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 comment of the academy being robust to survive has Kiada in a mix between a snort and her face shifting briefly into a small sneer. “Godly intervention, I think is more like it.” Involving child sacrifices and the like. It’s clear she’s not too much of a fan of it, which is why the Harpy has chosen to stay in the Kraai – to get as far away from all of that as possible. But some of them remained, and she couldn’t blame them. Already the Kraai was full of her people and others without homes… How much more could they really fit?
But there’s a nod to Mallorie’s dry comment, an agreement on that because she too has faced it. And all the girl can do is offer the other woman a small yet softer smile, some kind of conspirators tone crossing her vocals. “Well, you’re in good company here. This is the fourth world I’ve fallen into.” It’s said with some sort of pride, even though there’s really anything but. Either way, she shakes her head a bit and continues on beside Mallorie.
“At the moment we’re just gathering things, so if you want to haul it back to the Academy with me and them, that’d be great.” She offers with a light chime, before the tail end is met with that whistle and all amusement fades as she glances toward Mallorie briefly, legs immediately beginning to move to take her toward the commotion. A hand outstretches to grab onto a Grounder, to offer them a saccharine smile, trying to guide her and a couple other of the Grounders away. “C’mon Tiff, we gotta keep moving.” She says, letting the woman go, eyes watching the others that seem to have a bit of difficulty with breaking the conversation despite the poor hunter’s best attempts to overtly act like they don’t care.
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 remembers gods being mentioned here, but the mention of direct intervention surprises her. She assumed it was largely superstition and people holding fast to tradition rather than tales of active involvement. She doesn’t say more on the subject in case Kiada is particularly religious, but she frowns minutely.
Staying somewhere you don’t trust for lack of choice is uncomfortably close to home, and she gives Kiada a sideways look when she mentions how many worlds she’s apparently been in.
“Is this place prone to spitting people out again?” She’s struggled enough to get used to this land, the idea that it might happen again is more than a little disconcerting.
When Kiada moves, Mallorie follows, a step or so slower as she ruminates on what she’s learnt. She’s also found that the locals have generally been accepting, the occasional hairy eye notwithstanding. There are worse places she could have been dropped, all things considered. Helping to carry supplies sounds like something she can do - solid, tangible help she can offer - and she nods.
The sound of the whistle catches her attention and she tenses a little. A reaction she has yet to lose to a perceived disturbance, whether it involves her or not. She watches Kiada defuse the situation a little warily - this isn’t her place to overstep, much as habit makes her want to. She keeps her eyes on the hunters who seem reluctant to settle, and lets Kiada lead. They’re her people, after all.
“Not as far as I know.” Kiada offers easily, though if she were being honest, she hadn’t thought any of her other worlds would have had that struggle too. So instead, she keeps it at that, prays quietly to herself when she’s all alone that this place doesn’t toss her out either. All she knows is that there’s no other way to get out — unless someone were to spit them out, as Mallorie had put it.
But they’re moving now, slinking toward the hunters that have had enough, pushing along Tiff who seems to have more to say but begrudgingly continues on while Kiada eyes the people that crowd with her, edging them further and further on to the next couple of stalls where they can add more trinkets and what not to make the time go by. Mallorie’s question has an almost satisfied smile crossing Kiada’s face, but she shakes her head as she begins to walk down the alley again, watching more of the Grounders and their bartering attempts.
“No, I’m not a guard. I’m the Guildmistress of the Monster Hunter’s Guild back in the Grounds though.” She chimes with a bright grin to that before settling in the walk easier. “Sort of suited what I did in my last world better than anything else we have here yet. What about you?”
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 hunters move under Kiada’s firm but seemingly friendly hand, and Mallorie moves with them. These people trust Kiada, or at least look to her for some sort of direction. That speaks volumes about the other woman, and Mallorie feels strangely lucky to have almost stumbled across her this day.
She goes with her, and the others, and watches the others make their purchases quietly. It all seems strangely domestic - even with being momentarily belayed by the hunters. Everyone doing what they need without complaint, and making their way down the streets and alleys.
Mallorie is surprised by Kiada’s answer, and can’t stop herself from looking at her in response.
“Really? You seem a natural at handling people.” She considers this for a moment, then adds, “I was a guard in my old life, though I am...currently undecided here.”
Part undecided, part reticent. Finding a profession means committing to life here.
Mallorie allows a very small, soft smile to creep onto her face.
“Running a guild is no small feat. There’s probably a lot of crossover between monster hunting and guard skills.”
There’s a slightly wider smile that crosses Kiada’s face at the suggestion from Mallorie. That she seems like she’s a natural when it comes to dealing with people. It’s not something she imagined, but she supposes it makes sense to see it in action here. Back at the Grounds, however? Things would go back to some semblance of normalcy. She’d prefer her animals and monsters over the public, and they’d do the same. Still, she does raise a small brow at the mention of Mallorie being a guard previously. “It took me over a year to figure out what I wanted to kind of… Work toward. You’ve got time.” She assures the other woman, unaware of the war that rages within her.
But there’s a soft smile crossing Mallorie’s face that has Kiada relieving any last bit of tension in her shoulders as she focuses on the other woman. “I’d say there probably is, yeah.” A quiet huff of a laugh in agreement. “The whole keeping people safe idea, I imagine.” She says, flashing a grin toward Mallorie at the slight tease to her tone. “My father was a soldier. I wanted to do anything but that when I was younger and… Well, after I went through all these worlds it really kind of seemed like the only thing I could do anymore.” A shrug to that while they meander through the alley again, a few of the Grounders leaving their respective shopping sprees and falling into step behind them.
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
“Time is certainly something I have an abundance of here.” Mallorie huffs and bows her head slightly at Kiada’s assurance.
“It’s good to know I have options here, at least.” She finally concedes.
If Kiada is in any way uncomfortable handling people, or out of her element, it doesn’t show. Mallorie remains impressed by her understated command of the Grounders; she suspects her own discomfort with...everything is probably written in every stiff, straight-backed move she makes.
She misses being in a bustling city where the most dangerous thing was the local tavern’s weekend special. She also, despite herself, misses greenery. Trees. Has had more than enough of the barren cold in only a few weeks. But that way danger lies, thought-wise; she raises a hand to rub at her chest, and shakes the meandering musing away.
They carry on, and she doesn’t miss how the others fall in line behind them. Behind Kiada.
“You move like a soldier,” Mallorie notes, aloud, “Like you have somewhere to be, and no intention of not getting there.”
Time is one thing Kiada has an abundance of as well – even if it didn’t seem like she had nearly enough late at night. But she nods to Mallorie regardless, flashing another smile her way. “And if Halo doesn’t suit you, you’re welcome to come visit the Grounds and see what it’s like.” She adds – unsure of Torchline, but knowing for sure that Kiada would welcome the woman to the Grounds.
If nothing else, she thinks her and Deimos might get along, and that’s enough for her too.
Come to think of it, there’s something about her that reminds Kiada of Adam in some way, though she can’t quite place it. So she tilts her head forward again, focusing on the route they take ahead as the Grounders filter in again. It’s not too far off from the entrance to the Academy where they can make sure the Grounders are settled before departing.
Mallorie’s comment does distract her, though, as she tilts her head back toward the woman with a slightly amused smile. “My father was a soldier of sorts. Maybe I just inherited a bit from him.” She says with a light huff of laughter slipping from her lips.
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 wants to see it at some point - wants to visit different parts of this world, especially if it’s a place Adam called home. She wants...to feel more settled here, when everything unsettles her.
She considers Kiada’s offer.
“I don’t have much choice but to see if Halo works out for me at the moment,” she says drily, “but I will think about visiting the Grounds.”
The others around them seem content enough, and it puts Mallorie in mind of travelling as a unit; she feels oddly comforted by their presence, and she eyes them with curiosity now she can pick out who belongs to Kiada’s group and who doesn’t.
Kiada’s explanation makes sense, and she gives her a small smile back.
“That’s probably it. An old friend used to tell me something similar.”
Admittedly he’d put in less polite terms, but she felt it applied.
“I know the feeling.” Kiada comments about Halo, how they’re trapped here until Flowerbirth at the earliest. Perhaps something would fit, something would stick, even if things were getting relatively serious between her and Chulane as of late. Once the borders opened again, well… Who knew what would happen then? “I think I know a few people you’ll get along with.” She flashes a grin toward the woman before they’re walking down the alley to the remains of the Palace, picking through the wreckage.
And the pathway is laid out, walking up the stairs into the remains of the palace and shifting toward the hallway that leads down toward the Academy. She explains her father having been a soldier, and there’s a light smile that remains on her face at Mallorie’s response. “I’m gonna assume so, at least. Nobody’s ever really said it before.” She shrugs with a small laugh. “Though one person I know here after I arrived came from one of my previous worlds, so I guess he never had to explain anything about me. Probably was surprised at how much I’d grown up.” She shrugs.
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
Ah, Mallorie thinks, something in common. Though of course, she hadn’t arrived in time to be able to speak to the one person who’d shared her old world. But it was good to know that something, or someone familiar might one day turn up.
She gives Kiada a smile - a twist to her mouth rather than a full grin - and replies, “If you’re recommending them to me, I’ll trust your judgment.”
It couldn’t hurt to make more friends now...here. Except for the ‘having to make friends’ part, that is. But Mallorie figures if she can drop into a new world out of nowhere, she can learn to be more sociable, as awkward as it sounds.
As they make their way through the rubble, Mallorie pauses as the palace comes into sight. She didn’t realise it had been so damaged, had assumed most of the harm had fallen on the settlement itself. She manages to keep moving after a moment of hesitation, and as they turn towards the academy something foreboding rises in her chest.
“This is the school?” She asks, nodding towards it.
Something about it sends a prickle through her skin, ice through her veins - though it quickly thaws. Mallorie doesn’t quite have the time to prevent a look of apprehension crossing her face and her jaw tenses; it’s a fleeting sensation, but it’s enough, and it unsettles her.
She decides easily that she could get used to Mallorie’s company — something interestingly familiar with the way the woman seems to think that reminds her of her own quick mind. Survivors, of a sort. At least Mallorie was in good company among many of the other survivors Kiada watched over. They all continue to walk down the hallway leading to the Academy, the warmth of the palace remains stark in contrast to the rest of the outside world, and she begins to shed her outermost layers and gloves as they settle into the room.
Mallorie’s question is met with a light sigh. “It is. The Arcane Academy.” She adds on, a soft sort of contemplative look crossing her face. “I tried to get them to move into the Kraai but they weren’t really having any of it. Half have chosen to stay here. Half there. I spend my days between them all and ensuring they have what they need and aren’t causing too much shit that we overstay our welcome.” She comments, a small laugh leaving her. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” A small probing question as she hangs her outer coat and sets her gloves into a fur lined pocket.
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 warmth of the building does little to settle Mallorie’s nerves, but Kiada’s apparent lack of concern is enough for Mallorie at this moment to relax. She doesn’t trust the building, but she feels she can trust this woman - that they may well be of a kind. At the very least, they seem to share certain sensibilities.
She looks around her, at the academy’s furnishings - grander than her own current residence - and is quietly impressed.
“It’s well put together, at least.”
She nods as Kiada explains the situation, and feels for the woman. Having to traipse from the academy to the tavern sounds like a nuisance at best.
“Sounds like you’re their keeper as much as their leader,” she says with a wry smile, “that’s a lot of responsibility.”
Mallorie probably could go for a drink right about now, though she’s hesitant to ask much more of Kiada. The grounders around them remind her just how much weight the young woman seems to be bearing on her shoulders. Commendably, she thinks, I’ve seen grown men cowed by less.
But she thinks about it and eventually nods ‘yes’.
The jacket is easy set up on the makeshift coat hanger within the room, and she ends up slipping back toward Mallorie’s side as the other woman’s words reach her. There’s a deep nod given to that, unsure what to say about it – half wanting to make some dry sarcastic comment in regards to it, but she doesn’t. Instead, she focuses on the explanation of pulling them from here to there, before a soft laugh slips from her lips at the mention of a keeper. “I guess I sort of am.” She shrugs, before puffing out her cheeks in a small sigh. “The Hollowed Grounds government gave me a task to keep an eye on them, so I am.” Not for her mother, but for Deimos.
She didn’t want to let the General down.
But she asks Mallorie if she’s hungry or thirsty, and when the answer reaches her she slips toward the small section they’ve made into a communal kitchen of sorts. “Do you want water, wine, or beer?” She suggests, looking up from the space with the bottles and the water after she’s grabbed a couple of glasses, filling one with water for herself after a split second of debating wine or not.
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 government?” Mallorie asks, “Are the grounders here still under their care then?”
It surprises her; she’d assumed the grounders in Halo were refugees or had otherwise cut their ties to the Hollowed Grounds. Though she supposes they could have been merely travelling and were tapped by the Deepfrost. She peers at Kiada curiously though, wondering at her connections if the government gave her a direct task. She doesn’t carry herself like a politician or a ruler, at least not any Mallorie’s known. But then, being head of a guild probably affords her more status than most.
Mallorie watches her as she enters the kitchen area, answers her query with a nod of her head.
“Water, please.”
I don’t drink on the job, almost falls off her tongue, but she doesn’t have a job here. And she thinks a drink would be understandable, given the circumstance.
She wonders at the supplies here. If it’s a school it should be well-stocked, but with the additional guests…
“How are the food levels?” She asks, not sure if there was any arable land here, and not wanting to add to the Grounders' woes.
