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!
Well I have brittle bones it seems
I bite my tongue and I torch my dreams
The information was oddly comforting. There was some part of her that exhaled and relaxed when Nate said that there was still a version, a copy, of her living her old life. "I think that's good for my family. I do remember them. We were close." She nodded at her own words, as if when she spoke them she understood them for the first time. There was something in her that couldn't bear to think of how Ranjiri -- Ma -- was dealing with her loss after the golden woman had lost so much. Losing her daughter would be a tragedy Letha was not sure her mother could recover from. It eased her mind and heart to know that, even though the true Letha had been brought to Caido, that Ranjiri still had some blue-eyed daughter to stand with.
"I want to be close with the ascended here as I was with my family from my life before. But...I don't think I am very good at making friends. I don't know what to do. I was the oldest in my family." She, essentially, was given built-in friendships from her siblings when they were born. Although you truly could not call them friends because of the age gap and the way that Letha mothered over them just as much as her own Ma, it was still a close relationship that Letha yearned to have again. She thought of the way Seren had reacted to her, and it commanded her next words. "I am afraid that the other ascended are the only ones I will be able to have relationships with." It sounded sad, and she was, for even the demi-goddess child had meant something to her for a moment, and the fear and hesitation she had responded with still hurt Letha.
Sadness turned to sympathy when Nate regarded his life before Caido negatively. "Maybe it is easier that I only have faint, vague memories. Perhaps the Voice is sparing me from pain."
Even when I look away, I’m still looking. He is inside his body, and I am inside my body, and it matters less and less
A silent sigh of relief leaves Nate as his information is accepted, as it acts as the balm he'd meant it. "It's good that you still have something from home. And that you don't have to worry about them suffering." There was a sincerity in his words, a genuine warmth, and maybe, a little bite of jealousy.
Nate has to stifle a low chuckle when she admits she isn't good at making friends, that she doesn't know what to do. This another thing he feels like he can help, at least in some way. "You shouldn't have to do anything to make friends." He offers, gesturing between them with the arm Letha wasn't holding. "I mean, look at us! Friends already." There's a pause to laugh, his elbow nudging her gently before he settles, humming before he continues, a more sombre tone in his voice to match her sadness. "Some people are more sensitive about it, but I can promise you not everyone cares about what race you are." And he should know, his own closest relationship with an attuned, not that either of them particularly gave a fuck about the races, the tensions between them.
"She might be." Nate agrees, an easy shrug rolling over his shoulders. Privately, he didn't think the Voice had that much concern with what they did or didn't remember, if it did or didn't hurt them. "Do you remember anything other than your family?"
Well I have brittle bones it seems
I bite my tongue and I torch my dreams
There was a comfort when it came to thinking that her family was not truly missing her. The fact--that she really wished was true--that she had some sort of copy in her place to ease the suffering of her parents and siblings sent relief throughout her entire system. While her stomach no longer tied in knots and caused nausea at the thoughts, the anxiety had still weighed heavy in her mind. She did not have much else to say about that, but she gave a faint smile nonetheless.
"I think there's something here about friendly, dark-haired men becoming my friends." She almost-teased, referring to him and Amun. It seemed to be true, though. She had not done much to start building the relationships. The two men, Nate and Amun, had done most of it. But Nate said they were friends, and Amun said they were family, so she would take it. She squeezed his arm a little. "I am glad we can be friends. Perhaps I could make friends with others, too, like you say. It just...feels impossible. I'll take your word, though."
It took her a long while to answer his next question. It had been one she was sitting and stirring for a while--what did she remember? While it may not totally satisfy what he was looking for, Letha decided to tell him something deeper. "I remember a bond." It felt weird to say out loud, and her brows knit together in their usual fashion. "A bond with a creature. Something...tethered to me, and I to it." She slowed down her steps almost to the point of stopping as she spoke, the image of a large black cat moving across her memories. "Maikai."
Even when I look away, I’m still looking. He is inside his body, and I am inside my body, and it matters less and less
"Maybe you just have a way of attracting dark haired, friendly men." Nate grins, putting the power back into Letha's hands. Him and Amun (the other could only be Amun, right?) were just coincidences. "It stops feeling so hard once you settle in a little more. When I first arrived, I think I wasted a whole month drinking before I even really talked to anyone properly." At least Letha was getting the chance to get a jump on it, a handful of connections built in, in the form of the rest of the ascended.
His question steered them away from family and friends, though not too far. Nate hummed, wondering what kind of bond she meant exactly. It sounded like a companion's bond, deeper than a simple pet. "It's... maybe not a consolation, but you can make bonds like that here too." Nate keeps moving for a few steps after she stops, their arms coming apart naturally. "If you wanted, it's something you can seek out again. I'm sure the Voice would be willing to help."
Nate has time enough to accompany her wherever she's going, whether it be back to the portal, or to one of the inns around the city. The walk is filled with chatter, mostly from him, and ends with a promise to see her around, regardless of where she chose to settle down.
