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!
04-27-2020, 04:13 PM (This post was last modified: 05-11-2020, 03:34 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
gimme a kiss like a kick in the teeth
Aisha sought Oliver today, to talk, to help out, to ask questions. She considered the platinum blonde a friend, he was probably one of the people she saw most regularly. So it was with various intent that Aisha entered the blacksmith's shop, sword at her hip and an eager smile tugging at her lips.
"Hey Oliver," she called over to the man, letting herself in and looking around at everything. They'd done a good job with it, she felt a hint of pride to see the fire of the forge, simmering coal and ash lining the walls she'd mortared.
It was actually a good time to catch him for once. With the mask on, Oliver was working on adding some more coals and building up the fire so that he could work on heating up a rod. Today, he was trying to make some rings. No, not the kind you wear (unfortunately), just some normal rings. It was a simple thing, yes, but would hopefully allow him to learn how to make even more intricate items.
The voice rang out and Oliver lifted up his head and looked towards the door. Lifting off his mask and taking a couple of steps back he offered her a smile. "Hey Aisha, want to take a seat? I was just about to start working." If she needed his full attention then no work would be done, but hopefully Aisha would allow him to get something done while they talked. It was kind of obvious she had something on her mind... then again, why else would she be visiting his shop?
04-28-2020, 08:15 PM (This post was last modified: 05-11-2020, 03:34 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
gimme a kiss like a kick in the teeth
If only they were the wearable rings, Aisha always loved rings. She wasn't a big jewelry person, she found the fine accessories got in the way of many of the physical tasks and pass times she enjoyed, hoop earrings had always been the worst though her mother had loved to see her in them. Finger rings though, were small and comfortable, and she'd always loved the way they glistened at her knuckles.
She'd been looking at some of the items on the shelves when Oliver replied, she turned around ask he lifted his mask off to reveal a friendly smile. She returned it with a toothy grin, then plopped herself down on a counter top just as he offered her a seat. He planned to start working, Aisha pfft-ed at him and waved it off, "Yeah no problem, do your thing. Just thought I'd come say hi, see if you had anything you needed help with."
That wasn't everything of course, she waited a second before getting into the meat of what she'd wanted to talk about, "And I also wanted to ask about your plans for Deepfrost. I'm tryna figure out what I'm going to do, thought I'd get your opinion," seeing as you've been so reliable so far,.
With her taking a seat on a very unconventional spot, Oliver offered her a playful eyeroll and placed his mask back on. The rod was growing hot which was perfect, but he still had to wait a couple more minutes, allowing quite a bit of time to chat before he would have to take a momentary break to continue working. "Oh no, yeah. Feel free to stay around, I cant think of anything right this very moment, but if you wanna help just clean up that'd be great? Kinda boring, but if you wanna make my nail bucket look prettier, feel free to do so." He said with a light laugh, gesturing over to a wooden box that was now filled with nails that he had been working on. Clearly, someone had long nights. "I've been trying to learn new stuff... I think today I'm gonna try and make some rings... I really want to get into some more conventional items like tools, but I gotta wait to perfect the basics first." Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to see the grin on his face due to the mask, but hopefully it could be heard in his voice.
Raising an eyebrow at her next comment Oliver let out a hum. "I'm still... figuring it out. I think I may be staying here to try and help others deal with it... but there's a small chance I may be leaving" That last part was a recent development, mostly due to the haunting thoughts that he had been plagued with. He knew it was his duty to stay back and protect others... but he was also so terrified. "I'd recommend you either go to Halo or Torchline... I don't want you to get hurt and LongNight is horrific and dangerous." While Oliver would miss the companionship if he did stay, he also didn't want to put Aisha into danger. No... that would be narcissistic of him.
05-05-2020, 05:05 PM (This post was last modified: 05-11-2020, 03:35 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
gimme a kiss like a kick in the teeth
Oliver flipped his mask back on after a playfully incredulous look, one which Aisha reciprocated with equal waggishness. He offered her to stay, gesturing towards a wooden bucket of nails. Aisha snorted an amused sound, hopping from her perch and strolling towards the box, crouching to pick briefly through the contents. Yep, they were nails alright, "This is a fuckton of nails Blondie," she remarked, shooting him a grin over her shoulder. "Already way ahead of me," she replied to his comment about perfecting the basics.
Aisha had placed herself back on the counter when he replied to her more serious question, fidgeting one of the nails from the bucket between her fingertips. Oliver planned on staying here, with a small chance of leaving. That was how she'd felt before visiting Safrin, but the goddess had made it seem a better idea to go, speaking of Safrin... "Oh yeah Oliver guess what?" whether or not he guessed, she chipped back in quickly, "I went to the shrine out in the glade and prayed like you said, with the offerings and stuff. Safrin showed up!"
"I actually talked to her about it, and she made me think it'd be best to leave," she said, pausing before adding, "But if I'm going you better be coming too, 'blah blah I don't want you to get hurt'," she said with air quotes, playfully mimicking him, "I don't want you to get hurt either." If he was allowed to be concerned for her, then she was allowed to be concerned for him. Aisha didn't want to feel like anyone's responsibility, and she didn't want him to worry about her over himself.
With a playful eyeroll Oliver turned to face his work momentarily, away from Aisha. "Yeah, yeah. A ton of nails. I know. But nails are important! Very useful for tons of things, ya know. Hell, I wouldn't even mind if you tried to trade with them for some supplies for us or for others, if it's something you'd like to help me with." It was a small little offer, hoping maybe Aisha could become like a small seller for him for a short time, just during Deepfrost of course.
It's undeniable that a grin has formed on Oliver's face. It's filled with pride, joy, and honestly amusement in a way. Damn. "Really?" He paused for a moment, shifting his eyes away in a playful manner. Then she said something rather surprising. His eyebrows raised and he bit down on his lip, letting out a hum. "Did she... tell you to make me go with you?" It was a genuine question, wondering if Safrin had specifically told her to say something like that. Small parts of him still wanted to stay around and fight, to hold his own and be a powerful entity... but also, he was scared. 'Even if she didn't tell you... I'll try to go with you... I just need to make sure I've done my part here first." So far, he had hardly done enough worthy of leaving. He had to be useful, not a waste of space who didn't even try to help others before departing.
05-07-2020, 10:21 PM (This post was last modified: 05-12-2020, 09:28 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
gimme a kiss like a kick in the teeth
"Trade people nails?", who wants nails being the unspoken latter of the sentence, as answered her own rhetorical question. Oliver, Oliver wants nails, and if there were other people like Oliver then maybe it wasn't that bad an idea. "I'll think about it," she said, teasingly drawing a fingertip across the counter top. In reality, of course she would help, but it was more fun to taunt.
Aisha felt pride over meeting Safrin too, it was only reinforced by Oliver's satisfied grin. His enthusiastic "really?" planted a haughtily playful pout to her lips as she nodded confirmation. "She didn't exactly tell me to go. She said it was up to me, but brought up that I might only be a burden on resources if I stayed. And that it might be best to just help them prepare," she replied, Oliver then expressing a similar sentiment. "Same, I don't wanna just fuck off without doing anything to help."
There is an eyeroll and Oliver is half tempted to fully continue his work, but it can wait a bit longer. "Hey, nails are super important! Someone needs nails, trust me on it." Though, he is very satisfied with her response that she will consider the thought, he does hope that she will realize the importance of trying to trade simply to trade. Important bonds can be formed through bartering, connections that may be crucial in the future. It's always nice to become familiar with those naturals who trade frequently.
It's always a good day when Safrin is spoken about in such high manner, so there is a clear change in his disposition, his shoulders rising with pride and overall attitude becoming very happy. Speaking about Safrin in a good way already made him pretty happy, but when Aisha actually mentioned that she spoke with her AND liked her? Damn, that alone would've made his day. Aisha deserved to feel happy and he knew Safrin would be able to help her have that happiness. "Yeah, that's understandable. It's also super dangerous to stay... it wasn't pleasant last year when that was our only option." His voice became serious for a moment, hoping she'd understand just how bad LongNight was. While Oliver was spared from most of the blood, he did unfortunately almost cause the death of his Guild Master, Bastien. It was hard to think about and he still felt horribly guilty to this day.
Nodding along, Oliver absolutely agreed with her statement. "Yeah... I do feel bad, though, for leaving. I'm stronger than I was last year... and I don't want Safrin to be mad at me for just abandoning them... but I don't know."
05-08-2020, 03:25 PM (This post was last modified: 05-12-2020, 09:31 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
gimme a kiss like a kick in the teeth
"If you say so," she hummed in response, teasing as ever.
Aisha nodded along with Oliver's agreement, his mention of the dangers of Longnight. She didn't realize that last year he'd had no option but to stay, and she almost felt relieved at knowing she had a choice. A choice that she should make wisely, and not throw away the opportunity at safety. "I didn't know you didn't have a choice last year," she said, wondering if he'd be up to tell her a bit about it. She'd heard the facts, what the books said, but not much from personal experience.
"We wouldn't abandon them," she said, biting at her bottom lip and she thought it over, "There's lots we can do to help without actually being here. And I don't think if we stayed we'd even be able to fight, Safrin made it clear to stay inside at all costs," she said. That had definitely been something the goddess had made clear. To lock all doors, keep all windows shut.
Her response is very telling. There was so much that he needed to tell her and part of him believed that she would learn it through speaking with others, since that's kind of the easiest way to gather information. "When I came, we only had access to here and the Greatwood... Halo and Torchline came over the course of the next couple of seasons." It really did happen so rapidly, now that Oliver really thought about it. It was a lot to deal with and honestly, he wasn't even sure how LongNight would compare to the previous one with the arrival of the portals.
There is a wary raise of an eyebrow and a shake of his head. "Even if you stay inside... someone will always leave... something will always go wrong Aisha." Finally putting back on his mask, Oliver removed the bar from the coals and started to wrap it around a pole before finally taking out his tool where he would proceed to hammer into it, attempting to break the rod away from the ring that was slowly beginning to form. Only a minute later, he'd separate it off. "The monsters talk. They mimic people... and they call for help. It's fucking awful. You can't tell who really slipped out." Pulling off the hot ring using tongs, he continues to work at it, trying to make sure that it's a complete ring. "It feels like... i'm betraying everyone... and I don't want to lose Safrin's faith or trust." Oliver wanted to go to Torchline, he wanted to survive there... but fuck was he so terrified. So scared of what could come.
Time seemed to move very quickly here, these past two months she'd been in Caido having felt like six or more. To think that Torchline and Halo had not been open only a year ago, it seemed wrong. Not that she knew what it'd been like before they were known to this world, but all the interactions and things she'd heard of them made her think they'd been around for so long. Yet they were so fresh, so recent. That certainly explained some things, but it still felt strange.
She let out a huff at his response, for she knew he was right. Staying inside was all you really could do, and even then someone would fuck up. "Yeah yeah, I know," she replied, eyes staring absently after the work he did at the forge, the rings he created in the molten heat. He further described Longnight, she could hear in his voice how terrible it had been, how afraid he was of it. To hear a friend so beaten by his memories, it brought a frustrated furrow to her brow.
"Well shouldn't everyone be leaving? Instead of worrying about staying inside we should have everyone go to Torchline, that way nobody dies," she said, the bite in her words was no irritation toward Oliver, but towards the knowing that it wasn't as simple as that. As relocating an entire population.
Her huff and response was understandable. "Well... good. Even if you aren't with me, I'll know if you act stupid and run outside or some shit. So... don't do that." It's not like he actually would know and obviously, he's joking around. Hopefully he would be with her in some capacity and could make sure that she stays safe. Honestly, his main goal is to just stay where multiple people are, may that be the temple or elsewhere. The better to make sure people stay smart and safe.
Unfortunately, Aisha is missing part of it. She asks the same question he's demanded the answer to before."I wish it were that simple." He understands where she's coming from, but also understands just how unsatisfying the answer will be. "There's a lot of naturals who believe that just because they survived one year that they can survive another... or that it's tradition. Their parents stayed here during LongNight so they will as well." Shaking his head, he couldn't really say anything too positive. "We cant control the people and unfortunately, some people are also too narcissistic to consider the consequences of some of their actions... we can only hope that they truly do have the best intentions in mind and that nobody will get hurt."
05-12-2020, 09:16 PM (This post was last modified: 05-12-2020, 09:21 PM by Aisha.)
AISHA
gimme a kiss like a kick in the teeth
"Me, do something stupid?" she gawked, with a sarcastic measure of levity to her words, "Never." She too was joking around, but Ollie could trust that she had no plans of going outside, should they stay. And with that, she didn't really have plans to stay anymore either.
The answer to her question was no more than she already knew. It wouldn't work, there was no way to convince everyone to leave. Even if it was the best thing for them, tradition, culture, fear of change, that was enough motivation to shun anything new. She new he was right, and though she agreed with a resigned bitterness, "I know," she felt angry. Angry that she, they, couldn't save everyone. Angry that she was helpless to it. And spiteful enough to let the cruel thought invade her mind,
There is a smirk and Oliver shakes his head. "So long as you're smarter than me you've already done a lot better." Seeing as he didn't exactly make the correct life choices constantly. "All I can say is... I don't know. Don't start fights? You're stuck with those people for a week, Aisha. So best to gain friends rather than enemies." It was all he could say, really. Imagine being stuck with someone you hated with a burning passion or starting a fight the first day and then having to constantly see them the following ones. Miserable, really.
Judging by Aisha's response, Oliver could tell she was rapidly forming her own opinions. There wasn't much he could do to change it and all that was left was to continue answering her questions. "The most we can do is help people prepare whenever possible, may it be here or in Torchline. Like I've said, I recommend helping out with the main building that people will be staying in." Turning back to his work once more, he shook his head. "You should probably be on your way. Go get busy, I should be back late tonight." It was a short, final comment. Hopefully she would take his advice and help others as much as possible.
