his cheeks. It seems that he has a special talent in saying the wrong thing and ruining the mood of a conversation.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
"Oh, um, well I'm glad you think so." Sam smiled, though he was sure that not all of the people in Sanctuary actually felt that way; he'd heard at least one mumble about creepy Ascended after he'd left a house. Some people were just naturally suspicious of his motives, why someone like him would want to know old stories of the Gods and the Accepted - Academic interest was not always a good excuse.
Oliver's words didn't offend Sam at all. "That is what stories do - connect us. If..if you'd like to read more, feel free to come to the Atheneum and ask for me." Looking up at the sky he wrung his hands together, seeing the purple-orange hues of a rising sun. "I should probably get going now...but please, feel free to pursue your interests and ask for the books at the guild."
Over the course of their conversation, quite a few of Oliver's previous judgments had faded away. Yes, he still viewed Sam as impulsive for the actions he heard about, but no longer did he think of him as of lesser intelligence. Despite his ascended status, Oliver thought he was fitting for the role of Natural adviser within the guild. The role absolutely deserved to go to someone dedicated to the history of the naturals and sharing that knowledge with the outlanders and it seems that Samuel had been doing just that. Maybe Sam wasn't as bad as he originally thought.
When Sam glances up, Oliver looks up too. "Don't worry, I'll absolutely pay you a visit. Maybe I could even come by your book shop some time." He offered Sam a soft smile. While Sam would most likely make his leave, Oliver would remain in that spot, watching the sunrise and just allowing himself to calm down. Enjoy the moment that he had found himself in. Maybe the guild wasn't for him, but he now knew that the doors were still open. He could still continue to learn and try and understand the ways of the Naturals.
FIN!
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
