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!
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
He’d received Maea’s letter, read over it a few times with a glass of rum at the Hanged Man before making his way back toward the beach and the lighthouse – a house nearby that she’d told him to still turn around, for him and not her. Fine, he could do that. It had been his dream, anyway, provided he even had those anymore. He’s in a shit mood once again, body a wreck with the basics of healing, and he’s not sure if he could entirely form a letter right now with the mood he’s in.
So he commits what it says to memory for when he tries to write one later, settling along the dune grasses of the beach as a storm rolls in, listening to the thunder in the distance and breathing in deeply as he cradles his hand in his lap, leaning back on his free elbow to try and get comfortable. Everything hurts, however, but at least Haai is there to try and be some sort of comfort. She curls around behind him to give him something to lean against that’s soft, and he takes it.
Taking Maea’s letter in his free hand, the one that doesn’t hurt with every single movement he does, and gives it to the griffin along the sand. She gets the hint, maw parting and smoke leaving her mouth as she ignites a flame to burn the letter to ash, letting it meld in the sand and shells around them. And he sighs heavily, watching the choppy waters as they raise ever nearer, grabbing a cigarette from his pocket and using the lighter that Libbs had made him to light it before settling in for something, not knowing what yet.
you win a lot, and you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
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.
Amun had been pleased to discover the lighthouse. Although he didn't need to see light to see in the dark, and although it housed a shrine to the old gods at the top, it was a good vantage point to see quite a bit of Torchline. He'd climbed the long stairs to the top he'd given the shrine a wide berth as he gazed out at the ocean, a pleased smile on his lips.
As a storm threatened, he climbed down the stairs again, planning to seek a less exposed spot to shelter it out. However, when he emerged from the door at the base, he frowned when he saw the familiar figure of Sunjata there. The fire in his hands caused the potter's eyes to narrow.
Staying right where he was, he called out to the bartender. "I know you're a tall drink of water, but I think that actually means you should avoid getting more wet." Then the Ascended smirked. "Not that I'd mind seeing your clothes cling to your skin, even if you have no interest in me." Voice amused, his eyes narrowed as he took in the other man's battered state.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
Amun is literally the last person he expects to see here. He’s not sure whether it’s a good thing or not, considering what’s all happened since the last time they’d met – who Amun had been in contact with the most. Somehow it feels like another start of those lines of pitchforks just waiting and ready to strike out at him while he’s weak.
His gaze flits over toward the Ascended, shrugging lightly. “I think you’ll find since the last time we’ve met I might have expanded certain horizons.” He rumbles, but there’s no tease to it. Instead, he just waves his healed hand as if he doesn’t care how wet he gets. A man of water, born for it, taught to survive in it. “Besides, it’s just water. How bad could it be?” This is said with a hint of a fanged smirk crossing his face as he regards Amun once more, but he makes no position to move from where he sits in the sands. Instead, he drags from the cigarette.
you win a lot, and you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
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.
Eying the cigarette in Sunjata's mouth warily, Amun took a few steps forward at sat a decent distance from the bartender. "Oh yeah? And what horizons are those?" The potter smirked, though his eyes were sharp as he turned to gaze at the other man.
However, the Ascended raised his eyebrows at Sunjata's unconcerned response to the oncoming storm. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe it'll be more than just water." The potter gestured at the distant horizon. "Maybe you'll get swept out to sea. Maybe you'll catch a cold."
Shrugging, he leaned back on his elbows. "I don't care if you wanna torture yourself, man, I know some people are into that." Then he grinned. "But I imagine some people might also be upset if something bad happened to you."
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
Amun sits a decent distance away, and Sunjata finds his gaze returning back to the choppy waters once more. “Let’s just say I’m not picky anymore.” It comes out a little deadpan, a little uncaring. He hasn’t done anything since he’d been with Maea. Granted, it hadn’t been long, but already he misses the edge it had taken off.
So he lets the conversation shift toward the incoming storm, dragging from the cigarette a bit more before Amun’s words wash over him and he puts it out in the sand beside him, sitting up a bit more fully, his free hand coming to wrap around his side where the wounds from Deimos were. “I’m attuned. I have a water shift. I’d be fine.” He half rumbles, raising a brow to the potter without any amusement.
But then he laughs when Amun mentions that some people might be upset, and he shrugs his shoulders a small amount, a fanged smile of amusement crossing his face. Oh, he remembers. “She’s in Halo, and we’re not exactly together anymore.” So there’s that, out in the open, the makeshift apology letter already ashes in the ripping wind. “So do whatever big brother shit you want to do. Everyone else has already picked a fight with me. Why not add you to that list too?”
you win a lot, and you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
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.
Grinning at Sunjata's revelation, Amun shrugged. "Good for you?" He chuckled, the sound dark and low. "Am I supposed to give you a reward or something?" He raised his eyebrows challengingly at the bartender.
However, as the Attuned mentioned he had a water shift, the potter snorted. "Suit yourself." He himself wasn't at all bothered by the inclement weather.
When the other man mentioned he and Maea had broken up, the Ascended's eyes narrowed. Turning to face Sunjata more fully, Amun frowned. "Looks like someone beat me to the punch, pun intended." Crossing his arms, he glared slightly at the bartender. "Luckily for you, I'm a lover, not a fighter, so I avoid violence when I can. Why don't you tell me what happened before I decide if big brother intervening is necessary." Despite the slightly threatening words, the potter's tone was almost shockingly reasonable.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
“No need for rewards.” Sunjata shrugs, before he’s putting out his cigarette and shifting in the sand to better view Amun. He lets the Attuned comment drift away, focusing instead on the rest when the Ascended turns to face him more fully as well. Haai’s head lifts a small amount before she settles it on her paws, emerald gaze focusing on Amun with canine intensity.
Still, Sunjata keeps the hand pressed to his side, trying to keep the pain of it from sparking up more than necessary with somewhat short inhales to keep from extending his skin too much to pull on it. He chews on the inside of his cheek briefly, thinking over what Amun had asked, what had all happened. In reality, it was his fault and he knows this. But how it ended? The way it ended? It was a multitude of problems.
So he leans forward a small amount, folding his legs before him and keeping his hurt hand in his lap, the other cradling his side. “I got drunk and got scared and needed space. And she agreed to give it a try while I figured shit out. I mean… We got together basically after my marriage ended. I kissed her while I was still married, and things had happened fast. Too fast, really. I just didn’t want to admit it.” He sighs quietly, wincing with the movement before he moves his hand from his side to run through his hair, resting it along the side of his neck still bruised from Ronin’s punch and Maea’s teeth.
“But she was going to let me figure it out. I think she still is. But we both got pissed off.” He rubs at his neck a small amount more before his hand falls back to his side. “So we ended it? I think? I don’t fucking know. But she’s in Halo now anyway, so, maybe she’s shacking up with someone else.” His gaze returns to the water, hoping that perhaps she might understand what it’s like to be able to give into temptation for a night or two, why he’d chosen it as a way to relieve the edge. To forget about the shithole of their lives for a night.
you win a lot, and you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
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.
Ignoring the griffin's regard, Amun just nodded along as Sunjata spoke. However, the potter couldn't resist grinning a little as the bartender admitted his whirlwind romance with Maea had maybe been a bit more little more like a tornado. "Yup." It came out almost cheerfully, though the Ascended's expression was still serious, and his eyes were still narrowed in anger.
Sighing, the sound long suffering, he gave the other man an unimpressed look. "So let me get this straight." Amun turned to face the horizon again. "You got into a drunken spat, asked for a break, and now you're concerned that you've ruined things irrevocably." Shaking his head, he chuckled. "We both know she hasn't shacked up with anyone else. So the real question is, do you care enough about her to try and make it up to her?" Again, he raised a challenging eyebrow, though he still didn't look at Sunjata.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
“No.” Sunjata says rather easily, gaze finding Amun. He doesn’t care if he’s ruined things irrevocably. He told her that he ruins things. She had embraced it, she had told him that she loved that darker monstrous part of him, that part of him that he keeps settled down and hidden away, on a tight leash most days. But the mention of making it up to her? Why should he? She was the one that started it.
“I just want some space. She needs some too.” He explains offhandedly. “I was honest with what I wanted and what I was looking for, and I think she realized that it wasn’t her. Not right now. Maybe never. I don’t know.” A sharp inhale of a breath has him wincing again and he tears his gaze from the water to look back at Amun. “She knew that when it started, that I’d probably fuck something up. I didn’t expect it to be a fuck up on both of our ends.”
you win a lot, and you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
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.
Rolling his eyes at Sunjata's almost childish response, Amun groaned. "Alright." Giving the bartender another rather unimpressed look, the potter waited with nearly endless patience as the other man clarified.
Only when the Attuned stop speaking did the Ascended even start breathing again. "Just because you warn someone of your shitty behavior in advance doesn't make up for it when it happens. That's like asking the authorities to let you off easy because you told them you were going to commit a crime." His voice was sharp and clearly critical. "Then you complained about it when they roughed you up a bit."
Turning, he faced Sunjata fully. As he did Amun continued to stare steadily at the bartender. "Figure out what you want." It came out as a command. "Because if you're not going to be the one for her, then you owe it to the both of you to give yourselves a clean break so you can move on." Gaze and voice steely, the potter leaned forward towards the other man.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
The thing is, that he doesn’t know Amun well enough to delve into the nitty gritty. He doesn’t know the Ascended beyond what Maea’s told him, what he experienced the first time they’d met in the Underground. And so he consciously leaves things out, hand clutching his side as he listens to the half understood scenario that the Ascended hears, taking part of it to heart and the other… Well, not.
All he can do is snort at Amun, gaze meeting the Ascended. “The thing is, that I absolutely could do that. But I don’t think she’d actually move on.” He says, head tilting avianlike as he focuses on the potter. “I don’t think she wants to. I was an ass to her, I fell into that part of me that I hate and still she told me that she liked it. What do I do with that?” His lip twitches with something like an attempt to frown or an attempt to simply remain emotionless.
But he can’t. He’s still a small amount drunk, in a whole lot of pain, and frankly he just doesn’t care too much.
you win a lot, and you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
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.
03-05-2020, 05:40 AM (This post was last modified: 03-05-2020, 05:40 AM by Amun.)
my love affair with water runs deep into my soul,
the serenity as intense as the tides ebb and flow
Amun just snorted at Sunjata’s reply. ”She’s definitely not going to move on if you don’t give her a clean break.” Pointing an accusatory finger at the bartender, the potter’s eyes narrowed. ”If you cared about her, you'd do that much." The words came out in a lower warning.
However, he lowered his finger and fell silent as the other man went on. As he did, the Ascended leaned back a bit, surprise writ large on his features for the briefest of moments. Then he smirked and shrugged. "You accept it as the truth, thank your lucky stars you found yourself someone who loves you for you, and stop wallowing?" It was clear he didn't understand and didn't care about Sunjata's apparent dilemma.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
What was it with Amun and pointing fingers? The second time in a row that the man tries to chide him. And honestly? Sunjata’s not in the mood for it. A muscle feathers in his jaw at the warning Amun gives him, and it takes every ounce of self-control within him to keep from rolling his eyes. “I basically did. And she denied it, telling me that she’d always love me regardless if I was with her or not.” Another muscle feathering in his jaw.
He’s not sure if he wants to be direct, not right now at least. Not while wounds were still fresh and he literally looked like the walking dead, broken and falling apart.
But when Amun smirks and tells him that he should be lucky, that’s when he does roll his eyes. He forces himself to stand, albeit a bit shakily, shifting on his feet in the sand still clutching his side, steel eyes hard and cold as he focuses on the Ascended. “You don’t get it, that’s fine.” He rumbles as Haai stands up and curls around his legs to keep him from moving. A quiet curse in Korofi is given to the griffin and all she does is snort a puff of smoke at him. Finally, after a quiet exchange, he looks back to Amun with that same hardened gaze.
“I don’t want to give into it, Amun. I don’t care if she accepts it or doesn’t. I don’t want to be that way.” And how many more times would arguments devolve, where she pokes and prods, forcing him to do things until it comes out just to get that fight?
you win a lot, and you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
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.
Snorting, Amun shrugged at Sunjata's words. "Of course she said that. She wanted to salvage the situation." The potter clearly didn't put much stock in the stricken words of either of them during this particular spat.
As the bartender rejected the Ascended's words, he spread his arms a bit. "Then explain it to me." However, his eyes narrowed as the other man proceeded to do just that.
Amun crossed his arms as Sunjata spoke. "Okay then." The slightly antagonistic edge had slipped out of the potter's voice and posture. "So what are you doing to avoid getting like that?" It came out quietly, and he raised his eyebrows expectantly.
