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!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
This was not home. It was in fact as far away from home as he could get. The raven sat huddled on a chimney and stared moodily out over the city, sprawled precariously on the edge of the sea. No matter how he tried, he couldn't feel comfortable about being here. The wind was too warm. The sky was too blue, the sea too wet, the houses below too vibrantly colorful. It hurt his eyes, jostled his senses, disturbed every notion of propriety he'd ever had.
Aaah, he wanted to go home. Back to the frigid north winds of Halo and the barren vista, the stark whiteness that laid everything bare. Where every breath was not a gift but a reward, for having the strength to survive.
This place... it really was too soft. He had not been wrong about that.
A breeze ruffled his feathers, and with some irritation he began to preen, the large, vicious beak settling the down back into place. And because he had nothing else to do, because there were hours left until he was to meet up with his sister, he leaped off the rooftop and spread his wings. Perhaps, if he got high enough, far enough away from the reek of people and refuse left to bake in a too-warm sun, he might feel less aversion towards this place.
Are the smells almost overwhelming to the striking feline? Yes. But oh, there’s so much for her to decipher within the smells of the people - their lives, their loves, and yes, even the things they deem unworthy of life. The seafood market and docks are of particular interest to Lily, but once she’s eaten her fill (hand-fed by a generous lady who got a liiiiittle too handsy and had to be warned off), the auburn cat darts back into the crowds and heads for Haulani.
She weaves between feet, under carts and up alleyways until she has to admit she’s a little lost. It all looks different from above, her human-part far less likely to be distracted by something or someone. The walls - the walls! Perhaps a better vantage point might help. Leaping gracefully to a wall, the cat scans the world, looking for an identifying marker, a smell - anything.
Unfortunately for the cat, this is not her city and she is so far from the inn, having taken a wrong turn at the very beginning, that even her human form wouldn’t be able to get back without some serious help. Her ears sink, despair and worry leaking out of the Attuned link as she begins to realize that she might have to spend the night outside. There’s a solution to this, of course, but she so desperately wants to figure it out on her own that the redheaded stubborn streak grows to be a mile wide as she nixes the idea of shifting.
It ain’t gonna happen.
Hey Mister, you can never own me I only let you hold me
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Worry. Despair. They could have been his own emotions, but they were not. Korbin kept his own emotions under strict lock and key, never permitted to stray unless he's under extreme duress. The intrusion is unwelcome, as he wanted to leave everything about this place far below, but... for all that he pretended otherwise, he was not cold and uncaring. How much easier everything would be, if he really didn't give a crap.
The raven grudgingly eyed the streets below, to see where the emotions might stem from. The possibilities were endless. Birds littered the docks, fish - living and half dead alike - abounded in the waters beyond the shore, and there was no shortage of stray dogs, rats and other animals living side by side with the humans. It could be anything, anyone... As he was about to dismiss the whole thing, however, a cat caught his attention. Leaping up onto a wall, only to sit, looking about as if someone stole its cream.
Dipping a blue-shimmering wing, the raven coasted downwards, circling towards the feline without any real apprehension. It might be a predator, but he was big enough that it would be an even match - perhaps even an entertaining game - should the cat be feeling peckish.
"Well now, who yanked your tail?" The cheeky thought was cautious and probing, not entirely sure he was actually dealing with an Attuned... and more than ready to back off, if they loathed mental contact as much as he did.
She’s in the midst of trying to figure out what the next step should be, if shifting isn’t on the table, when a raven wings down towards her, spiralling and coasting in a rather elegant manner - the likes of which she’s still working on mastering.
Were she in a better mood, entertainer-Lily might have engaged in banter, but as it is her ears flatten a bit at the question, eyes narrowing. Who is this? Has she met them before? Running through the list of attuned and their known forms in her head she finds herself blanking and with a little huff of frustration that he might be able to feel as well, gets a little snarky. I’ll yank on your tail if you get close enough. That being said, their appearance did give her an idea.
She could always become a nightingale. How it would help in the dark, above a city she doesn’t know the landmarks to is questionable… but at least she could try and retrace her steps from the port.
Assuming she’s been rude enough to drive him off (whether or not that’s true is irrelevant, Lily thought she was being rude,) the fire-licked cat tries to catch them before they fly away again. Wait. Sorry. Are you a Torchliner?
Hey Mister, you can never own me I only let you hold me
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
There was a raven caw of amusement when the retort sizzled through the bond. But Korbin aborted his descent, recognizing a dismissal when he heard one. It was perhaps a bit tempting to actually yank at that flicking auburn tail and see what would happen... but in the end, he decided against it. At least he had the courtesy to leave people alone when they didn't want company.
With a few beats of the dark wings he had put a bit of distance between them, when the cat spoke up again. Snapping the beak in contemplation, he leveled out again and circled a few times, then found a perch on a nearby roof. Beady black eyes glinted in the faint light as he regarded the feline. "Nope. Halo born and raised," he thought back, and there was a fierce wild pride laced in with the words. "Why? Are you lost, kitty cat?"
Perhaps he shouldn't tease... but it had been such a long time since he had the upper hand on anyone, and it felt good. Korbin just couldn't help himself.
I want to dance on the horizon line, but there is something I am caged behind
Yes, yes, let’s tease the poor lost lady she replies with narrowing eyes and an aggressive flick of a black-tipped tail. He reminds her of men who used to lurk and try to tease and tempt the ladies away from ‘respectable’ company, hiding questionable intentions under fancy clothes and honorable names. Not that she really had to worry about her honor and respectability, but the tone itself makes her want to roll her her eyes.
Shifting into a nightingale, she shakes her body out and looks at him with smaller, but equally black eyes. Can you lead me back to where the portal entrance is? I think I can find my inn from there. And if not, well, she should probably take off anyway. It’ll be dark soon and she knows all to well what happens in cities at night. Lily can probably handle herself, but as she’s not offering her services anymore, might be best to just be inside with a nice cup of wine, some food, and a comfy chair by a fire.
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
The raven let off a raucous cawing, that might have been mocking if it weren't for the youthful amusement that bled down the bond. Oh, she was fun, the response just huffy enough to make it worth his while.
He watched her shift, and sidestepped in mild surprise. Whatever edge there had been when faced with the cat drained away as she became a much smaller bird; Korbin cocked his head at her and considered.
"Why not," conceded after a beat of silence. "Follow me, then."
He leaped off the edge and spread his wings, with the confidence of one who had spent as much of his life on the wind as on his feet. He circled until he was sure she would follow, and then beat his wings to gain altitude. From above, everything would look less confusing. And with the sea there as a permanent landmark, it was easy to find the right direction.
"Why are you lost in Torchline?" he asked, in an offhand manner. Moderately curious, but not about to pry if it was private.
I want to dance on the horizon line, but there is something I am caged behind
While her shift didn’t have the effect she intended it to have, and it feels like there’s some heavy consideration on the raven’s part, Lily is still glad she did. No kind of one-trick pony, the woman is perhaps overly-eager to appear self-sufficient (despite this particular circumstances) despite her appearance. This is a good lesson in predator vs. prey for the entertainer; some creatures can’t beguile and some can’t top from the bottom. This form, for all its other advantages, is likely to be one of them.
Thank you, she says simply, dipping her head to the now-larger bird. A lack of snark shows her appreciation as she takes wing behind him and, a little less gracefully (far newer to flying than he is and more buffeted by the winds) than the raven, but she’s there.
I was trying to find my way back in animal form. Streets look alot different at calf height than they do at human-height. And she’s a stubborn little mule, she thinks to herself. What’s your name, birdman? She inquires with a little jest. Otherwise she’s just going to keep calling him birdman, even on the off-chance that they meet again.
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Oh, was he supposed to have reacted? Been startled perhaps, or intimidated? Nah. Many things could surprise the raven, but a cat turning into a bird was a bit tame. Throw a dragon at him, and maybe he'd at least blink.
He gave her an amused look when she bowed - not really the bird thing to do, but sure - before taking flight. Guiding them upwards and down to the coast, he made sure to throw an eye on her every now and then, and slowed when he noticed the lacking grace of her flight. Other birds, Hels mostly, threw up a fuss when they approached the water front, but Korbin ignored them.
"I always preferred flying. You'd be hard-pressed to make me walk if there's no need," he commented lightly. "I'm Korbin Hale, at your service. What's your name, chickadee? Or maybe you prefer 'kitten'?"
He teased her back, quite out of habit. Not one to let a chance for banter slip by, when he was in the mood... and the day was taking a slight turn for the better, he had to admit. Despite the warmth of the wind and the colorful houses that stung his eyes, it was perhaps not wholly bad to have company. For a while.
I want to dance on the horizon line, but there is something I am caged behind
No, he wasn’t supposed to have been surprised or intimated; that’s not the kind of woman Lily is at least not in public. Nor does she particularly care what he thinks, so long as he gets her where she needs to go. Playing along - that’s what the entertainer was always good at - whether it’s playing dumb, playing smart, pretending to be enthralled by a man’s story, or puffing up their egos ( oh, it’s so big, Mr. So-and-so!). It’s the way she’s survived. Here is similar, just… different tactics. Different end game.
Korbin Hale: a name she will surely come to repeat at some point, but as they reach the Port, her mind is elsewhere. Only Frey calls me kitten, she retorts mildly. So unless you plan on making me purr later, better stick with Lily. Lily Balfour. About ready to dip down to a landmark she recognizes, the songbird turns in a tight circle to offer a brief farewell.
Thanks for the help. If you’re ever in the Hollowed Ground, I’ll owe you one. One what is unclear - but Lily always pays her debts.
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Well now, his ego might be prone to swelling just like any other man's, but he was not about to place himself on the same level as a god. Korbin might have a high opinion of himself, but it was not quite that grandiose.
"Whatever you prefer, chickadee," he returned, and cheerfully did as he pleased. He might remember the name, or might forget it as soon as she was out of sight; it was all depending on the mood, and right now his was mercurial. Prone to shifting at every turn. "I'll keep that in mind. Stay safe until then, hey?"
The raven dipped a wing and veered off, painting a black line in the air as he returned back the way they had come. One of those Hels had looked at him funny; he might just do something about that, now that his spirits had lifted.
