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!
Delphine had gathered the children and decided that Halo was not the place for her, after Loren had clawed her face. It wasn't, well, because he'd hurt her. It was what he'd said that had really hurt. Physical pain was fine, easy to deal with. But...
Everything else inside her head was different. She pulled the twins behind of her, her companion was perched on Acantha's head, as they walked. She was walking too quickly for the children, almost dragging them with her.
Her cheek, luckily had not bled, but the scratch-marks were visible. She slowed her gait to adjust the children, and when she did she bumped into somebody, which only further irritated her. She kept her gaze on the ground, because knowing her luck she'd bumped into someone who was having as bad a day as she was, and perhaps if she just waited for them to move on, and didn't look up from the children, the person would move on.
We all want something to hold in the night
We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight
Life seemed to be getting back to normal for the Olson man. The hunting was good, and his stores were looking hopeful for the coming DeepFrost. He moved from Snowcloack closer to the Citadel, trading along his route with some of his regulars. Today, he scored well. He traded away some dried meat and fat for candles for a bottle of tonic. It made him think of Phoebe, and he decided he would need to visit her soon. For the same trade he was also able to garner some leather and fur. It had come from the luxere that the meat was from, so it was only fair.
Satisfied with his haul, the hunter turns to head home.
But as he turned, he instantly bumped into another. Traffic was higher than it had ever been, now that the portals were open. His eyes flicked towards the woman, the stranger, body tightening and hardening some. It was not unusual for someone to shove you harder once you'd bumped into them in Halo, even if it was a mistake. Untrustful people were often defensive people, and sometimes the best defense was a good offense. Noah was thankful that this woman did not reach up to shove him. "I'm sorry, miss." He smiled some, apologetic and kind. He noticed the children on her heels, like chicks following a hen. He smiled at them, too.
He did not move on, but he apologized, and she allowed her gaze to flit to the stranger's face. The children were openly staring, though it was already pretty well established that she had not taught them how to be around people.
Her gaze found the stranger's face, the kind smile, which illcited one in turn. "Was our fault, sir." The children stood in quiet silence, having already been fussed at for speaking to strangers once today.
The bird perched atop one child's head, however, had not been told he could not speak and so he squawked, "Delphine, Delphine!" She swatted the bird to quiet down, and the bright pink creature snapped at her fingers. "Brrrrr," it squawked. Of course Poe would be cold. After all, he just had feathers.
She scooped the bird up and settled him into the thin cloak she wore. It wasn't doing much for her, nor would it for him, but it was something and something was better than nothing.
We all want something to hold in the night
We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight
Her returned smile made Noah feel more at ease, and the likelihood of her striking out at him lowered as she took the responsibility for running into him. He shifted his weight back onto his heels, looking the squawking creature up and down. He chuckled some as the woman stuffed the bird into her cloak. "I don't suppose that Delphine is your name?" His eyes flashed with his humor, and he chuckled again. "That's an interesting bird you've got there."
The thinness of her cloak was not lost on him, however. He gripped the fur and leather he was holding a little tighter, before he held it out to her. "You look like you need this more than I do." He said. He looked again the children, wondering if their tiny bodies shivered beneath their clothes. Noah did not like the idea of cold, hungry children. Every instinct in him screamed out for him to scoop the three of them before him up and take them to his house, feed them something warm and make sure they had enough supplies and comfort for their journey to wherever they were going. At least, Noah assumed they were going somewhere. He did not know them--it was apparent they were outlanders.
Delphine nodded slightly, grinning an amused little smile. "Ah, yes. Delphine Mountrose, sir." She dipped her head, "The bird is Poe, he's a Pink Galah. Used to more... tropical climate." She stated, blinking slowly as he held out fur and leather to her.
Unlike their mother, the children were dressed in thick furred outfits, as warm as could be. They were still staring at the man, and in unison the girls asked: "Mama, is this a friend?" The children, having no concept of societial norms, thought since the man had not been mean to their mother, he must be a friend. He'd even given her something!
"Ah, hmmm. Well, we just met. We don't even know his name yet, girls." It was hard trying to explain something to them, when they should have learned it while growing up... But alas, they had not grown up very well, and that was on her. Everything was on her, even her ruined relationships.
"I can't take your furs, sir." She held the bundle back out to him, smiling, though the movement hurt her cheeks. "Not without giving you something in return. Uhm..."
Acantha, her darker-skinned child, whispered loudly, "But Mama, we don't got nothing." And she truly believed her mother did not know that fact already. She flushed, and averted her gaze, the bird had settled into her top, flush against her skin, so she was no longer handling him.
We all want something to hold in the night
We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight
Hmm He nodded some after explanation of the bird. "Noah Olson." He offered his own name with an even warmer smile. Eyes moved between Delphine and her children, and when they spoke he nodded in agreement with -- what he supposed -- was their mother. "Making friends in Halo takes time." He said, his tone matter-of-fact, but still generally warm and amiable.
When she lifted the offering back towards him, he took a step back. His arms went up, palms towards her, as if placing an invisible wall to block the return of the gift. "Absolutely not, I insist. This isn't a place to keep on shivering." He was not sure where she was from, but the covering she chose to clothe her body solidified that it was from somewhere more temperate. "It's okay, really. You don't need to give me anything in return. Take it as a gift." He did not want to rest too hard on the revealing of their state. Noah knew what it was like to be poor. He knew want. He knew cold. He knew it. He knew it well. If he could help it, he would prevent and combat it in others.
"Ah... Noah, it's nice to meet you." She murmured the words, as he addressed her children, much nicer than she would have. He was warm and friendly, and that was strange. Not strange in the sense of, nobody had ever been nice to her, but strange in the sense of... this was Halo, and no one thus far had been nice to her.
As he insisted they take the furs, she puffed her cheeks out. "Thank you, but... it isn't right to take without giving." She wasn't used to gifts, at all, not anymore at least... "Do you enjoy paintings?" It was the one thing she could bring him soon, as repayment, without bringing up sexual favors in front of her children.
"Mama, Poe's hungry." Acantha murmured, tugging her mother's elbow. The bird squawked loudly, that the girl was a 'liar, liar, liar', and snuggled back into his companion's chest. As Delphine draped the furs around her shoulders, the bird crooned happily at the warmth, and Bryony added: "Me too," in a much quieter tone than her sister.
With two little mouths hungry, Delphine puffed her cheeks out and turned a bright smile to the man. "Do you know anywhere where these two could get a meal?" She was already estimating how to get the girls' fed.
We all want something to hold in the night
We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight
It was Noah's job as a hunter to keep people alive. He often fed two or three other families along with himself, and his brother another two or three. Giving away some leather and fur was nothing. But, Noah knew too well how people's pride would stand in front of their needs. He was used to coaxing people into letting him help them, and he would always do so. Death was the prize for pride, always.
Nodding, he breathed out a very simple agreement. "Sure." A painting would be nice in his home, perhaps hanging above the fireplace. After so many years without a woman's touch, the place was drab and almost colorless--a vessel of safety in a simple state. Having something artistic would put a nice touch in the place.
The children fussed, and Noah did not let much thought pass before he opened his home to them. "I've got some extra stew, if you'd like." He turned and gestured out with his arm in the direction of his house, blue eyes watching Delphine, lips ready to defend his offer towards her and her family.
Delphine smiled brightly, as he accepted a painting. She'd have to figure out what to paint, of course, and where he liv...
Her thoughts trailed off, as he answered her request to be pointed in the direction of a meal, with stew he had made... to his home? She furrowed her brow as she did what any normal person would not do, and decided to guide her children with her, to follow the stranger home.
She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, he could be feigning this nice act to get them away from other people, but...
That little part of her, that used to trust people blindly, wanted to do so with this man.
"Stew sounds lovely, Noah. Thank you." He's a bit like a knight in shining armor. Was Bellamy ever like that? Her thoughts did not show on her face, as she and the children followed, the children chattering excitedly about their possible meal.
We all want something to hold in the night
We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight
There weren't even a handful of other Halovians that would open their mouths, let alone open their homes, to an outlander. The possibility of them starting some sort of fight, stealing, or ruining what life the Halovian had here was too high in the opinion of most of his wintry kin. Noah did not want to be naive, but he also did not want to be as cold and stiff as the others here. Why shouldn't his kindness and his servitude extend to outlanders in need? At first when the portals opened, Noah was a little bitter of the outlanders presence here. Their traipsing around had changed the normal patterns of some of the game he tracked, and it made him work harder, but Noah would be damned if he did not feed hungry children standing right in front of him.
Nodding, Noah led the woman and children and bird toward his home. He had to keep his pace intentional, as for the children not to fall too far behind him as they traveled through the Citadel. "Where are you guys from?" Noah asked, his tone casual as they walked.
"Northaven," she stated, softly. Lately being from Northaven was causing her more harm than good. She was trying to figure out if Noah was like anyone from her past; Remi...? Had Remi ever been quite this naive?
Probably, at one point. She'd been naive then, too. Here she was taking a chance, a careless chance, but nonetheless. Back home she had had a powerful master, husband, whatever term one wanted to use for her ex-husband, it all amounted to the same thing; she had been a pretty plaything, the thing to own, to have before anyone else could have it.
She'd never worried back home because of that, being associated with Bellamy Rowan had almost assured her safety, no matter what she did. And that had been proven by multiple instances. Here, though, she had nobody.
Sure, she'd found Zariah, and the Launceleyn's, but they did not like her; could not yet forgive her. And that was fair. Zariah had taught Delphine you had to earn one's respect and trust. Not given blindly. And yes, she had found Remi, but... he was different, and she had not quite figured that out yet.
"The children do not remember Northaven, they were... just infants, before we were brought to Caido." She stated, keeping the idle conversation up. "It was... hm. A strange place, no stranger than Caido, though." She admitted.
After a moment, "Are you from anywhere else? Or are you a native?"
We all want something to hold in the night
We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight
Noah listened as the woman spoke. He did not have any idea what Northaven was or where it was. The place was totally unfamiliar to him. He knew it was not a place in Caido before Delphine solidified the thought. He nodded some, leading her through the winding and icy streets of the Citadel.
His nodding turned to a small shake of his head, though, "No. I have always lived in Halo. Born and bred with ice in my veins." He said. He was wholly satisfied with his homeland, and having ventured through the portal in the Fangs to some other places in Caido, he knew this was where he belonged. "It's just me and my brother. His name is Ezekiel, and he's a little younger than you." He was guessing at her age, the guess hopeful. He hoped she was older than Ezekiel, with two children at the age they were.
Delphine was interested in learning about Halo, and it seemed like she had found the perfect teacher. As he spoke, she listened, furrowing her brow.
"Mmm. I had these two when I was eighteen, almost nineteen," she admitted, not sounding entirely too fond. "They both just turned six, too." She admitted, though there was not much pride in her voice.
"Ezekiel's a nice name. Will he be there?" She inquired, staying close, lest they get lost in the turns of the Citadel.
We all want something to hold in the night
We don't care if it hurts or we're holding too tight
Noah worked hard to keep his shock from his face. That was young to be bearing and raising children. He wanted to ask about a husband, but he bit his tongue. Halo was a harsh place, and the only reason that Noah could think of for a husband to allow his wife and children to be in such a state was the he was dead.
He turned a corner with the trio, reaching out with careful precision to gently press against Delphine's shoulder to keep her from walking over a sheet of ice. "Six, so big!" He smiled at the girls, warm and broad. He knew children did not like to be patronized, learning this from children in Halo who had to grow up too fast, but the way Delphine sounded when she talked about the girls was not lost on Noah. Someone should show them some joy, he thought.
Turning a final corner, Noah gestured to a row of houses. His was the third, with just one more following. It was dull from the outside, like the surrounding houses, and small. But it was warm, and had food inside. "Just there."
