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!
Work never seemed to stop, it seemed. And she was so incredibly exhausted by everything that went on within Halo during the repairs, everything she had to do for the Hollowed Grounds folk that had sought refuge only to be tossed into a warzone with nowhere to go to get their frustrations out. She gets it, she does, but at the same time she doesn’t think that there’s much they can do. So she’s offered training for some of them, to be better prepared in case something like this happened again.
Others? She’s deigned to run their errands for them, a small group she can lead and send off in random directions as she remains in the main walkway – furs draped around her body, her dark brown hair braided and pulled back from her face as her iceberg gaze watches the ningos fly above as if nothing had happened.
She wishes she could be that carefree – to simply sit in her vulture form and never have to deal with anything ever again. But life wasn’t that simple, was it? So she remains in the ‘meet up spot’, leaning against the wall with her arms wrapped into the furs, watching and scanning the street for anything interesting or her party to return so they could continue on.
she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
Mallorie hasn’t had the best few weeks if she’s honest. Changing worlds, adapting to a climate that could at its most charitable be called ‘hazardous’, and then explosions in the night to cap it all. Honestly if she were religious she’d think it was some sort of sign - or several all at once, to be specific.
Right now she’s mostly thankful for the new layer of furs she’s managed to acquire since arriving, and for the opportunity to provide help, useless as she otherwise seems to be in Halo. Not that she’s having much success finding ways to be of use beyond helping shift rubble and rubbish off the streets. She chafes at the feeling of impotence and has taken a day to scout out the area instead, to divert her attention from how out of sorts she seems to be and maybe find avenues other than sitting in the inn and staring at the walls.
It’s this urge that finds her making her way down the street, assuring herself of location and landmarks, as well as eyeing the repair work. Wondering who exactly she could speak to about providing more than an audience to the people doing their best to rebuild after…everything.
She notices Kiada as she draws closer. A woman in furs wouldn’t be notable except that something about the way she holds herself makes her stand out. A person of power, perhaps? Though as Mallorie understands it power is somewhat fluid in Halo, these days. Someone she should keep an eye on at least. Which she does, as she gets closer, and is struck with the impression that this might be someone who knows how she can be of use somewhere.
Mallorie pauses for a moment, before deciding to approach, face grim with determination.
There’s almost the feeling of eyes on her, though it’s not like it’s unusual. She doesn’t belong here, and it’s evident in the way she moves through Snowcloak like a tourist, asking random questions to try and find out where things are. No, she’s a Grounder, an Outlander to boot, and that’s partially what keeps her standing still along the edge of the walkway, waiting for something of interest to happen.
And happen it does.
She watches a woman she’s never seen before seem to beeline toward her, and Kiada can’t help the slight head tilt with it, seeing the other woman’s determination lingering in her face upon her approach. So Kiada straightens up a small amount, dipping her head to the woman in acknowledgement before she calls out in her lilting voice. “Can I help you with something?” She asks, internally cringing at how it comes out, even if the offer is genuine.
she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
She’s not quite prepared herself for human interaction when the other woman speaks to her, and Mallorie hesitates. As if she’s forgotten for a moment how to speak. The words return after a moment, and she clears her throat before stopping. Stands straight-backed with her hands clasped behind her back as she replies.
“I apologise if I’m mistaken, but…” Mallorie frowns as she tries to decide how best to phrase her question. Doesn’t want to seem too forward, or pathetic. “You seem like someone who knows how one could lend a hand in...all this…”
Mallorie looks around them, at the streets and the people, and the bits of debris still visible. Then she turns her gaze back to the woman, fixing her with a steady stare. Waiting for an answer.
Shit, she really didn’t mean the tone to come out as it did, but… it’s too late now. She focuses on Mallorie, watching the woman straighten up her posture and Kiada tries to offer a softer smile to her initial bluntness to try and round out any rough edges. And really, Mallorie doesn’t have anything to apologize for, if anything Kiada thinks she should be the one apologizing for how she’s sounded.
But it’s something, and she takes it and runs. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” She ofters, a light laugh leaving her lips to try and make up for earlier. “I’m Kiada. From the Hollowed Grounds. I’m keeping an eye on the rest of them while they get some supplies they might need… After everything.” She lets her gaze travel to the surrounding street before she lands on Mallorie again. “Are you new here?” An avian tilt of her head accompanies the question, though if Mallorie doesn’t want to respond to that, Kiada won’t push it.
she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
The other woman seems put out, until she smiles, and Mallorie relaxes minutely.
Good, she thinks, haven’t come across as a busybody yet.
She inclines her head at the introduction and says, simply, “Mallorie. From...elsewhere.”
Kiada is a ‘Grounder’ then, as she’s heard the Halo locals put it. She’s fascinated, honestly. From the way some of them spoke she was expecting flashing lights over her head. Mostly she just appears to be a person, though there’s something a little...piercing about the way she tilts her head at her, and Mallorie nods.
“I arrived here a fortnight or so ago. She slides a glance at their surroundings and back before adding, “Poor timing, I suppose.”
Small talk isn’t her forté, but Mallorie thinks she’s doing quite well all things considered. But she itches to get to point as much as curiosity pulls her to ask more questions. To gather at least a little information before she throws her weight behind someone else’s cause.
“I assume you have your hands full with helping out the others?”
Her smile shifts to something of hidden amusement at the mention of elsewhere, fitting in perfectly with the question of whether or not she’s new here. An Outlander, like her, as Mallorie confirms this. And it makes sense, she remembers the confusion of arriving, of the weeks after in trying to get her mind wrapped around it and how she should accurately deal with it. She’s not entirely sure she has yet, but it is what it is.
“You’re in good company at least.” Kiada chimes, full of arrogance at it. She couldn’t begrudge the other woman for noticing that Deepfrost was a shit time to arrive, but at least she wouldn’t be alone with what the Halo natives considered as an Outsider. If nothing else, she’d have someone to relate to within Kiada.
The question, however, is met with a playful raise of a brow before all her politeness and small chat falls away. “It’s mostly just waiting for them and wrangling their heads when they act up. But if you’ve got nothing to do you’re welcome to come along.” A wider flash of a grin at this, an almost conspiratory look crossing her face as she pushes off the wall to start walking down the alley, hoping Mallorie follows suit. “It’s kind of boring but someone has to do it, I guess.”
she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
Kiada’s confidence gives Mallorie a little more assurance that this is, indeed, the woman to talk to. She relaxes a little, takes what’s said on board. Kiada seems to be straight-forward enough, and Mallorie appreciates her not dragging her into any particular attempts at…’chatting’. Which is to say, she makes a good impression on Mallorie, who nods at her suggestion.
She has nothing to do - nothing planned at least - and helping other people struggling here is as good a goal as any other. So Mallorie follows when Kiada starts to walk away.
“I’m happy to help. Would rather be doing that than sitting in the inn all day.”
She’s done that a few times already. Staring at wells and thinking about her situation. It never ends well.
She keeps pace, finds herself walking like she’s on patrol again, and asks, “What do you need a hand with? I’m still getting used to the place, but I have hands and common sense.”
Usually, she very pointedly doesn’t add. Instead, she moves like she has purpose, however nebulous it may currently be.
“Boring is fine. Preferable, given recent events.”
It’s the closest to a joke she’s come in several weeks.
She’s glad when Mallorie follows her, when her explanation reaches the other woman’s ears about what it is she does do. And with it, she glances back over at the other woman with a small smile blossoming on her lips. “I imagine this is at least a bit more interesting.” She hums with a quiet laugh, already having spent a bit of time staring at the wall within the Kraai for absolutely no other reason other than she had nothing else to do.
But Mallorie is moving with her, in a path that’s relatively familiar for Kiada – in a different world and a different life, but she continues on with her posture straight. “At the moment, there’s a couple of troublemakers that like to give the hunters some grief – bragging about mutated creatures in the Grounds they’ve hunted. So when the hunters get too annoyed, there’s this little signal they do that lets me know when it’s time to get them moved on.” She offers with a quiet laugh. “It’s a bird whistle, stands out in a crowd like this.” A wink sent over toward Mallorie while they continue to walk – perhaps specifically heading over toward the hunters section just in case.
“I’ll take this sort of entertainment over anything else recently. Where are you staying?” She asks, following up on Mallorie’s joke with one with a small amount of worry if she’d lost her home so recently after arriving.
she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
It is infinitely more interesting, a fact Mallorie acknowledges with an amused huff. She takes in the route Kiada is leading her on, committing this part of the town to memory and wondering if she’s passed through this area before - ignored it, perhaps, or forgotten. Her attempts to learn Snowcloak’s layout have been a bit of a blur.
The story of the troublemaking hunters is...pleasantly familiar. The idea of wrangling discord is comforting, almost, in the face of everything. She doubts Kiada lacks the means to move them on herself, but she still asks, “Do you need back-up with them?” before she can stop herself
Probably not a good idea to question her ability to handle some disgruntled hunters… She scolded herself, silently. She did take note to listen out for such a whistle though, just in case.
When Kiada winks it makes something inside her chest tug painfully. Like she’s absently poked a wound yet to heal. She clears her throat and tries to focus on the here and now, not the past and the there, even as it rises, fresh, within her.
“I’m staying at a small inn a few streets away. The guard captain mentioned it when I arrived. It’s comfortable and survived the chaos mostly intact, so I’ve stayed. There’s been a few more guests recently for...obvious reasons.” Mallorie explains.
Curious about the people Kiada is helping, Mallorie frowns ever so slightly and tilts her head as she asks, “Is there a particular place those from the Hollow Grounds stay? I’m afraid I haven’t quite got my head around the districts yet - if there are any.”
The question that leaves Mallorie grants a bright smile from Kiada and a considering look, before her smile shifts to something of amusement and curling into a light and playful smirk. “I’ll never say no to an extra pair of hands.” She offers, finding it relatively easy to jest with the other woman. If nothing else, as Kiada’s learned in Halo, Outlanders should at the very least stick together. Easier company that way, less expectations.
But her question of where Mallorie is staying has Kiada focusing a bit more intensely, before she nods. “Morgan?” She questions quietly, head tilting slightly. She’s never met the woman, but she has heard of the captain. And if nothing else, at least it’s survived the chaos, as Mallorie put it. “I’m glad it’s still there.” She adds, perhaps a bit more solemnly.
When it comes to where the Grounders are staying, she looks a bit more ahead as she still listens for that whistle. “We were staying in the Palace before it was destroyed. Some of them stay in the Arcane Academy and some of them stay in the Kraai.” She offers, before a gloved hand outstretches toward those crowded around the stalls that look decidedly out of place among the rest of the Halovians. “This group is staying in the Academy.”
she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
That her offer has been accepted (appreciated, even) lets Mallorie relax properly. Shoulders coming down a little, and slipping out of the old guard way of holding herself. She allows a small twitch of her lips in Kiada’s direction when the other woman smiles at her.
“Morgan was the one who found me in the tundra. She seemed honourable.” Mallorie explains, though she finds she doesn’t know enough to say more. And it’s not like she’s been making any other friends here, so she appreciates the change in subject.
She knew a palace existed. Hard not to, given how it stood out from the other buildings. She faintly remembered magical school being mentioned, but not that it held people who weren’t students. It seemed a little odd, and she shot Kiada a sideways glance.
“A school seems a strange choice of residence.”
Though, she supposed, shelter was shelter, when your other options were rubble and snow.
When Kiada points out the people gathered around the stalls, Mallorie takes the opportunity to study them. They clearly stand out from the locals, and it’s fascinating to see the differences; refreshing to confirm that her sense for picking out What Doesn’t Fit doesn’t seem to have dulled. She feels a sense of kinship to these people, strangers in a new home.
She’s glad she approached Kiada if she might help them, even a little.
A thought strikes her, as she remembers what Morgan said about magic in this land.
“Is the academy only offering space to those who can use magic?”
There's a nod granted toward Mallorie for the comment on Morgan. She’s never met the woman, but she has seen her. Saw the way she’d marched up to Neron and nearly spat in her face before offering herself for Warden. And that’s absolutely the type of woman Kiada admires — so she doesn’t blame the other Outlander for her opinion of the Captain. If anything, Kiada whole heartedly agrees. “I see it.” She replies easily, flashing another small grin Mallorie’s way.
The mention of the Arcane Academy being a place to stay has Kiada humming lightly under her breath. “It was the only part of the palace that really remained where people could stay.” She comments, rolling her shoulders a small amount, wondering if Mallorie has heard the reasons as to why the school had remained unharmed in comparison.
But that can be a conversation for later, as she points out those of the Grounders that didn’t fit in with the rest of Halo here. “They’re currently offering it to everyone who needs it.” She explains, a gloved hand waving around in the air in a small gesture with a rise and fall of a shoulder in a shrug. “But some of the Grounders have a hard time trusting it, so they’re staying in the Kraai and with whomever else takes pity on them.” Which… Wasn’t really a lot all things considered. Everyone else was sort of dealing with their own problems, own destroyed homes or workplaces.
she's fire and ice. you'll fear the cold and crave the burn
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Kiada has a large X scar on the right side of her neck.
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Kiada, without killing her <3
Mallorie folds her hands behind her back as she surveys the people gathered.
“Must be pretty robust to have survived that.” She says of the academy, but thinks little of the implications otherwise. Magic is a thing that exists here, and it stands to reason a school might have magical protection in a Location as hostile as Halo.
That said, by the same logic the palace should also have had magical protection. The scattered evidence to the contrary makes Mallorie ‘hmm’ in interest, and she politely didn’t voice that thought. It felt a little too early to present herself as suspicious to a new acquaintance.
She nods and adds, drily, “Generous of them. I’ve encountered few institutes so civic minded.”
Distrust seems fair. Mallorie isn’t sure how she feels about the subject, herself. Still hasn’t quite managed to bring herself to test for any new magical ability since arriving. She silently agrees with the Grounders, and tries not to think too much about it for the time being.
Given how desperate the situation is, Mallorie wonders how they even know where to start starting over.
“Is there anything I can lend a hand with at the moment?”
