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
Honestly, Sunjata doesn’t care about Amun’s reasoning. Doesn’t care what they possibly mean or anything of the sort. He doesn’t want to hear it, the wounds too fresh and he’s in far too much pain to put much stock in it. So he stands, shifting uncomfortably on his feet and leaning a small amount on Haai as she keeps herself pressed to his legs.
He snorts as Amun tells him to explain it to him. “No offense, Amun. But I don’t know you.” He rumbles, teeth gritting against the idea. He’s met the man a total of… What, twice? He’s not going to delve any secrets or anything of that nature to this Ascended. He doesn’t know what Maea’s told him, doesn’t care about that either.
The question of what he’s done to avoid getting like that? He’s done everything. Shoved it down, kept it hidden, kept that leash tight on his temper. And it had worked, for a while – even when Phoebe had wrecked the bar, he hadn’t delved into it. “I do what works.” He keeps a hold of his side, shifting again somewhat uncomfortably, but he can already feel the scabbing begin to shift and the slight seep of blood soak through the shirt he wears.
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 rolled his eyes again at Sunjata's response. "You're right. You don't." Then the potter's eyes narrowed in warning and annoyance as he rolled to his feet as the bartender struggled to stand. "But I know Maea, and while she's more than a bit self-centered and shortsighted and prideful, she's got a good heart." The Ascended crossed his arms and glared up at the other man.
"So don't break it." Amun's voice came out almost conversationally, but the words were meant as a warning. "Do what you have to do in order to contain your demons or whatever, man." Shrugging, he turned to leave Sunjata behind to his pity party even as the coppery scent of blood filled the air.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
It takes everything in him not to laugh outright at Amun’s words, resulting in the slight feathering of his lip, a cold smirk crossing his face as he shakes his head. “Yeah. She does. But you should see her when she gets pissed off if you haven’t yet.” Finally, Haai shifts from Sunjata’s legs. “A wonderful experience, I recommend it.” There’s sarcasm that slips from his lips.
Warnings aside, Sunjata finds he literally doesn’t care. Everyone else has handed his ass to him, if Amun feels the need then he can get in line. “I have. And it works. But she intentionally went to bring it out of me.” He offers, finally shifting when he feels the blood begin to slip, and he heads along the each — unfortunately close to Amun on the pathway up. “So maybe think about that next time you try to portray her good heart.”
Shifting into his panther form, he begins to stalk up the path to the top of the cliffs, Haai at his side. It’s obvious he favors his front left paw, and the side with the wound is matter and missing fur, streaked with a small amount of red as he moves, ears pinned to his skull.
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.
"Oh I have. First time we met, actually, she was pretty shitty to me. And a few of the times after that." Amun shrugged. ”So I called her out on her bullshit, she chewed it over, and ended up apologizing for her behavior.” Leaning forward, he gave Sunjata a challenging smirk. ”I forgave her.” It came out almost tauntingly and it was clear the potter didn't much care for the bartender's whining.
As the other man kept speaking the Ascended crossed his arms. "Alright. So she fucked up. You going to throw away all the good because of one bad day?" For a moment, he just stood there as Sunjata shifted. However, as Amun saw the blood matting the bartender's fur, the potter groaned. Then he began to follow the other man up the path.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
At the end of the day it’s just words. Amun could tell him how to act and what to do — like everyone else in this gods forsaken place — but it would never accomplish anything. So he actually rolls his eyes when Amun tells him he forgave her. “Wow. Look at you.” He rumbles, finally moving and shifting, ignoring for the moment the rest of the Ascendeds comment.
But Amun follows him, follows the light line of blood Sunjata begins to leave behind, and when the panther reaches the top, he shifts back to turn to Amun, crossing the distance to get close to the other man. “It’s been a few days. I’m not ready to forgive her yet.” He snaps, shifting on his feet to hold his side again, steel gaze narrowing. “Think whatever you want, I don’t care. But don’t sit there and pretend it’s just my fault, that I am the one that needs to make all the repairs. I asked for a break. Whether she thinks I’m going to take it or not is her problem. Not mine.”
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 chuckled as Sunjata got all up in the potter's face. "Dude. Chill." Reaching up, he pushed the bartender away. "I'm not asking you to forgive her or not to take your break. And I'm not saying she's perfect, because she is far from perfect." The Ascended's tone was firm about that.
Crossing his arms, he narrowed his eyes at the other man. "All I'm asking, is that, once you're done being all angry and hurt and once you're done licking your wounds, that you talk to her, honestly. Don't leave her hanging." Amun cocked his head to one side. "Think you can do that?" It came out doubtfully, though Sunjata hadn't given the potter any reason not to doubt the bartender.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
He takes a step back when Amun pushes him away, steel eyes sharp on the Ascended before snorting. But Amun folds his arms across his chest, and Sunjata simply listens because there isn’t much else the attuned can do. Muscles feathering in his jaw, as if he hadn’t thought to still talk to her about it once moods had quelled.
Just not now, not while he was hurting – possibly both internally and externally – so after a few quiet moments he manages to sigh and rake a hand through his hair before turning away from Amun toward the house he planned to fix up for her, though it seemed as though she didn’t want that either. Something to fix for himself, he guesses, though he’s at a loss to that too. “I planned on it. I only just got a letter from her, it’s what I burned on the beach.” He shrugs, glancing over his shoulder to Amun to see whether the Ascended follows or leaves. “I’ll send a letter, I plan to go to Halo soon anyway, once things heal.” He explains a small amount offhandedly, taking a step toward the path that leads to the house Maea and him had found.
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.
Nodding at Sunjata's words, Amun grinned. "Good." All traces of combativeness and annoyance had fled the potter and he gave the bartender an encouraging nod.
Following the other man, the Ascended took a moment to assess how bad Sunjata looked. Frowning, Amun came up beside the bartender. "You can lean on me if you need to." It was a genuine offer.
Staring at the ramshackle and broken down building in the distance, the potter's eyes narrowed. "What happened to you? I'm assuming Maea didn't do this." Although his voice was teasing, it wasn't cruel, more finding humor in what was clearly a weird situation than anything else. "And how long do you think it'll take to heal?"
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
Any sort of aggression or annoyance on Amun begins to drop away as Sunjata confirms the fact he plans on speaking to Maea. And with it, he manages to release a tight breath — beginning to walk the path back to the house. And soon enough Amun is at his side, offering some support. He pauses in his step, considering it, half tempted to be stubborn and claim he doesn’t want to.
But that would mean the wounds might reopen again, further this time and he’s really not in the mood for that. So he sighs, leans on Amun with a nod of thanks, gesturing with his bruised and slightly still broken hand that’s been wrapped up toward the path to the home. Haai guides the way, trotting along the grasses with her wings tucked in tight.
Sunjata shakes his head to Amun’s question, gaze still focused on the path. “Deimos attacked me for the whole ordeal with the Temple shrine. Broke my hand in a spar with Ronin.” He lists it off, muscle feathering in his jaw slightly. “Not sure how long it’ll take yet. The healers here aren’t exactly the best.” He rumbles, recalling how long it had taken for his shark bites to heal.
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 nodded as Sunjata revealed the source of his injuries. "Rough." Unsurprisingly, there wasn't all that much sympathy in the potter's voice, though he let the bartender lean on the Ascended without complaint.
Following the griffin, who he eyed warily, he chuckled. "Have you considered sending for a healer from somewhere else?" Although it came out slightly teasingly, he gave the other man a quizzical once over. "Not that I care, care, mind you, but this whole bleeding out thing you're doing isn't that attractive, and I can't imagine you're helping anyone." Amun grinned, though was careful to keep the pace slow and not to jostle Sunjata as they moved.
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
Luckily the path is relatively even to walk along, passing the lighthouse made for easy work — but he focuses on Amun’s question instead. “I only know of one that might be willing, even then…” He trails off with a tilt of his head and a slight sigh. His head does turn a small amount to Amun as soon as they reach the slight hill before the home.
“I figured you of all people would appreciate it more.” He replies a bit flat, before he looks forward again. “It wasn’t intentional, to be honest.” A bit of a half rumble at that, muscle feathering in his jaw. “The hand will heal, the rest of it just needs time I guess.” But gods is it hard to do when there’s so much to be done still.
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 raised his eyebrows at Sunjata's reluctance. "So ask them. Worst that will happen is they'll say no." It was clear that the potter didn't understand (and didn't particularly care) what the problem was. Indeed, he was already shrugging, careful not to dislodge the bartender.
Chuckling at the other man's comment, the Ascended shook his head. "I like the blood inside other people, not outside them." He smirked at Sunjata.
However, it morphed into a gentler grin as the bartender revealed he hadn't been planning to get this beat up. "Well if you weren't intending to end up like this, why are you hesitating to get help?"
i'm nothing more than a page unwritten on the pavement, blowing in the wind
A slight half shrug is given to Amun with the response the Ascended gives him. He supposes it’s worth a shot, but he still isn’t entirely sure whether or not it would be worth it in the end. At least once he’s able to write a letter to Maea, he could at least send one to Loren as well and see what happens then. Still, the hesitation is evident though he does manage to snort at Amun’s chuckle and comment.
Soon enough they reach the house, broken down but in the process of being fixed up. The dust within has been cleaned up, but that was about as far as Sunjata had gotten aside from an actual bed and a couch of sorts before everything happened. So he huffs a quiet sigh, opening the door and removing himself from leaning on Amun as Haai barrels inside. “Honestly? I’m not sure who’s out to kick my ass next.” A raise of his brow to Amun as he passes the man to enter the house and let him in.
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.
Chuckling with Sunjata, Amun's eyes narrowed as the bartender pointedly didn't actually respond to the potter's comment. "I'll take your lack of response as, 'why yes Amun, of course you're right, like always.'" Grinning at the other man, the Ascended peered curiously at the building they were approaching.
Still, he said nothing about the dilapidated nature of the house as he helped Sunjata inside it. Or tried to, though Amun entered inside and leaned on the doorway as he examined the interior. However, he glanced at the bartender at his comment. "Tell them I'm next in line if you have to and they can beat you up after I'm through with you." The potter winked at the other man, and the Ascended's tone was teasing.
