Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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04-04-2020, 11:28 PM (This post was last modified: 04-04-2020, 11:31 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
and i knew how could she not
Aisha watched carefully as Oliver moved to the wall nearby and unlaced his boots. Her brown leather combats wouldn't be going anywhere. She wasn't that comfortable yet, despite allowing herself to relax her muscles she was still in the mindset to take off if she needed to. She was just a cautious person, it was nothing that he'd done. The boy sat across from her criss crossed, blanket in lap as if ready to give the latest gossip at the sleepover. Weird sleepover.
Tea and stew, "What kind of stew?" Was she interrogating him over soup? For sure! Did it feel necessary, also for sure. Perhaps she was delaying the imminent conversation, still trying to hold onto some doubt about the reality of the situation. Or maybe she just wanted to know what kinda of stew was boiling in the kitchen.
Oliver jumped right on in to the lore of the world. Her brows knitted almost as soon as he started, trying to focus and put together all that she could remember. The idea of Gods was nothing new to her, there were gods on her world too. However they didn't manifest in the plane of reality, they were more of spiritual symbols than deities. Some chose to believe, and others (like herself) chose to skim over the texts and do what they pleased.
It didn't occur to her at first that these gods, Ludo, Frey, Safrin, and the Voice were anything more than the gods of her world, just symbols and tales. But the way he made them out to seem so important, heck "equally as important as the races", made her believe that there was either something she was missing, or he was just very religious.
"And you believe in them?" she asked, twining her fingers in the silky fabric of the blanket.
It was weird that she decided to ask what was in the soup. Did Aisha seriously expect him to just bluntly go you know. Carrots and some arsenic. Even if he did do something like that, he wasn't just going to say it! Still, if it made her happy, then why not just tell her. "Well, it's some vegetables along with deer and rabbit meat. Also some spices like pepper and the usual." Really it's just 'whatever I can find stew'. Nothing special about it, but it tasted decently and filled the body.
The next thing she said was asking about the gods. This may be a lot and Oliver knew of people who came from worlds with only one god or maybe even none. There were numerous possibilities and each person would have their own unique challenges. "I do believe in them, I mean I've seen all three of those with my own eyes." Now, she was probably either going to believe him or think he was crazy. "Ludo is the one who helps transport the souls of those who have departed. Frey is our...sex god, to put it simply. Then Safrin really represents Life. She is a star-life goddess and she granted me the ability to shift into animals."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
The stew sounded good enough, it certainly ticked some of her boxes and thus she felt satisfied with her questioning. Spices especially, she loved spice. And so finally she had no more stew questions, and she replied in a nod and soft smile.
Aisha blinked at his response, certain she'd heard wrong. He had to be joking, she even gave an quietly uncertain and somewhat incredulous laugh as he started to explain them further. About halfway through his descriptions of the three she realized that maybe he wasn't kidding at all, that he at least believed what he said was true. She leaned in a bit, lips tugged upwards though her brows were furrowed down. "You're not kidding are you?" she asked, something so ironically farcical about it all that she couldn't feel surprised.
Maybe come morning she'd have more qualms with his claims, but for now all she could do was take it in and hug her blanket tight.
The laughing was shocking and reminded him greatly of his interactions with both Ingrid and Joshua. Was she laughing because she didn't believe him? Or because she thought it was hilarious that he believed this so passionately. Oliver still remained calm and finished up with what he had to say. A brief silence fell between the two of them before Aisha finally spoke.
It seems that she was finally coming to her senses. "Unfortunately, I cannot prove it to you at this time, nor will it be obvious at first." He let out a soft sigh and continued to tap his fingers on the blanket, now clearly getting a tad bit nervous. "Remember the races? Well, those are strongly tied to the gods. Accepted are loved by the Voice and the other ones I mentioned. Ascended are only liked by the Voice. Attuned are liked only by the other gods. And finally Abandoned are not favored by any. Sometimes the gods may answer, but they also hold great resentment." Hopefully she wouldn't laugh this time seeing as this was so important.
"When I first came, I was abandoned. Safrin was the first god to ever respond to me and she granted me my attuned status... if you pray to the gods, they may answer...but also they may not. The gods are very fickle, but I can promise you this: they are more real than you could ever imagine."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
It wasn't truly humor that she'd found in it all. It was more of a distressed laugh that had escaped her, as always she was trying to cope with the stress by blowing it off dryly. She wasn't pressing back against his assertions anymore, but her pride and perceived notions of reality were doing all they could to keep her from accepting them. Slowly even those fundamentals were being chipped away, for moments after she'd asked her next question the faint and somewhat waggish smile fell from her lips.
Oliver filled Aisha's head with such fantastic truths.
As he explained further she could see the gods in her mind. The way she imagined them they were bigger than life, glorious and glowing, all powerful. The idea that they would even think to tangle with mortal lives was still pretty unbelievable. Safrin granting Oliver more shifts, a god meant to shepherd mortals to the other side. As soon as she finished she let out the bitter thought that kept begging to be said.
"And if they are so real, and so powerful, and so involved, why can't they help me go home?" she asked.
It was a sad question, really. One that honestly, he didn't even really have the answer to. Did the gods want them to leave? He had absolutely no idea, but there were a couple of things he was certain of. "This is... a lot more information than I would normally tell someone new? Because it's ... fuck, it is a lot of drama." Just before he could start talking, the kettle went off in the kitchen. Muttering a few curse words, Oliver stood up carefully and placed the blanket back down on the chair.
Scurrying into the kitchen, he'd take care to pour the tea into two mugs carefully, making sure to make the tea as flavorful as possible (which would be hard seeing as he still didn't have as many options as he'd like). Then, he'd prepare the stew. A regular sized bowl would be used for Aisha and then a much smaller one for him, seeing as he really wasn't all that hungry. Each one was placed onto a tray and he carried it back in. "Sorry, you can take them whenever you'd like." He placed the tray down on the table between them and proceeded to move his own stuff closer to him.
With the stew in hand, Oliver sat back down on the couch and sighed. "Alright, back to whatever I was saying...." It took him a moment to remember, blinking and nodding to himself before he continued on. "Basically... The Voice brought you here. The Voice is also... responsible for a war that happened some three hundred years ago. The Gods chose to trap her in a dome here, seeing as she was trying to directly attack them. Eventually, that dome fell and now, she is allowed to do whatever she wants. The Gods are not a fan of the Voice and what she does and are incapable of bringing you back... but that doesn't mean they are powerless." Hopefully that would at least explain a bit. It wasn't that they didn't want to: The Voice was at fault and the Gods couldn't really do much.
"The Gods are welcoming of Outlanders, don't worry. They can grant you many things, but they should also be respected."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Oliver started to answer, and she could tell he didn't quite know how. He was cut off by the whistling kettle, and after muttering a couple words under his breath he hurried off. Being alone once more, only moments ago on the edge of her seat feeling hot blooded and frustrated again, she tried again to relax. This was a lot, like he said, drama. She couldn't go letting herself get too flustered, that helped no one.
And having caught Oliver for the first time without an answer she realized that they weren't all that different. He may have 'met the gods' and had magic, but he too was brought here, and was apparently still learning. He'd done a lot for her so far, and hadn't once been cruel. This wasn't exactly trust yet, but she felt a warm appreciation, and a stab of guilt for taking the guy for granted.
When he returned the blonde girl had collected herself some, enough to get out an apology. "Hey umm.. thank you, by the way. I'm trying my best but I'm sure I haven't been the most grateful so... thank you." She hated apologizing, and tried to avoid it at most times. But right now she'd come to think of Oliver as somewhat of an ally, at least for now, and he was all she had. Not that they'd known each other for more than a night, but circumstances considered, normal timelines couldn't really apply to their relationship.
She reached for the stew first, tapping the sides of the bowl a couple times to check if it was hot, then brought it into her lap. She took her first few bites as he went into detail about The Voice and how she'd brought her, but the other gods couldn't send her back. They were on opposing sides, and Aisha was quick to favor the others over the bitch who'd trapped them.
"So the Voice and the other three don't like each other," and we have to suffer for it? was what she thought ruefully but refrained from saying, "and the other three like people like you and me? Shifters I mean, or attuned or something." She was trying to clarify and summarize what he'd said that applied to her. "And outlanders are people who were taken?" This question raised another in her head, who are the people who already lived here?
Once Oliver had returned to the room, Aisha was in the same location. Good. He hadn't completely scared her off. It seems even more that he had done something right, since she proceeded to apologize to him. His eyes widened slightly with raised eyebrows. "Hey, it's all good. No need to feel bad or anything." Oliver wasn't sure if she felt bad, but he had to reassure her that all was well. "All of those who come here have to deal with this... you absolutely aren't alone and I don't blame you for how you've felt or acted." She really was fine. Yeah, she hadn't been the most open, but Oliver also understood it. Besides, she wasn't anywhere close to the worse people he had met since arriving.
There was a bit of time before Aisha seemed to feel safe enough to eat the soup, but again, Oliver didn't blame her. Instead, he merely took a sip of his tea and waited. Aisha was quick to continue on, asking him more questions and searching for more information. It was a good thing and hopefully would mean that she wouldn't be led down the wrong path. One thing did visibly surprise him, but he soon relaxed. So she was absolutely an attuned, or a shifter. Well, if she was before in her original realm, than she most likely was here. It was probably good that she came here with that figured out and familiar to her, it would be easier to transition then.
"Yes to... all of those questions. The Voice tried to have an uprising against the old gods, and thus, they do not like her nor the ascended. The old gods, or the three I mentioned, like attuned and accepted, or us and those without any super fancy abilities." That was... probably the easiest way to describe the accepted. She could find out the smaller details eventually, but he might as well try to keep things as simple as he could for the time being. "Those who were born here are called Naturals, while you and I are called Outlanders. Don't take it to heart if any Naturals judge you or call you one... some of the Outlanders can be a bit- uh... Disrespectful, to put it nicely." Many refused to take the new customs into consideration, were mad at others for not understanding things from different worlds, and simply being ignorant to the feelings of those who have lived here for so many years.
"With time, you will probably meet a lot more people. It's important to remember that we don't all have the same experiences and we come from completely different worlds." Speaking of which, he did have an important question for you. "Would you like to explain your old world so that I may better help figure out how to acclimate you to the differences? Or should I just try to describe the parts that may be most different for you?" Two options. Either she could open up with him or he could be vague and hopefully cover all grounds.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
04-08-2020, 02:06 PM (This post was last modified: 04-08-2020, 02:07 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
and i knew how could she not
Oliver's reassurance left her feeling satisfied with her decision, she nodded and gave a small smile in response. From there they quickly moved on to the questions, a milestone on her part considering they were the first direct and informed questions that didn't have some sort of bitter sass behind them. She noted his surprise when she referred to them both as attuned. That was definitely something to get used to for sure, that some people were null of shifts.
Maybe even more than some, the way he kept describing shifting as a super fancy ability. At that she chose to ask, "So can most people not shift? Are we like uncommon or something?"
Oliver cleared up her other question about 'outlanders', confirming that there were people who already lived here. She couldn't be mad at these naturals for judging her, considering random people from different worlds were just dropping out of the sky on them. She would've been pissed as fuck if she had to deal with it on her world! None of this however is to say that if someone did get an attitude with her, that she'd let it slide without firing back.
She gave another nod in response to his explanation, naturals and outlanders seemed pretty self explanatory. Oliver's advice about keeping an open mind elicited a sarcastic huff from her, "No kidding," she replied, "completely different worlds" seemed like an understatement.
Oliver asked if she wanted to describe her world some, so he could better explain the differences. Aisha didn't necessarily want to go into it, but it's not like keeping quiet would help much. She settled her bowl of stew into her lap, reaching her palm up to run her fingers through her hair with a sigh. "Well," she started, trying to decide how to begin.
"Where I'm from everybody can shift. And we have gods but they aren't," how to put it, "real you know. Like nobody's seen em." Aisha didn't know what else to describe, it was hard to pick and choose what features of her life would be deemed important or different from her future. "I don't know it was normal. There were people and animals and plants and," she gestured out around her at the room, then down at the bowl in her lap, "you know, stew."
"But it was also nothing like this, I don't know how to describe it. Even though... even though it all seems like the real- I mean my world, I can feel that it isn't." After finishing her little vent she let out a deep breath. That had felt good, scary to admit her troubles, but good all the same.
That....was a question he had never heard of before, nor did he really think too much about it. How was he supposed to describe this? "I mean... not really? Okay, think of Caido like... the stew I gave you. There's a relatively even amount of each thing, yeah? That's what the races are like. No, it's not perfectly even, but you could roughly estimate that a certain portion of the population are attuned." Honestly, he wasn't sure, but the attuned certainly weren't rare or uncommon. "I'd say, a majority cannot shift, but they also have their own special abilities." That was hopefully the answer she was looking for and if not? Well, he had dried up the old brain and had no more answers concerning that question.
Drinking down the tea, Oliver placed his empty cup back on the table in front of him and listened to her speak. It made him happy to know she felt comfortable enough to speak about her own world. It was absolutely progress and hopefully would be a major step in the right direction. Once she had seemingly finished, he offered her a soft smile before speaking. "Honestly? Mine was... kinda like yours. We couldn't shift, but our gods were much the same. They weren't anything close to what we have here. It took me a lot of adapting and even when I tried to learn a lot, I still had a bad run in with a god." He wasn't going to go into details, but he would confirm if she asked that he was fine now.
"It will take time... but I can assure you that you will find the right god for you. Most of the time, you wont get along with all three, but I can tell you that one will be the right fit." Seeing as Frey really didn't like him and Safrin was the opposite, Oliver was certainly a testament to that statement. "I can describe them to you? If you'd like?"
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Aisha glanced back to her stew when he used it as an analogy, then brought up a spoonful to her mouth. It was a soothing flavor, the meat and the spices and the warmth, and it calmed the nerves bit by bit. Oliver had answered her question enough as well. While it wasn't at all a comfort to know that only a portion of the people she met would be like her, it did make her feel a little special, in a weird way. Her ego straightened it's dulling crown.
"Gotcha," she replied with a nod, holding her hands on the clay pottery of the bowl, warming her cold finger tips. Oliver's companionable response to her little rant of an explanation was another comfort. He didn't talk that different than her, they had a similar cadence and usage of words. And now come to think of it, they spoke the same language. That seemed odd, and she was curious about it, but perhaps a question for the future.
"What happened?" she asked in response to him mentioning a bad run in with a god. He'd told her what kind of good the gods had done for him, but she felt it might be helpful to know the bad too. She wanted to know what to expect, if she were to stay here indefinitely.
Next he gave more reassurance, then asked if she'd like for him to go in further depth about the gods. "Go for it," she replied, sitting back as she prepared for a lesson.
Aisha's fire had started to dwindle. Possibly she was tired or he had been properly answering her questions and worries. Hopefully it would be the latter and that she would soon be able to relax and maybe even get a good nights sleep... hah. As if.
It isn't really surprising when she asks for more information. Everyone loves drama and honestly, he could probably tell her a lot of it without revealing what the curse truly entailed. Why not. It may get another person towards the side of Safrin. "Alright... so I will admit, I was a little dick. I... had misguided views and wasn't exactly the smartest." Saying that straight up so Frey didn't smite him? Yep. "I went to Frey to ask for advice on some feelings I had for a guy- or really, I wanted Frey to fix me... and so Frey gave me a curse because I wasted their time and I was being immature." Welp, hopefully Aisha could read the tone of the room and could tell that she really shouldn't ask what the curse was. "I'm better now, thanks to Safrin... but fuck was it annoying.". Annoying, mortifying, embarrassing, inconvenient... lonely. A lot of words could describe the way his curse made him feel, but thankfully he was fixed now.
There was a sense of joy in his eyes when he was given the go-ahead to describe the gods. Finally, something that wasn't about his failures! "Okay... first I'll talk about Ludo. Ludo, well, you cant really see It's face. It has this big cloak and while it may look a bit intimidating, it absolutely loves games and playing around. Very playful, but you should still respect it." There wasn't much to say when Oliver had only seen the god, hadn't even spoken to Ludo. "Next is Frey... Frey will appear as whatever you find to be the most attractive, typically... the most sexually attractive." With a clear of his throat and a light pink hue to his cheeks, Oliver continued on. There wasn't anything else to say, nope.
"Finally is Safrin... Safrin is... well, beautiful. She looks like a human personification of the night sky. With beautiful eyes, a radiating smile... and she just looks fantastic. She can be stern, but she can also help knock some sense into you. She's smart, brilliant and-" His eyes widened softly and he offered her a sheepish smile. "Sorry- she's very pretty." And he had gone off on a tangent that didn't even have to do with her looks. Great job Oliver, looking like a real nice guy.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
Aisha gave Oliver her undivided attention when he began his recount. His little preface brought a faint smile to her lips, it really felt as though she was getting the latest gossip. Needless to say, the blonde before her was growing on her. With his familiar tune and kind disposition, he was in every bit the person she'd needed to meet upon entering this strange new world.
So the god Frey had cursed him because he'd wasted their time? Yikes. Frankly she wondered why the god had even shown up to entertain him in the first place, hadn't they wasted their own time? Maybe someday she'd find out for herself how fickle they could be, or how giving.
She did desperately want to know what the curse was, especially given how hard he'd tried to skirt around it. Now wasn't the time to ask, but if things worked out the way they seemed and she got more acquainted with him, she would definitely bug an answer out of him in the future. "Damn," she said with raised brows, "don't chit chat with the gods, got it."
Aisha could see the excitement in his eyes when she gave him a chance to detail the gods. Most of what she'd learned of this world thus far was about them, he clearly admired them. She carried no qualms to that, her host could tell her whatever he wanted, she needed to learn it all. Oliver chose to describe their forms, as he spoke her mind began to build portraits of how she imagined them. Ludo, a reaper and Frey, a nymph. Not how she'd originally pictured gods, but intriguing enough and easier to place their names to their forms and powers.
Safrin he went into far more detail about, obviously she was his patron. A shade of amusement lit in her eyes as he came down from his excited expressions, offering her an apology. "No it's all good, she sounds hot." Was that humor? The normal Aisha was starting to make appearances, in all her impish charms. Nice work Ollie!
It was often harsh dealing with the gods, but Oliver was fine with it. As long as he was able to help others avoid mistakes similar to his, then he'd be able to live with the small curses he was given. So what if he had a wooden dick, so long as Aisha was able to better herself and avoid something far worse, why not? "Yes.... Safrin especially told me not to chit-chat and to tell others to avoid it. She will gladly listen to you, yes, but she also wants you to spend her time wisely. She is wise and powerful and should be respected, as should all of the other gods." Oliver had learned that over time and now, he was going to be far more careful with his requests directed towards the gods. While he did want some things, he planned on waiting until he knew for sure that they were worth asking for.
There is a quirk of Oliver's lips after he finishes saying everything and Aisha makes her remark. "Oh no. Safrin is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not really attracted to girls, but I think Safrin is- honestly? One of the most beautiful beings I have ever seen." Not really attracted to girls was an understatement. Oliver had no interest in dating one nor did he really want any sexual relations with any, but he would always be able to admit that girls? They were extremely pretty and beautiful. "Frey was as well seeing as, you know, they appear as what you find to be most attractive. Ludo... doesn't have a face." He wasn't going to discredit Ludo... but also the god didn't really look like anything. Sorry Ludo.
"Honestly, it really does depend on who you are. I know people who are beloved by Frey and Ludo and ones who are despised by Safrin. It's all about discovery and figuring out where you fall." That way, she wouldn't feel bad if something went wrong. Hopefully Aisha would eventually be able to find the perfect god for her. "I do recommend Safrin first, though." Hopefully Safrin would hear his praises because fuck was he talking about her probably way too much.
"Now that that's out of the way, do you want to know anything in specific? I'm sure you have a lot more questions."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
