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!
Watering can in hand, basket tucked in the crook of the other arm, Loren was walking slowly around the infirmary. His helpers had given him quite the extensive herb garden, so he was watering them. As he did, every once in a while he'd reach for the shears in the basket and snip or pinch a leaf, stalk, or root off of them, placing them in the basket.
When he'd finished watering and gathering, he took the basket over to a workstation in the corner. Reaching out, he grabbed a mortar and pestle. Next he flipped open a book full of notes he'd taken from the Atheneum and the Medical college. Turning to a page on a basic numbing cream, he added the various ingredients and ground them together, fully focused on his task. Even Astra, curled up at his feet, couldn't distract him for more than the time it took to give her a quick scritch every now and then.
Toll paid in potatoes again, and seeds packed carefully against the cold, Jigano made his way to the Palace for the visit he'd promised his friend. The last time they'd parted Loren had been a bit of a wreck, but the bard was hopeful that as time passed some of the raw pain of his wounds would begin to heal. Each day the summoner survived was a chance to find something new worth living for, or rediscovering an old inspiration. It was the sort of soppy optimism he would have once berated Remi for, but he had learned to see the good in that point of view again, or at least was starting to...
Ironically, perhaps, just as Remi had lost it.
Today was not for the grieving former-alchemist, however. It was for Loren, and Jigano made his way to the Citadel bundled against the chilling cold, even in Longheat. He wrapped his scarf a little more tightly around his face as he approached the Palace, slipping in with some of the staff returning from lunch and making his way towards the Infirmary. He peeked in to make sure he wouldn't be interrupting a patient first before he entered, clearing his throat to announce his arrival as he started to divest scarf, hat, and heavy coat. "Loren," he called warmly, pleased to see how well the place had come along since that first day. "Hope you don't mind me dropping in? How are you doing?" A muffled chirp came from his collar and Isuma wriggled out from his coat as he hung it from a hook, looking around excitedly for her luxere friend.
Focused entirely on grinding the leaves in the mortar and pestle into a paste, Loren totally missed Jigano's entrance. However, the healer glanced up at the bard's words, as did Astra. The Launceleyn remained seated as the luxere rose to her feet and trotted over to the white-haired man and Isuma, letting out an excited bleat.
"Don't mind at all. I'm...better. How are you?" Despite the cautious and polite tone to Loren's words, he sent a pulse of welcome and appreciation through their bond. "I am curious what brings you all the way out here, though." There was a bit of a question in his voice, and he ran a distracted hand through his hair, frowning as he realized he'd probably just gotten bits of herb stuck in it.
Astra was met with a smile from the bard and an excited reep! from Isuma, who dove to circle her friend in a gleeful greeting before landing in Astra's antlers, reaching down to pat her friend's head with small, gentle talons, mimicking a human greeting. Jigano knelt to offer chin scratches for his own greeting, smiling over at Loren as the Attuned bond warmed with welcome.
"I'm well, thanks," he returned the greeting, and he did look as though he had recovered from Flowerbirth's tragedies as well as anyone could, golden skin darkened by the Longheat sun and blue eyes bright. "And I'm glad to see you looking more well-rested than the last time I saw you. I came to visit a friend, and I brought some more seeds from the Hollowed Grounds and Greatwood for him," he offered with a smile. "Do you have any empty pots I could plant them in? I didn't want seedlings getting frost-burned between the portal and here so I thought keeping them as seeds would be safer for them."
Astra bleated happily as Isuma perched in the luxere's antlers and Jigano scratched under her chin. Surprisingly, Loren actually smiled at the sight, especially when she pressed herself against the bard. However, the healer's eyebrows rose as the white-haired man revealed this was actually just a social call. "Oh. Thank you." Again, though the Launceleyn's voice was a little stilted, pleased surprised and gratitude filtered through their mental link.
Standing up, he nodded and dusted off his hands. "I appreciate the gift." Walking towards a cupboard in the corner, he entered it and pulled out some pots. Holding them out for Jigano, Loren tilted his head to the side and flashed a quick and bashful smile. "Good idea, about the seeds. What'd you bring me?" As the men spoke, Astra trotted carefully to a corner, not wanting to dislodge the griffin. The luxere settled into a small bed there, obviously quite content.
A smile was more than he had hoped for from the grieving summoner, and Jigano smiled back, first at the luxere and then at the Grand Healer. With a final pat he rose again to join Loren at the counter, leaving Isuma to happily reep and half-fall from Astra's antlers in her excited dancing at having her friend to play with again.
Stilted though the summoner may have been, Jigano reacted instead to the feelings in the bond, and he nodded at the thanks as he started to divest his pockets of small packets. "My pleasure. I've been studying Caido's - well, the Hollowed Grounds, at least - herblore since I arrived. And I'm more than happy to support a fellow Healer, especially one who's also a friend." He grinned at Loren, taking the pots, but before he could call on his magic the other man's unexpectedly bashful smile caught him off guard. Surprise and pleasure flitted across his features at this sign of a healing heart, and he cleared his throat to buy himself a moment, glancing down at the pots with a smile as he called on his earth and healing magic together to fill them with enriched soil.
"Goldenseal, valerian, and feverfew," he listed as he showed Loren the packets and the carefully written tags with them. "And some more garlic and ginger - for medicinal use," he winked. He liked the roots for spicing his food, but they had medicinal uses as well. (Even if that use was hiding the taste of other medicine). "What do you already have on hand?" Extra herbs wouldn't hurt, at least, and as they talked he began to plant the seeds and coax them to seedlings so they'd be strong and hardy for ease of tending.
Isuma settled happily as Astra did, hopping down to cuddle against her chest with small, happy peeps amidst her rumbling purring.
Nodding thoughtfully, Loren scratched the back of his head a bit sheepishly. "I've been doing my best to read up on that as well. Recently I've focused on hardier plants that can survive the cold because, well..." Voice trailing off, he gestured at their surroundings, hoping Jigano wouldn't need the full explanation. Then the healer drummed his fingers against his thigh as he grew a little embarrassed. "Though I was hoping to set up a greenhouse at some point." His voice was almost shy as he admitted that.
"Thank you, those will be quite helpful." At the bard's question, the Launceleyn glanced around at the plants already growing in the infirmary. "We already have feverfew, but more will always help. On top of that chamomile, echinacea, aloe, marigold, and cannabis." Looking back at the white-haired man, Loren tilted his head to the side as the companions settled in for a good cuddle.
Jigano nodded wryly as he glanced out the thick windows towards the snows that remained year-round in this magically-frozen place. Hardy was the only option unless... Loren was already ahead of him, and he grinned with enthusiasm for the idea. "I actually might be able to help with that too." Leaving that aside for the moment he listed what he had brought and listened in turn to the Grand Healer's list of supplies, humming thoughtful approval as much to his friend's words as to the plants he was coaxing into a strong start in life. "That should take care of most of the minor ailments for anyone who doesn't want magical assistance," he agreed. "And far better than what they had before you arrived." His smile turned wry as he glanced at his friend, remembering the ningos and dust of the place before Loren had taken it under his goose-feathered wing and turned it around.
He paused from using his magic to grow the plants to turn around and hold out his hands, cupping the empty air. "The greenhouse, though... Usually the problem is getting enough glass to make it viable, but I've learned a new trick recently." He winked at the summoner, then concentrated as he pulled together his fire, earth, and creation magic. The air between his hands shimmered as the silent song filled his soul, and a moment later a small pane of glass rested in his hands, thick and clear. He held it up to Loren for examination. "I can make larger, but I'm not sure how stable they'd be," he admitted ruefully. "But smaller panes are easier to replace, too, if something happens to damage them." Like hailstorms, for instance.
Raising his eyebrows at Jigano's words, Loren gave the bard a curious look. "Is that so?" Before the healer could ask what, exactly, the white-haired man meant by that, the discussion swung around to herbs. Nodding, the Launceleyn rubbed the back of his neck absently. "That was the idea." Despite the soft words, it was clear he was pleased by Jigano's assessment.
As glass appeared between the other man's hands, Loren smiled faintly. "I guess that answers that." Reaching out, he held up the glass for inspection. "I've already got an order in with the Artisan's Guild. But it would be nice to have you around for the actual set up, in case we miscalculated or for when some thing goes wrong. No pressure, though." The request was made hesitantly, since the bard wasn't exactly at the healer's beck and call.
Loren had done wonders with the space, and Jigano was glad to offer praise where it was due. He also wasn't against a little showing off of his own, displaying his new magical ability with sly pride that deflated slightly at Loren's mention of the Artisan's Guild, but the bard nodded rueful agreement. "We did help Hotaru set up her glassblowing shop," he remembered. "I imagine she can make panes more easily than baubles. But I'd be happy to help when your order comes in." The smile he flashed his friend was genuine, and he was glad to be asked. That Loren was reaching out for help, even just in a professional sense, was a relief after the last time he'd seen the summoner. "I'd rather keep avoiding Zariah if I can, but as long as she's not around I'll be glad to chip in."
He glanced over to the mortar and pestle that Loren had been using at his arrival and reached up to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "I didn't mean to interrupt your work, though. Is there anything I can help with while we catch up? Is there any news from the Hollowed Grounds you'd like to hear? And... what have you been up to?" It was a tentative question, leaving Loren room to avoid a more in-depth answer if he didn't want to go into details, but the bard was curious if anything in particular had tipped the summoner out of his alcohol-enhanced downward spiral of grief and loss.
Nodding slowly, Loren went to sit awkwardly at his workstation. He picked up the pestle and fidgeted with it awkwardly before sighing. "I put in the order a while ago, otherwise I'd just have you do it." Giving Jigano an apologetic smile, the healer set the pestle down and began scraping the paste he'd made out of the mortar instead using a nearby knife.
Then he paused. "Although, if that offer to help still stands, I can always use more jars." He gestured around at the shelves of various medicines, all in full bottles and jars and other containers.
"Don't worry. Apart from classes, Zariah is steering far clear of me and the feeling is mutual." He shrugged to show this didn't bother him, though he gave the bard an understanding look.
Scratching the back of his head, he shrugged. "Other than the jars, not really. Unless you want to grind up herbs with me." Tossing more leaves and stalks and seeds into the mortar, he ground them with a practiced twist of his wrist. "I suppose just news. It seems like it's been quiet for the Ground recently, but maybe that's just the distance. As for me, I've been...cutting back on the alcohol. And the rest of it." That last part came out quietly, and a faint flush of embarrassment colored his cheeks.
Jigano chuckled as he ambled behind to join Loren at the workstation, giving a reassuring shake of his head. "That's what the Guild is there for." He picked up a bit of discarded stem, twirling it in his fingers as he enjoyed the scent of freshly-ground herbs wafting up from the area. "And honestly, it's probably for the best. My magic has been feeling a bit... strange lately. Unstable. It's smarter to rely on Hotaru's traditional work while we figure out what's going on among the Abandoned."
The bard perked up at the request for more jars, though, nodding eagerly as he glanced around for a reference, then focused his power between his hands again to create glass containers with removable stoppers for Loren's work. He set the first one down near enough for the summoner to use on his current project, then began on a second while they spoke. "Classes? Did you join her Academy?" It was a cautious question, Jigano clamping down on the inner turmoil the thought stirred in him with a firm mental hand.
Falling into a rhythm of quiet productivity, Jigano hummed a thoughtful note as he considered the news. "It has been quiet, thankfully," he agreed. "I gave a public lesson on the Flora and Fauna of the Hollowed Grounds a few weeks ago, and there were a few new faces there. Rexanna has been a refreshingly hands-off Queen so far. But..." He hesitated, slanting a glance at Loren from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge if the summoner already knew as his own voice cracked with the recent pain of a lost friend. "The Temple... has been repaired and reconsecrated. But Adam and Peter... gave their lives in the effort." He didn't know how close Loren had been to Adam, but he suspected Peter had been dear to the Launceleyn, and he spoke as gently as he could to deliver the news.
Raising his eyebrows, Loren glanced up at Jigano. "My magic has been acting up too. Strange how though?" There was something annoyed about the healer's voice, but this was hardly the first time his magic had shifted unexpectedly on him, and he was getting a bit tired of it.
As the bard asked whether the Launceleyn had joined the Arcane Academy, he bit his lip. "Yes. I thought I already told you?" Finding himself unable to meet the white-haired man's eyes, Loren reached out to take the jar. Putting the paste in it, he sealed it shut with a bit more force than was necessary. "For what it's worth, after the first class I don't think you have anything to worry about in terms of Zariah amassing followers." There was equal parts amusement and exasperation in his voice.
As Jigano recounted all that had happened, the healer sighed at the end of it. Lifting his hands, he scrubbed at suddenly teary eyes. "I heard." Looking up, he finally met the bard's gaze. "I miss them too." Reaching out, he gave the white-haired man's hand a gentle squeeze. "How are you and everyone else holding up?" The question was tentative, as if the Launceleyn didn't know how Jigano might react.
He grimaced at the question, but his frustration was mostly turned inwards as the way he had thought things worked had been upended recently. "I found the strings of creation magic beside my earth and healing, but when I tried to use it... well. The first few times it worked as I'd seen Remi and Deimos do, but ever since..." he shrugged a little helplessly. "It's become far more limited. I'd often seen Deimos make metal swords and armor with his magic, but when I tried I found myself unable to duplicate it. And Remi's magical items... I managed one, the first item I created, but since then it's been impossible to imbue anything I make with any sort of magical property." He shook his head, pushing back the annoyance even though it felt good to let some of it out with someone who would understand. "What about you? What have you noticed?"
Loren's revelation that he had joined Zariah's students was a surprise to the bard, and he gave a slight shake of his head at it. No, he hadn't been told, not that he remembered at least. He had thought Loren of all people would have stood up against his cousin's power plays, and he buried his disappointment deep. "Oh? Did she manage to insult everyone in the first few minutes?" he asked dryly instead, reaching for the humor that Loren tried to use to lighten the conversation.
Adam and Peter were a far more serious topic, and Jigano was relieved that he wasn't the first to break the news of Peter's death to the summoner. He wasn't expecting the display of support, but after a moment's hesitation he squeezed Loren's hand back, finding a ghost of a smile that held mostly quiet pain, even though there was gratitude in the bond for the summoner's care. "It is... strange. Peter had been away from the Grounds for awhile, so his... loss... doesn't feel quite real. But Adam..." He drew in a breath that he was ashamed to realize shook as he ducked his head. "Ah. It is... quieter, without him. And not in a good way. I'm sure he had many other friends, but it's... it's been hard. Hard for Amalia, too." He grew still for a long moment, then blinked away the threat of tears to meet Loren's gaze again. "Adam was the one who sat vigil with me, when my friend Caiside died over LongNight. He didn't have to... he barely knew me. But he saw what a wreck I was and he made sure I wasn't left alone in the dark. He became a good friend, even if we were a bit of an odd couple. I... I miss him," he ended simply.
