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's nice now, but wait until LongHeat. Then you'll probably be willing to go to Halo." Saiden's tone was amused. However, he gave Theo a curious look. "You think there will be a new portal soon?" After all the upheaval the original had brought with it, the cook wasn't sure if that would be a good thing or a bad thing.
Watching the other man juggle onions caused the Hali's expression to become grumpy. "Whether you want to become involved with the gods or not, they find a way into your life. Better get used to being looked down on." With that, he snapped out with his air magic, attempting to lash the onions out of Theo's hands and onto the counter.
At least the other man got to work quickly enough. "Ain't no shortcuts in Torchline. Or much help to be found here."
"Ah, Halo. I hear terrible things." If Saiden thought Theo was a newly arrived Outlander, Theo wasn't going to contradict that by revealing that he'd spent ample time in Halo. But going back there definitely was not an option. He shrugged at the idea of a new portal. "Haven't thought about it, really. It would be interesting, though, wouldn't it?"
Theo laughed without bitterness. "Oh, I'm used to it. After all, you're looking down on me right now, aren't you, Saiden?"
A reference both to Saiden's height and to his clear disdain for Theo -- though the wordplay risked elevating Saiden to godhood. The air magic successfully knocked three onions out of Theo's control, but he caught them with telekinesis before they hit the ground, though that meant pausing his chopping, dropping the knife onto the cutting board.
Another friendly laugh. "You seem to have a rather dark outlook on life, my friend. Would it really hurt to see the fun in things?"
Saiden just shrugged. "It's not that bad." Moving towards the stove, he set the fish down on the counter next to it. Retrieving the sauce, he tossed both in the pan and began cooking them in bulk.
"Yup." His voice was almost cheerful as he responded to Theo's accusation. The cook saw no reason to pretend.
Snorting, he gave the other man a wry look. "I see the fun in things." The Hali returned his attention to the stove in front of him. "Just not with people who try to cheat me out of a meal." There was something smug about his tone, and he was very much mocking Theo.
Theo shrugged. He didn't want to reveal that he knew quite a bit about Halo, so he had no intention of arguing the point. "Maybe I'll find out, come LongHeat. I hear the people there are terribly dour, though. But then you find dour people all over, wouldn't you say?"
The last question had a teasing tone: he was referring to Saiden himself, of course.
With a pout, Theo said, "Well, I didn't try very hard."
If he'd really been dedicated to cheating Saiden out of a meal, he'd either be gone or covered in bruises right now, depending on whether Saiden managed to catch him when he dined and dashed. But here he was, doing an honest day's work for his food. So disappointing.
Saiden gave Theo a suspicious and not particularly pleased look. "I'm going to choose to take that as a compliment. Dour kept me alive this long and got me where I am." Smirking, the cook gave the other man an almost triumphant look. "Maybe you should try it some time." Now it was the Hali's turn to tease.
Raising his eyebrows, he cocked his head to one side. "And I'm supposed to forgive you for that? Or for failing to successfully wriggle out of it?" He scoffed. Facing his fish again, he flipped it over, smiling as it sizzled and the wonderful scent filled the kitchen.
"I could never be dour," Theo replied cheerfully. "My face would look terrible with frown lines. Happy-go-lucky hasn't gotten me killed yet!"
Though there had been some times ... But Saiden didn't need to know about those.
"You could stand to have a sense of humor about it," Theo replied, tossing another onion onto the chopping board. That was the last of the first sack. Now on to the second ... This really was quite a bit of work. Certainly more than Theo had intended to do tonight. "It's nothing personal. We're all just trying to get ahead in this life."
He paused in his peeling to sniff appreciatively at the air. If he hadn't just eaten, he would have tried to beg for a sample -- well, if he hadn't just eaten and learned what a hard taskmaster Saiden was.
Saiden made a show of giving Theo a once over. Then the cook smirked. "You face can't get much worse." It was his turn to tease. "Let me know how that happy go lucky attitude works out for you in the long run." Indeed, he still sounded less than impressed with the other man's approach to life.
Turning, the Hali put his hands on his hips. Raising his eyebrows, he gave Theo a challenging look. "Why?" Saiden pointed his spatula at the other man, the cook's eyes narrowed. "It's personal to me, considering it's my business you tried to steal from. So why should I have a sense of humor about it?"
"You wound me, sir." Theo threw a hand dramatically across his chest, closing his eyes -- though he held onto the onion he was peeling. Jokingly, he added, "Well, not everyone can have taste."
As he returned to work, he shrugged. "I might just hold you to that, you know. Come back in thirty years with my fabulous riches and fame and rub it in your face. That, or you'll find me floating in the harbor sometime and it'll just ruin your morning."
Another shrug, with a quick grin. "I find that having a sense of humor makes life a little more bearable. Come on, it's not like you'd starve if you didn't get someone to peel these onions."
Saiden just laughed at Theo's comment. "I have taste." Pointing at the fish cooking in the pan, the cook smirked. "Which you know, considering how quickly you devoured my food." He winked at the other man.
"You do that." Expression smug, the Hali took the fish out of the pan and then added more. "Don't worry about my morning. Might make my day, honestly." His tone was more than a bit amused.
Nodding, he pushed the fish around a bit in the pan to make sure it soaked up all the sauce. "No, but you might get a knife in your back if you don't start following the rules around here." Not that he minded that possibility.
At least he'd gotten a laugh out of Saiden. Theo didn't mind being the court jester, really. It was a decent position. "Touche. Guess I'll just have to live with this ugly mug."
Theo was hardly shocked to hear that Saiden wouldn't mourn him. To be honest, the feeling was mutual. Not that he disliked Saiden; he seemed good enough company, and certainly a good cook. But Theo didn't exactly go around getting attached to strangers. "Uncharitable again. I'm mildly more entertaining and useful alive."
A shrug. "Well, that's my problem. I wouldn't expect you to shed a tear over me, 'less it was thanks to the onions."
Laughing, Saiden nodded. "Luckily I don't." This time, his wink was a bit more playful.
At Theo's words, the cook's eyes narrowed. "That's your opinion. Others might disagree." Smirking, he crossed his arms."For instance, I value my peace and quiet." The words were teasing, and he found himself actually relaxing a bit, the banter becoming more friendly and less antagonistic as time went on.
Snorting, he pointed the spatula at the other man again. "I don't cry over onions, and they're way more important to me than you." The Hali laughed again, pleased at his own joke, and at getting one over on Theo. Humming a cheerful shanty, Saiden returned to his work.
Good, Saiden was starting to lighten up. Theo always preferred being around people who were laughing and smiling, even if it was at his expense.
Theo ran through several possible responses in his head and settled on a joking, "Oh, so do I. Haven't you realized by now what a retiring wallflower I am?
"Outranked by onions. I see how it is." Theo lifted the onion he'd just peeked up in front of his face and addressed it. "I hope you appreciate your place in Saiden's heart. Then again, it does mean going in front of the knife" -- he tossed the onion onto the cutting board and got chopping -- "so maybe I'm better of unloved and disregarded."
As he worked, Theo nodded his head in time to Saiden's sea shanty, then finally broke out into the words.
Saiden smirked, letting his gaze trail over Theo before snapping back to the other man's face. "You certainly look delicate to me." There was something both smug and predatory about the cook's voice.
Without missing a beat, he called out to Theo, "I'd cut you, but I hate having to clean garbage off my knives." Laughing, the Hali tossed a wink over his shoulder at the other man.
He did miss a beat as Theo joined in on the song. However, Saiden continued soon enough. The second fish was finished soon enough, and he went to go prepare more of the seaweed salad. This was a significantly simpler process, thankfully.
"Oh, I am. I'm secretly a lost prince, you see, the well-bred scion of royalty -- someday I'll return home and claim my usurped throne." Theo grinned. He wasn't even trying to sell this lie, of course. "I can always save a position for you in the palace when I do. How does royal chef sound?"
Theo sighed. "I'd protest, but I never argue with anything that keeps my blood where it belongs."
The song went well, and so did the onions: Theo was most of the way through the second stack by now.
