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!
"Sure thing, princess." Saiden wasn't above some good-natured ribbing, and despite himself, was relaxing in Theo's presence. "Under you? Shitty." Smirking, the cook winked at the other man.
At Theo's next quip, the Hali rolled his eyes. "Is there anything that will shut you up besides shoving food in your mouth?" However, he didn't actually sound annoyed, just continuing the back and forth they'd settled into.
As the song finished, he wrapped up his work with the food as well. Plating the two fish he'd cooked, along with more of the seaweed, he snagged two oranges from the back. Then he set one plate down next to where Theo was working. "Once you've finished up with the onions that's yours." Saiden grinned. "An honest reward for honest work."
Theo laughed. "Is that personal, or do you just prefer to be on top?"
"Sometimes I'm pouring drink down my gullet instead." Theo grinned as Saiden set out the food. He'd be able to enjoy that soon; he only had a few onions left. "You really must be desperate to shut me up."
Theo tossed a peeled onion into the air and brought it down on the blade of the knife, guiding it via telekinesis. "Hm, maybe I'll have to try that whole 'honest work' thing someday after all."
Saiden smirked, winking at Theo for good measure. "Why not both?" Sounding quite pleased, the cook arched an eyebrow as if to see what the other man would do with that.
Taking a bite of his own food, the Hali cocked his head to one side. "So food and drink are the only ways to keep you satisfied, hm?" He shrugged. "At least you're easy."
Pointing his fork at Theo, Saiden grinned again. "And if the honest work doesn't work out, there's always the brothel. A princess like you would be quite popular, I imagine." Laughing, he dug into his food with gusto, almost triumphantly.
Another laugh. "Just seeing where we stand. Or lie, as the case may be."
"Food, drink, a good song." Theo grinned. "A good caper or two never hurts."
Theo finished peeling the last onion and turned to his plate even as his telekinesis kept the knife chopping. The grin widened: "So you do see my appeal. It's nice to be appreciated."
The food was still good the second time around. In fact, Theo thought it might be even better on Saiden's second attempt, but he decided not to say so. No sense in giving the chef a swelled head.
Saiden smirked. "I can do it standing or lying down." Winking cheerfully and playfully at Theo, the cook whistled a few notes.
Still eating, he glanced up from his food and gave the other man a curious look. "I'll bet. What kinds of capers do you find yourself in?" The Hali looked down at his plate again, more interested in his meal than the answer if he was being totally honest.
Snorting, he shook his head. "Nah. I imagine people would just be willing to jump at the chance to actually shut you up for a while." Grinning wickedly, he met Theo's gaze squarely. And if there was the barest hint of a smolder in Saiden's eyes, well, that was his default state.
"Truly a skilled and flexible individual." With a theatrical flourish, Theo bowed his head as if in respect for Saiden's versatility.
"Oh, you know." Theo wasn't about to incriminate himself by going into specifics. He wasn't the boasting type; better to let his not-quite-legal actions fade into obscurity. Especially since there were so many people -- mostly in Halo, but a few in the Hollowed Grounds as well -- who might find the story of his antics familiar and enraging. "A gamble here, a dare there. All in good fun, of course."
Saiden spoke just a Theo took a large bite of fish, so he had to finish chewing before answering. When he did, it was with his usual grin. "Ah, well. If I can't be pretty, 'infuriatingly charming' is a good backup."
Winking, Saiden laughed at Theo's bow. "You don't know the half of it." Looking smug, the cook polished off the rest of his food.
"Of course." His answer to the other man's words was light and breezy. "And I'm sure all of it was totally above board." Voice teasing, the Hali arched an eyebrow.
Taking his plate to the sink to rinse it, he shook his head. "In my experience, being both pretty and infuriatingly charming is usually the best solution." And he was, if nothing else, incredibly nice to look at, and certainly not above using his looks to get what he wanted.
Nodding at the door, he grinned. "You're free to go once you're done eating. Consider your favor cashed." Turning back to the water, he added, almost casually, "If you try to cheat me again, I'll gut you like a fish. No hard feelings, mate."
"And with my ugly mug, I suppose I'm not likely to." Theo's smirk kept the words amused, not bitter -- he didn't really care of Saiden thought him unattractive. Enough other people had disagreed for Theo to get along in life.
"Obviously!" He raised a hand to his heart, scandalized. Finishing off his food, Theo added, "Well, we can't all be so lucky."
He took the dishes over to the sink, setting them next to the water for Saiden to wash. Theo was a cheat, not a complete asshole -- but he also wasn't nice enough to offer to help with the dishes. "Understood. No hard feelings, nothing personal."
If he came back to the Hali and Hearty, Theo would make sure he actually had something to trade. And come back he might -- the food was good enough to make up for the fact that Theo couldn't mooch of Saiden.
"See you around," Theo added, and headed out into the night. Now, where was he going to sleep tonight?
