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!
Delphine was seated on the railing, just outside of the library. Her back was to the drop, legs dangling towards the floor, fingers curled tightly around the railing to keep herself in place. She was kicking her legs, studying her bare feet as she went. She was dressed in loose clothing, the most recent shirt Noah had taken off, and a pair of tight leggings, her hair done up in a messy bun.
A speck of blue paint was across her left cheek, though it was dried, and her hands were the same. She looked pensive as if she was lost in thought thinking about something. She wanted to go into the library but...
Neron spent time there. Her stack of books was at her feet, and before anyone could come and question her about 'what was wrong' she moved off the railing to sit with her back against it, opening one of the various books she'd snagged on magic. She was determined to further understand the magic in this world, and nobody seemed to want to help her do that.
She'd have to visit Remi in Flowerbirth and ask if he could recommend anyone.
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
Noah was still getting used to his new skin. He spent most of his days traveling through the halls as a lynx, and shifting back before he needed to talk to any people. However, because it was so new, and most people knew him only as a reindeer, he used this new skin to take time for himself. When he needed to quietly slink away into a private room, he would shift into his lynx form. It would take time for the people of Halo to recognize this form and associate it with the hunter, despite the fact that when he shifted he still kept his glacier eyes. Now, he was just roaming around. When he watched Delphine slip off of the banister, he moved towards her on large, silent paws.
Stopping before the woman, Noah reclined on his haunches and merely watched her. He blinked, whiskers twitching.
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
Delphine flipped through the book, pursing her lips when she caught sight of the lynx. Back home, she would have freaked out. But here... animals wandering where only people should be was the norm.
The woman returned to her book, offering a hand out to the large cat. "You have a lovely shift." She commented, pulling her knees to her chest, as she continued to skim the pages.
She needed to learn about magic; she'd had so many forms of magic back home. Zariah would have really been a trove of information, but... she hadn't seen Zariah since the day the Eirachi had attacked Snowcloak. "Can I pet you?" It was a weird question because she knew it was a person, but...
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
It was very rare for Noah to have a day were he felt playful, or delightfully impish, but deciding to spring this new form on Delphine in this manner felt too good. She spoke to him and he merely lay down, icy eyes looking up to her. He inched a little closer on his belly so that she could reach him, and he lowered his head down and tucked his chin. It was a simple offering, but he gave her the back of his head to pet or scratch as she pleased.
He didn't have much reason to startle her, aside from his own amusement. This shift was as new to him as it was the people in his life. Should he feel her fingers press into his thick, amber fur, a small purr rumbled the depths of his throat and chest.
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
06-24-2020, 02:44 AM (This post was last modified: 06-24-2020, 02:44 AM by Delphine.)
Delphine
Delphine truly had zero idea who she was petting, as her fingers settled into thick fur. She continued to flip through the book, glancing towards the library every-so-often. She huffed, studying the cat. At least whoever it was was soft. "It'd be nice to turn into a cat sometimes, I think. I'd probably be allowed to hide in the library." She stated, a bit wistfully.
She ran her finger along with the page, keeping track of where she was at, as she stroked the cat's head. "It's weird in this world. Been here two years and I still feel like I've got a lot to learn." She knew Noah was a reindeer, so didn't connect the two... after all, Delphine didn't know attuned could get more than one shift.
Shifting, she puffed her cheeks out and hummed, thoughtfully. "It's nice here, but really snowy... I guess it's snowy no matter the season?" From what she'd talked with Chuy about, that was how it seemed. "But I've got a really sweet guy here and... I think I could stay here for him. He's done a lot for me, though I'm not really sure why he's stayed with me. He's really too good for me like they say there's 'leagues' of people and, I'm definitely out of his league, but like below him."
She released the cat's fur to set her first book aside and pick up an even larger one. "It's just weird. He has all these expectations for me, and... outside of doing whatever I could to get food and... other things, I've never really lived alone. It's just a matter of time before he realizes that I'm useless," she scrunched her nose, studying the cat out the corner of her eye before she began to flip through her new book.
Talking to someone in cat-form versus their human form was easier, for some reason. Probably because she could just pretend they were just an animal.
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
Her fingers felt as nice running through his thick, soft, amber fur as they did his thick, blond hair. He contemplated when he would shift back to his human form, to scare her. He wondered if she would squeal, or if she would strike him with one of the thick books in her pile, or both. Would she be mad? Would she think it was funny? He knew his brother would have thought it was hilarious. He missed Ezekiel, suddenly, as he thought of how the younger Olson would have tipped his head back and laughed if he were in Delphine's seat and Noah had surprised him with such a thing.
However, as the woman continued talking, pouring out things she thought and felt, Noah could not bring himself to shift. He looked up to her with soft, blue eyes. The purr continued and he inched closer, again, moving to lay on his side and kick his legs out from beneath him. His spine pressed up against her calf, and he turned his head to lay it on her leg. He didn't even think that this might make her feel a little uneasy, because she didn't know who he was. He lifted his head to look over his shoulder at her, eyes asking for permission for what he was doing.
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
Delphine furrowed her brow as the lynx moved closer, getting completely comfortable against her side. In response, she reached to scratch behind his ear, humming to herself for a moment.
"I mess a lot of things up. Not just my kids, or myself, but... I used to be with Neron," she really had a type, tall, blonde. "When we were younger, and... I guess I hurt him," she crinkled her nose, adjusting the book on her lap.
"Because the first time we've spoken... we were both really mean to each other, and I'm pretty sure that would disappoint Noah. It kind of disappointed me." But at least she was used to disappointing people. Most of all herself.
Delphine didn't stop to consider the fact Remi had shown her wings that were much larger than the wings a hawk should have; she didn't know what coming here did to him, or that it was possible to have shifts that were not similar--like a manticore and a hawk. She also didn't stop to wonder who she was talking too; it wasn't like anyone was going to go find Noah and tell him.
In fact, having someone in their shifted form rest against her legs was comforting, and she grinned quietly. "I like sleeping next to someone, though. Before I was married, and on nights where my husband was with his wife, Remi would come to my room as a hawk, and stay the night. But it's definitely better when it's next to someone I l..." She paused, considering her words, "...like, more than a friend."
She reached for her books, to start stacking them up. "Yeah... Noah's pretty perfect. Though he never ever asks about my day... Or my past. It's kind of like he doesn't want to know."
An epidemic of the mannequins Contaminating everything We thought came from the heart
She didn't shoo him away and she didn't shy away from him. So he turend his head back and rested it on her leg. Maybe right now, all she needed to think was that he was just some sort of tame lynx and she could share all she needed to. Noah understood that sometimes just opening up and letting everything out was cathartic. He let his purr continue, rumbling against her leg as she stroked him.
As she continued to spill her heart to the lynx, though, his heart sank. She went on about Neron and her most recent encounter with him, and how Noah was failing. He listened intently. She was right--he had been too preoccupied with his own things and making sure that the woman stayed busy and clean that he hardly had time or made space for her to share what was going on in her head. He needed to do better.
Delphine was the first woman that Noah had a steady relationship with. He's slept with other women or kept them as friendly company. Delphine, however, was the first woman that Noah lived with, and said that they needed to try--the first woman that Noah said he could love, the first woman to say she could love him. That mattered to him, and he needed to do better for her. He needed to spend more time getting to know her and ask more questions.
It never did right from the start Just listen to the noises
Delphine drifted into silence, before she moved to stand, patting the lynx one more time before she was on her feet, books in hand. She needed to return them. Zariah would have called her ditzy, for chatting to a lynx she was pretty sure was a shifter.
But she hadn't said anything that was a secret. She waved to the lynx, and moved to the library door, to replace her books on the shelves and choose another book or three. Most of the ones she wanted were high on the shelves, and she wasn't going to ask Neron for help again, if she ran into him.
Before she entered, she smiled softly, "Maybe there's some things about people you just can't fix." She told the big cat, with a shrug, and then she disappeared into the library.
She stood to go and the lynx watched her with sad, blue eyes. When the door was shut firmly, he waited a moment, before shifting back to his human form, watching the door with sad, blue eyes. He moved his body back to lean against the rail of the banister, his legs out before him. He sighed, waiting for the woman to return. He owed her an apology.
What kind of man was he? He told her that their relationship would need work and here he was, leaving the work to her. She was the addict; she was the grieving mother; she was the outsider. What was he but a selfish man who thought himself better without consciously acknowledging it? How dare him. His arrogance had caused her pain (acknowledged, or not), and for that he felt terrible.
When he thought the door was opening he lifted his chin and a brow, "Delphine?"
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
Delphine exited the library with a new handful of books, smiling brightly when she heard her name. It doesn't sound insincere, nor does her smile seems fake, judging by how quickly she moved to him. She did spare a glance for the cat, furrowing her brow briefly, before her attention returned to him, and she began to talk excitedly about the books she had found.
"Noah, this library's amazing. There's so much knowledge in one place and, just..." The library back home had never grown quite this large. She drifted off, studying him.
"Are you... mad at me?" She raised the books against her chest like they'd protect her from making Noah angry, not that she feared the man, but she hated confrontation--hated disappointing people she cared about. She hated the feeling of not knowing how to protect herself until she knew what she'd done.
But the way he was standing, and really, the way he had said her name, indicated anger or sadness; she had not yet learned to perfectly pick those two emotions out.
When she came back into the corridor from the library he felt his heart flutter some -- out of guilt and out of his other feelings for her. He sunk his hands in his pockets, staying put where he was as she closed the distance between them with her armful of books. For as small of a woman she was, she held those books like they were no burden to her. "I'm not sure what will happen with the Academy after Longnight, but if it stays open I think you should investigate enrollment. To practice your magic." He tried to smile at her, but the sadness and guilt he felt tugged at the corners of his lips and did not let his face wrinkle in the way it normally did when he smiled.
"No, I'm not mad." He said, his hands leaving his pockets and raising palm up towards her. "I owe you an apology." He extended his arms towards her again, offering to take the books from her. "A few days ago I discovered a new shift. I hadn't told you yet, until I found you here, reading." He gestured to where she had been sitting with the lynx. "I'm the cat."
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
Delphine bit her lip. She'd wanted to enroll under Zariah, and the woman had not been keen. But... whoever took over now, might let her. She couldn't focus on that, seeking out what would happen with the Academy, who would run it, and whether she could get enrolled when she saw him fail to smile.
He held his arms out for her books, and began talking about apologies, and she furrowed her brow as she slipped the books into his grasp, carefully. Her features were neutral, as he explained, and then she stated, rather seriously, "I'm glad you're the cat. I wouldn't have known how to explain how I let some strange shifter snuggle up to me. You don't strike me as the sharing type." Her lips curved slightly, before the smile faded. Because what that really meant...
"I don't... think you should apologize for listening to things I should have been telling you from the beginning." She sounded uncomfortable, though, because she was. It was a hundred times easier to tell that cat her feelings than to look Noah in the eyes and try to express herself. Probably because Delphine sucked at talking, music and painting had always been her chosen ways to express her feelings.
After a moment of brief silence, the woman suddenly asked: "Where's your reindeer? Do you still have it? I... Back home shifters..." ...were just one animal.
When she relinquished the books, Noah took them and invited her to sit. He sank down the railing and sat next to where she had been before. "Yeah, definitely not a sharer." He knew that some people had relations that brought in many people. He had even wondered if Delphine's husband had kept two wives at all times--but he usually got rid of those thoughts as quickly as they came. He was more of a monogamous man, and he probably always would be.
He let out a breath, "No, what I need to apologize for is not trying enough. I told you that relationships required work and we needed to continue to get to know each other. But I have been so wrapped up in myself and my own affairs that I have forgotten you. I've forgotten that I need to give of myself to you. Share things with you, and ask questions about what's going on in your life." He set the books down on the floor and reached out to grab her hand.
When she asked about his other shift, he nodded. "Yes. I was kind of afraid of that at first, too, so I focused how I always have and I was able to get back into the reindeer shift. I can do both just fine."
feel defiance burning through my teeth it's not enough to drag this blade across the day
