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!
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
He couldn't get used to it. The constant motion of the waves. The way they rolled and churned, clucked and gulped against the dock, the stone, the wooden boards of the ships that lay anchored to the quay. He had roamed the Sea of Glass all his life, yet this was nothing like what he had imagined.
The people were different from how he was used to as well. Their lack of clothing aside, they were loud and openly quarrelsome. Hardy, in a way he hadn't expected, because surely a balmy breeze and plenty of food should make for soft people, right? But that notion was knocked askew by rippling muscles and sunbrowned skin, by the confidence in their gait and the wild abandon with which they threw themselves at each other over perceived slights.
He brooded about it from a spot in the shade, sweating in his too-warm clothes and staring balefully at the ships. As if hoping they might just disappear. One of them in particular had caught his eye; it looked newer than the rest, with none of the weather-beaten roughness or the barnacled sides that the others possessed.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Amun had yet to actually sail his new boat. It rubbed him the wrong way, but he'd been busy with other things. Besides, he felt bad, somehow, for enjoying life when Maea was dead. It was getting better, pain easing, but he still felt despondent more times than not. Today was no exception. He'd gone to the port, then stopped just short of boarding his vessel.
Sighing, he turned and walked away again. Spotting some nearby shade, with a man clearly not used to the region, the potter headed over. "Mind if I join you?" He nodded at the spot just next to the stranger. Unlike the other man, the Ascended was dressed only in a pair of shorts, and his skin and posture made him look like a native. Plus, Ascended didn't sweat.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
The approaching man made Korbin look away from the ships. Wary eyes narrowed as the figure came straight towards him, with the purposeful steps of someone who had a destination in mind. Turns out it was him - or perhaps the shade he sat in - and either way Korbin would have been much happier to be left alone.
"If I say yes, will you actually go away?" he replied, with a resigned expression. Like he'd already given up on the notion, and was fighting some kind of retreat battle against the inevitable.
He gave the person a quick once over, looking for weapons or signs that they were commonly used, then shrugged. "Do as you like." He turned back to stare at the ships. Wished he could still bring himself to smile and quip like he used to, even when he wasn't in the mood. But lately, even a fake smile was difficult to put on. It felt like too much trouble to even try.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
At the stranger's question, Amun just raised his eyebrows. Then he nodded slowly. "Yes I would." It came out quietly, without any of the teasing bravado he usually displayed.
Thankfully, it didn't come to that. The other man agreed to let the potter stay. Giving the stranger a grateful nod, the Ascended entered the shade as well. Turning to face the ships, he watched his Night Galleon for a while. The ship was still untested, as proven by its rather pristine exterior.
Then his eyes wandered over to the rest of the ships in the harbor. Watched them come and go, the sailors shouting orders and loading and unloading crates from them. It was a familiar scene, one from his old life, but it brought him no joy.
04-17-2020, 03:56 PM (This post was last modified: 04-17-2020, 05:13 PM by Korbin.)
KORBIN
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
The response made him lift a brow, rather surprised. People had harbored a tendency to butt into his life and presence without a care for whether they were welcome or not lately. It was rather refreshing to have this one at least pretend to give a fuck about welcome. Not that Korbin was very civil - he didn't have the stomach for pretending these days.
The silence was a welcome thing as well. With no need to respond to questions or comments, Korbin slowly relaxed, his immediate wariness settling somewhat. If anything, he began to long for his lute, fingers itching to play. But with no instrument at hand and no desire to sing while there was an audience, he shifted. Uncomfortable in the warm climate, even though he'd heard locals complain of the cold winds. Ha. They called this cold?
Restless fingers searched the ground around him and found a few good pebbles. With no particular thought in mind, he began to toss them, one after the other, towards the water. Trying to see how close he could get to that new looking boat without hitting passersby.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
As they sat in what would have been companionable silence if they hadn't been strangers, Amun just kept staring at the ocean. When the man next to the Ascended shifted, the potter glanced over. Watching the pebble as they flew towards his ship, he still kept quiet.
But his own fingers been scrabbling in the sandy earth, picking out small rocks. Waiting for gaps in the crowd (which were few and far between), he began throwing his own little stones. They travelled farther and more accurately than the other man's, though Amun was careful not to actually hit his own ship.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Somehow, it had become a competition. Korbin began to put in a bit more effort into his throws when his pebbles were joined by the other dude's, and soon they were raining a hailstorm of rocks over the docks around them. They drew quite a few grim stares after a few narrow misses, but the raven just flashed them a shit-eating grin and kept hurling pebbles.
Then, one of his projectiles sailed quite a bit further than intended. It sailed high over the walkway, out over the edge of the dock and bounced harmlessly off the hull of the ship - the new looking one, that had irked him for some reason he couldn't pinpoint. Maybe because it was new.
"Ha, score!" he quipped, and smirked. Somewhat to his own surprise - he couldn't quite recall when he'd smiled properly last.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Amun ignored the looks from passerby as well, though he didn't grin or flip them off or anything of that nature. When the stranger actually managed to hit the galleon, the potter paused, latest rock in his hand. "That you did." He turned to give the other man a quick smile. "You should get a prize of some sort."
As the Ascended spoke, he lowered his hand. Letting the pebble roll off his hand into the ground, he went still again. Almost unnaturally so: it was a long moment before he remembered that he should at least pretend to breathe. He also fidgeted a bit, so he looked a bit more human.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
The reply made him turn towards the stranger, with a smug expression on the young face. Dark amusement dancing within deep blue eyes. "That I should," he agreed, bouncing a rock with deft ease on his palm. "So what do I get?" There was a casual arrogance in the way he held himself, half jesting, but also half serious. If rewards were offered, he really should get one.
Something about the man made the back of his neck crawl, though. The more Korbin looked at him, the more something screamed at him. That things weren't right. Damned if he could pinpoint it though... There were too many new things around him for the mannerisms of one person to stand out.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
As the stranger responded, Amun just raised his eyebrows. "I don't know, really. I suppose it depends on what you want." While normally he'd have been a little bit flirty on that last part, today it just came out in a dry tone. He spread his arms down his body, indicating his barely clothed state and lack of belongings. "I don't have much to offer."
Then he cocked his head to one side. "I could leave like you suggested earlier." It came out quietly, without much inflection. Still, the potter would go if asked to. As he waited patiently for the other man to respond, the Ascended remembered to breathe and move around a bit, though something about it looked distinctly mechanical.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward gesture that deflated his posturing quite effectively, Korbin shrugged. Didn't quite blush, but turned his eyes away, flirty tone or not. "Sorry about that," he mumbled. "You're free to stay or leave, it's not up to me. I'm just being... Gods, I don't know. A grump, and I can't seem to stop."
The passive response made him feel more ashamed of his edgy tone than usual. If the other at least quipped back he would have some justification for being snappy, but like this it was just... so one sided. Like he was throwing punches and the other dude just took them without fighting back.
"What I really want is for things to stop changing. Don't suppose you can manage that, can you?" It was a wry, dry question, meant as a joke. Though admittedly it was a poor one.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Shrugging, Amun barked out an unhappy chuckle. "You're fine. If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the best company myself these days." He shot the stranger an understanding look. "I can deal with grumpiness if you can deal with sullen silence." At that, the potter stuck out his hand as if he was offering the other man a deal.
Letting out another one of those bitter laughs, the Ascended shook his head. "Trust me, if I had the power to freeze time and keep things as they were I would've used it long ago." For a moment, his expression became grief stricken before he managed it into some semblance of neutrality.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
He did not anticipate understanding. Or expect it. Blinking like he'd been offered something rather puzzling indeed, Korbin gazed at the outstretched hand for a moment. Then he took it, rather hesitant, and was shocked to find the touch very cool, despite the climate. "Deal, I suppose," he agreed, his lopsided smile a bit wry. Teenage awkward. Korbin withdrew again, a bit quicker than he should. Never one for prolonged touch, especially not with strangers.
The comment to his question though... It was obvious, yet so bitterly familiar that he found himself nodding in agreement. He didn't miss the grief, or the attempt to cover it up.
"You lost someone." It wasn't really a question.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Amun's grip was firm and almost businesslike. There was no attempt to caress the other man's hand, or linger too long. Instead, the potter just let the stranger pull back when he wanted to. "I'm Amun, by the way." It came out in an almost disinterested tone.
Nodding at the question that was not a question, the Ascended smiled sadly. "Aye. I did." His voice came out quietly. Without bothering to explain further, he gave the other man a questioning look. "What's got you grumpy? Also, we never decided on a prize for you." It was a rather transparent attempt to change the subject, but he wasn't trying that hard to pretend to be okay.
