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!
Blinking in surprise, Loren stared at Josh incredulously. "You're living in the top of the Spire?" The shock was writ large on his features. "Why?" Clearly confused, the healer just gaped at the newcomer.
However, his expression hardened in an instant when the other man asked to meet the Ancient Egpytian. "He's dead." it came out flatly, but it was clear that the Launceleyn was upset.
Shrugging right back at Josh, Loren shook his head. "Even if it sucked ass, it would've been better than being dumped into the unknown. And I don't know, magic? This world has different magics, so it really doesn't matter." His tone had grown a little bit annoyed, so he forced himself to take a deep breath.
Once again someone was baffled by his choice of home, whereas Josh had been baffled that no one else had been living there when he made the move. "It seems historically relevant with a lot to investigate inside, I can have a view of all around me and I might be able to harness some electricity if there's a storm." Maybe that plan was a little too Frankenstein, but he had to try.
"Oh. How did he die?" Josh asked, either unable to pick up on Loren's upset or unbothered by it.
Loren's answer as for the portals was wildly unhelpful so Josh dropped it for the moment, looking back to his list for any more questions he could ask. "Have you ever had an Ascended bite? Could you describe the feeling to me?"
For a long moment, Loren just stared at Josh. The healer's expression was incredulous. Then he sighed, and rubbed his temples. "Has anyone told you why the Spire might be a bad place to live?" His voice was quiet.
Pressing his lips together, his expression grew even more icy. "He died in a fire set by a magical deer in the Greatwood. Happy?" The words came out on a wave of chilly anger. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he looked away sharply from the newcomer.
Drumming his fingers agitatedly on the desk, the Launceleyn refused to look at the other man. "Yes. It feels like sexual pleasure. What else?" It came out quickly, and it was clear that Loren was now trying to speed through this conversation.
"Yes. Amalia gave me her concerns. I am not as concerned." Josh stated simply, shrugging his shoulders. "If it is a poor decision I'll find out about it soon enough." So far, no one had provided him with a good enough reason to consider living in one of the normal houses in the domiciles, which seemed far less secure and usefully located.
It became clear that Loren had had some kind of personal attachment to the Egyptian when he snapped and Josh raised his eyebrows, paused a moment as he considered if it was worth asking for more information. A 'magical deer' certainly felt like something worth learning more about....he decided to risk it. "Are magical deer common? Did the deer maliciously set the fire?"
It was obvious he wasn't going to get much else out of Loren though, so he shrugged when asked for more questions. "That's enough for now."
As Josh brushed off any concerns about living in the Spire, Loren narrowed his eyes slightly. "Mind telling me what she said?" His own voice was polite and mildly curious. However, his eyes were sharp.
Jaw feathering with tension, he looked away from the newcomer. "They're called luxere. Most of them don't have command over fire. I have no idea whether it set the fire maliciously or not, though I suspect it was just scared." The words were short and clipped. Finally, the healer took a deep breath, expression pained. "I'd rather not discuss this further." It was clear he wasn't going to answer any more questions on the topic.
When the other man said he had no more questions, the Launceleyn nodded. "Alright. Word of advice?" He leaned forward, expression deadly serious. "These things you're asking about have had very real and painful impacts on people. It might serve you well in your search to show a little bit of sympathy and understanding."
"Something about a lot happening there. I don't put much value on sentimental things." Josh shrugged. He wouldn't care if their Jesus had been born there or if five hundred people had died - the Spire was still in a good location and an interesting place to set up and without any obvious physical danger to himself, he didn't see a reason to leave.
Loren was growing increasingly cagey, his answer about the Luxere useful but annoyed and a piece of 'advice' coming that sounded more like a warning. "Emotional testimonies aren't usually reliable anyway. Most people haven't gotten as upset as you - I think you might just be sensitive. But I won't bother you anymore, then." Standing up, Josh looked towards the door. "I will come back later, but I'll make sure to avoid you."
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Loren gave Josh an unimpressed look. "And how do you feel about monsters living there?" It came out idly, as if the healer didn't care one way or the other what the newcomer did. Still, the Launceleyn got the sense the other man would be impossible to convince.
Loren pressed his lips together, clearly annoyed. "I refuse to apologize for getting upset about the death of someone I loved, especially when you didn't even have the common courtesy to say 'sorry for your loss.'" The words came out short and clipped and he laid his palms flat on the table. Staring steadfastly at Josh, the healer didn't even acknowledge when the newcomer stood up.
Hearing about 'monsters' did draw a raise of an eyebrow from Josh, but not the reaction one might particularly expect: the beginnings of a smile spread on his face then he controlled it, as if remembering that that was not the appropriate response. "Monsters? What kind of monsters?"
Whether or not he'd get a response was in doubt as Loren seemed to be really very upset. With a shrug, Josh looked towards the door. "Sorry for your loss." He'd never been told this was someone the librarian had loved, had had no reason to assume that was the case, and did not feel too guilty (not that he would have done if he had known).
As Josh asked what kind of monsters, Loren blinked, surprised no one had informed the newcomer of the dangers of the Spire. Sighing, expression troubled, the healer began recounting the ones he knew of. "A sort of proto-Ascended, which wasn't bothered by the sun, killed anyone who tried to approach, and had claws and a potent venom. A giant intelligent snake. Flowers that emitted a toxin when anyone got near. And those are just the ones we encountered recently." For a moment, he shivered, clearly afraid. "Plus it's unstable and could come down any minute."
Pressing his lips together, the Launceleyn decided not to respond. Anything he said to the other man would just make the situation worse. Still, Loren was clearly displeased by how the conversation had gone.
Loren's descriptions of the monsters Josh might find in his new home did nothing to deter him from living there: if anything, they made it all the more attractive, Josh's eyes widening with each beast listed. "It sounds like a fantastic place to conduct research." He concluded.
Leaving then, walking briskly to the door he looked back to Loren and gave him a wave, though it was more automatic than kind or polite. He had gotten at least some of the information he needed, and required Loren no more.
