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!
The idea of a permanent Sparkbird perch is incredibly appealing. And she knows that those of her council and the Grounds would be diligent enough to keep putting it up every year. But if there were a chance, a chance to try and make it a permanent staple, perhaps some divine help that might convince the bird to come, she wants to give it a shot. But there’s a problem – a problem being that she’s Ascended, and really after the Ascended meeting fallout, all Rexanna can think of is the old gods.
Frey in particular, because they’re the only one she’s encountered. They’re the only one that has cursed her and blessed her, and of course she’d gone and Ascended after it, throwing it all away.
She sighs, a breath completely unneeded, the exhaustion lingering in her bones from what the Voice had taken, looking over at Amalia and offering a soft smile to her in thanks for coming along – hoping that this isn’t the end of her to ask it.
It’s for the better of the people after all. For all of them.
“Frey, it’s been an age since we’ve last spoken. We’d like to request assistance in building a permanent Sparkbird perch in the Grounds.” She offers, loudly and boldly, her voice bouncing off the walls of the rebuilt Temple. And she waits, holding a breath she doesn’t need.
Amalia and Rex are here to ask Frey for help on building a permanent Sparkbird Perch!
05-07-2020, 03:25 AM (This post was last modified: 05-07-2020, 03:25 AM by Amalia.)
Amalia
THE SHIELD OF SAFRIN
I THINK IT'S BEAUTIFUL HOW A STAR'S LIGHT
travels the universe long after it dies
It is a long time since you prayed directly to Frey, your attention being more occupied by Safrin and Ludo of late. She remembers keenly her last direct encounter with the herald, the strange and bewildering journey through time in the shadow of the Spire, the day the world changed.
Still she comes today with likely more confidence than Rexanna. That their Queen is an Ascended has never failed to irk Amalia, promises of nonbiased leadership aside; now she stands in capacity of Hand just behind the Penumbra, arms across her narrow chest, watching quietly. A nod is offered in return to the smile, the keen black eyes quickly returning to the shrine. As Rexanna prays aloud Amalia adds her own silent invocation:
Frey, please help us protect our people against the monsters the Voice has made, that we might come out of LongNight stronger, safe in the light of Rae's child, the Spark Bird.
"I expect little of you cold one, given the life choices you've made." Frey's voice is sensual as always, but barbed as they speak to Rexanna. "But you Amalia? You who finds herself on her knees oh so very often in service of the gods? I expected more." Appearing before them, legs shoulder-width apart and arms crossed almost lazily over their chest, they offer each a penetrating stare as the room is slowly drowned in a suffocating cloud of arousal.
"Not a single crumpet for me, Amalia? No fruit, hard as it is to find this time of year. Not so much as a crumb. And yet you two stand here, asking things of me. Of me. Not your precious Safrin. Not Ludo. Not even the Voice, who you sold everything you ever had of interest, to." This latter portion was directed towards Rexanna of course.
It’s true, she had forgotten the offerings. The barbs not going missed despite the tone Frey uses. And when they appear, her verdant gaze lingers on them briefly before lowering her head to avert her gaze, unsure where to even begin with it. Frey had seemed a good choice to attempt this, as the fact of the matter was that the Sparkbird was a creature, and as far as Rexanna was aware, it seemed to fall into their jurisdiction.
But she’s not here to argue any points, she has no leg to stand on anyway with the choices she’s indeed made in her life.
“I’m sorry Frey.” She offers quietly, perhaps about everything, perhaps about not arriving with an offering, perhaps about not coming to see them to thank them for the blessing they’d bestowed once the curse had lifted. “We thought you were the best choice.” She lifts her head then. “Is there something we can do?” To apologize for the audacity and the entitlement that came with arriving and asking, bringing nothing and expecting everything.
Already discontented by the decision to go to Frey, Amalia cannot help the flush of frustration that blooms across her neck at the herald's admonishment. She should have brought offerings, she should have directed them better, she should have gone to Safrin- but here they are.
Bowing her head in quiet apology, Amalia bites her lip and continues to wait, to let Rexanna try and clean up the mess they've made. But she can only wince when the Penumbra offers repentance. "We will bring offerings next time." Slipping to her knees in the grass, the Shield raises her fact to Frey, swallowing down a lump of desire as arousal washes over her like a bath. "I will bake you a fine cake of the sweetest honeycomb, come Fiat Lux."
Glancing again at the Penumbra, she carries valiantly on. "The SparkBird is a child of Rae. It's... we want to make a new home for it. A habitat for it to grace, and be happy in, and share its light for us. We thought that you would be best suited to help us with that task."
"There may be many things you can do, but it isn't up to me to lay that particular trail of breadcrumbs. Not for you who has given up nearly everything I care about, and when I was so generous with you to begin with." Frey might be the best one for this, but that didn't mean Rexanna was the best to have asked. Pity that, given the OOC requirements.
"Your next-times are of no use to me, baker. Not when your life can end in a heartbeat." As she names the bird a child of Rae as if Frey is somehow ignorant of this, they merely shake their head. "Liar. You want it to protect you during the most cold and dark and dangerous of nights. The bird has only remained in the Grounds because it was trapped. If you truly cared, you'd find a way to return it to its home. But you want a perch that it might sit upon when it pleases you, and only when it pleases you. To have the creature dwell where you've placed your perches before in any season other than DeepFrost would be to doom the entirety of the Settlement. And to have it sit elsewhere, why...then it wouldn't protect you from that which dwells in the darkness."
Trapped, like so many others here. Amalia's fists curl into balls, though her frustration is not aimed at the Herald. It is for herself, with a healthy dose to the Voice for putting into this situation to begin with. For creating the monsters and trapping them here, for capturing the Spark Bird just as it had captured her.
"You're right." Dark eyes are soft with honesty and humility as the girl looks up at Frey. "I do want the protection of the SparkBird. For my people, through LongNight. I have seen so many die to the monsters already... and this is the only way I know to keep them at bay.
"But I didn't know the bird was trapped, especially with the barrier down. And I... I'm sorry for that. If it will help us this LongNight - if there's a way - I will do everything I can to help bring it to its true home, when Flowerbirth comes. Wherever that is." It is too late to do anything before LongNight except try to survive. But if she can get them through this year in safety, it will be enough. The bird has been a blessing already; it, like them, deserves to be free.
Oh, and Frey had been generous to her. And she’d tossed it away in the means of trying to spend the rest of her life in love, in strength, in power, in being unable to be used like a pawn for Zariah to breed more abandoned children. Still, she takes the words against the shield of her heart, nodding her head quietly and unable to find anything worth it to say to that. They were right. That was it.
But there is something she can say as soon as Amalia’s finished, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she regards the god again. Wessex had told her to keep it a secret, that they all had to keep it a secret. But this was Frey, for the better of the people in the Hollowed Grounds, and with it? The safety of the people, which was the entire reason they were here in the first place.
Backpacking on Amalia’s words, the Penumbra takes a deep inhale of breath, feeling much like Sam in this moment if anyone found out, and sighs quietly before continuing. “The Ascended with the help of the Voice are planning to eradicate the LongNight monsters next year. If there is a way to get the Sparkbird here this LongNight, we can find its home when Flowerbirth comes…” She trails off, shooting a glance toward Amalia with anxieties raging within her. “Next LongNight we plan to remove them. And then the Sparkbird would be welcome without the need for it to survive.” She offers, turning her attention back to Frey.
"The only way." Frey yawns. "There are other ways and you know that very well Amalia. It is how you have survived all these years. How you've all always survived before the Outlanders came. How shockingly hard it has become for all of you to keep your doors and windows closed, with their thoughts and ideals infecting your minds." Her latter request merely causes the deity to bark an unhappy laugh. "I see. One more act of service, for you, who all year long do nothing for it. Who call upon it for protection and then forget about it after?"
Glancing towards the Penumbra, one of Frey's most enjoyable playthings, before she went and carved out her insides like a vampire squash, replacing them with gods knew what.
"You seem to be missing the point queen. Do you see me at the aid of every creature that walks the earth? Do you see me protecting the field mouse against the hawk when it stupidly leaves its burrow during times when it isn't safe to do so?" Frey straightens, arms across their chest. "I don't, because such is the way of things. During the rest of the year you all fancy yourselves the apex predators, only to find that when the sun and your gods disappear, you are actually quite weak.
Hide away like little mice. Make not a sound, and live to see another spring. You are no more special than any other creature that must temper their freedoms in order to live."
Another denial, another rebuttal, and Amalia clenches her hands in frustration, bowing her head to hide her discontent. There have always been deaths she wants to point out. "This isn't a natural occurrence. The Voice's monsters aren't true predators of Rae's domain," she whispers instead. "They're abominations."
But Frey knows this, of course.
Still on her knees, the Shield sighs. "Very well." A part of her cannot help but blame Rexanna - the woman who gave herself to the Voice, when she could have come to the Old Gods, could have found another way - but the Shield holds her tongue. "I would still help the SparkBird, though. When the season changes... whether it comes this year or not. I will find a way."
It wouldn’t get anywhere – she should have expected as much by being what she was, what she had done to herself when the god before them had a hand in so much of Rexanna’s own growth. Of course it would seem like a slap in the face, and she sighs heavily despite not even needing to at the implications of everything else that’s occurred. And even if Amalia’s words are quiet, Rexanna hears them enough, her own head bobbing in agreement.
Even the Voice didn’t want them around anymore, after all. So why not?
But it’s a clear denial, and she can feel the frustration beginning to flicker in her mind with it until Amalia’s voice rings out and Rexanna keeps her head bowed. “We will still help it get back home.” Rexanna agrees, though she can’t quite keep the sorrow from her face of being unable to do this task here.
And silently she curses the fact that they hadn’t decided to go out this LongNight and destroy the monsters, but what else was there to do?
“We will do just that, Frey. I’m sorry, once again.” She says softly, all the honesty in her words for it and yet no regret.
'Next time, not that I particularly care for there to be one, offer me something I want. Your arguments are wrong and boring. Had you shown up nude, offering me orgasms to coax the bird down, I might have seriously considered your request."
Shaking their head, the deity merely gave the women a disappointed stare. "As it is, I'll not be lectured on the state of nature by you Amalia Chandrakant, nor am I inclined to do anything you might want, queen." So saying, Frey disappeared with a sound like the snarl of velvet being torn, leaving the two to consider how best to secure the bird on their own.
