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!
they're whispering his name, through this disappearing land
If you find yourself wondering, Did Cian come through the portal? How did he make his way across the Tundra and into the Citadel without interruption? Surely someone would have seen him and stopped him before now, just let those things go. They aren't for you to worry about. Or at least, they aren't things you'll get an answer to.
With the collar of his coat turned up against the wind, the man looks around and sees what has become of Halo. A few merchants walk by with wagons pulled by donkeys, but with the soon-arrival of Deepfrost, most activities have been moved indoors. This, he expects.
Taking a long drag on his cigarette, the man simply waits. For what? Who can say. He stands with the air of expectation though, as around him the wintery-winds blow.
"But my, aren't you an interesting fellow..." The low, dulcet tones of Zariah's voice came from behind him. The Merciless stood there, watching him curiously with crossed arms. She hadn't seen him arrive, despite having just returned from doing rounds to ensure none of their merchants had gotten caught in the snow. His clothes alone made him stand out - besides herself and Neron, almost no one in Halo took any time to ensure their appearance was kempt. So some very well dressed fellow simply appeared in Halo?
Strange.
"Whatever brings a man such as yourself to Halo?" she asked.
they're whispering his name, through this disappearing land
If he's surprised to be tended to so quickly, and by Zariah nonetheless, the man's expression doesn't show it. It shows nothing, actually, save for a remarkably clean shave and unsettlingly blue eyes.
Pulling in a long and unhurried drag of his cigarette that made his cheeks hollow not unlike a skeleton's, slowly the man turned his attention towards Zariah. Most when seeing the once-queen and now grand sorceress would look her up and down, surprised at the luxury adorning her, and how out of place her poise seemed to be. The man however merely glanced at her, as if having seen her a thousand times. "A man such as myself, eh?" He repeated, voice dry but confidently amused. "And what sort of man might that be?" In other worlds his accent might have been interpreted as low-brow, and yet the way he held himself and the intentionality of his words suggested that however they left his lips, they were anything but meaningless.
04-24-2020, 07:24 PM (This post was last modified: 04-24-2020, 07:25 PM by Zariah.)
His silence and face devoid of telling expression - telling, meaningful expression anyways - felt all too familiar to the Grand Sorceress. Her own expression fell in line, a perfect, doll-like, porcelain mask, flawless in its execution. Only her head tilted ever so slightly as she watched smoke puff from his lips, his words carefully placed. Ah, how she missed such word games. Controlled by Odd has he might be on appearances, his spoken cadence only increased her curiousity.
"Well there are very few if any who can so suddenly appear at the Citadel without any sign of travel, especially this time of year." she said, lips pursing in a bare hint of a smirk. "So I'd suppose you a great many things. Peculiar. Powerful. Dangerous. A very good liar. Perhaps all of the above." she said, shrugging her shoulders ever so slightly. She hadn't decided yet, there were a great many possibilities. But if he had hoped to go unnoticed looking as he did, appearing as he did, in Halo, he had made a miscalculation. "Though I am tempted to settle on, with intent."
Halo wasn't exactly a tourist destination. People only came if they needed to.
they're whispering his name, through this disappearing land
'Only a few that you know of." The man pointed out, the fingers holding the cigarette pulsing in her direction for emphasis. Though without any real context to go on, or clues about the man's motives, it's hard to tell if he's just being facetious or if he's alluding to something.
As she lists off potential attributes, the man simply turns his gaze towards the sky. She might have been reciting the number of shoe-laces in Halo's inventory for all the interest it seems to hold. And yet even early on in this chess match of minds, all moves are important.
"A man with intent." He says after a moment, stringing the words together for her and letting his gaze fall back towards the sorceress. 'Well, then if we're boiling each other down, I suppose that makes you..." Despite the pause and the way his eyes softly trail up and down Zariah, the way he answers suggests he'd already made his mind up about her.
Zariah shrugged a little, unconcerned with the technicality he pointed out in her words. "Such can be said about anyone regarding a great many things." she said. Though it was tucked away in the back of her mind. So there were those coming and going with ease behind her back. One more thing to add to the list of potential issues to investigate further. It might be facetious, but it might not. Better to find out for certain.
He was indeed an odd fellow, and as curious as she was she stayed on guard as he so quickly boiled down what he believed her to be. How? Why? Curious indeed. But personal curiousity could easily have her showing her cards far too soon if pursued too quickly. "A woman with ambition." she said thoughtfully. Her head tilted slightly towards him. "So...what intent do you have in coming here?" she asked.
Intent and ambition could be powerful allies after all.
they're whispering his name, through this disappearing land
"That—" Cian said decisively, "—is my business. Not yours." His words weren't cold necessarily, though they left little room for argument. Looking up towards the sky, pale and oppressive as it was, the man seemed to decide something with a silent sort of conviction that rippled out across his expression.
"I would say that it has been a pleasure to meet you, but I can think of far more pleasurable things I'd rather do with my time." All said in one breath, Cian straightened his spine with a satisfying crack. There was no offense meant by this statement, just bald honesty. "I don't doubt I'll be seeing you around though." And, wonder of wonders, in the next breath, the man simply disappeared. Had there not been footprints to mark where he'd just been standing, it was entirely possible to think he might have been an illusion.
