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!
Seeing as she hadn’t heard a denial of her request from Neron, Wessex casually waits by the Spire portal for the Warden of Halo to arrive. Wondering to herself if he’s heard anything about her encounter with his Captain of the Guard, she wears a muted expression along with her customary leather getup. No need to cover herself in furry pretense here, they’re used to the Wraith wandering about in less-than-normal attire. Is she showing off? Maybe. Maybe not. He's seen it all before, under more impressive circumstances, and it's not like the Wraith is beautiful.
Whatever the demigod may think of the Warden doesn't matter at the moment, she has a job to do: escort Neron to where she’s chosen to build the Eirachi shrine. Underground, where the earth stays cool and the sun can’t reach. In the maze of caves he isn't likely to figure out himself - at least not the first time.
Neron had not heard anything about Wessex's encounter with Morgan. Neron, indeed, had heard and cared very little since all of that stormy water had rushed under the bridge with Peter's death, with Zariah's thumb pressing down on him, with his brother being his usually disturbed self. The Warden stepped through the portal without any pomp, and he was alone as well. Something he had increasingly felt was necessary.
Giving a brief nod to Wessex, he glanced around the Spire portal to check that she was similarly by herself, before gesturing for her to lead the way. "I believe this is the first time I have seen you properly on your own turf," he remarked with a quiet smile. "I was beginning to think you preferred the cold of Halo."
She’s glad that he comes alone, turning to lead the way to the underground at his signal. It isn’t far. Wessex takes as direct a path as possible, caring little about who sees them. “I think I do prefer Halo,” she replies with a half-smile. For various reasons - most of which have to do with her physical superiority there. “But the Grounds will always be home, fucked up as it may be. There’s something that will always call me back to it.” Something that will make her try, against all odds, to continue to make it better, even if she isn’t Queen anymore.
It’s a twisted sort of loyalty. But the Wraith has always been a little twisted.
She leads him to the entrance of the tunnels and offers a hand to him. “Unless you have a light, it’s about to get really dark. Don’t want you to stumble and fall.” Apparently bringing a torch was the one thing she didn't think of. Oops.
"I think Halo prefers you, as well. I have heard stories about the Wraith, whispered through the streets in the dead of night. You're making quite the name for yourself," Neron said smoothly, following her on sure feet, a dark and quiet presence at her back. He had not really explored the Grounds beyond the places he had been during his Longheat visit, and so this was all new to him. And when the ground yawned into blackness, he raised his eyebrows to her. Having been the visiting party and knowing little about their trip, he had not, indeed, thought to be the one to bring a torch.
So saying, he slid his cold hand into the Ascended's, a smirk curling across his face. "One would think you were hoping for an accident waiting to happen," he remarked. "Now don't go getting any ideas. I know our hearts must be terribly aflutter, holding hands like this, but you must promise me you will remain calm."
When the Warden says that Halo prefers her, she can’t help but wonder if that means he does too. Not in a romantic way, but in a way that meant he appreciates her unique talents. She raises a brow in question but refrains from voicing the thoughts. It’s nice to have the streets to herself at night - and as the seasons change and everything gets colder, going out at night without the proper gear (which takes awhile to put on, she imagines) is a no-no for most Halovians.
There is a flicker of embarrassment at forgetting a light for the Underground. Fortunately, there is a little place a ways in that has supplies for just that occasion. “Why, Warden, I would never put you in danger of an accident.” Exaggerating, Wessex continues. “Do tell me if you feel a flutter. I’m not supposed to have the kind of reaction, so it means something is very, very wrong inside.” Placing her other hand on where her heart would be, Wessex takes a slow lead into the cave, perfectly able to see where all the little rocks and trip-ups are. She tries to guide Neron around them or kick them out of the way until they come to the little cache area, where she drops his hand. “Just a sec, there’s stuff for a torch here.”
Grabbing a branch conveniently wrapped in an oil-soaked cloth, she fumbles with the tinder box for a moment before a spark catches and bathes the area in a small halo of light.
“I’m gonna let you carry that. Fire bad,” she jests, but nevertheless holding the torch at arms’ length until Neron hopefully takes it.
Neron gave a mercurial smile in response to that raised brow; neither a confirmation nor a denial of the Wraith's thoughts on his opinions of her. Indeed, Halo could use a good deal more who were impervious to the cold. Then again the magic school was growing, and it gave its members the fortitude against the icy temperatures, so at least that was something. "Or something very right. Mayhaps I have injected a bit of softness into that mechanical heart of yours," he said dryly, before falling quiet to concentrate on the potentially treacherous path ahead.
As luck would have it, they soon stopped and Neron was able to get his bearings, especially with the light source provided. "Fire bad? I told you Halo preferred you," he remarked, smirking and accepting the torch from Wessex, holding it high and at a distance so hopefully it provided enough light without being a threat to the Ascended. "Well, there is nothing stopping us now. I can hardly contain my excitement."
“Mmmm. We are rather combustible. More so than the average person.” So all those fires in Halo will eventually be a problem for him are the only problem for her. Nasty little side effect, but you can’t have everything, now can you?
By now having dropped the Hailstorm’s hand, she leads him through a maze of turns (in reality, it’s only four or five), the way marked in her head but otherwise only heading deeper into the Underground. It’s the only place she can think of that will stay cool through all the seasons. Eventually she ends up at a smallish cavern, big enough for them to stand up in, to hold four or five people and an altar. Unfortunately, she can't build a There’s nothing in it yet, the other items rest comfortably in the Wraith’s shack in the Outskirts.
“Here we are. One of the few perpetually cool places in the Grounds. If you could freeze a thick layer of ice on the walls, and then a decent sized block of ice in the middle, I’d appreciate it.”
"I suppose there must be a few drawbacks to having so much going for you," Neron drawled as he followed after Wessex, the torch held aloft in one hand, the other prepared and charged with magic for whatever might pop out at them. Luckily enough the journey was uneventful, and Neron paused in the cavern as they arrived. He glanced around, finding it similar in a way to the shrine that had been created back in the Fangs. This was for an entirely different goddess, however.
"It looks like it will serve well enough. Be careful not to slip - holding this torch, I shan't be able to heroically swoop in and catch you without setting you on fire." Smirking to Wessex, Neron raised his free hand and let power pulse outwards. Ice crawled along the walls, solidifying, crystallising, until they shimmered and encased the cavern. Following that, a cube of ice materialised slowly in the centre of the little room, large enough for a few people to comfortably crowd around it. "How does that look?" he asked, breath clouding the air.
Realizing that this Launceleyn probably doesn’t know the extent of the Ascended’s physical prowess in the dark, Wessex chuckles to herself and crosses her arms, dutifully stepping back to the edge of the cave, hopefully well beyond the coating of ice. She can feel the magic in her vicinity, and the urge to play with it is strong. At the very end of his work, she idly shoots a little beam of ice to thicken the back wall some more - not because he’d done a poor job, but simply because she could at that moment.
Admiring the sparkle and shine of it all, Wessex nods in satisfaction. “Almost as sharp and chiseled as your jawline,” she says by way of approval, the air noticeably puff-free as she speaks. Well. That was easy. Jerking her head back towards the way they came, the Wraith retraces their steps carefully. “If you want to find it again, I can mark the way,” she offers. The people of the Grounds do not follow Eirachi, so she can’t imagine needing to make this a safe place for everyone and their mother.
"Oh you flatterer," Neron all but purred, smirking over his shoulder and stepping carefully back to stand with the Wraith. He had seen her little ice beam shoot towards the back of the cavern, confirming something he had thought to be the case at Fiat Lux - she could replicate magic, somehow. A conversation for another time perhaps.
"I would appreciate that, madam. For now, though, I'd appreciate more if you were to lead the way back out." Helpful and quick - what could he say, Neron had all the things! Allowing her to go first both out of etiquette and so he didn't get bloody lost, Neron followed back through the tunnels, leaving the icy cavern to its future as a shrine.
