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
Still reeling in shock, Seren watched her uncle's frantic attempts at saving her picture. She loved him for the serious effort. For the magic he used. For the way he so casually demonstrated the varied uses a knife might have - she wanted one too, now - and for not laughing, or commisserating, or even saying anything, really.
She didn't even cry. Just blinked in wide-eyed astonishment at how most of the disaster was removed, leaving only a moderate mess, rather than utter ruin. Quietly, seriously, without a word, Seren held out her hands to accept the painting back when he was done.
To stare at it, and see how she might salvage this.
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.
Unfortunately, Saiden wasn't able to salvage the painting entirely. As Seren reached for it, he handed it over almost gingerly, watching her carefully. When she didn't say anything or react much at all, he tried to smile at her.
"You know..." It came out softly, and tentatively. "Sometimes, what we think is a mistake is actually beautiful when looked at from another angle." He gestured at her painting. "Take this. Before, it was truly, truly wonderful. But now? It looks like life itself: a little messy, sure, but beautiful all the same." And with that, he tipped the blue paint over onto his painting. "And see? They match." With that, he went about scraping the excess paint from his own paper.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
Looking up, the little girl met his eyes with a grave expression. Perhaps there was a small pout about her lips, because her original plan was ruined now. But as he spoke, she looked down on the painting, and took his words quite literal by twisting the paper, and turning it. That he soiled his own painting definitely helped too - it wasn't strictly necessary, because she wasn't even near throwing a tantrum over this - but being similar was still very much preferable.
Setting the paper down, and actually standing up on the chair to look at it, the girl seemed to come up with another idea. "I need purple," she declared, with all the regal dignity of a little queen. "And more blue."
Maybe she could salvage this yet. If she couldn't make one star for her sister, then perhaps she would just have to make a whole nebula.
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 began to turn her paper around and around, Saiden laughed good-naturedly. Nodding at her request, he slid what was left of the blue over to her and snagged the purple as well. "As you wish." For his own part, he took the cream colored paint and began to mute the blue in the center of his painting as best he could.
When he had done as best he could with that, he returned to the outer edges, finished his alternating blacks and browns. That done, he pulled out some wire. Grabbing two longer pieces and two shorter ones, he twisted the shorter piece around the end of the longer one, making a sort of trident shape. The pointy ends were coated in black, while the main part of it was covered in more of that whitish cream color.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
With the new colors, Seren returned to the deep focus of before. Once again she was humming while she worked, little bits and pieces of melody that didn't really sound like anything. Focusing on the blue, she let it invade the bright center of her once-star, and made clouds and strange shapes take form on the paper. Followed up by purples, and more gold, until the whole piece seemed to churn and roil - a silent storm brewing on a starry horizon.
Seren was of course no expect painter, just a kid. The only remarkable about her artistry was the accurate depiction of the scenery, and perhaps the patience she put into it. All in all, when the piece was once again declared "Done!" it was more an introduction of herself than an attempt to represent her star-sister. Stars in her bones, Safrin had once said, and perhaps they were swirling in her soul too. Like a nebula, waiting for the right conditions to spring into being.
Looking up, Seren saw that Saiden had moved on to something else, and watched him curiously. "What is that for?" she asked.
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 had been so wrapped up in his own work that he hadn't realized Seren was finished until she announced it. Looking up, he grinned at the scene she showed him. "That's gorgeous. See? Sometimes what we think is a mistake is just an opportunity waiting to happen." He nodded sagely at her, as if this was some great piece of advice.
Smiling mischievously at her, he set the metal aside for now, picking up a smaller piece of paper in the meantime. "I told you, it's a surprise." Setting the paper aside, he put his hands on his hips, uncaring (or unknowing) that he left paint behind there too. "What do you think we should do next for your lantern?"
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
She pouted at him for being secretive, but didn't push it. He praised her, after all, so she was in a forgiving mood.
Holding up her painting, the girl considered the question. She didn't really know how to make a lantern, hadn't thought anything beyond making a pretty star.
"It needs to be like this," she told him, and bent the image into a tube, lengthwise. "And... it needs a candle. How do I do that?" She looked hopefully at him, clearly expecting some brilliant suggestion.
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.
Simply grinning in response to Seren's pout, Saiden watched her fold the paper into a tube. Nodding thoughtfully, he grabbed some more wire and some adhesive. "May I?" Gesturing at the paper, he would very carefully take it from her hands.
"This is what the wire is for." He held it up for her. Eyeballing the circumference of the tube, he set the paper down for a moment. "We're going to shape it the way we want it, then fix the paper to it. Then, we can use the rest of the wire to make a holder for the candle." Smiling, he started twisting the wire into the shape she'd indicated, though he glanced at her in case she had questions.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
She generously handed him the paper, and watched with interest how he studied it, then measured out the wire and began to shape it. The girl loved learning, and it showed. Though she didn't exactly sit still on her chair, the focus was there, unwavering and almost hungry.
There were no questions though, just attentive study of how he did things. After a while, Seren pointed at the coil of unwrapped wire. "Can I try?" she asked, eager but still polite about 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.
When Saiden realized how closely Seren was watching his movements, he shifted so the wire was a little more visible to her and what he was doing was more obvious. Unsurprisingly, she asked if she could try, and he nodded. "Go right ahead." He gestured for her to take what she wanted from the pile.
Watching her out of one eye, he picked up some more wire. Taking one long and one medium piece, he crossed them. Twisting the medium one around the longer one, he curved both slightly, so there were two arcs of wire perpendicular to one another. That task done, he picked up the smaller piece of paper he'd grabbed earlier. He started to paint one corner of it black.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
She wasn't shy about grabbing the tools, and with her little face twisted in concentration, the girl tried to mimic what Saiden was doing. It was hard. The wires twisted in her hands. Moved in ways she didn't expect, and slipped away unexpectedly. It didn't help that she only had a basic idea of what she was doing.
It came out more like a coil of serpents than actual frames for a lantern. Displeased, she stared at it. Then, with startling determination, she uncoiled it all and started over. And again, until her attempt at least resembled what Saiden held in his hands.
Then she set it all down, and watched again what he was doing. Ready to parrot, or at least follow instructions.
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 gamely kept at it, Saiden made encouraging noises and nodded. When she presented her work, he grinned. "Very good!" Setting down his own square of paper, he picked up her paper. Very carefully, he rolled it in a tube around the outside of the wire cage she'd made. "Looks good to me. Does that look good to you?" His tone was excited.
Holding her paper carefully in one hand, he used his other hand to paint small golden circles equally spaced on his own paper. In the center of those circles, he put even smaller black circles. Leaning back, he examined his handiwork briefly before returning his attention to the girl.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
It wasn't as good as it could have been, but Seren could accept it. And the way Saiden wrapped her paper around the frame did match what she thought it should look like, so she nodded. "Yes!" she agreed. This way, the very top and the very bottom were pure midnight, and the nebulous clouds coiled and swelled around the center of the lantern.
"What about the candle?" she asked. Keeping an eye on what he was doing, she bit her lip to keep from asking about it. A secret was a secret, even when it annoyed her to no end.
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.
Smiling as Seren agreed that it worked for her, Saiden nodded. "Great! So now we glue the paper to the wire." As she asked about the candle, he grinned. "Let me show you." With that, he set his paper aside for now.
Reaching for more wire, he pulled out two pieces. Lifting up the frame he'd made earlier for her lantern, before she'd decided to make her own, he twisted one piece on either side. "We're going to fix a piece of wire to either side. Then we're going to take these ends," he wiggled the free ends of the wire, "and loop it around a holder for the candle." He picked up said holder, and wrapped the wires around it tightly enough that it wouldn't wobble.
He took out another candle holder and held it out for her. "Your turn."
