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!
I can't wait for this no more,
My eyes have come undone
Deepfrost was upon them, and with it the hoard of people that moved around the Citadel. There were only certain times of day that were even somewhat careful to leave the house, but Noah needed to. When he slipped out, Delphine was still sleeping. He had given her Ezekiel's room to use after receiving word that his brother would be spending Deepfrost in Torchline. The younger Olson brother had found a crew to hang around with. Noah was not sure if that was the truth, or if Ezekiel just did not want to admit that he had missed his chance to come back home before the snow covered the portal. Either way, with his brother gone until the spring and an emotionally distraught woman in his house, and the emotional block that he had not dealt with about killing a Whitebrim exile, Noah needed some space and time to clear his head.
The reindeer stood with a group of other hunters, giving some pointers to two teenagers that had just worked on some sparring techniques. While Noah was not a warrior, he knew the importance of having the knowledge of hand-to-hand combat. It could save your life out in the arctic wilderness they often chose to step into. As the group gathered up to leave, Noah moved over to his own corner of the training center. He stretched his muscles and warmed his body up, waiting for someone to join him in a spar to help dislodge some of the Deepfrost blues.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
He was a fairly common sight on the training grounds. All of the Hales were; the children of Straia had never been allowed to grow soft. After the death of their parents, it fell on Erebor to uphold that, and then onto Weaver. Now, Korbin couldn't even imagine what kind of terrible ordeal that might have to befall them for him to not show up.
He didn't have to like it. Just do it.
Still unable to hear from the curse, and plagued by hiccups to top it off, he was unusually quiet as he warmed up. Despite the chill that permeated even the indoor training grounds, he had stripped down to the barest minimum, a thin but sturdy shirt of Ursur wool that was as much for protection as warmth. Having warmed up, the dark hair was already damp with sweat, and swept back from his face by restless fingers.
Looking around, he met Noah's gaze and came over, easing the lean, rooe-like muscles of the shoulders as he went.
"Up for a spar?" he asked, with the customary easy grin in place; it was a bit more genuine when directed at the Olson brother, but not nearly as bright as it used to be. "Feet only," he added, and tucked his arms away behind the back with a cheeky wink.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
I can't wait for this no more,
My eyes have come undone
Noah was not surprised when he met eyes with Korbin and the young Hale moved towards him. He knew their family valued strength and combat knowledge. the Olson family, like many other Halovians, saw it as a means to an end. Having the ability, strength, and practice to protect oneself and others was necessary while living in the frozen wasteland they called home. The training always increased during Deepfrost, however, when the majority of the (intelligent) citizens did not leave the protection of the Citadel.
As Korbin moved over, all wiry and lanky but still with practiced muscle, Noah offered him his own smile. It matched Korbin's--genuine, but darker. There was a lack of light in the curve if his lips, in the wrinkle of his eye. He was plagued, though less than Korbin, with the goings on of his life: killing a man, Ezekiel outside of Halo for Deepfrost, and Delphine staying in his home after the death of her children. It all weighed on the hunter's shoulders, and showed in his less-than-normal smile.
He did scoff and his smile brightened some at Korbin's suggestion, however. "Have it your way then." He rolled his shoulders again and clasped his hands behind his back. Without further conversation, Noah moved quickly to close the distance between them. Korbin was much more lithe than the burly hunter, and he knew that the younger man could squirm his way out of most things on nimble legs. Noah would need to keep him close if he wanted to have any chance of getting in a good strike. Trying to close as much distance between them as he could, if Noah were able to get within range, he would thrust his body forward and down, aiming to land one of his large shoulders into Korbin's chest.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Korbin just grinned back and readied himself. It might have been an idea to tie the hands back using string to keep them from flying apart, but this was safer and would work almost as well.
Noah launched straight into it, and Korbin tried to dodge by twisting his torso side. He was a bit too slow however, and the shoulder of the bigger, heavier man bumped into his chest and knocked him back. The force wasn't great, just enough to push him off balance.
He was able to recover quickly, and in retaliation, the young raven threw out a leg, trying to kick at Noah's knee. There was less force behind it than he could have used; for one, he didn't want to hurt the man, and for another... Korbin couldn't say he really trusted himself. His head hadn't been in a good place since his own incident with a cannibal, and he'd had too many nightmares about it - and all too clear recollections during broad daylight - to fully commit to a fight.
Even if it was just a spar, it felt... dangerous. Uncomfortable.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
I can't wait for this no more,
My eyes have come undone
Noah was no stranger to sparring, as were other Halovians. While he did not take fighting and war to be his main career, living here one needed to be adept enough to at least have a chance at survival. He was also no stranger at his legs and his arms having to work independently. In the tundra, during hunt, his arms were always occupied separately from his legs. Even if he fell into the snow or slipped on ice, his arms usually could not aid him in getting up. Noah's thighs were thick and hardened with muscle, and his core trained to have a low center of gravity and good balance. Despite that, the position of his arms being held behind his back still felt awkward. He was so used to still having them out before him, holding weaponry.
His shoulder connected with Korbin and knocked the younger man off balance. A small, satisfied smile touched Noah's features as he felt their bodies clash momentarily. Although Korbin was knocked off balance, he was just as versed in sparring than Noah, and bounced back with his own attack. Noah sidestepped to the left, but his timing was slower than Korbin, and he took the kick to his right shin, just below the knee. From his smile, a guffaw fell from his lips when he felt the foot make connection with his leg. It was not enough to bruise deeply, but he felt it nonetheless. Thinking quickly, Noah rushed towards Korbin and tried to tangle their legs together, while pushing the younger man with his shoulders if he were successful.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Korbin's attack connected, and he felt the usual thrill of satisfaction and guilt turn his stomach. In this, he was glad he couldn't hear any grunts or winces from his friend; it made the whole thing worse.
This exercise was in essence about maintaining balance and trying to fell the opponent. Whoever dropped first would be at a clear disadvantage, and so Korbin focused on upholding his center of gravity. He made sure to recover his stance in time to meet Noah's next attack, and planted both feet firmly as he leaned into the shoulder that came shoving his way. When the heavier man tried to capture his legs in his own, Korbin made sure to step out of the hooking feet.
In retaliation, he tried to stomp down hard on Noah's instep, and shoved right back in the hopes that he would have greater luck in unbalancing his opponent. They were fairly well matched, but though Korbin looked thinner and reedier, there was real muscle to that lean figure, and a lot hardier than he looked.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
I can't wait for this no more,
My eyes have come undone
The two of them, hardened Halovians, probably looked like two idiots shuffling around each other with their arms held behind their backs. Like two roosters scratching at the same patch of dirt for the same worm. The thought almost made Noah laugh. If he had not been so focused on trying to stay upright and avoid Korbin's stomping feet, he might have. But there were other looming feelings, swimming through his mind and clogging it all up. He wasn't sure he could Really laugh right now. He might get a sound out, a smile to break his face, but it surely would not be the deep, uproarious laughter that shook his chest and made wrinkles form at the corner of his eyes. It would not be the laugh that people were accustomed to from him. And so, without laughter, he tried his best to avoid the younger attuned's feet.
With his focus so much on trying to keep Korbin from stomping on his feet, Noah had been pushed back by the younger man. He stumbled, his feet moving quickly to try and right himself. He--thankfully--knocked into a training dummy. It's weighted center of gravity and his own momentum helped him stay up on his feet. He breathed out, hard. There were beads of sweat already forming on his brow, half from the effort of trying to stay balanced and half from the close proximity in which the two men sparred. Using the training dummy to propel him forward, Noah lowered his shoulder again, though even lower than before. He tried to use enough force to push Korbin back and away, and if he had made contact at the last second he would straighten his body to try and topple the raven over.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Korbin was too focused on the match to really make any comparisons to puffed up ningos, but he no doubt would when he replayed it in his mind later, over a drink. Strangely enough, he almost enjoyed himself. It wasn't a feeling he normally associated with sparring, but here, like this, the risk of doing serious harm to his friend was minimal and with the task reduced to a 'king of the hill' battle, it didn't feel as serious. Not like sparring with his sister, who would whip out daggers at a moments hesitation.
He hadn't really expected to actually gain the upper hand over Noah, and was unprepared when the older man gave way, staggering back a bit. It shifted Korbin's center of balance enough that he couldn't dodge out of the way when the hunter retaliated, and the shoulder shoved into his gut drove a good deal of air out of his lungs.
Rather than try to resist the foce backward as he struggled to pull down more air however, Korbin kept backing up. Hoping that Noah's momentum would carry him even further forward, he aimed a sweeping leg to the man's ankles, hoping to catch his foot and make him stumble. If he did, he was ready to push the man off is feet.
And if not... well... Let's deal with that scenario when it happened.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
I can't wait for this no more,
My eyes have come undone
Noah was glad that this tussle had not been too serious of a spar. While he was here to sharpen his skills, he was overall glad for the ability to just get lost for a moment and not let anything feel to heavy or too important. Two men stomping around with their hands held behind their backs was just the kind of ridiculous, mindless exercise he needed.
They both pedaled the way Noah had pushed, shoulder into gut. The sudden shift of Korbin following the motion rather than falling back from it made Noah stumble a step. He pulled in a sharp breath, his shoulders flinching as he forced his arms to stay behind his back rather than flail forward to help him balance himself. Korbin's sweeping leg was a quick motion, but Noah retaliated with Korbin's own strategy. He straightened his back a little more and tried to stomp down on the younger attuned's feet.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Hoist by his own petard. Dragging Noah off balance made the young raven a bit more confident than he ought to be. His leg swept wild, and Noah's foot stomped down hard on his instep. It drew a hiss from the boy as pain sizzled up the leg, and he staggered back. The arms almost flew apart as he struggled to maintain his balance.
For a moment he stood teetering, like a giant tower about to crumble... and then he fell. But even as he did so, he lashed out with his feet one more time, to try and kick Noah's feet out from under him. If he was going down, he had every intention of taking the other man with him.
As he crashed to the ground, reflex made him roll out of the way. A quiet, breathless laughter stole from him then, and for a while he could only lay there, sprawled on the floor like an idiot. Never mind that he was sweaty and sore from the shoulder shoves into his chest, this had been fun.
Now, if only every spar could be this lighthearted. Then even he might take some joy in training.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
I can't wait for this no more,
My eyes have come undone
There was a success in this spar that was so different than any Noah had participated in. Tow men, rolled tight in emotional turmoil, able to take a moment and do something foolish and silly and freeing. It brought a spark back to Noah's eye that had not been present for weeks.
Korbin's swinging leg brought Noah down as well. He had gotten distracted by Korbin's own flailing that he had not protected himself from anything the raven might throw his way. The younger man's leg swept his knees out from under him and he stumbled backwards and fell to his side. As his body connected with the cold, hard ground, his own laugh fell from his lips. It was Noah's laugh -- deep, rich, bellowing.
Shifting his body, Noah could feel the tightness of his muscles and the sweat starting to drip from concentration and effort. "Good times, Korbin. Thank you." He sighed the last breath of his laugh and stood, brushing himself off and extending a hand to the raven. "Stay out of trouble, alright?" He smirked, lighthearted in the moment and not thinking of the rockiness happening in both of their lives. "I'll see you around, soon. Stay warm."
