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!
Walk me home in the dead of night, 'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind
Not wanting to lash out unfairly, Remi ran his fingers and palm roughly across his eyes, pressing until he saw stars when finally he did open them again. "Having made it this far means nothing. Not with them. Not when he's alone." If anything, the longer he went the lower his chances of survival were, or so Remi thought anyways. The more the monsters picked and tore away at his defences, the harder it would be.
"He wouldn't have. That's the special sort of idiot I married." Remi snapped, the words potentially having a kinder ring in other contexts. "He's doing this to save Vanya. He asked me to stay to watch out over Seren." The Alchemist continued. "He probably couldn't have asked me, even if he had wanted to." Because while it wasn't true for Remi nor had it ever been, Ronin was still a hero at heart. He was good to his core in a way which couldn't be snuffed out. And that's why he was facing the dark and all that it held, while Remi let himself be stopped by a woman he could lift with one arm.
So say you'll stay with me tonight. 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
”And is he alone? Do you know that for sure?” she asked, knowing full well that trying to challenge Remi at any time, especially when he was like this, could very well be a fruitless endeavour. ”There’s more than just Ronin out at the Hollowed Grounds this LongNight. There are people he could be in contact with, checking in with.” Vai scrambled to sit back in the sand now, running her fingers through her curls.
With a deep sigh, she could only shrug to him. ”If he is doing this to save Vanya, and you show up and he comes back here with you, will she be saved?” she asked. ”Or will he have to wait and try again next year?” Asking whether he should be focused more on looking after Seren went unsaid.
Walk me home in the dead of night, 'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind
Giving the witch a frustrated look, Remi pushed himself back into a seated position, miserably glaring at the sand. "A quick check in with those safely indoors isn't going to do him much good against all the hours he'll be alone. No one else is forced to stay outside, like he is. No one else is going to risk all they have just to keep him company. Not for Vanya, anyways." Harsh as it might be to say, other than perhaps Saiden, no one else would care enough for the lost bird to endure the terrors of LongNight just to secure her a place in Mort's realm.
Whether it was his grief talking was anyone's guess, but as Remi looked up, pale and hopeless in the dark, he just shook his head. "I understand why he's doing it, but I don't pretend to care enough about Vanya to not try and dissuade him if it comes to that. No doubt this is just some...errand of Safrin's. Some way for him to prove that he'd do anything for her. It's her godsdamn sky. This is all just pretense. She could have done it for him, if it was really just about that."
So say you'll stay with me tonight. 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
”If the roles were reversed, would you want him to risk everything and walk through the portal when you asked him to stay?” Vai asked simply, frowning across at him and pulling a knee up to her chest. The frown only deepened as he brought up Safrin, the huntress shaking her head slowly. ”I think that is unfair,” she murmured. ”I think it’s less about Safrin, and more about Aoife.” Reuniting mother and daughter would be a way for both to be happy in Mort’s realm, without feeling alone.
Wiping at her eyes, Vai slowly got to her feet. ”No one can stop you from doing what you’re going to do, Remi. I appreciate you humouring me. I just hope you can live with whatever you decide.” She held out a hand, offering to help him up.
Walk me home in the dead of night, 'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind
For a long while the Alchemist said nothing. There was much to wrestle with, least of all Vai's logic. But through it all, the cornerstone and undercurrent were a pair of blue eyes that Remi couldn't imagine going a second longer without seeing. LongNight was not over, and as Vai stood, offering her hand with a look of exasperated patience on her face, the Alchemist knew he could wait no longer.
True, he could die, leaving Ronin alone. True, he'd said he would stay here. True, it was about Aoife and not Vanya, was more about Safrin's manipulations than Ronin's heroism, but fuck it all. Remi needed Ronin more in that moment than he could properly express. He'd have moved mountains, parted the seas if that's what it took, only..it didn't. All it took was diving into the darkness and facing the monsters.
And for Ronin, Remi would. Again and again, against better judgement and good reasons, he would go.
And so he did.
Letting Vai help him to his feet, the Alchemist smiled softly down at her for a moment. "Watch over Seren. I love you." The words were said without thought and yet full of meaning. And no sooner had they left his lips than Remi moved easily around the witch and towards the portal. If he wasn't stopped, he'd disappear though with his husband's name bright on his lips.
So say you'll stay with me tonight. 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
”I love you too.” Vai didn’t smile back. She meant what she said, but as Remi stepped around her, forsaking everything and everyone beyond his own plans and desires, she didn’t glance over her shoulder either. She hadn’t been there for the worst of the changes he had been through; hadn’t seen the way his soul had turned to ash, or the walls that had sprung up around his heart - walls too high, now, to scale.
It was as Remi had said - to go now was to truly put Ronin above all else, even above the Star’s own wants. And Vai felt that chasm open between them, as the Alchemist stepped beyond her reach and her kindness. He went to the portal, and she did what she was now more than accustomed to doing: staying behind, and making sure the children were safe.
