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!
Saiden's hand was warm and calloused, and his grip was firm. "Saiden Hali. I live in Torchline, obviously." Releasing her hand, he smiled. Seeing the interest from her dragonling, he arched an eyebrow.
Then the cook reached into his bag. Taking out the knife again, he sliced the head off the fish, then tossed it in the air towards the dragonling. As it flew, the Hali called upon some water magic to wash the blood away from the cut, then slid the fish back into the bag.
Nodding at her questions, he whistled a few notes. "Aye, that they do. They mostly live on ships, which works out for the sailors because they can predict storms." He lowered his voice. "And some say they make magic stronger."
Then he laughed. "Good luck with them, though. They're still cats, after all, and as mercurial as the sea itself." He was clearly amused by their antics.
"Hali?" she said in surprise. "As in...the Hali family from Northaven?" she asked. She remembered the sailing family that had been brought to the settlement just before she had suddenly appeared in Halo. Was he of the same group, or was it just coincidence?
She listened intently as he described them to her, curious as to what he had to say. None of it was too detailed though. "Do you think they'd make a good companion though? People do still keep cats around even if they are a bit persnickety." she pointed out.
Saiden's eyes widened slightly. "The very same." For a moment his easy smile faltered. "All that's left of it." Then he shook his head, banishing the lingering sorrow.
It helped watching the dragonling munching happily on the fish head. The cook watched that for a moment. At Phoebe's next question, he met her gaze. Laughing, he shrugged. "As I said, they're still cats. If you like cats, you'll like a Sear Cat." That came out slightly distractedly.
Then again, he'd answered the factual questions about the creatures, and didn't know what else to tell her. As he waited, he removed the hook from his rod. Putting it back in the box he carried them in, he put all his supplies back in their spots.
She glanced down, sensing the bare hint of sadness in his tone. "I came from Northaven too...and I am the last one left of my family here as well." she said, empathizing with him. It was...hard to have a big family and then suddenly have no one. Well...not no one. The crunching noises of Pim munching his snack reminded her that she wasn't as alone as she could be.
"Well but...I mean...do sailors find them good company? That's...that's really what I am after." Phoebe said at length. Pim was nice but...she was the last in her family now...and in seeking a talking cat...certainly he could put the two together.
As Phoebe revealed she was the only member of her family left as well, Saiden stop bothering to hide his sorrow. Though they were strangers, he reached out to give her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It sucks, doesn't it?" He smiled, but there was something sad about it.
Laughing a bit at her question, he shrugged. "They keep the rats away and predict storms. Sailors would tolerate basically anything that did that for them." Giving her a wry look, he shrugged. "I could say something about other sources of good company. But yes, I suppose they're pleasant enough, from everything I've heard." Given that he hadn't ever seen one up close and personal, he couldn't speak from experience.
She glanced up at him, surprised but...her expression melted into a mirroring, melancholic smile. "That's a nice way to put it." she said with a light laugh. Phoebe glanced over at Pim, still happily muching the fishhead.
"I haven't had a whole lot of luck with people company lately. So I figured I should change my tactics." she said with a soft smile. "Do you know anyone with a Sear Cat on their ship? I was told by Frey I needed to meet one aboard a ship and feed it a Hel." she said.
Laughing, though it sounded a little sad. "No reason to mince words. Besides, I ain't one of those poets." Although there was a slightly joking quality to his voice, his expression was still elsewhere, eyes filled with sorrow.
Arching an eyebrow, he glanced at the dragonling then back at her. "Maybe you just haven't been surrounding yourself with the right people." However, it was clear the cook's heart wasn't really in the banter any more. Blinking at the mention of Frey, and at her request for more information, he rattled off the names of a few sailors who might have a Sear Cat.
Or maybe not. They were cats, after all, and not prone to staying in one spot.
"Me either. Just boring old simple folk." she said with a slight shake of her head. But at his words of doubt she simply shrugged. "Still, track record says I do a better job making friends with animals than people." she said. It was a sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.
And he was kind enough to tell her where she might find a Sear Cat she could study. "Thank you, Saiden." she said, taking note of the names of Captains and Ships to investigate.
03-31-2020, 01:01 AM (This post was last modified: 03-31-2020, 01:14 AM by Saiden.)
our sins are washed away
Once more, Saiden's eyes drifted to the dragon by Phoebe's side. "Somehow I doubt that. Few women have dragons, and fewer are looking to befriend Sear Cats, even in Torchline." The cook's voice was amused, and he smiled at her. "Maybe your track record will change. Regardless, I'll be seeing you." Giving her a lazy salute, he reached down to pick up his bag, slinging it onto his back.
Nodding at her thanks, he made sure everything was secure before reaching down for his rod. "You're welcome, Phoebe." With that, he made his way back towards Haulani, whistling a cheerful tune as he went. He didn't give the girl or her pet a backwards glance.
