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!
And time it waits for no one It heals them when you die
Daylight was fading quick. A storm had been looming on the horizon for the better part of the day, and it finally broke over the Citadel by the time the sun lowered itself to the horizon. With howling winds and the kind of swirling, ice-filled snow that would leave cheeks raw and bloody if exposed for too long, it drove the last stubborn citizens of Halo indoors. To huddle by fires and bemoan the coming of yet another Deepfrost. Was it already Leafchange? How time flew.
One person did not retreat to her room, however. Despite the fireplace, the Academy students quarters were rather drafty and cold, and Maea was tired of sitting there, staring at the wall. Her own thoughts had always been the enemy, and never more so than these days. So when she could find no more work to do, when the meditation failed her and sleep wouldn't come, she made her way to the Palace proper. It had been longer than usual since she came here; an extended leave from the school to visit Sunjata had kept her from her usual appointments with the Grand Healer, and though it had been a few days since she came back, she had not sought him out. Had avoided their morning trainings... avoided anyone, really, except when it could not be prevented.
But now... she did look for Loren in the empty, echoing halls. Lanterns burned low on the walls, casting blue shadows over the passages. The eerie glow of her companion threw them wild and dancing wherever Shii passed, and the sight made the girl clench her teeth, pain lancing through her chest... a cough tore through her lungs, for the first time in what felt like ages. Her face felt hot, her eyes tight and burning; seemed she had finally caught that sick they'd tried to prevent for so long.
She looked for him at the infirmary first. But if he wasn't there, she'd move on, check his rooms... hoping he wouldn't be asleep.
And soon you are forgotten A whisper within a sigh
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Loren was working late, as he’d grown wont to do of late. Brow furrowed with concentration, his finger tracked the text of the journal before him. It described a standard cure for a seasonal flu that was common to Halo. A single candle on the workstation flickered in a draft that he hadn’t been able to find the source of.
The rest of the light was provided by the soft glow of Astra’s horns, who dozed at his feet. Occasionally she bleated softly as she dreamed and he’d glance down at her affectionately. A mess of leaves, stalks, and roots we on the table next to a mortar and pestle. With his telekinesis, he would toss in a handful before grinding them in a paste.
He was rubbing his eyes when a cough sounded outside the infirmary. Looking up, he frowned when he saw Maea was there. ”Maea? Is everything all right?” Peering past her, he saw the hallway was dark, the Palace having put out its lights for the night already. ”What time is it?” Standing up, he picked up the candle, which rested on a stand and waved for her to sit on one of the beds that were all currently empty.
Finally, the weird light hanging in the air next to her registered. Pointing at it, he shot her a curious look. "What's that?"
And time it waits for no one It heals them when you die
"Depends... how do you define 'alright'?" She sounded hoarse, and tired. Looked it too; there were dark circles under her eyes and she more shuffled than walked into the room. Closing the door behind her, she leaned her back against it and sighed, eyes closed. "Late... the sun just set. Don't know the hour." Well past dinner, at least, and by the look of it, neither of them had taken the time to eat.
The orb of light hovered in the air above Maea's head, its color slowly shifting from hues of blue into brilliant whites, and back again. Slow, almost hypnotic changes; it flickered like some errant fire gone astray, and upon being noticed, it came drifting towards Loren on some unfelt breeze.
"Will-o-wisp," Maea told him, in the same, dull tone. Pushing herself from the door, she picked her way over to the bed, but rather than sittting she slumped onto it, feet still on the ground and a hand draped over her eyes. "My new companion. Shii, say hi to Loren." She waved a hand in their general direction; Shii swirled a few laps around Loren's head and then came to a halt in front of him. Waiting expectantly, like a dog that just did a trick and wanted treats.
And soon you are forgotten A whisper within a sigh
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Loren raised his eyebrows at Maea's response. "Physically and emotionally well. Good even." The words came out softly while his eyes studied her features for some sign of distress.
Nodding at her comment about the time, he headed into a corner where a kettle waited. "Well, take a seat and I'll make us some tea." Waving a hand over it, he filled it with hot water. Reaching up to a shelf, he plucked a packet of chamomile tea from it and dropped it into the kettle to steep.
Placing the kettle on a tray, he added to cups, then brought it over to her, balancing it on one hand. Astra had already joined the Loreseeker, the luxere peering up curiously at at the ball of light. The healer smiled at it and reached out his palm. "Nice to meet you Shii."
Then he turned to face the pale woman. "What's wrong?" It came out a little bluntly, and he poured them both a cup of the tea.
And time it waits for no one It heals them when you die
Fragrant aromas filled the air. Sharp tangs of herb and spice, of chemical reagents, of boiled linens and a faint underlying tang of old blood, and the soap to scrub it off. It seemed all the infirmaries in the world smelled the same, and somehow that notion was a little comforting. Not everything was twisting out of her grip, disappearing like so much smoke.
"I see. Well. Then no. I guess nothing is alright at the moment."
Shii drifted down onto the hand, and settled on it for a moment. Though it looked like flame, like light, it was weightless, heatless, neither hot nor cold. Barely there at all. It did not find anything interesting in the man's palm, and its glow darkened into a sullen blue as it took off, muttering grumbled protests into Maea's mind - utterly soundless, of course.
Maea ignored it. Stretched out on the bed, she kept hiding away her eyes. Didn't answer for a long time, and could as well have fallen asleep in an instant. But her breathing betrayed her; it grew shaky and uneven, softly shuddering. Then... "I think I'm losing him, Loren," she said, voice thick; and half hidden under her arm, a tear stole away from the corner of her eye.
It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out who the 'he' was.
And soon you are forgotten A whisper within a sigh
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Remaining silent for a moment, Loren studied Maea's features. Then he gave her a tentative smile. "At least things are all right with us. And with our companions." He nodded gently at Astra, who gave him an adoring look, then Shii, who...pulsed different colors at the healer. Only then did he return his gaze to the Loreseeker. "What, um, is Shii?" His voice was quite awkwardly stilted.
As she lay in bed, he just cooled his tea off a bit with magic, then sipped it. When she finally spoke, he sighed. "Okay. Why don't you sit up, drink your tea, and tell me what happened." He settled in to sit on the chair next to the bed while his luxere hopped up on the cot itself to curl up against the pale woman's side. Reaching out, he plucked a cloth from the small night-table and held it out for her to wipe her eyes.
And time it waits for no one It heals them when you die
Was that supposed to be a comfort? It should make her beyond happy to hear that Loren felt even a bit 'alright' as it was defined for the night, but Maea didn't have space for much more than pain in her heart at the moment. "Glad to hear it," came her reply, but it was unconvincing. Just words, no sentiment...
"Like I said. A will-o-wisp. From the Greatwoods. They like leading people astray." That was... about as much as she knew of them. And she had to admit, things had gotten decidedly worse since Shii joined her. Not that it had caused her troubles with Sunjata, but it certainly didn't help either.
But Astra came bounding up into the bed, and Loren told her to sit up, and he sounded so much like an adult that she just obeyed. Heaved herself up, put an arm around Astra for comfort - which made Shii dart right in with righteous indignation at being overlooked - and accepted the cloth to dry her eyes. Swatted away the wisp when it tried to help wipe her face, and when it tried to pester Astra by blinding her with its flickering light. Eventually Shii settled onto her shoulder, as far away from the luxere as possible, and remained there as Maea shrugged.
"We were in Torchline, looking for a house," she began. "Found one too... a beautiful place, quite abandoned, and without too much work needed. We lingered for a while, talked, and everything was wonderful.
"But then... the topic slipped into an area where we don't quite agree, and... it turned into an argument. A rather big one... and when we'd just managed to agree on a middle ground, we set ourselves off again. And this time..." her jaw clenched, muscles feathering in a way that was so very familiar, yet not on her face.
"He said... that he's not over Lusea yet. That he only sees her when thinking of the future... that needs time to figure himself out. And... and that's fine, it just hurts to hear, you know? But then, he kept talking about not seeing each other for a while, and yet he still wanted to meet up for training and doing things together, and... and...
Somehow it went from us being together yet apart, to me having to make a choice between an open relationship with him, or not being with him at all, and I... I snapped. And then... he snapped too."
It was a flood of words, a stream of raw emotions laced with pain that tumbled from her. Quickly, as if she had to get them all out before she changed her mind. Before he could ask any questions and make it even more confused.
"We said... awful things to each other. I riled him up, even though he hates losing his temper, and he said... a lot of things. Hurtful things. And... then he left. And when we exchanged letters these past days, it's... I don't know if he'll forgive me. Or if we can patch this up, or..."
Biting her jaw together didn't help any more, and the tears - so close at hand these days - started running again. It was painful to cry, her eyelids red and swollen already, infected from the weeping and the illness; but she couldn't stop. It was just too overwhelming, all of it.
And soon you are forgotten A whisper within a sigh
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Sighing as Maea missed the point of his comment, Loren just took a sip of tea. Glancing between her and Shii, he let out a huff of laughter. "Sorry. I must be more tired than I thought." He shook his head, a bit bemused at having forgotten or missed that detail.
However, all traces of amusement fled as she unloaded everything that had happened. Astra, of course was happy to be hugged by the Loreseeker, though the luxere let out an annoyed bleat at the will o' wisp's antics. Loren just narrowed his eyes at it, though he made sure to return his gaze to the pale woman as she continued to speak.
When she finished, he gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry. That's a lot." Taking a sip of tea, he tilted his head to one side. "Was this your first big fight?" It came out quietly, and he reached out a hand to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
And time it waits for no one It heals them when you die
His smile went by unnoticed, her closed in a poor attempt to keep the tears from falling. When it failed to work, she pressed the cloth to her face, hiding herself away. His hand on her shoulder was warm and kind, but... it hardly made her react at all.
"Yes," she replied, sniffling. Tried to steady her breathing, compose herself, but damn, it was so difficult. "We've had disagreements before, more than once, but... nothing like this. Never anything like this. The language we used, the hateful things we said... we tried to hurt the other. At least... At the moment, I just wanted to make him react, admit I was right, see things from my side. But it... didn't work."
She rubbed her jaw, remembered the hard grip he'd taken on it. His fingers had been cold and unkind... just like her own hands had been when she pushed him around, to emphasise her points. No bruises had been left from it, but the emotions lingered. Like a stain smudging something that had been untainted before.
And soon you are forgotten A whisper within a sigh
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
Leaving his hand on her shoulder, Loren made sure keep his own features schooled into a mask of gentle concern (which was easy enough, given he was gently concern). Astra let out a comforting bleat, and snuggled closer to Maea. When she finished speaking again, he nodded slowly.
"Okay." Taking a sip from his tea, he gave lowered his cup and nodded towards hers, encouraging her to drink as well. "How do you feel about all this now?" Voice low and soothing, he gave her what he hoped was an understanding look. "And what did the letters you wrote say?" Again, there was no judgment in his voice or his demeanor, just a soft worry.
And time it waits for no one It heals them when you die
Following his gesture to the tea, Maea looked at it. Shook her head, unwilling. She didn't want tea. Knew the herb he'd used was supposed to make her calm and tired, and she didn't need any help with the latter part.
"Like I've screwed up everything. Likely, I've ruined all our chances, by not being able to keep my mouth shut and deal with my own problems on my own. The letters... I apologized for some of the things I did. Not all of it, because I still mean a lot of what I said, just.. wish I could have phrased it differently. And I asked for him to be patient, that I had to think on.. his options." She shrugged, her shoulders somehow locking up beneath her ears as the words softened. Reluctance showing through; she didn't want to choose any of them. Wanted things to go back to how they had been that morning, when everything had been fine. Or at least... seemed fine.
"His letter though..." Her jaws clenched again. Reaching into her pocket, she drew out a piece of parchment and handed it to Loren. Filled with neat, almost bookish letters, its message short and concise. "Read it for yourself."
Sunjata had said to burn it, but Maea couldn't bring herself to do it. It was one small reminder that there still was something connecting them. One small, threadbare scrap of ribbon... gods, had it ever been more? She hugged Astra tighter, eyes dimming; she looked away sharply. Hated how these emotions always overwhelmed her.
And soon you are forgotten A whisper within a sigh
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea refused to drink the tea Loren had poured, he sighed. Then he pointed at himself. "Grand healer." He pointed at her. "Lowly patient." The finger moved to the cup of tea. "Medicine in my infirmary." Despite the words, his voice was gentle.
When she began speaking again, though, he fell silent, expression inscrutable. "Have you been thinking about his options?" It came out quietly, and he studied her features.
Taking the letter, he seat his cup down so he could read it thoroughly. As his eyes danced across the page swiftly, his eyebrows rose. Lowering it, he took a deep breath. Handing it back to her, he tilted his head to one side. "What do you need from me?" As she hugged Astra close, the luxere snuggled into her, and he reached out his hand to lay it on the Loreseeker's shoulder again.
And time it waits for no one It heals them when you die
Maea was a stubborn girl. Not in a very good mood either. She could keep protesting the tea, keep refusing it. But... Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at Loren, nostrils flaring slightly. He was stronger than her. And... she wouldn't put it past him to pin her down and pour the damn tea down her throat, if she kept refusing.
Gritting her teeth, she reached for the cup with her telekinesis. Brought it to her on a phantom wind, and took it in her hands. It was quite warm against her fingers, and the aroma rising with the steam fragrant. Full of images of Longheat and sunshine... all things she wanted to forget about. Very reluctantly, Maea raised it to her lips and took a sip. Scalded her tongue, and winced.
"I can't stop thinking about them," she muttered, withdrawing if possibly even more into herself. "But no matter how I twist and turn it, it's... it's the same thing. I don't want anyone else. So either way, I'll end up jealous of who else he might be seeing... and the only difference will be if I'm one of the crowd or not. If he finds time in his busy schedule to spare me a thought or not." Maea tried to be bitter about it, but all that came out was pain, and sadness.
Taking the letter back, she stared at it. Began to crumple it up... but changed her mind, and set the teacup aside again to smooth it back out, gentle and thorough. Obviously with no intention of burning it, if the tenderness in her eyes was any indication. It was a link, however fragile. Sunjata had held this letter. Touched the paper, penned the message. His initials were on it, along with her name. A simple phrase expressing a wish for her to get better... the only kind words in all of it.
"I don't know... Not to beat him up? Since others are already doing that. Other than that..." Maea shrugged helplessly. Coughed, again, and wiped at her eyes, swollen and weeping, even without the tears. "A friend, maybe... I don't expect you to be able to fix this. I don't know if it can be fixed."
And soon you are forgotten A whisper within a sigh
♦ Violence, magic, thievery is permitted with Maea at all times. DM me if you have any ideas ♦
As Maea obviously reluctantly drank some of the tea, Loren nodded approvingly. Taking a sip of his own, he set it on the table, then slid his fingers together and leaned forward. His eyes were sympathetic as he listened to her speak once again.
"Even if you don't want anyone else, you don't have to be with him." It came out hesitantly, and he bit his lip. Studying her features, he reached out to lay his hand gentle on top of her own. "You don't need him, no matter how much you might want him." That came out with more certainty, and Astra bleated as if agreeing with his statement.
Waiting for the Loreseeker to finish with the letter, the healer leaned back, letting go of her hand. "I can be a friend." He picked up his tea, but hesitated with it awkwardly halfway to his lips. "And if it can't be fixed?" Only then did he drink again, unable to meet her gaze.
