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 am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
The wind whipped her hair about, and Seren laughed as she twirled along with it, hesitating not at all before dancing along with it. "What was your old world like?" she asked, as the notion caught her interest. "When I was with Mama it was all stars and I slept a lot, and... and..."
But she frowned then, and came to a stop. Because the memories that had been so very clear were faded and dim, and she couldn't quite recall all that she had done with her mother. There had been talking and lessons and watching Father, but... what else?
Rather subdued, and quite troubled by this forgetfulness, Seren came over and sat down to watch as her uncle showed the hook and began attaching it.
I am a princess on the way to my throne Destined to reign, destined to roam
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Saiden hummed as he considered Seren's question. Then he smiled at her, though it wasn't quite as vibrant as his usual smile. "I've been in two worlds. The first was much like this one. The second, though, was mysterious. We lived in on our ship in the port of a walled city. If you ventured too far out to sea or too far into the jungle outside the walls, strange things happened." His voice was distant, as was his gaze.
However, he returned his attention to her as she explained what her life had been like before. "That sounds lovely." As she grew sad, though, he frowned slightly. Then he sent his breeze to dancing around her again.
Once the hook was secure, he reached into his tackle box. Opening it, there was a jar of worms, which he unscrewed. Taking one out, he speared it on the hook. "You have to know what kind of bait the fish you want likes. But almost all of them like worms." He made sure the jar was screwed shut again before he closed the box.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
The fading memories troubled her, and the wind only drew a brief smile from her this time. "I came here not very long ago. But... I do not remember like I should." She confided this because Saiden was her uncle now. He wasn't Father, or Sunjata - her best friend - but maybe the next best thing. "What if I forget Mama too?"
Seren knew she was to look at the sky when she felt lonely, because Mother was watching from there. But even though she did, it still wasn't the same.
She tried to keep her chin up and pay attention to what Saiden showed her. But when he speared the little worm on the hook, the girl gave up a keening whimper, pity for the lost life bringing tears to her eyes.
I am a princess on the way to my throne Destined to reign, destined to roam
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
At Seren's unhappiness, Saiden reached out to pat her shoulder. As he did, he smiled at her. "That's okay." He rested his hand on her shoulder and tried to give her as reassuring a look as he could manage. "I'm absolutely certain your mom won't let you forget her." He sounded quite sure about that: from all reports, Safrin was a, well, vain and jealous goddess, one who craved attention. Her daughter forgetting her sounded like a nightmare to a being like that.
Releasing the girl, he made sure his rod was ready. "Have you tried talking to your mom since coming to stay with your Dad?" However, at her cry, he immediately let go of the worm. "Hey, whoa, are you okay?"
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
The plight of the worm distracted the child from her own woes. It wasn't that its demise hurt her in any physical capacity, or even psychologicical, but seeing the little creature so callously shoved onto the sharp hook was shocking.
"You killed it!" she said accusingly, and stared at Saiden with her chin trembling. She wasn't crying, not quite, but it wasn't far from It either.
I am a princess on the way to my throne Destined to reign, destined to roam
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
At Seren's outburst, Saiden frowned. Very carefully, he set down his rod, though he still held the hook with the worm on it, which still wiggled slightly, not quite dead. "Aye. I did." He said it without judgment, though he sighed.
Glancing up, he pointed to one of the Hels circling overhead. "I killed it the same as a bird might scoop up this very same worm. So that it might live. The same way a shark would eat a fish. So that it might live too. The same way we humans eat animals, so that we might survive." Pausing, he looked back at the girl. "But we only take as much as we need. Just that much, and no more. Would you begrudge us for doing what we need to in order to live?"
Then he bent his head over the worm. "And we thank that which sustains us for its sacrifice." Taking a deep breath, he let it out with a sigh. "Thank you for your gift."
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
The girl struggled to accept what he said. Clasping the cloth of her plain dress between grubby fingers, she looked at the worm, and up at the birds flying overhead. She considered the fish they were supposed to catch, how he thanked the worm... but all she really saw was the way the little creature twitched, with the hook shoved brutally through its body.
And the words meant nothing, as her distraught little mind overloaded. The tears welled up in her eyes, and without preamble Seren began to cry. Unrestrained, unabashed, completely without regard for what he was trying to teach her.
"Poor wormy!" she sobbed, and turned to wobble off, half blinded by the tears. In a great rush of wings, Haai came swooping down.
I am a princess on the way to my throne Destined to reign, destined to roam
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
As Seren burst into tears, Saiden's heart clenched again. Immediately, he carefully lifted the worm off its hook. As it still wriggled weakly, he found a patch of dirt nearby and dug a hole. Placing the worm inside, he covered it, patting the earth once more to say it stayed in place.
Eying the griffin warily, the cook carefully reached out to try and give the girl a hug. Whether or not he was successful he made soothing noises. "Hey shhhh. It's alright. The worm is safe now, promise. It's back in the earth where it belongs." The words and tone were both soothing, and he would try to stroke her hair softly.
The griffin has been keeping tabs while Sunjata spent some time in the lighthouse above. A moment of attempting to get some peace while trying to deal with everything else that had gone on. Still, didn’t help his sour mood any, nor did it help the exhausted bags beneath his eyes. Nor did the sudden pang of protectiveness coming from the griffin, adding to an already bitter mood.
So he leaves the lighthouse, diving down from the cliff edge on wings of navy — scouting for the girl and following the griffin as she lands in a flurry of smoky breath and bared teeth. But Haai doesn’t do much, not with Sunjata approaching. Saiden reaches for Seren and Sunjata lands in his own flurry of navy wings, shifting into himself and approaching this absolute stranger.
Gaze flickering to Seren and the true upset, his stormy gaze narrows on Saiden. “Who are you?” A deep rumble, unimpressed, surprised that Seren had already forgotten the first rule about not talking to strangers — let alone leaving with them. He certainly doesn’t know this man.
burn your bridges, and leave no witnesses
all alone inside your busy head
SUNJATA
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.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
The arms reaching for her were unfamiliar, but the tall, dark figure of Sunjata was not. So when he appeared in a flurry of wings, it was to him the girl went, arms outstretched in a desperate plea for comfort.
What did cooties mean when the worm had been hurt and she was hurting with it? When she was crying and nothing in the world was quite right.
This fun adventure really wasn't all that fun anymore.
I am a princess on the way to my throne Destined to reign, destined to roam
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
As the strange man approached, Saiden's eyes narrowed. Rising to his feet, he put on hand on the hilt of his sword. His mind reached out to the water right next to him. It came at his call, swirling around him, caressing his body like a lover. His expression had grown hard and unyielding and he stared directly at the other man.
Only the way Seren reached for the stranger stilled the cook's hand and his magic. "Saiden Hali. Who are you?" The words we just as unimpressed and deep as the other man's. The Hali drew himself up to his full height, not willing to let the girl go off until he found out just who this stranger was.
Seren bolts toward him almost immediately, and he lets her encroach on his space — one hand lowering to rest at her shoulder and back to give her some small amount of comfort while he watches Saiden place his hand on his sword and call to water magic. His gaze narrows further, the magic panging those deep memories of Maea that he’s been trying so hard to avoid.
The name, however, sparks a different sort of memory. Haai moves to stand before him, teeth bared and a growl slipping from her throat. Sunjata, however, keeps his attention on Saiden. “Sunjata Senzaok.” He rumbles, shifting his gaze to drift along the other man. So this had been the man that Maea had grabbed a cloud manta with, whom she had granted a favor for without truly knowing what. His jaw clenches a small amount.
“What happened?” He asks, both to Seren and Saiden, though he tears his gaze from the man before him to look down at the sniffling girl.
burn your bridges, and leave no witnesses
all alone inside your busy head
SUNJATA
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.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
Clasping her little arms around Sunjata's leg, she pressed her face into the fabric of his pants and hid away. It wasn't the same as being picked up and held, like she really wanted to, but the hand that circled her back was big and warm and comforting all the same.
"He hurt the wormy!" she bawled, "and...and I forgot about home and I miss Mama!" It was a whole lot more to it, she felt, but the essence of it came across anyway.
Haai's growls made her flinch, and with some kind of desperate demand the child tugged on Sunjata's clothes, holding her arms up again. Needing to be saved from all these terrible things.
I am a princess on the way to my throne Destined to reign, destined to roam
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Saiden's nostrils flared. "Never heard of you." The water still swirled around him and he kept his hand on his sword. Ignoring the griffin, he kept his eyes trained on Sunjata.
Still, the way Seren slung to the other man continued to stay the cook's hand. "I came upon her wandering the beach. When I found out she was my brother-in-law Ronin's daughter, I decided to keep an eye on her." The words came out in an even tone. "She asked me to teach her to fish, and I made the mistake of using a worm as bait, which upset her."
Only then did the Hali glance towards the girl. "I'm sorry." It came out much more softly and kindly than his tone when speaking to Sunjata. Looking back at the other man, Saiden narrowed his eyes. "How do you know Seren?"
