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 enjoyed seeing Remi, at least... some part of her had enjoyed seeing him. She was confused about how she felt about the man who had been her best friend once. After all... he had seemed different. He wasn't bright-eyed, the boy she remembered. And that made her unsure of how he felt about her.
She knew he had told her that Torchline was a dangerous place, so she had not come with her children. She'd left them in the cave, promising them a gift or two when she returned. A bribe, of sorts, to keep them in place. She had also left Poe to keep them in line.
A bird babysitter, the thought was absurd.
She was exploring Torchline, though. After all, Remi lived around these parts--she might as well become familiar with the place. The city of Haulani was... well, there seemed to be a lot to do, so for now she was wandering through the streets, lost.
Delphine had asked for directions a while ago, she had wondered if there was a shop or vendor that created inks and other art things.
There were still pockets of bad air littered through Haulani from the recent volcanic eruption. Most of the air mages had gone back to their actual work, but seeing as the Ark had been docked for an unusually long time, and cooking took very little of Saiden's time, he was still at the clean up.
He was wandering the streets seemingly at random. Every once in a while, when he took a breath and it made him cough, he would send a pulse of air magic outwards. It cleared the air in a large radius. Although he couldn't do this indefinitely, his magic reserves were fine at the moment. He stopped to clear another area, his whole attention focused on his surroundings. Shirtless and barefoot, his hair was buffeted by winds that swirled around him.
The air was hard to breathe in some places, but easy enough for her to ignore. She caught sight of a man, shirtless, barefooted, and she moved towards him. "Can you tell me where I might find some paint supplies?" She'd headed towards him, because she had a feeling that she knew him from somewhere.
But once she had reached him, she was not so sure anymore. She'd be thankful if the man could give her clearer directions; she was pretty sure the first person she had spoken to was drunk, probably not the best person to take directions from. She could, of course make her own paints, and had very little trouble doing that. And canvas was not strictly necessary if she wanted to work on a different medium.
The wind by the man was riveting, like it was dancing in circles around her, but she didn't assume magic, not at first.
Saiden didn't turn right away when the woman's voice called out to him. Instead, he just focused on completing his spell. The wind pulsed out from him in a spiral for a few moments more before he released his magic. The breeze took a little bit longer to die down.
As it did, plucking at a few last strands of his hair, he finally faced her. Putting his hands on his hips, he let his gaze sweep over her suggestively, smirking slightly as his eyes returned to her face. "Maybe." He cocked his head to one side, regarding her with an amused look. "What do I get out of it?"
"I... Mm, I haven't got much, just what you see." His look was suggestive, and her thoughts once again wandered to the idea of finding a brothel to join. She didn't really have a steady way to trade. Outside of furs of small animals, and what little magic she could do, Delphine didn't really have much.
"What would you like?" She arched a brow, her gaze sweeping over the man. He wasn't terribly looking, though she wasn't sure what he actually was suggesting; if anything.
Hands still on his hips, Saiden smirked. "I'm sure that's not true. I'll be there's more than what I can see." Again, his tone was suggestive, though his eyes had grown sharp. On top of that, he made no attempt to move closer to her. He just stood where he was, staring at her steadily.
Arching an eyebrow, he laughed. "Again, that depends on what you're willing to give." Tone light, he finally stepped a bit closer to her. "You want to know where to find painting supplies? In that case, you can owe me a small favor, or you can provide me with some comparable information."
"Information? What sort?" She eyed the man, wondering what information she'd possibly be able to give him. Or what favor he might seek out. She felt weary, like she'd stepped up to the wrong man, but alas.
She was here now. No going back.
"A favor seems more likely, however." Her gaze had stayed on him, as he moved a bit closer. She wasn't noticeably tense, still trying to figure out why she felt as if she knew him. "Since we're bartering in this manner," she paused to allow her gaze to wander the street, almost as if she feared another ghost from her past, "Do you know where I might find some hallucinogenic herbs?" Nobody was paying them mind, and she could easily lie about why she wanted the herbs. Or not. Truth was, the her addiction aided the painting process. The mothering process. It made her nicer to the children. Or, well, she assumed.
Nodding at her response, Saiden lowered his arms. "A favor it is. What's your name and where are you from?" He pointed back in the direction she'd come from. "Two streets that way, make a right. Keep going and you'll find a stall with paint supplies." He was already turning to go when she asked if he could help her with some hallucinogens.
Pausing, he turned to face her. "Depends. What type of herbs and why do you want them?" Arching an eyebrow, he stared at her expectantly. Honestly, she looked soft, and definitely not like someone who'd survive in Torchline for long. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't in the business of giving out free things, even advice.
Oh. That was an easy question. "Delphine Ro--mmm, Mountrose. I'm from Northaven." Nobody had yet asked her a question that included her last name; she'd recently dropped the Rowan surname. She committed his instructions to memory, still studying him, trying to place him. "Where... are you from?"
His next question caused her to shrug. "Helps with the art." That was as close to an answer as he would get, as she fixed her gaze on their surroundings.
Saiden's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Northaven, and the name of one of the leader's wives, but that was his only reaction. "I'm from Northaven too." He winked at her, though it wasn't particularly friendly or flirtatious.
Smirking at her reply, he shook his head disbelievingly. "Just the art?" He put his hands back on his hips. For a long moment he was silent.
Then he shrugged. "Tell me, Delphine, do you have any family? Close friends?" His tone was idly curious, as if they were discussing the weather and not participating in a drug deal in broad daylight. Then again, if anyone overheard them, they wouldn't care.
When he confirmed he was from Northaven, her response was a satisfied grin. That meant she wasn't insane, and had probably seem the man around. Still couldn't put a name to him, though.
"Mmm. Just the art. Inspiration, you know." She shrugged, her husband had never made her hide her drug habit back home; it had been a secret from those she felt might disapprove, such as Remi, though. "You'd be a wonderful model, you know." She stated the words honestly.
When he questioned on her family, friends, her brows furrowed. "No one came through the portal with me, so no family." She chewed her lip on the topic of friends, unsure of what she was to Remi at this time. "None of my friends came through either." Blatant lies, but she said them in such a way that the answers should come across as true.
Saiden laughed the sound bright. "Sure." There was a wry tone to his voice, and he smirked at Delphine. Barking out another laugh, he shrugged at her next comment. "I know." There was no pride in his voice, just a simple acceptance of his attractiveness.
When she mentioned that she hadn't come through with anyone, it was all he could do not to roll his eyes at her naivety. Instead, he just kept grinning at her, even if it had turned a bit wicked. "Alright." Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a vial of liquid.
Wiggling it between two fingers, he cocked his head to one side. "This is magic. It occasionally has a hallucinogenic effect, though you'll have to come find me daily for more doses. Don't worry, the other effects aren't harmful." He made no move to hand it to her. "Every dose is another favor. You understand me?"
Delphine found his laugh contagious, and couldn't keep the smile off of her features. She did not notice his reaction to her lie, about being alone. Nor did she notice the wicked grin on his face.
Honestly, her had her eating out of his hand the moment he pulled out a strange vial. She raised her brows at his terms, nodding without hesitation. "Of course. I understand." Just like that, for the promise of an occasional hallucination, with no regard for his statement about 'other effects'.
"How long will the effects last?" The only smart question she had asked this entire interaction.
Saiden actually blinked in surprise when Delphine agreed to his terms right off the bat. However, he recovered quickly, grinning at her, quite pleased with the deal. "Excellent. Here you go." He reached out to hand her the vial.
However, he paused as she ended up asking another question. "Normally I'd say a deal's a deal. But I'll tell you this for free." He held out the vial for her again. "The effects of each dose last...a varying amount. Sometimes a minute, sometimes a whole day. Don't know why, the magic is weird like that." He shrugged. "But I can give you enough of this to last you through the whole day." Waving the vial in front of her slowly, he arched an eyebrow expectantly.
