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!
03-18-2020, 08:18 PM (This post was last modified: 03-18-2020, 08:24 PM by Bastien.)
BASTIEN
Bastien was not a man to do things in half-measures usually. He often subscribed to a 'go big or go home' model of planning, making everything as big as he could without much thought; paintings, speeches, outfits, and yes, events.
For this particular Artist's Sanctuary event though...it seemed life had taken on a slower pace all around him and he felt like making his festivities match. They had the dancers ready and his back room was set up for 'fun as always, but he thought it might be nice to play some mellower music through the thought player and set out plenty of places for people to sit and drink together. Take advantage of the calm before the storm, because Caido would surely bring them one soon.
Fluffing out pillows and rearranging each painting to make sure it shone, he put out some art supplies for people to mess with if they wanted to. Paper, pens, paints; after all, this was the Artist's Sanctuary, and events ought to reflect that.
The last thing he did was place a sign on the door to the back room which read:
Beyond here you will find yourself in a sanctum of lust;
do not enter unless you are willing to see such acts.
No judgement may pass these doors.
ALSO: PITTORE MUST BE KEPT OUT AT ALL TIMES.
He'd tried to make sure his companion was well occupied in his canvas nest with some paper and crayons and plenty of snacks, but he hoped the guests might help him make sure the little gremlin did not see anything untoward.
With it all ready, he could only wait for guests. Hopefully there would be enough to call the night a success.
------
Welcome to a casual lil get together for the Artists Sanctuary & Guests.
If you want your character to come, they've been invited! Either by a friend, Bastien himself if they know him, or they were passed an invite in the market...get inventive, I don't mind how they found out~
Oliver, Nate, Amun and Harper have rehearsed a sexy dance in The Full Monty so once they post in here doing so, you can reference seeing that if you'd like to.
There is the back room, in the thread Music Of the Night - if your character enters this room they are consenting to see and participate in some NSFW activities with others! Please post your character entering in this thread before you move onto that one.
In case you're confused about geography of the Sanctuary, here's a map.
Some people can't get success with their art
Some people never feel love in their heart
Some people can't tell the two things apart
But I keep rollin' on
While his own rehearsals hadn't been as great, Oliver still felt confident enough to come to the party. After all, he had promised Bastien and while he for sure wasn't going to put on as good of a show as the rest of the men, he certainly was going to try his very best.
Arriving wearing tight, black leather pants and a white tank top, he made his way over to Bastien, offering the man a soft smile. While he didn't have any make up, he did add on some earrings that dangled down, looking as though they were feathers. There was a new sense of confidence that swarmed the man, and rightfully so. It had been a while since he spoke with his guildmaster and between the time of his rehearsals and the party, Safrin had granted him proper use of his body. This meant that no longer was he afraid of accidentally revealing too much. Tonight was a night to feel attractive and nothing was going to stop him.
Leaning towards the man, Oliver spoke in a hushed tone, a smile on his face. "Hope I'm not too early. Let me know where you want me to go and I'll be there." For now? He'd be content with speaking with his guildmaster and surveying the atmosphere. Though, he couldn't stop his eyes from drifting towards the door to the backroom, clearly having an interest in it. "You also wouldn't happen to have any make up, would you? I feel like I'm... lacking." His outfit wasn't flashy and all he had going for him was his pants and earrings.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
The guests who entered would find themselves pelted by vampire gourds falling off the roof, aimed directly for their heads. The gourds would bite, explode, bludgeon and otherwise cause as much damage as possible to anyone trying to enter into the Artist's Sanctuary.
03-20-2020, 02:05 AM (This post was last modified: 03-28-2020, 08:27 PM by Amun.)
my love affair with water runs deep into my soul,
the serenity as intense as the tides ebb and flow
As Amun approached the Artist's sanctuary, he felt several splats on his head. Letting out a cry, he jerked the door open and then slammed it shut. Growling in annoyance, he reached up and scooped what appeared to be vegetable goop from his hair. Brushing some off his shoulder, he glared at Bastien and Oliver. "Gross." It was clear the potter was less than pleased with this turn of events.
Taking off his shirt, he used the dry spots to mop up the mess as best he could, uncaring that he was stripping just a bit too soon. "Bastien, I just got assaulted by some squash that jumped off your roof." He raised an eyebrow at his fellow Ascended. Clearly, Amun expected Bastien to do something about it.
Loren came in far enough behind the person in front of him that he completely failed to see the waiting gourds. As the first one smashed into his head, he growled and sent a pulse of telekinesis upwards, causing the other squash to fly wide of him and smash onto the ground. Swiftly, he entered into the Sanctuary.
Creating a bit of water, he washed his hair and head, then tossed the water out of a convenient window. Eying the surroundings, his brow furrowed as his gaze briefly lighted upon Amun. Pointedly, the healer turned towards the host. "It's a pity about the gourds on the roof, because you have outdone yourself, Bastien."
Snagging a glass of wine, the Launceleyn made his way over to a corner to setlte in and just watch for a bit. He made no move to make conversation, though he did give Oliver a friendly nod. Loren also took a moment to read the sign on the back door, a huff of laughter leaving his lips as he did so.
light is precious in a world so dark begin at the beginning
tell a story. make some light
Nate hadn’t done all the work of learning to dance just to not show up at the party. That didn’t mean he was necessarily early either, but he was there. A dark cloak draped around around him, more or less the only thing keeping Nate decent, and it was a small mercy that it kept him more or less mess free in the aftermath of the pumpkin pelting.
A sour look twisted Nate’s face, until he saw how much worse Amun had had it. It was enough to bring a smile back to his face as he walked towards Bastien, pulling off his cloak to reveal a pair of shorts and passing the fabric to his fellow dancer. ”You’re not supposed to look like a mess until the end of the night.” He teased, before taking the chance to look around. He caught sight of Loren off to the side, offering the man a wink, but not making any effort to go over. Not yet at least.
The first arrival was Oliver, decked out like he was going to a gay German techno bar the event of the decade, which Bastien liked to think he could provide. The outfit was suitable for his dancing debut later as well, which made the artist grin. As Oliver came up to ask his question, Bastien nodded. "Yes, I have plenty. Go upstairs, turn right...there should be all you could ever want and a mirror on the vanity by our bed."
Shortly after Oliver arrived, a squelchy, rhythmic thud began to sound, and it wasn't the expected one from the back room. His next guests, Amun and Loren, swiftly informed him of the source of these noises and before he spent time greeting them and potentially left anyone else to be splattered with pumpkin guts, he grabbed a broom and headed outside.
"Right, you have had your fun!" He called up to the squash on the roof, poking the broom up at them and pushing them back. "Go, or I will not hesitate to bring you down here and feed you to Pittore!" A defiant squeak from indoors continued this warning and for the moment, it seemed the Squashes were sufficiently cowed away. Determined not to have them ruin his event, Bastien thrust the broom forward one last time before he walked back in , leaving his tool by the door.
Clapping his hands together to see his guests, he gestured to the sink. "If you need to, do feel free to wash up. I apologise." Amun's attitude was noted and thus Bastien went to smile and shake Nate's hand, welcoming him, then went to speak to Loren. "I am glad you are here! I see you looking at the back door. Are you tempted...?"
Some people can't get success with their art
Some people never feel love in their heart
Some people can't tell the two things apart
But I keep rollin' on
Once Bastien returns from threatening the gourds, Rexanna quickly finds her way to him – dressed in a dark skirt that clings to every curve of her hips, topped with a gold corset that shines with the movement she takes as she strides over toward him, all of her scars and brands on display but bearing all the confidence of someone that's learned to love them – and she extends a loving stroke of her hand along his hip and lower back as she leans into him with a playful grin. “Next time, darling, I can set one aflame and it’ll smell like a pie in here.” She says lightly, offering him a playful wink before moving on to greet the other guests that have arrived so far.
She gives Oliver a bright grin and a wave, followed by a playful wink toward Amun, hidden disinterest with Nate, and then her eyes land on Loren and she’s somewhat surprised. Though… Is she really? Somehow, everything about it makes more sense, and so she settles in to grab a glass of wine she can hardly taste, but simply to keep the mood going. She sips from it delicately before slipping back to Bastien’s side, with a wide fanged smile just for him – cheerful and excited to be here, gaze flitting back toward Oliver and the conversation going on.
The first person to arrive after him was Loren, who earned a small smile before his attention was turned back to Bastien. Luckily, there was make up! But unfortunately, Oliver genuinely didn't have a whole lot of confidence in that department. While it was something he thought was gorgeous, he also had little knowledge of how to work with it.
More people would arrive and one in particular caught his eye. Rexanna. She had been glancing over at him a bit, so why not ask? What's the harm in it? Walking over to the ascended, he offered her a smile. "Hey, would you mind helping me out with some make up? I feel like my look is missing something and I'm sure you'd be able to help me finish it off." It wasn't exactly flirtatious, seeing as Oliver wasn't attracted to women, but he did clearly want her to help him out. "If not, I completely understand." Otherwise... guess he was about to put on eyeliner and shit alone and hope he didn't poke his eye out.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Amun grinned at Bastien's response. Not minding the mess and not seeing the need to wash up, the potter just wiped himself off with his shirt, then tossed it aside. Walking over to the sink, he washed away the rest of the goop, then turned. Standing with his hands on his hips (which also put his muscular frame on display), he surveyed the room for a moment.
Of course, when Nate sidled up, Amun smirked at the doctor's comment. "Oh, so I'll be seeing you later tonight?" Tone obviously suggestive, the potter licked his lips.
At Rexanna's entrance, he strolled over to her and threw an arm over her shoulder. Oliver spoke first though, and Amun let his gaze sweep over the blonde. "Looks fine to me."
With that, the potter turned to face the Penumbra. "The queen in all her tough girl glory. You've been far too scarce, dear Rexanna. Come, tell me how you've been." With his free hand, he snagged some of the wine as well, grinning all the while.
Loren smiled faintly at Bastien, waving at their host's apology. "No worries. They've been particularly active this year." Besides, the healer had already cleaned up.
After making his way to the corner, he just sat there sipping his wine. When Nate winked, the Launceleyn took a particularly large gulp and looked away, cheeks flushing. Rexanna's entrance had Loren staring resolutely into his glass before tossing it back and making a new one before returning to his corner.
He only looked up at Bastien's voice. Glancing at the door, the healer's flush deepened. "I guess you could say that." He was clearly embarrassed and he swiftly cleared his throat. "Great party. How long did this take to set up?"
light is precious in a world so dark begin at the beginning
tell a story. make some light
Tension left behind from the gourds quickly melted away as Rexanna came up behind him, her hands washing away the irritation and making Bastien sigh happily, turning to see her: and oh, what a sight she was. "Oh,mia bellissima moglie. You look radiant." Of course, he had not expected anything less; Rexanna always made a point to dress wonderfully for his parties, something which he greatly appreciated. "If you would like it to smell like pie in here, you are welcome to." He laughed.
Oliver went to speak to Rexanna so Bastien went to grab himself a drink, then Loren began to speak. He seemed a little flustered, but the artist couldn't be sure why; perhaps there was someone he admired at the event? "The place itself, only a few hours. This event has been in the works for some time, though. In fact...you'll see soon. We have had a few things practised. Shows...I used to be a performer and I missed that life."
With a glint in his mischievous eye he leaned closer. "You appear to be quite beside yourself, Loren. Is there someone special in attendance? I regret to inform you I'm quite romantically faithful to my wife, if it's my eye you're hoping to catch."
Some people can't get success with their art
Some people never feel love in their heart
Some people can't tell the two things apart
But I keep rollin' on
“Of course I do.” She chimes to Bastien, giving him a wide grin. “Hmm, if we had some cinnamon perhaps it might help set the mood a bit.” She teases him lightly, shifting a small amount as Bastien goes to leave to grab a drink. Oliver’s question is met with Rexanna’s full attention, studying the other man’s face as Amun’s arm wraps around her and she snorts to him before focusing on Oliver again.
“I think perhaps a little bit of something might help.” She adds, giving him a playful wink before she looks to Amun then, a hand coming up to playfully bat at his shoulder. “You’re welcome to come hear all about it.” Another chime of laughter leaves her as she reaches up to tap her fellow Ascended on the chin, before stepping past them toward a drawer in the back that held a few different kinds of powders, some shimmering, some plain. She imagines the shimmer might be what Oliver might be looking for – to give him some sort of glow, provided the two men follow.
As Oliver was trying to talk to Rexanna, a certain someone seemingly appeared from the curtains, almost as though he were trying to pull Rexanna away. Oliver didn't entirely understand why. The man had plenty of time to talk to her, seeing as this was a party and all. He also wasn't a fan of how Amun told him he looked 'fine'. Fine?! Fine isn't good. Fine is just mediocre. As well, why the fuck should Oliver even care about what Amun thought of him? Bastien said he could do it so he was going to do it.
Luckily, Rexanna was receptive to his request and soon, Oliver was following after her, excited to get some makeup on. Any anger was now gone and he was going to try his best to be as kind as possible to Amun. "I say you can add whatever you'd like to me, Rexanna. You know far more about this than I do, I mean. You always look super beautiful." It was flattery at its finest, but he was only speaking his opinion. Rexanna was pretty as heck. She clearly knew how to dress and make herself look nice, so Oliver would trust her to add makeup to his face.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
