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 girl looked interested at that. "Ooh, who? I met daddy and me and Delphia." But then she suddenly clamped her hands over the mouth, because her meeting with Mort's daughter was supposed to be a secret. Well, not so much the meeting, but rather the circumstances of it.
The second bird he summoned only attracted moderate interest. The seagull wasn't as colorful as the parrot, and it was clear her interest in that stemmed as much from the similarity to her idol pirate friend as from it being cute.
"Can you make a dragon come too?" she asked, mind immediately racing towards grander heights right away. Still, Seren petted the new bird too, just to be fair.
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.
Nodding, Loren smiled. "I've met Delphia too. Besides her there's Oia'i'o and Kaimana." He tripped a little on the strange names. "They're twin children of Rae. I'm sure they'd be excited to meet you." Very carefully, he refrained from adding 'and ask you too many intrusive questions.' He also very carefully failed to mention Wessex.
Hesitating for a moment, he nodded. "I can make a dragon come. But people get scared when they see dragons, so I think it'd be best if I did that somewhere more private. Maybe some other time?" Smiling apologetically at Seren, he gestured at the people walking by, most of whom had some mark of tragedy on them. As he explained, he had both birds fly away, around the corner and out of sight before dismissing them.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
Exclusions or no, she looked quite excited enough about the new additions. She tried - and failed - to pronounce Oia's name properly, and gave it up with a slight scowl. "I want to meet them too," she said.
It was perhaps a good thing that she had the strict orders to stay put, or the girl might have insisted on seeing the dragon now. "Okay," she sighed instead, letting herself be placated with another 'later'. "Promise?" she added, just in case; it felt best to be on the safe side with this person. He was a bit wishy washy on their friendship status.
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.
Not particularly worried about Seren meeting the children of Rae, Loren smiled and nodded. "I'm sure they'll be around. They seem to like to study new things, and you're new aren't you?" Strangely enough, is voice came out enthusiastically.
Pausing, he finally nodded. "So long as it's okay with your caregivers, I promise." He held out one hand, and poked out his pinky. "In fact, I pinky promise." Speaking in a solemn tone, he gestured for her to hook her pinky around his.
Regardless of what she did, he'd let his hand fall back into his lap after. "You're still going to ask your mom about a dragon friend, right?"
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
Was she new? Or was she the product of some purpose that had always been intended? A storm left to brew on the horizon for a long time, before it had been unleashed upon the world? Sometimes, the stardust soul inside her felt much too old for the body it was hosted within, and something about that reflected in the look she gave him. Very blue, unfathomable and deep... then she blinked and smiled, laughing as she nodded.
Only a child. One who didn't realize just how hard it might be to get permission from her father to even come near this person. Her pinky was very small as it hooked around Loren's finger, and the hope and faith in her smile very innocent indeed. "I will ask!"
When he let go, Seren settled back down properly inside the threshold. "Mmhmm! I want to see Mama, so I will ask her to help me." Again, talking about Safrin brought a deep longing to the childs face, and she couldn't help the almost painful sigh. It had been so very long now...
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.
Loren met Seren's gaze directly. Maybe someone else would've been perturbed by her, but he'd never had a childhood of his own, and so he was used to kids who looked far older than their age. When she laughed, he let out a huff of his own laughter.
Nodding as she agreed to ask, he hooked his pinky around hers. At the forlorn expression on her face, though, his heart broke a little. "I'm sure she misses you too." Tentatively, he reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder. "Have you thought about what else you're going to tell your mom, besides asking for a dragon?" He lowered his hand back to his lap.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
Her shoulder was small and the raven curls that tumbled about it very soft. She thrived on closeness, on physical contact, hugs and cuddles, so the gesture was well received.
Alas, the question only made her expression turn more troubled. Seren had not thought about it at all, and this felt like a grave mistake. Did she have anything to show Mother? Had she learned anything yet? There had been so much play, and the excitement of moving into the house, and meeting people she wasn't supposed to talk to...
"I do not know what to say," she confessed, sounding troubled.
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.
Loren bit his lip at the worry in Seren's voice, and the girl's troubled expression. Looking around at their surroundings, he returned his attention to her. As he did, he smiled as reassuringly as he could manage. "But you've already experienced so much."
Lifting a hand, he began ticking off the fingers of his hand. "You've seen a griffin, and flowers, and flown on a cloud, and a volcano, and your new house, and you touched ice." Pausing he gave her an encouraging nod. "What are some other things you've enjoyed?" Falling silent, he watched her carefully, hoping that she would be able to continue the list now that he'd started it.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
As her attention focused back on Loren, her eyes widened. It was true, she had done all of that, but did it count? It would be great if it did, and her expression brightened with the dawning hope.
"Uhm... I made friends with Sunjata and Weaver. And you healed me. And... when we can go back home, Uncle Saiden will help me make a lantern for my sister."
His list sounded more splendid than hers, but she could add a few things to it at least. Funny thing was, the more she thought about it, the more things she rememebered.
"Sunjata became a bird and I caught him and hugged him," she added, and a slightly mischievous look crept over her face. Small hands made to cover her mouth in a futile attempt at stifling the giggle. She wasn't supposed to hug him, or hold his hand, but... of course that made it even more tempting.
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.
Grinning, Loren gave Seren an encouraging look as she listed a few more things that she'd experienced. "There, see? You've been through plenty that I'm sure your mom would love to hear about." Then he gave her an excited look. "And don't forget you met Delphia and you're figuring out how to use your ability."
The revelation that she'd caught Sunjata caused the healer to let out a huff of laughter. "Oh really?" Leaning forward, he dropped his voice to a feigned conspiratorial whisper. "How did you catch him?" It was clear he was quite interested in that particular story, and he was absolutely going to give the bartender shit for it when they saw each other next.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
Oh, this was absolutely helpful. Perhaps she was being a good girl and maybe Mama would be proud of her for it. That would be great. She returned Loren's smile with her own, even if it was a little tentative.
That didn't last very long though, as she was enticed into regaling him with the full story. Since he seemed very interested.
"We played tag and he was a bird - parrot - and Uncle Saiden lifted me up and Sunjata flew off and I made him really heavy and he fell and then I caught him and hugged him." It was delivered in one breath, the glimmer of recalled excitement reflected in her eyes. In no way did she seem to think that the use of magic in a game of tag was cheating. Sunjata had been a bird at the time, anyway, so...
Of course, she said nothing about how the bird had struggled frantically to get out of her oh so gentle but oh so grabby little hands. It was implied.
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.
Loren was indeed very interested, as evidenced by the way he leaned towards Seren and seemed to be listening avidly towards every words. Barking out a laugh, he smiled at her. "It sure sounds like you won that game." His tone was deeply amused.
Pausing, he gave her a curious look. "What other games do you like to play?" Surprisingly, he found that he was actually interested to find out. Perhaps some small (or large) part of him still mourned his lack of a normal childhood. While it might not have been fair to live vicariously through her, she didn't seem to mind.
I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment Destined to seek, destined to know
"Yeah!" she agreed happily. But really, she didn't care about winning or losing. It was the fun that was important. And the hugs, in this case.
"I play pirate, and sneak, and look for treasure and dragons, and pick flowers for Aoife," she rattled off, listing her favorite games. They were all solitary ones, virtually screaming out her lack of same-age- friends. "What do you play?"
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.
Listening to the list of games, Loren grinned, somehow managing to keep the longing out of his expression. "That's a great list of games." Tilting his head to the side, he gave her a curious look. "How do you play pirate?" Then he dropped his voice to a whisper. "And have you found any good treasures?"
When she asked what kind of games he played, he barked out a startled laugh. Then he rubbed one hand against his thigh nervously. "I don't really play games." He spoke in a guilty tone and looked away from her. "I don't really have time for them, sadly." That wasn't the real answer, but it was true enough.
