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!
After being shrugged away the raven fluttered his way back towards the temple, the leopard following close below him. Onlookers could look on, she didn't care either. She'd never minded judgment much, confident and self assured, even more so in the cat's fur.
His question was one she'd thought about plenty of times, but had always come to the same conclusion, "I'll go eventually, but it still seems too soon. I need to at least get used to what I have now before dropping myself somewhere else," she said, flicking her tail as she tried to figure out the precise moment to pounce again. "Torchline sounds tempting though," she purred.
The girl gave one last attempt to swat at Korbin, paws reaching for his soft plumage but making little contact. She landed on the cobbled ground and flopped over with an exasperated sigh, "Fine, I'll allow you to surrender, but next time you won't be so lucky," she remarked, giving a sidelong glance up at the bird before a soft giggle sounded across the bond.
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
It really was quite adorable, the way she kept trying to reach him. Amusement bounded down the link from the raven as she made a finall attempt and then gave up. Korbin landed on the backrest of a bench near the shrine, black eyes lingering quietly on her spotted form.
"All up to you, kitten," it responded, with a lightness that was all hands off; he wouldn't try to sway her either way. And somehow, he managed to reply to both the subjects all at once. "I do believe it will be Flowerbirth by the time we run into each other again. Unless you plan to spend Deepfrost in Halo with the other refugees?"
By the sound of it, a good deal of people would choose confinement for a season in his homeland over a week or two indoors during LongNight. Not a choice he really understood, but... The self-proclaimed leaders of his home had decided this was to be, and he had no way of changing it.
The bird's amusement was felt with a swell, her own resounding to him as well. He glided to land on the backrest, and Aisha leapt upon the seat, laying back on her haunches with her front paws crossed.
"It better be, I didn't get kidnapped to a new world just to get ordered around," she replied, cynical with the familiar trill of jubilance. The tone of the conversation took a sober turn, the realization was a bit of a downer. She liked Korbin, he was fun, and cute. "I don't know my plans yet, I want to stay here and help but that seems like it might be a bad idea," she replied, thoughts drifting for a moment.
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
There was a staggered croak from the raven that sounded very much like laughter. "Good attitude. You sound like my sister," he told her approvingly.
"I heard there will be monsters here... Even if you do stay, be sure not to get hurt, alright? I'd have to avenge you, and it sounds like a lot of work."
The raven casually adjusted a few feathers of a wing, like the subject wasn't bothering him at all. But there was an undercurrent of genuine concern slipping along with his thoughts. Korbin didn't take to people easily, and he certainly didn't trust many.
But this girl was nice, and pretty; the idea of her having to face the kind of dread Loren had described made his blood run cold.
Aisha gave a pleased hum at his praise, "You're sister must be pretty cool then," she said with a sassy lilt.
Korbin pulled her out of her thoughts, bringing forth chuff of laughter from the cat. "You'd avenge me, would you? Maybe I should die just to see you try," she said with a dark humor, tail flicking playfully as she gazed up at the raven. After a moment she added, "Don't worry though, I'll be safe." It was an assurance that she meant but couldn't truly promise, neither knew what the winter ahead would bring. But Aisha had no plans on dying, jokes aside, and would proceed with caution.
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
"Oh, she is," the raven replied, with a deep affection whispering about the words. "Hard as nails and beautiful like a sharpened blade; all silk and steel. You'd probably get along just fine."
The raven kept preening the dark feathers, compulsively making sure they were all clean and well aligned after their playful dance. It looked up and gave the girl-cat a reproachful stare, however, when she tried that joke. He didn't find it funny in the slightest, and it showed.
"Well, good. I'll be looking forward to more stories when we meet up again. Deepfrost usually deplete my stash of good ones... will need fresh fodder once the new year arrives." Already she had given him things to weave into tales, and more than one at that.
If he ever got his hearing back, so he could tell them properly. The bird ruffled its feathers glumly; so far it wasn't looking good.
05-03-2020, 06:36 PM (This post was last modified: 05-03-2020, 07:15 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
i doubt its your style not to get what you set
Aisha's joke wasn't met with kindly, she was shot a look that made her ears flatten back just the slightest. She hadn't meant any harm by it, but it could have easily come off insensitively. She had no idea what he went through in Halo, her next comment was a reassurance, with a hint of apology as well.
They moved on seamlessly, Aisha's ears perking once more at the mention of meeting again. She hoped so too, "I'll be thinking of them for you," she replied with a soft friendly hum.
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
There were things you just didn't joke about. Some things that were too serious to ever be truly funny. But Korbin wasn't usually one to hold grudges, and quickly moved on, glad that she did too. The raven nodded its head in approval when she agreed to keep an eye out for stories, and offered her a brief pulse of eagerness he already felt at the prospect.
He was quiet for a bit, as he gazed about the Temple. The notice board had already given him what he had come here to find, and a bit more. He was in no mood to pray to gods that wouldn't listen, and really had nothing else to keep him here. Aisha was pleasant company, a much needed change in mood from his usual reticent gloom... but things were fast approaching the point where they'd have to dig into more personal things to keep a conversation going, or get far more creative about it than he really cared for today.
"Well," he said eventually. "I should start heading back to the portal. It was nice meeting you, Aisha. I hope I'll see you around when the seasons change."
As the raven gazed down on the leopard, Korbin found that he really meant every word.
The girl was glad her 'joke' hadn't put too much of a damper on things, happy to feel the pulse of eagerness at the thought of their next meeting. She enjoyed Korbin's company a lot, he hadn't pressed into her past any further than felt right, the conversation just had a nice flow to it. Aisha appreciated it, and when it was coming to it's close she felt no need to stretch things or give any grand goodbyes. Just a hope to meet again, and continue where they'd leave off now.
The raven said his goodbyes, Aisha gave a friendly nod, "Same to you, I'll see you soon bumpkin," she said, choosing a more definitive reply, a creature of optimism. At that she changed, back into the blonde girl, standing then turning to face the bird. She reached forward, seeking to give his cheek a little scratch, a jovial smile dancing about her lips. From there, she would wave goodbye, and make her way back from the temple to her home.
Fin for Aisha!
i'd probably still adore you with with your hands around my neck
