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!
a thousand faces staring at me, a thousand times i've fallen
There is comfort that gleams within Hester’s eyes, and perhaps that’s part of the reason he follows her to the library. But if he had his choice, he absolutely would remain within the confines of the entrance, ready to leave at a moments notice if things went south. He doesn’t know what to do without something in his hands, doesn’t know how to deal other the emotions that are knotted up tight in his chest.
But she tugs him along, and at this point poor Glas is along for the ride. He can at least admit that it was better than his alternative, hiding away from everyone else. So when they find a place for just themselves, he runs a hand through his blonde hair, that hand falling back to both hide and press against the scar that twists up from his mouth to the side of his face.
He believes her when she says it wasn’t awkward, despite how much it feels like that. And her joke works well enough, a smile curling up on the other side of his face, a nod granted that has blonde hair falling forward again, green eyes dropping to the table. “T-that’s true.” He manages, recalling how she’d never stuck around places if they were dull, still unable to find himself as one that wasn’t considered that. “Thanks… For h-helping.” With the table, with the hug, unsure what else to say, what conversation to strike up.
Wouldn't claim to feel the same we felt the first time it was heard
A crooked grin spreads over Hesters face at the thanks, not needing it, not in the least, but not willing to make it a thing at this point. ”If we don’t look out for each other, who will, right?” And Glas was easy to look out for, regardless of what he might think. Especially when she didn’t have that much to look out for, the youngest and last, of a handful of older look outs.
It’s the elephant in the room now, the subject of his parents aching to spoken about, in the same way a lost tooth aches to be poked at. The only way to avoid is to step around it completely, start a conversation taking off in a different direction, and it’s up to her. She’s never been good at starting conversations.
Just before the quiet becomes awkward, Hester takes a breath, sets a smile upon her lips. ”Do you have any plans for after Longnight? I was thinking I might explore through the portals a little bit, but the new Warden offered to let me play in the council house eventually as well.” It felt jarring, and selfish all over again, to talk about herself, but what else was she supposed to say, to bring up? Maybe a touch of normalcy was what he really needed right now.
a thousand faces staring at me, a thousand times i've fallen
“Right.” Glas manages, his face shifting a small amount to edge toward a smile. Noah had attempted to, but he hadn’t been around before Glas’ accident. As for Hester? She’d always sort of kept an eye out for him, before then and now even if they hadn’t spoken in some time. And perhaps part of him would always admire that openness, willing to bring people in even if silence had overtaken the conversation for the better part of recent years.
He’s glad to have her at his side, at least.
He’s also glad when she starts to speak, the smile on her face relaxing him from the recent horrors and trauma of his life, though there’s still a bit of an anxious tic in the way he folds his hands together, thumb rubbing along the edge of his knuckles in his other hand. “P-Portals?” He questions, letting his gaze find hers again, his anxieties soothed enough to be able to look at her face and not fear judgement.
“I just… Mom and Dad finally l-let me go around Snowcloak again.” After the incident. “I-I think I want.. I want to explore.” See what else is out there, what to look out for. But as for playing in the council house? That shifts his lips a bit in a small smile. “W-what would you d-do in the council house?” Be a part of it? Write the stories and ballads of Halo’s new shift yet again?
Wouldn't claim to feel the same we felt the first time it was heard
Hester encourages the fledgling smile with a wide one of her own, trying to offer as much brightness as she can, to a friend who hasn't had much lately. He may still be on the fence about whether or not to accept her offer, but that doesn't mean Glas can stop her from seeking him out day after day and offering even just companionship.
"Yea, the portals." She smiles, glad to be on a lighter subject, and cocks her head to the side, wondering just how much Glas has missed while he's been hidden away, recovering and god's only know what else. "Where did you think all these people came from? There's whole different worlds out there." There is genuine curiosity in her eyes, as she looks across at the other, her smile nothing but warm.
Hester offers a nod at his explanation, more than able to connect things together herself, to save him the trouble of explaining it. "We can explore together, if you want. Go out there, and see... somewhere else." Really, she had no plans other than somewhere else, but that would be enough once things opened again. All anyone ever needed was a direction, right? And she's direction enough to drag the both of them into something exciting.
The question about the council house makes her face crash, all too human worry suddenly settling upon her shoulders. "I don't... really know. Morg- I mean the Warden just invited me to play my music." A hand comes up to cover her mouth, wide eyes suddenly aimed at the floor. "She hasn't even heard me play!"
a thousand faces staring at me, a thousand times i've fallen
Her attempts work well, uncovering the layers of his anxiety, to break out an easier smile, something that covers and whisks away the plastered on one from before. It’s more genuine, especially when she speaks, and his head tilts a small amount at her curiosity, her warm smile not having him feel as though he’s being chided. A hand comes up to run through his hair, resting at the back of his neck. “I… Dunno.” He offers, honestly, because he hadn’t really known where they’d come from. He’d heard of portals, but not the fact that so many people traversed through them now.
But then he’s explaining that he wants to explore, to find the Portals and what lives beyond their icy tundra and leave the cannibals and hardships of Halo behind, at least for a little bit. But then… Then she offers the fact that they could go together, and his green eyes widen ever so slightly, gaze snapping to her to try and find the lie within. “O-okay.” He agrees, easily, entirely. Something to look forward to.
His question following hadn’t meant to make her feel so much at once, and his blonde brows furrow together as he watches her shift. “Really?” He asks quietly, no stutter therein as he curiously tries to run his mind around it. And then he latches onto something else, a small smile curving around his lip with no judgement within it. “M-Morgan? Close t-to her?” He questions, insinuating that they’re on a first name basis, some amusement replacing the sorrow and anxieties of before.
07-23-2020, 07:12 AM (This post was last modified: 07-23-2020, 07:12 AM by Hester.)
Wouldn't claim to feel the same we felt the first time it was heard
Honestly, if it hadn't been for the influx of Outlanders at the beginning of the season, Hester didn't think she'd have thought too hard about where they'd come from either. So what else can she do, but offer a nod and a shrug in response to his answer? It doesn't really matter, in the end. Exploration though, that's something to focus on. "I guess we'll just have to choose when it comes up, huh?" She offers, a worry free cant in her voice, in the shrug she lets roll over her.
Hands almost immediately come up, though Hester manages to stop them before they reach her eyes, setting just over her nose instead, hiding the rapidly spreading blush on her face. This was the problem with people who'd known you forever, they knew all your dirty little secrets. "Yes." Hester manages, not at all sounding strained. "Close to... Morgan." It's a good thing her hands are already up, because she can't quite hide the little grin that comes along with the words.
Still, she changes the subject as quickly as she can, talking more than enough for the both of them when Glas wants to keep quiet, and falling quiet when he has something to say. It's a system well perfected from childhood, and it passes the hours in the library easily, moving past them. Hester even moves her bed set up for the night, just to finish catching up. Better to get it out of the way now, so the time after Longnight can be spent moving forward, making new memories.
