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!
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Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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Saiden just shrugged at Delta's response. "You're welcome." Honestly, getting her on and off the ship would've probably been a hassle, so it was just as well she turned down his offer.
"What are they like?" His voice was genuinely curious, and he gazed down at her with a wondering look. "What's it like living in the sea?" Again, there was something deeply intrigued about the possibility.
Then he looked at her questioningly once again. "Would you like to be able to learn more about boats?" It was a slight offer, one that would cost him little.
Laughing a bit, he nodded. "Aye, I'm a fisherman. Among other things." He slid his fingers together. "How about you? What do you do?"
It wouldn't be fun for either of them to get Delta on the ship... could she even get on a ship safely? That was a question for another day when she actually felt safe (and maybe if her father was around). Curiosity was one thing, being potentially killed was another. This man seemed kind, but Delta didn't know nearly enough about him to feel safe. A beached mermaid was often a dead one.
Thinking for a moment, Delta tilted her head to the side. "Well... the boats aren't nearly as pretty as this... but they still are beautiful. It has a different kind of beauty. There's kind of a ghostly feeling to them. There's often holes and sometimes the ship is falling apart. The water really impacts it. Sea creatures take it over and turn it into their new home... and there's also often things to find in there, whether good or bad." There were many things Delta had found within the ships that had been lost at sea. Sometimes she found cool things... but other times there were sailors, forced to succumb to the icy depths of the water. It was a sad reality and she always tried to say a prayer for them, hoping that their souls had safely reached Mort.
Shaking away those thoughts, she scrunched up her nose. "The sea is pretty. It's so open. Unlike you guys, we aren't forced to just walk on one level... we can go so far and everywhere... but also like you guys, we cant do both land and sea... only sea." It was a hard reality, but not a bad one. The sea was vast and beautiful and Delta would always return to it, despite her deep interests in the land above.
"if you're willing to teach me more about boats, I'd love to learn more." After all, she mostly learned through looking at sunk ones.
There was something about Saiden's response that left Delta with far more questions. "I don't really have a job myself. I kind of just... explore. I like to see things and find things. You'd be surprised what people throw into the water." her voice trailed off before she finally spoke the nagging thought that was invading her mind. "What are the other things you do?"
04-20-2020, 01:48 AM (This post was last modified: 04-20-2020, 01:48 AM by Saiden.)
just take your time wherever you go
Smiling at Delta's description, Saiden patted the side of the boat again. "I think the ships would be glad to know they had a second life." Then his smile deepened. "And I'm glad to know they're more than wrecks."
Humming thoughtfully at her words about living in the sea, he grinned. "Maybe you can show me a little bit of your home some day." However, it wasn't insistent, and he wasn't prepared to venture into the deeps today.
Laughing, he nodded. "What would you like to know?" Leaning over the railing a bit further, he gave her a curious look. "What kinds of things do you pick up?" Laughing again at her questions about his work, he shrugged. "I sail a bit. I'm mostly a ship's cook though."
Over time, Delta was beginning to realize that this man was far more interesting than Loren. There was a certain... spunk to him. While Loren tried to be professional and like a real gentleman... and it was hard to tell if that was who he truly was or if this was merely an act. He wasn't bad, not really, just far less interesting than Saiden. Maybe it was the way Saiden got excited... but something about him really intrigued Delta.
She didn't quite understand why he referred to the boats as if they were living creatures. Was that a normal thing to do? Were the boats magical and sentient? Delta really had no idea. "They're both beautiful but also sad... it's nice to see what one looks like before it can be destroyed by the water." Her eyes glimmer as she reaches up to touch the same part of the boat the Saiden had touched... or at least she tried to.
His request or statement of interest is a unique one. "I cant take you to my home... but I could certainly try to show you some of the really pretty things here... but don't you need to breathe? I'm not sure if you'd be able to see much before you have to go back for air." Perhaps there was some sort of magic that could be used to grant Saiden the ability to join her under water. So long as he didn't see too much of their civilization, it should be fine. Maybe someday he'd be able to see her home, but right now it wasn't safe.
There is a light hum, "I'm not sure...how long does it take to build a boat? And how do you keep it nice and pretty and not hurt by the water?" This was something that really interested her. She had seen the destroyed boats, so how did the ones that weren't destroyed, well, not destroyed?
And he finally asked something that made her extremely excited. "Well. I sometimes find stuff that's obviously disposed of for a purpose... weapons and stuff. It's silly, really. Why dispose of something in water, we are most likely going to find it eventually." She playfully rolls her eyes, clearly not understanding why someone would foolishly toss something overboard on purpose. "I've also found things where I cant tell if it were on purpose or not. They're often so beautiful... and it leaves many questions. Like rings and stuff. I find many rings and each one leaves behind an unknown story." She loved finding rings and just imagining what might've happened. It's especially fun when she tries to find similar ones to see if they were made by the same maker or possibly belonged to the same person. "I love just... learning more? I wish I knew the full story of everything I found... I sometimes know, like if a ship wrecked... but then it feels wrong to steal from the dead..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes shift to the side, clearly unsure of how to complete her sentence or continue to speak about that thing in particular.
Looking back at Saiden, her face was softer and she was no longer smiling. "What does your ship do?"
"I've only seen shipwrecks that are close to the surface." The admission cost Saiden nothing, and he smiled at Delta's offer to show off some of the deep wrecks. "There are ways to breathe underwater. If I acquire one, you'd show me what it's like underwater?" Communication might be an issue, but he found himself excited about the prospect regardless.
Shrugging, he ran his hands along the railing. "Depends on the size of the boat and how many people you've got working on it. Smaller ones, relatively quickly. A few months. Larger ones can take years." He paused to let that information sink in. "We coat them with special substances to make them waterproof. And then we clean them. A lot." Laughing, he winked playfully down at her.
Listening to her explanation, he hummed thoughtfully. "I reckon the dead don't mind, what with being in Mort's realm and all." Patting the side of the boat, he added, "And sometimes people toss things they don't want around anymore for some reason. Occasionally, it's a memorial to someone lost at sea." There were all sorts of odd customs, and few of them involved thinking about what a mermaid might stumble upon.
Glancing around at the ship he was on he arched an eyebrow. "This is just a simple fisherman's boat." However, he was a bit confused about which ship she was talking about.
"Surface shipwrecks? How does that work?" How does a boat just get onto land? Does the sailor just crash it into the sand and get it stuck? What a silly thing to do. "And yeah, I'll show you underwater. I think everyone deserves to be able to see what it looks like... it's really beautiful." Maybe there'd be a lot less pain and fighting in the world if everyone else got to see just how beautiful going underwater was.
Tilting her head, a lot of what Saiden said made Delta feel better... but what about that last part? "Is it wrong then that I've been looking for things lost in the water? Sometimes I just keep them the way they are, but other times, when they're broken, I sometimes try to make new stuff." Her eyes skated off to the side before she lifted her wrist above the water. On it were two, silver bracelets. "These two I found. I added beads to them that I found separately." Just so he could get a better idea.
So maybe she should've been a tad bit more clear. That mistake was on her. "I meant the other boat. The one you cook on. Is it also a fish boat?" What kind of fish needed a boat big enough to require a live in chef? It sounded like one that made voyages, which seemed odd for a fish boat to do.
Saiden laughed at Delta's confusion. "Not quite the surface, but sometimes there are rocks in shallow waters and navigators can steer a ship right into them." There was a wry tone to his voice, as that was exactly what had happened to the Siren's Call. Grinning at her offer to take him underwater, he leaned towards her a bit. "Looking forward to it."
Shaking his head at her question, he smiled. "It's not wrong. The people throwing them away don't have a use for them anymore. Besides, finders keepers." Tone amused, he peered at the bracelets. "Those are pretty." His voice was admiring.
Grinning at her question, he spread his arms out a bit on the railing. "It's a galleon. One of the biggest ships out there, for sure. It's got a huge crew, and they need to be fed on the long voyages it takes." His expression grew a bit mischievous. "It's definitely not a fishing boat."
Delta enjoyed learning, so while some may think it's boring to talk about rocks destroying a ship, Delta thinks it's one of the most interesting things she's heard all day. "Really? Can you fix a boat that was hurt by that? Or are boats not able to be fixed?" That was probably a silly question, but hey! She was allowed to ask stuff that she didn't know! And if not then Saiden simply wasn't worth her time.
This finders keepers thing is an interesting term and Delta nods, thinking over the phrase a few times. "So... it's okay if I keep looking for stuff? I don't want to offend any mouthbreathers." She says that as she calls Saiden a mouthbreather. Whoops. At least Saiden complimented her, which certainly earns a grin and a blush. "Thank you. I really like making them." She retracts her arm and places it back in the water, clearly proud of herself for what she created.
The moment Saiden said it was one of the biggest ships, Delta's eyes immediately lit up. She was visibly far more excited just based on her face alone. Looks like Saiden had said the magic words. "Would I be able to see this ship? What kind of ship is it? And what voyages do you go on?" Yes, she really needed to calm down, but how could she help herself! A big boat? One that wasn't sunk or destroyed? And not a fishing boat?! What other kinds of boats were there? Delta just had to know.
Saiden shrugged at Delta's next set of questions. "Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on the extent of the damage. While you could probably repair any boat, sometimes it's easier to start from scratch." Surprisingly, he found the mermaid easy to talk to.
Laughing, he nodded. "Aye it's okay to keep looking for stuff." Then he grinned. "Is that really what you call us?" He shook his head, clearly bemused by the term.
At the delighted expression on her face, he laughed again. "It's called the Ark. It's docked in the port right now, you can't miss it." Shrugging, he scratched his cheek idly. "As for whether you can see it, I guess that's up to you. And we go on all sorts of trips."
Tilting her head, Delta was still brought with even more questions. While some of it was understandable, other parts seemed completely illogical. "And what of the broken boats? Are they merely abandoned? Can you not find better usage for them?" It sounded so wasteful and rude. To tear down trees, use the boat a couple of times, and then dump the boat in the water. Why not use the boat for something else?
Saiden seemed interested in the name she called him. Was it rude? Possibly. Nodding, Delta responded as truthfully as possible. "Yes, we have lots of names for you. I mean, you do breath through your mouth, yes? Is the name not correct? Same for legwalkers. You use legs to walk." She was clearly trying to understand why the name may seem weird and hopefully Saiden wouldn't be upset by it.
The port was hard to visit, what if so many boats and anchors and often fish nets... but maybe she could journey closer and inspect the ships a bit more. It just sounded too risky. Meeting one or two people was fine, but having dozens of people all staring at her? It sounded... overwhelming. "What's the coolest place you've visited? Or farthest you've gone? Have you ever brought back anything super unique and interesting?" Ah yes, finally talking about what she was truly interested in. Or not really truly. Delta loved hearing stories, but often, stories could be fabricated. It was important to have an item to go along with it. Besides, having physical things helped and Delta loved collecting items.
Shrugging, Saiden rubbed his chin. "Aye they're abandoned, mostly. Salvaging the materials usually isn't worth the cost, and it's pretty risky too. After all, trying to get another boat close enough means you're close to the rocks again, and you could have another wreck even if you're careful." He wasn't an expert, but he was giving Delta the best information he had.
Arching an eyebrow, he nodded. "I mean, yes, but how would you feel if I called you tail swimmers? And aren't you breathing through your mouth right now?" His confusion was evident.
Scratching the top of his head now, he frowned slightly. "I've traveled to some lands that were totally frozen. That was interesting. And I've brought back a statue from a jungle that was incredibly creepy." He laughed. "That was in my old world though."
That was so unfortunate! How could these people be so... careless?! "isn't it wrong? To just... leave the boats in our waters?" Delta thought that the mermaids deserved an apology. Dumping what they perceived to be as trash just because it would be too hard to get it out? It was aggravating. "Cant we work together? We can swim out to the rocks during high tide- so maybe we could bring the pieces to the boats." Delta would surely help to cleanse the water of damaged boats. "Sometimes it's good... but when there's a pile up, I cant imagine what it would do to our world." The coral and all the smaller species could be destroyed... it sounded awful and Delta didn't even want to think about it deeply.
Sadly for Saiden, Delta was fine with the name. "it's true though, I do swim with a tail, but, if you wish for me to not call you that then I can." She had plenty of names to call Saiden and his people. Leg Walker. Land Walker. Mouth Breather. Tons of names, but if Saiden didn't like them then fine. No names. Also she was just going to ignore that last part. Yep.
Saiden's story sounded... kind of similar to another fellow Delta had met. "Did you come through a portal too?" How many portals were there? "Where is the statue? Is it back in your old world?"
Saiden frowned at Delta. "It's not like we do it on purpose. No captain ever wants his ship to get wrecked." Indeed, his own expression grew sad as he remembered losing the Siren's Call.
Shaking his head at her offer, he sighed. "I'm telling you, trying to remove them would just end up causing more wrecks." He was quite firm about that. "You would never find a captain willing to risk it anyway." Again, there was no doubt about that.
Smiling now, he shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I was just confused. Call us what you like." Honestly, he didn't love the name, but he figured he'd upset her enough, and it's not like he could control what she called him out of earshot.
Nodding, he grinned. "Yes and yes." Admitting that cost him nothing.
Saiden was almost adamant about this boat thing. There were no real apologies now as Saiden was fully defending the captains. It was a not so great thing to do. The captains should be held responsible for their 'contributions' to the ocean. And clearly, there would be zero effort to try and clean it up, even when Delta offered her help. It was enough to cause the mermaid to frown, clearly unhappy with the responses given to her. "Fine... I understand." She sort of understood, but was she going to listen? Fuck no. Delta could just swim and clean it up herself. A boat would get stuck, but her? No. She would be fine.
At least there was something good seeing as Saiden was now fine with the new name he had received. "Perfect, but I will call you Saiden... since that is your name." He had a name, yes, but he was still a leg-walker.
It seemed that she was slowly meeting more individuals who had popped through portals. How interesting. "Did you arrive here when you came through the portal? How long ago did you come here?" More questions! Yay! "And your new ship- the crew, are they from here or are they from a portal?"
