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!
Remi Abruzzo & all we are is skin and bone trained to get along
Though Remi had no intention of going near the shrine he knew was quite close, he was after the local flora. With his leather bag around his shoulders, the alchemist strolled silently as he wandered through the glade collecting herbs here and there. Luckily there didn't seem to be many of the attack-squashes around (though he'd keep his eyes peeled), and so he was left more or less alone with his thoughts.
The mid-day sun stretched long overhead, and though the days were still quite warm, even in this new world Remi could tell that autumn was likely coming to an end. Soon it would grow cold and he very much wondered what that would be like in this new place. Would their houses survive whatever precipitation came with the colder temperatures? Would the world be buried in snow?
Unsure of the answers to these questions, like some sort of man-sized squirrel Remi was currently stock-piling all that he could, just in case. Humming softly to himself he plucked and picked and investigated all that was around him, occasionally stopping to sketch something in his book before meandering on.
Bastien had spent two days locked in his home painting, eating only the meagre food he had stocked up; as much as he was devoted to his new subject (Safrin was plastered on his walls and took up space on his tables, her sharp teeth glinting with wet paint from every canvas) he knew he needed to get outside. Besides, he was running low on canvases and paint, and hoped Remi might be able to remedy his problem.
He walked to Remi's shop, but found it locked up and empty. Asking some people around the town, they said he had headed out towards the glade. It was a nice day and good for a walk, so Bastien set off to find him.
He eventually spotted Remi in the distance, walking around and occasionally kneeling down to take something from the earth; Bastien tried to squint and see what he was doing but it wasn't clear until he got closer. When he reached him he smiled wide and without thinking reached to the pendant on his chest when he came to a stop.
"Remi! Hello, my friend. Are you busy? I went to your shop but could not find you. I have much to tell, but first I must ask how you are, of course.
Remi Abruzzo & all we are is skin and bone trained to get along
Not one who was terribly aware of his surroundings despite the fact that his two animal shifts were predators, Remi jumped slightly and spun at the sound of his name as adrenaline coursed through him. A look of delighted surprise came over his pale sea-glass green eyes as he spied Bastien, and the rush of fight or flight within himself slowly began to dissipate.
"Ah, hello again Bastien." The alchemist returned warmly with a small bow from the waist. Rising, he nodded slightly sheepishly. "My apologies. I thought perhaps I could slip away without anyone noticing." Running a hand through his curls, his expression turned to one of intrigue as the artist mentioned that he had things to share. "I am ... alright." Remi answered with a light shrug. He was not one for lying, and he was alright. Not worse, not better. "Well, perhaps better than alright." He chuckled, gesturing around them. "We are not being attacked by squashes, so that certainly is a good thing."
"How have the paints held up?" Some part of Remi thought that perhaps Bastien was here to tell him that the binding fluid hadn't held up and the paints had all but flaked off the canvas, but his darker-skinned friend seemed not to appear angry.
Remi seemed happy to see him, which warmed Bastien's heart. All one really needed to be home was a circle of friends, he had often said, and it felt a step closer. He held out a reassuring hand when Remi apologised for not being at his store. "No no. I am glad for the walk."
"I'm glad to hear you are well!" He replied, confused about the line to do with squashes but saying nothing - he had heard rumours about things similar but not seen anything himself. Moving past it, he went to answer the question about his paints with a wide smile and a hand clapped to Remi's shoulder.
"They are some of the finest paints I have ever worked with, my friend. In fact, I came to find you because I have run out of the blue. I have had much reason to use it in these last few days which I must tell you of. Have you heard of Safrin?"
Remi Abruzzo & all we are is skin and bone trained to get along
Smiling crookedly as Bastien clapped him on the shoulder, he was pleased at least to hear that even if he had been lying about wanting to take a stroll, that at least he was pleased with the paints. Run out of blue. With an exhale that dissolved into a bit of a chuckle, Remi pursed his lips with amusement and nodded. He found it strangely ironic that Bastien had run out of blue when only a few days prior Remi found himself in precisely the same situation. Finding the perfect shade of blue to match Loren's eyes had been an all consuming task ... and then after Frey's intervention it had somehow seemed less important.
But he could make more blue. And would. "Ah! Well I can certainly do something about that." Remi replied with a boyish grin. It was a good thing he'd met Bastien out here - he could easily collect the pigments he needed by going a bit further into the glade.
At the mention of the deity's name, Remi's brow crinkled slightly. "Safrin.." He murmured, then nodded slowly. "A friend of mine met her...she promised him assistance with the creature who nearly killed 4 of us and appears to guard the spire. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, great. It is the most wonderful pigment. In my home they had just begun to bring in the synthetic pigments, but I was never too sure about them. They always felt waterlogged, to me." He was aware this would likely not mean much to Remi, but he was more talking to himself than anything else. If he ever did get home, it would be likely technology would have moved on past him; the thought made him feel oddly distant from everything so he tried to push it down.
It seemed that Remi did know who Safrin was, but from the way he struggled to remember for a moment Bastien assumed that she was not whom Remi had been cursed by.
"So. After your tale I decided to go and talk to the Gods myself. I had to. You made it sound so exciting!" Bastien opened his shirt a little to give Remi a good view of his pendant. "I went to the shrine and prayed, and Safrin appeared. She gave me this. What a beautiful woman she was! And so powerful, la mia dea." He thought for a moment then lifted a finger as if he had a fantastic idea.
"You know, she could help you, perhaps. With your curse. You must ask correctly, though - I do not think she has much patience."
As Bastien mentions Safrin's name, the pendant on his chest glimmers as if an onyx light source from within has suddenly been turned on, deep down below the multitude of swirling galaxies.
Inspiration washes over the artist, feeling his soul with reverence and creativity as his body is rejuvenated and made to feel as though it was capable of anything. Hearing these words of praise about Safrin for the second time, the alchemist feels the tug of positivity and confidence in Bastien's words that are hard to ignore. The glade around them sings with birdsong and the two men feel a sweeping sensation of peace and satisfaction
Remi Abruzzo & all we are is skin and bone trained to get along
Remi's lashes fluttered as Bastien mentioned synthetic, but he wasn't one to interrupt. Instead he reasoned that it must be some way of creating colours. And waterlogged? How interesting. Either way, the alchemist simply nodded. If more paint was what the artist wanted, then more paint is what he would get.
Bristling as the man mentioned that he'd gone to see the gods precisely because of what Remi had said, the alchemist prepared to hear the worst. Had something happened to Bastien as well, as it had with Rexanna? Nibbling the inside of his lip with anxiety and worry, Remi wondered how he could simultaneously warn his friends without somehow inciting their interests. Glancing down towards Bastien's chest (such style the man seemed to have), Remi inhaled. The stone was remarkable. Ronin hadn't showed Remi his, and to see the galactic brightness of the dark pendant quite literally took Remi's breath away. But as with last time as well, he was filled with the most wonderful sense of hope and peace as he gazed upon it.
"Beautiful..." He whispered, before slowly forcing himself to drag his gaze away.
Running a hand across his forehead, Remi shrugged his shoulders gently. "I do not think that wise ... I have heard pleasant things about her from Ronin as I have said...but I do not have the best track record with them. I fear that my presence would only make things worse. " With a soft sigh, Remi's sea-glass green stare faltered slightly. "Would not the first god be upset that I went to a second? Would Safrin not be offended I asked her to undo the work of one of her peers? I have nothing to offer in return ... I cannot imagine being beholden to a deity like that."
Bastien closed his eyes and smiled as a feeling not unlike being ascended to the heavens spread through his body. With a flushed grin on his face he opened his eyes again and gave Remi an apologetic wave.
"Perhaps, but...have you that much to lose? I am thinking of beginning some kind of wonderful bohemian dream, not quite a church but not a studio either. Both." This was his first time putting the idea into words and enthusiasm bled through the sentences, Bastien's hands moving rapidly as he spoke. "We do what we want like many of the great cults of hedonism but all in the name of Safrin. Paintings, engineering, for you. Whatever you wish. Art, songs, orgies, everything you can do to show appreciation for a Goddess."
He smiled down at the pendant. "I have never before dealt with a divine presence that can be proven. The Gods of this world make the cold churches of home feel...almost immoral. I want to celebrate what we have here."
Remi Abruzzo & all we are is skin and bone trained to get along
Remi looked at the man thoughtfully for a moment.
Had he much to lose? On the one hand, losing his love for Loren felt so impossibly large that he couldn't think of anything else that might overshadow the loss of it (even that loss was not something he could feel any longer). But then again, what of his other relationships? What if he somehow offended Safrin as well, and his love for his friends disappeared? What if he no longer remembered Vai, or Ianto, Ronin or Isla? "They say you do not know what you have until you have lost it. As much as I would like to have what was taken returned to me, I am not sure I am willing to pay the price to find out the answer to your question."
Listening at the fantastical sort of group Bastien was suggesting, Remi found himself rather horrified by the descriptions. Orgies? That certainly seemed more the sort of thing the other deity would cherish. Then again, he knew very little about Safrin. "And...you believe Safrin would enjoy that? Is that ... is that how one is meant to pray?" With a sheepish smile, it was clear that Remi knew almost nothing about religion and gods. But if orgies and song-writing was the way to win them over, then perhaps he really would need to stay away from them.
"Proven? You mean..your gods did not...they did not speak with you and appear as these do?"
"That is true -- I have lost all that I had, so I am trying to gain. Perhaps you shall not join me, but..." He shrugged. "I will not hold it against you. Each of us here is just trying to carve his own path, eh?"
Bastien was not, admittedly, entirely sure what Safrin wanted, but he knew only one way to do most things. Loud and sexual and indulgent; her name would be said often which was what she had asked for, so he supposed it would be good enough. He had certainly not yet gotten any kind of negative response from the Deity about his chosen methods of worship.
"It is how I know to pray, Remi. Perhaps you could do your own version, much more straight laced. For that seems to be your style, hm?" There was a joke hidden in the words that hadn't quite revealed itself, but Bastien's tone was still kind.
He was amazed that once again it seemed commonplace for Gods to just be walking around; not just here in the Hollowed Ground but in other worlds. "No, you never saw God. Just had to believe He would be there some distant day. While he, or really a priest, decided what was good for you until then. I hated those bastardi."
Remi Abruzzo & all we are is skin and bone trained to get along
A look of sadness crossed over Remi's pale sea-glass green gaze as he regarded his friend for a moment, realizing what an utter idiot he'd been. "You...you came over with no one?" Remi asked, brows knitting together as his head tilted slightly. "Alone?" The alchemist had assumed that however it was they were all pulled here, that they were pulled in some sort of group. Though they'd been scattered there had been dozens of Northaveners that had been transported with him. No wonder Bastien was looking to grab hold of what Safrin was offering while Remi was lamenting the boons he didn't even realize he had.
At the mention that he was straight-laced, the alchemist looked down and chuckled slightly as he ran a hand awkwardly through his curls. Yes. That was certainly one way of describing him, but only because of the world from which he'd come. Here though .. .without any sort of restrictions, Remi actually wasn't entirely sure what sort of person he was. Missing the undertone of Bastien's words, the alchemist merely shrugged and raised his gaze. "Perhaps if you do begin this ... this whatever it is, I will have the chance to find out."
"Ahh.." Remi acknowledged with a dip of his head that indicated he didn't really understand at all. There hadn't been gods back in Northaven and now with the abundance of them here, Remi's mind was being forced to conclude that perhaps this was the norm? But apparently not. "And...so you prefer it this way?"
"Yes, alone...I have not met another from Venice, or even...Earth...yet." This was his first time saying it out loud, acknowledging that he was for all intents and purposes the last man alive of his culture as far as he would know. The realisation made him frown and for a moment his face was cloudy before he pulled a practised smile back over it.
Remi mentioning a chance to find out had him raising an eyebrow, but Bastien did not push anything further. If the other man wanted to join in with his hedonistic plans, he was more than welcome, but these things were always better if they came willingly.
The question gave him pause. Taking a flower from it's stem and plucking at the petals between his fingers, he shrugged. "I think I do. Here it is not used to control, as far as I see, and I have a chance to have a union of some kind with a Goddess. She was so beautiful. I have been craving a purpose since I came to this place and I never thought it would be in faith, but..." His eyes starry, Bastien crushed the flower in the determined fist he made. "It will have to be. I have a task better than tossing bottles, finally. You understand?"
Remi Abruzzo & all we are is skin and bone trained to get along
Remi tilted his head slightly as he internalized these words. Venice...Earth. Despite how often Remi had looked to the skies and wondered what else might be among the stars, he'd never dreamed that there were other worlds. And while he didn't know everything about the world he had just come from, it seemed clear to him that he and Bastien should have had more in common if it was the same place. Surely? Then again...the way they spoke was so similar. "It just makes you all the more rare." Remi said noticing the ghost of a frown before Bastien elegantly righted it. "Like a painting of which only one exists in all of creation."
Listening to the oddly reverent tone Bastien's accent voice suddenly acquired, Remi felt inexorably drawn in. Perhaps it was the absence of the emotion he'd felt for Loren demanding to be filled, or perhaps it was the lingering effect of Bastien's pendant at work, but ... having a purpose? A union with something so much more powerful? Introspecting, Remi found himself unable to decide if that was something he truly did want. But perhaps he'd investigate it further.
"I think I do. The world I came from ... I was a commoner. Lower than that, actually. We...we did not have purpose. Not like what you are describing. No agency, not really. What you are describing sounds so grand, but perhaps that is merely my ignorance. How does one go about something like this? Is it enough that you've simply decided to? Or...are there..ah.. requirements?" Floundering for words, Remi offered Bastien a boyishly awkward smile hoping his friend would be able to parce out what he was trying to ask.
