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!
It was obvious he'd made Zeph uncomfortable and Sam chewed at his lip as he stared at the floor, wondering how it was he always managed to make things awkward. He'd thought, for a second, that it would be a nice gesture: now he realised he'd just insulted Zeph's home. "I'm sorry. That was..I was rude, I didn't mean to. My house is full of books." He weakly smiled, trying to make Zeph feel better.
Thankfully, Zeph moved things along. Sam took the man's hand (the smile on his face growing with the touch, though he tried to calm himself) and let himself be pulled up. "..I don't need to eat...but..I'll still come! It'd be nice to see more of the town." Maybe he could nibble on some snacks, if he wanted to look more normal.
You're very tired of him apologizing for things that aren't such a big deal, but then again maybe you shouldn't get up in arms all the time. Guess you both have shit to figure out, if you're going to be living together.
Tugging Sam to his feet, you offer a flash of ruefulness, your eyes crinkled in a smile. "First my blood ain't good enough for ya, then y'insult my house... an' here I thought y'were a nice young man." You consider wrapping your arm over his shoulders, then realize that would be probably far more familiar than you ought to go for, and instead sort of flail awkwardly before pushing your hand through your hair.
Well, now you feel stupid. He doesn't need to eat, presumably because he eats blood instead. "Oh. Um. We don't have to...?" Damn, this had felt like such a safe bet for the evening. Now you have no idea what to do with him - and to make matters worse, your stomach takes advantage of your discomfort to growl like some sort of wild beast.
past the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind
Sam laughed shyly, knowing it probably wasn't the right thing to do to apologise again, but also unsure of what to say: eventually he settled on a mild joke. "You should be happy I don't want your blood, shouldn't you?" He decided to leave the house thing alone, not wanting to put his foot right in it again about the man's less than stellar cleanliness.
He blinked as Zeph seemed to have half of some kind of seizure for a moment but when the man corrected himself and just put a hand in his hair, Sam tried to ignore it. "Oh, no no! I still go to tea and things with my friends all the time. I just..wont be eating. But that makes me...um...they call it a cheap date, right?" Sam smiled, the expression feeling forced in the awkward moment.
Well this is going absolutely grand. You've insulted him again, you've come up with an activity he can't partake in, and now your palms are somewhat sweaty because he's mentioned being a cheap date which, Mort's tears, you did not mean to invite him on a date.
Not that it would be terrible to go on a date with him - not that you want to - you don't want to date anyone, and even if you did you would have no idea what to do, and probably fuck it up like you are right now and gods if the earth could swallow you whole that'd be great-
A dry yet sticky stinging in your ear brings you abruptly back to the present. In the process of your intellectual collapse Ki has helpfully climbed up your body again, and now her tongue snaps into your ear canal with a mental command of keep it the fuck together, Zephyr. Blinking, you come back from your brief (read: seconds) freak-out, eyes focusing back on Sam who is innocent and undeserving of all your inner bullshit.
"Cheap date. Right." Almost-smiling weakly, you inhale to steady yourself, turning toward the front door. You're desperate for some fresh air, an escape for your poor frazzled thought. Your old brain is not equipped for... whatever is happening inside it right now. "Sounds like y'know more about datin' than I do. Maybe y'can give me some tips... y'know. In case." In case of what? your mental Ki-voice screeches, while you try valiantly to ignore it, not daring to look at Sam.
past the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind
Sam, completely unawares of Zeph's mini-breakdown, just waited to see what the pause was about. It was a shame he didn't know what was going on behind the man's eyes really, because if anyone could sympathise with socially-brought-on spirals, it was Samuel. When Zeph finally came back to the present and asked him for, of all things, dating tips, he almost had one himself.
"I just meant it as a turn of phrase." Sam said with an awkward laugh, but obliged anyway as he stepped through the door. "I don't know if I really have any tips...I actually, um, left a...well, not quite a relationship, but someone I had feelings for before coming here. Before that I've only had two relationships and neither of them ended well." Sometimes he wasn't sure if he'd rather had none of his boyfriends at all, but he supposed it was nice to be the one with experience for once. "...I'm honestly surprised you need tips or that you don't live with someone. You seem..normal, and handsome enough--um--"
Recovering from the pain of calling a stranger handsome, Sam tried to slide past it. "..I'm just saying that I thought you'd have somebody."
You lead the way hastily, guiding Sam back down the lane and toward the town proper. You have, of course, never left a relationship, or anyone you had feelings for- your one relationship ended rather dramatically, and without your consent or expectation. But he doesn't need to hear your sob story. Hands in your pockets, you shrug, Ki clinging to your shoulder.
Three relationships isn't bad, you think, though you expected more from him. "Still more'n me," you rumble, trying to deflect away from the inevitable questions that will follow with: "I'd'a expected the gals to be all over ya, Red. Boys too." The comment about you being handsome earns a bright flush, and again you're grateful you're a little ahead of him, and that the light is low.
"I got Ki. That's all I need." Again you shrug, though not very convincingly, trying to push down the aching loneliness that hasn't been filled since Ray got sick. The few times you've been interested in someone like that, the memory of that terrible loss swiftly dissuaded you from any real pursuit.
past the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind
Sam couldn't help but laugh to hear Zeph had expected him to have people fawning over him, the idea so silly he didn't even notice the hidden compliment. "That's really not the case. ...Besides, I wouldn't know what to do about the girls." Hopefully that was all he needed to say on that topic. As much as he wanted to become friends with Zeph as soon as possible, he didn't want to have to get into a conversation about sexuality on the second day.
He rather doubted Ki filled the whole a lover would in Zephs life (and if she did he was concerned), but didn't say that. Sam had been single for a long time at one point and knew how painfully uncomfortable it could be to have to explain it. With a kind smile, he moved on the topic. "So...where is the restaurant we're going to? Do you have a favourite in town?"
Whatever Zeph's answer, he was only asking to get away from the awkwardness anyway...which had seemed to define a lot of their relationship so far. Still, there was something fun underpinning it all, definitely helped by the fact that Zeph knew nothing of his past; as far as Sam was concerned he'd love for it to stay that way. Keeping a determinedly casual smile on his face all through dinner and beyond, he was hopeful this might be the start of one of those healthy friendships he'd heard so much about.
