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!
04-18-2020, 05:55 PM (This post was last modified: 04-18-2020, 07:08 PM by Amun.)
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
After the almost fight Bastien, Rexanna, and Amun had on Apopo, he'd felt bad for how he'd been acting. So he decided to make up for his piss poor attitude with an apology and a gift. It had taken him a while to get it right, but when he was satisfied he brought it over to the Artist's Sanctuary.
It wasn't super fancy, just a clay toy box. It was decorated with stylized lightning on the sides and a portrait of the Voice on the lid. Opening the door to the Santuary, the potter called out softly. "Bastien? Rexanna? I brought you something." Though it was hard to sound happy about anything these days, hopefully they'd appreciate the gesture.
Bastien was rearranging the trinkets on his shelves, swapping out what was on display; he had collected so many odds and ends in his time in Caido that he liked to keep up a rotation for those that might visit. Some trophies of Ronin's from his monster hunting days, some artifacts rescued from the Ruins, some art pieces made by his members...an odd mix, contributing to the eclectic, bohemian atmosphere of the Artist's Sanctuary.
He looked over as the door opened and smiled to see Amun; he had never been one to hold much of a grudge, and they'd sorted things out on the volcano. As a member of their Ascended family and a guild member, the man was certainly welcome. "Oh? Do come in, then. I would love to see." Stepping back from the shelves to gesture for Amun to come and sit on one of the couches in the main studio, he waited to see what it was he had brought.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Nodding at Bastien's invitation, Amun headed towards the head of the Artist's Sanctuary. Once the potter was close enough, he held out the box for the other man to inspect. "It's not much. I figured you could use it as a toy box. Or for storing whatever else you might need for the baby." Amun's voice was still subdued, and although he smiled again at the wonder of a baby for Rexanna and Bastien, it was clear the potter wasn't in the greatest of spirits.
Still, he was here. And he was doing what he could for his family. Although he wouldn't say he was particularly close with any of them these days (or ever) they were still his kin.
Bastien reached out to take the box, a smile growing on his face the second his fingers touched it; he turned it over a couple of times to see all the designs and work then looked up with his smile now a grin at Amun. "Thank you, my friend! It is beautiful." With the handpainted walls of their child's room and the collection of made, artful pieces to surround their life with, Bastien was sure the baby would grow up with a healthy appreciation for the arts.
Amun still seemed as down as ever though (the man always seemed to be sad about one thing or another) and Bastien's smile softened as he went to put the box on the stairs to take up later, then he came to put a hand on Amun's shoulder. "Would you like to come in for some wine and a talk? You seem to be carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. I have something that might help with that."
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun smiled faintly at Bastien's praise. "You're welcome." Not quite meeting the guildmaster's eyes, the potter shrugged. "It seems the least I could do after dragging you and Rexanna out to Torchline like that. Sorry, again, for being so pushy." There was true contrition in his voice.
As the other man laid his hand on Amun's shoulder, and offered to talk, he raised his eyebrows. He was clearly surprised by the invitation. "Sure. I'd like that." Actually, he would really like that.
Despite the numerous claims to the Ascended being a family (albeit a dysfunctional one), he'd never really felt quite as close to them as many of them seemed to be to one another. Rexanna and Bastien were married, Rexanna and Wessex were sisters, Clem lived with Rexanna and Bastien and viewed Nate as an older brother, and Sam, as annoying as he was, was the eldest Ascended and had been entrusted by the Voice with a special task.
Amun, though, often felt like he lacked such close ties. It had only grown worse when Zidane had disappeared to wherever he got off to when the mood struck him. So, as the potter gestured for Bastien to lead the way, Amun found something deep within him relax. "Not the weight of the world. I just lost someone close to me recently, and haven't had much chance to process it." He gave the guildmaster a curious look. "And what would that mysterious something be?"
"It is fine, my friend: already forgiven." Bastien waved a hand. He did not like to carry grudges, and they all had their reasons to be testy at the moment. Being a family meant ignoring the little things and Amun as a member of his guild too was reasonably high on his list of important people.
He wasn't sure if he'd been expecting Amun to actually take up his proposal or not; still he smiled and nodded, went to fetch the wine and put it by the couch where they could sit, a pleasant spot by the window. Gesturing for Amun to sit while he poured the drinks, he nodded as he listened. "Yes...I did not know Maea well. But maybe you could talk to me about it, if you wish."
As for how he could help, a smile creeped onto Bastien's face as he handed over the glass. "The Voice gave me an upgrade that lets me calm and soothe those around me. Would you like me to activate it?"
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun wasn't the sort to carry grudges either, so to hear that Bastien was the same was heartening. Settling by the couch, the potter shrugged. "Not much to talk about really. I don't know how she died, just that...she's gone." He swallowed hard, and found himself staring out the window, though he wasn't really looking at anything in particular.
Looking back as the artist continued, Amun accepted the glass. Simply holding it, he nodded slowly. "Sure, why not." Speaking in a slightly dull tone, he stared out the window again. The upgrade probably wouldn't help, but at least it wouldn't hurt either. Mostly, he was just going through the motions of being polite.
Bastien nodded, knowing when it was best to leave a subject alone. While he was a great supporter of talking about problems, sometimes things were void and left unsatisfying and difficult and the best thing to do was to distract yourself until the empty part of your soul had patched over. All he did was place a hand on Amun's arm. "I am sorry."
He could sense Amun's hesitation but there was a consent there so he went ahead and activated his aura, hoping it might at least soothe some of the more present pain in the man's mind. "How is that...?" Bastien asked softly. "Does it help at all?"
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Shaking his head, Amun just shrugged. "Not your fault." Still, he gave Bastien a grateful smile. The potter even reached up to lay his hand over the artist's. Seeing as Amun had never been shy about physical touch, he saw no reason to change that now.
At first, he didn't notice any difference. The pain and grief were still there. But even as he opened his mouth to say no, he could feel the way his shoulders had relaxed, the way some of the tension had bled away. The sorrow was still there, yes, but it felt easier to deal with. "It does. Thank you." He squeezed the other man's hand.
Then the potter cleared his throat. "How are you and Rexanna doing?"
"I am sorry that it happened to you, I mean." Bastien let their hands touch for a moment then pulled his away, going to hold his wine glass and sip it as he waited for his aura to take effect for Amun. While he obviously had not experienced it for himself, he had seen it's power over other distressed people and hoped it might calm some of the grief. He realised, while watched Amun relax, that he had never actually used it for it's 'intended' purpose of dazing someone for feeding.
He just wasn't that kind of man, he supposed.
At the question he tilted his head side to side and shrugged. "We are as well as we can be physically. Excited for our new arrival: we have painted a room upstairs with the most wonderful mural for their room and have been making plenty of plans." Bastien had begun to collect ideas in a book for things to do with the baby, things to say, practice...he was sure it would get mostly thrown out when things came to actual practice, but for the moment it made him feel better.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun just nodded distractedly and sadly at Bastien's words. "Yeah, me too." An apologetic look spread across the potter's features. "And I know what you meant. I appreciate it, I just..." Voice trailing off, he spread his hands a bit helplessly.
Toying with the glass in his hands but not drinking from it, he listened to the other artist's explanation quietly. When Amun finally replied, it was soft, but as kind as he could mange under the circumstances. "That's good. I would love to see it some time."
Then he gave Bastien a curious look. "And to hear about these plans. I hope it goes without saying that if either of you need help, I'll be there." That, at least, came out more firmly than everything else that had come out of Amun's mouth this conversation.
Amun's trailing off drew a nod from Bastien and he didn't inquire any more, though he was beginning to wonder if a decent pep talk might boost the man's spirits. He'd never really been one to wallow in sadness and did not understand it when people did; if he could lift Amun out with his words as well as his aura, it would be a worthy use of his time.
"You know, Amun...it has been a little while since Maea died. I know you must be wounded terribly by her death, but perhaps it is time to try and lift your spirits, even if just a little: She would not want you to be so miserable, ah?" He tried to give a gentle smile. "Perhaps you could paint some images or mould something with your clay to express your feelings, but I think not dwelling on it in all your conversations may be a step forward. I have been enveloped by grief in my life...but eventually you have to put it aside."
Waiting to see if he would respond well, Bastien quietly watched the other Ascended.
my whole life is mine, but whoever says so will deprive me,
for it is infinite.
Amun would not respond well. Indeed, Bastien's words would have the opposite of their intended effect, and no calming aura would help. The potter's expression tightened, and he gritted his teeth. "It's only been a few weeks." The response came out sharply, and was fully intended as a rebuke.
Standing up, he began to pace. "You didn't know her, did you? Because she would have wanted me to mourn her properly. Not move on immediately like some people." That last part came out as a snarl.
Stopping suddenly, he faced the artist and met the other man's gaze squarely. "I know you're just trying to help. And I will put it aside, as you say. Right now, though? It's too soon." Nostrils flaring, Amun spun on his heel and stalked down the stairs.
Bastien watched flatly, eyebrows raised, as Amun lept up and stalked about, angrily spewing nothings about what Maea would have wanted. If this Maea had wanted people to be so miserable about her deaths for such a time after the fact, Bastien thought she had to be a rather egotistical person. "Then go. I cannot help you."
He didn't have much patience with sadness for sadnesses sake. Calmly, Bastien let Amun leave, shaking his head as he finished off his glass of wine.
