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!
You win a lot, but you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
"Oh, we'd just be doing visiting, huh?" Nate purred back automatically, his brow rising as he leaned into the playful mood. "I don't think you'd really know what to do with a man like me." His head shakes a little as he speaks, challenging the other man, waiting to see how he'd rise to it. Bastien might not be his usual type, but he was definitely the type who'd get a second glance.
Even the raucous cheer from Bastien doesn't quite pull Nate back into a jovial mood, the grin on his lips twisting a little at the apology. It's a little easier to focus on the "Family Business". "It's not a euphemism. He did keep bad things from happening to people. He just... caused the bad things too." Really, it was an oversimplification of what he'd have had to do, dear old dad a grifter with his fingers in a dozen pockets. Trying to explain it all would just be tedious.
Bastien laughed, trying not to sound too condescending when he declared: "My dear, I have slept with more men than you have seen in your entire life, some of them far more challenging than you. I am sure within a moment's walk behind the hedges I could have you whisked away into a land of pleasure from which you would never return." True, they were both Ascended and so this fantasy was highly optimistic at best, but Bastien loved to flirt.
He nodded understanding to Nate's description of his fathers 'work'. Bastien had known these men in Italy; the kind who would give out generous loans with seemingly impossible rates...and indeed, the rates were impossible: the payback would be worse than any original debt. "I see. Then you are glad to be free?"
We're aware they're trying to take away our dreams
You win a lot, but you lose just a little bit more than you gained in the end
Oh, so that's how it was, huh? Nate raised his brow, playing up the offence on his face. "Well it certainly sounds like you have experience." He began, the hint of a challenge from before ramping up. "But I think I'm much harder to please than you're expecting." At least, he liked to think he was. He could pretend he was, for the sake of this.
Thankfully, Bastien didn't need him to elaborate much more about the family business, seeming to understand the basic idea. Which, of course he did, it had to be the oldest, easiest trick in the book. A proper smile broke his face, the question giving him a chance to look forward, to think about something better than his history. "More than I can express. It's something I was never going to get out of back home. I get to be better here." It feels almost bittersweet to say, but it's the truth.
The rest of their little lunch date passes with far more companionable conversation, jokes and stories flowing between them easily. It won't be the last time Nate finds himself in the guildhall, he's sure.
