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!
04-17-2020, 04:06 PM (This post was last modified: 04-18-2020, 06:29 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
and i knew how could she not
Aisha had explored much of the settlement, and now rather than going further into the ruins she'd decided to return to the spire, where she'd first arrived. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she'd been in the courtyard back in her world, entranced by a strange glimmer in reality. It was less than a month in reality, and she was already feeling as though her old life was a dream.
It felt wrong, to forget, to watch her memories float away with the tide of the days. But she'd at least begun to accept that it was happening, and instead of pushing away the progress she tried to embrace it, as well as embrace this new world. So today she decided would be a day to reflect, to finally open up to all her emotions and think.
Despite the the crinkling of fall leaves below her feet, the grass in the glade remained sweet and full. It was still trying, still pert and green and just right. To sit and relax was a joy she seldom granted herself, always on the move, alert, a kinetic creature by nature. But here in this moment, she closed her hazel eyes and just grew still.
Delphine was wandering the spire. Child-free, heart-broken, and homeless. All she could do was wander, and think of a lie. The few people who had known the children might ask about them...
She was trying to decide where to go next, because the Hollowed Ground held nothing for her now, but memories she couldn't shake.
Torchline had Remi but... she wasn't sure where she stood with him. Or Ronin.
Halo had Zariah... and she knew where she stood with her, same with Loren. But while in Halo she had met one nice person; Noah. He was a native of Halo and...
...reminded her of herself, in ways, ages ago. Perhaps she'd seek him out, and ask him to teach her about Halo. While thinking aloud, she had wandered into the glade, not realizing where she was going.
04-18-2020, 03:13 PM (This post was last modified: 04-18-2020, 11:52 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
and i knew how could she not
A hum could be just the wind, the soft vibrato of a voice whispering past the elegantly skeletal trees. Aisha paid no mind to it at first, a trick of the mind, nothing of import. But when the drum of footsteps joined in she realized she was not alone. Aisha turned her head just in time to see another woman walking into the clearing, the suddenness of her appearance startled her and she hopped to her feet.
Her golden ribbon sat balled in her pocket, her blonde curls left to mane around her face freely. They fell into her face for a brief moment, hastily she gathered them back to look at the other. A quick analysis showed that the other was no threat, in fact she looked familiar. The cat's fur flattened back out, it's tail no longer flicking it's wariness. She let her scowl drop into a half smile, still tinged with caution, "Shit you scared me."
Delphine caught sight of the other woman, and her eyes widened with recognition. "Sorry, I was just... thinking about some stuff," she admitted, with a shrug. "Is your walk going well?"
She had only met Aisha briefly when she helped build the smithy. It had been fun, though she did not speak to Aisha a lot, or really know anything about her. Which meant the other woman had no idea that Delphine had children, and that was a relief right now.
The other woman apologized, explaining her sudden arrival. "It's fine, I'll live," Aisha replied with a sarcastic smirk, a friendly gesture from her. Standing now, and while in the company of another not yet ready to seat herself again, she straightened out her clothes and patted the grass from her back. She glanced up from her preening when said company provided a pleasantry, asking how her walk was going.
Unable to stave off her wry humor she responded cheekily, "Well wasn't so much of a walk as it was a sit, but it was nice. This is a really pretty part of the forest, didn't really expect it based on," she shooed her hands back in the direction of the spire and the more decrepit outskirts, "all that. You?" Aisha returned the question in kind, letting her hands come to rest confidently openly on her hips.
"Ahaha, yeah. The beauty is really... hidden, if you only go by the surroundings," she explained, with an easy smile. She moved closer to Aisha, indicating she'd like to walk with the other, further from the spire.
"I'm doing... fine, I guess. Trying to clear my head, make some decisions." She shrugged, absently. "And I was a bit hopeful that I might stumble onto something pretty, that deserves to be painted." She added, as if that were a helpful bit of information.
Had it been someone else, perhaps someone louder, or more excitable, Aisha might've declined the idea of a walk to instead remain in her own thoughts. Today was to be her relaxing day, a day of reflection and exploration, and someone else joining her could've easily been too much. However the easy laugh and urbane aura of the other posed no threat to her relaxation. So the woman acquiesced to the idea of a walk, allowing her companion to come closer then took the lead with a friendly smile.
Aisha listened as the blonde woman spoke, nodding softly as they walked through the glade. She was still partly distracted by the beauty, but could certainly relate to the expressed sentiment. "Felt that, I'm pretty new to this world so I'm still trying to figure it all out," she replied with a blithe shrug. Something pretty that deserved to be painted, Aisha gave a playful grin, "Well here I am," she replied, then let out a giggle at her own joke.
Delphine smiled as the woman agreed to walk with her, nodding as she learned the other was new to this world. "I've been here a few years now, but... I spent a lot of my time in isolation, hiding from this world. It's strange, different." She shrugged her shoulders gently.
When the other giggled at the joke she'd said, Delphine grinned, "I mean, you are beautiful. I'd quite enjoy painting you. Though I didn't bring anything with me to do so..." That would prove to be a problem. "Perhaps we could schedule a painting session another day, at your place?" Models were most comfortable where it was most familiar, after all.
Aisha glanced the other's way as she remarked on how long she'd been in Caido. Hearing that she'd spent most of her time isolated brought a very faint frown to her face, just a soft knitting of her eyebrows. She couldn't imagine facing all this alone, she'd had many friendly faces to help her along, without them she would surely be squandering. The frown was only a moment, she relaxed her features to a thoughtful brood, "It's definitely different, I still have a hard time convincing myself it's all real."
Something about the other's compliment caught her off guard, but certainly in a good way. She didn't see flattery coming from her new companion, but she basked in it like a sun ray. Turning her head once more she gave the other a grin, "Hell, I won't stop you. Pick a date, I don't have anything better to do," she replied.
Delphine nodded in agreement, "Sometimes, I wake up and I briefly, for a second, find myself looking for my husband." She snorted, "He'd have made a life for himself here, in two years. Not... whatever I've done." She shrugged, absently. There was a lot she had done wrong, in both Northaven and here, already.
But nothing could be done to change the past in either instance.
"After Deepfrost? I'll be leaving, probably to Halo for the cold season. Or if you're coming to Halo as well," she shrugged, leaving the offer unsaid.
04-24-2020, 04:50 PM (This post was last modified: 04-25-2020, 05:50 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
and i knew how could she not
The mention of a husband was a little surprising, she seemed too young but who was she to judge. Back in her world customs were that marriage wasn't even thought of until you were about thirty or so, but Caido was a different reality, and from the way the other talked she might be an outlander from an even more different place. It was sad though, Aisha felt for her and her troubles, "I'm sorry you lost him," she offered. She'd lost people she'd loved, but this wasn't a different kind of love she was yet to understand.
The blonde suggested a time for her modeling session, after deepfrost because she was going to Halo. Aisha nodded at that, agreeing to it, "Stay warm, I don't know a lot but I'm pretty sure winter in Halo is colder than winter here." It was an amiable comment, she wanted to keep a sunny disposition today, the more serious matters could be for later.
"I'm Aisha by the way," she added suddenly, having realized she'd met this woman twice and had no clue what her name was.
Delphine shook her head, "Don't be sorry. He was... my husband in name, more than in love. He loved his first wife, but I was just... to show that polygamy could work." She offered a rueful smile to the other woman. "But I still miss him, sometimes." Oh, if Aisha thought she was young to have a husband, having two children would be that much more strange.
Though she didn't have children, anymore.
"Delphine." She offered, with a smile, bright and cheery as her voice. "And Halo's pretty cold, but... I've got some friends there." A friend. She thought he was a friand, anyway.
Once again Aisha was surprised, husband in name more than love. She didn't let any of it show on her face, but she was curious about the way the other's world worked. She'd been partial to lovers before, finding pleasure in different places. However marriage had been between two on her world, and while she didn't think her way or her companion's better or worse, she had always liked the idea of marrying that one special person.
She nodded at the response, not going to prod any further as it was surely a more difficult subject for a more somber mood. She was given a name, Delphine, a rather neat name, she liked the way it rung at her ears. Delphine mentioned having friends in Halo, "That's good, I don't think I've met anyone from there yet. Have you been before?"
Delphine nodded. "Once, I was looking for a friend from my homeland with my da..." She paused here, clearing her throat. "Anyway, it's a really cold place, but the Citadel is really... amazing," she nodded, as if that summed it all up.
"I have friends in Torchline, too, I think. I'm not sure what makes someone count as a friend or not, anymore." She shrugged at the other woman.
