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 sun was up and Jack would have liked it if some inconsiderate Ascended asshole hadn’t gone and tried to knock him into next fucking week. Still, even the fading bruises on his face and the niggling of something brewing in the back of his head couldn’t stop the rush of anticipation that finally - finally - he was going to be able to set sail. There were still a few things to take care of before then, though. And some of them were more selfish than others.
So it was that the captain of the Ark approached the Halenani - a brothel he had yet to visit, but one from which he had heard incredibly good things. Peering up at it with a raised brow just as the sun began to dip down below the horizon, Jack took little time in hopping up the steps to walk inside. It was certainly... extravagant.
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Extravagant by Torchline standards but purposefully so. This was no ramshackle outfit. No, it was pristine, a glorious hall of worship to Frey - though its cleanly appearance by no means reflected the sordid available services.
Jack would be greeted first by a fluffy cat - a seer cat he might recognize - his tail flicking lazily as he lounged on the greeting counter. "Welcomeeee." he purred, rolling to expose his belly and little pink bowtie. As he rolled he reached and tapped a little bell, and shortly after the Madame herself appeared. Phoebe smiled at the man as she came down the stairs, long blonde hair in waves down her back. "Well now, Branbast, who do we have here?"
Nicest fucking brothel Jack had ever been in, that was for sure. The captain glanced up and around, taking in everything about the place. Damn, it even smelled fancy. He felt a smile start to curl across his lips, feeling himself being able to make himself quite at home here. Especially given that he would be spending the next season at sea.
Then he saw that demon on the counter and instinctively took a step back again, blue eyes narrowing fiercely. Sear cats and Jack? Not a good combination. The Ark had one once, but he’d pissed it off, and it had refused to predict storms for the ship. And here he was, catless.
It was a good thing the proprietress appeared a moment later, Jack glancing up and trying to ignore the furry monster. ”Call me Jack,” he said. ”Quiet about, isn’t it? Or is that just good soundproofin’?”
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Whether Branbast noticed or cared as the captain glared at him could not be discerned on his overly tufted face. Instead he completed his lazy roll and pulled himself to a seated position, watching Jack with wide orange eyes. Phoebe stepped up to the counter and patted his head, a tiny reward for ringing the bell like he was supposed to.
Then her attention turned back to the man. "It's good to meet you, Jack. I'm Phoebe, the Madame here." she said with a warm smile. Young though she might be, she fit the role of Madame, having traded her modest sun dresses for a long, flowy, beachy sort of dress with a low cut front and back. "Soundproofing. You can thank Frey for that because I assure you it is anything but quiet about." she said with a smirk.
"So, Jack...are you just here to marvel at our pretty, quiet building or would you like to procure some company this evening?" she asked. As she spoke she pulled a glass from beneath the counter and a few bottles of assorted alcohol. "A drink, Captain?"
At least the creature kept its trap shut, and its owner seemed to have it under control. Jack let himself relax a fraction, giving over his attention to the apparent Madame of the place; given the madames that he’d met in his past, Phoebe looked more like the daughter of one. But who was he to ask questions in an establishment that wasn’t his? ”Frey?” he drawled, letting out a low whistle and glancing around the place again. ”That explains it.” He’d have not believed it, but - well, the place spoke for itself.
Then Phoebe was taking out booze and damn but this was the kind of establishment he could get used to. ”Whiskey,” he said with a grateful nod, leaning against the counter now (away from the cat). ”What kind of company you got? I ain’t fussy about what’s in their pants, long as they have an open mind.”
07-01-2020, 05:39 PM (This post was last modified: 07-01-2020, 05:43 PM by Phoebe.)
PHOEBE
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
"Mmmhmm." Phoebe hummed, his astonishment clear enough. "Frey is a very dear friend of mine and given their interest in the services sold here...well they made sure nothing was overlooked." she said with a wink. Even things she or any human would have never dreamed of were made possible by Frey's intervention. It's what made the place special.
She nodded and opened up the whiskey bottle, pouring him a healthy glass. "All of my workers have an open mind, but it all comes with a price of course." she said handing him his glass with delicate fingers. "Why don't we take a little stroll and see if any strike your fancy?" she said holding out her arm to him.
A dear friend? Of Frey? Things either got weirder, the hoax got more elaborate, or both. Luckily for Jack, he knew there was no hint of deceit in Phoebe’s thoughts - the Madame was serious, and fuck if that wasn’t interesting. Accepting the glass and raising it to her in a toast, he took a sip; it was good shit, the sort of shit that might have even been smuggled in from the Ark.
”Obviously,” he murmured about the price - it was a brothel, after all. ”What kinda prices you got on a place blessed by Frey?” he inquired, taking her arm and moving to stroll down the elaborate halls with her. ”If your people are anything like this place, I’m sure they’ll all strike a fancy.”
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
From beneath the counter she produced a glass for herself. White wine - light, refreshing, and not nearly enough alcohol to make her lose her wits but enough to arguably be partaking. Drinking alone was just sad after all and the Halenani was not a place one came to be sad...it was simply a place one came. Phoebe lifted her own glass in toast as well and took a sip.
"Surprisingly affordable - the unforeseen benefit of a god handling your building restoration is the utter lack of financial debt." she said. As she explained the prices to Jack, which the narrator would gloss over because it was boring narratively speaking, and poorly thought through on their part beyond being a worthy splurge, Phoebe guided him around the first floor. This was clearly the men's floor as half dressed fellows hung about, drinking and watching the Madame and her guest with interest. This was a show they were used to, being put on display in hopes of attracting a customer.
Phoebe laughed lightly as she turned to lead Jack up the stairs. "Well if you can't choose just one perhaps you'll just have to treat yourself to a few." she said with a wink. The upstairs was similar to the first floor, though its halls were lined with lovely ladies in lingerie and lace, each doing their best to catch the captain's eye too.
Jack personally didn’t have any problem with drinking alone, but fuck if she wasn’t right about the Halenani - it was a place one came, especially if the thoughts that suddenly began to drift into the periphery of his telepathy were serious about what they were all about. (The captain suspected that they were). He followed Phoebe through both floors, blue eyes taking in the offerings of both men and ladies, nodding along at her choice of price - reasonable, indeed.
More than anything he was here to scope the place out - they could do more than just the typical type of business, if the young Madame wished to strike a deal, and being in league with someone sponsored by Frey was always a plus for Jack. But since he was here anyway, he may as well sample what was on offer. ”You know, you may have a point,” he murmured, catching the eye of a petite redhead he was sure he’d seen before, and the images plucked from her mind only confirmed it.
He nodded to her. ”Night’s young. I think I’ll start here.” He grinned.
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Phoebe smiled, glad their was no protesting about the price. Some fellows and ladies liked to try and haggle, but the young Madame would have none of it. The price was the price because it was necessary. You want to sleep with a happy, healthy, well-cared for prostitute who actually enjoyed their job and living situation? Then you paid for it. Period. She was pretty and sweet but by no means a pushover - that Phoebe had long since perished somewhere between LongNight, heartbreak, and Frey's tough love.
"I'm glad you agree." she said. Something told her that he was likely to become a frequent guest of the Halenani, and so she made sure to commit his face to memory as she passed him off to the prostitute he chose to start with. "Karen, dear, make sure to tell our guest about the Relaxation Button." Phoebe said with a grin. The button used to release the sex-perfume Frey had rigged in the place had become colloquially known as the 'Relaxation Button' within the place. Karen grinned and winked with a nod at the Madame before turning her attentions to Jack to lead him back to her room.
"Have fun you two! Don't do anything Frey wouldn't do!" Phoebe added with a light laugh and a wink.
Relaxation Button? Jack arched an eyebrow at Phoebe, the redhead already draped over him (and his hands were doing a deal of wandering in return). But whatever mind-altering perfume of Frey’s might be waiting in the room beyond, Jack could guarantee that his inhibitions were already rock bottom. He’d need very little help with that - not that he wouldn’t give it a go. The captain would try anything once (except maybe trusting someone, that could fuck right off).
His evening in the Halenani was spent in a wash of hands and flesh and lurid thoughts, in the creak of a headboard and moans reverberating through the walls. Jack would absolutely come again (and again), and he had decided that the place reached his standards and then some as he swanned back towards the entrance.
His shirt was open to enjoy the softly falling rain outside, dark hair dishevelled, a love bite or two flooding colour against his neck. He raised an eyebrow at the conniving, traitorous cat on the counter, as if expecting it to ring the bell again and draw Phoebe’s attention so he could say his farewells.
Let you go and the lonely in
To take my heart again
Brabast indeed was lounging on the counter, though this time he was not alone. A pink dragonling that was on the larger end of the size scale - Pim of course - rested near the door. At this time of night people tended to be leaving, and those who came in yet oftentimes were drunk, rowdy, and trouble causing. So Pim made his presence plain and clear; not the biggest or scariest thing but enough to make most think twice about trying to cross the Madame.
With the ding of the bell the Madame appeared once more, smiling warmly at Jack. "Did you enjoy your stay, Captain?" she asked, tilting her head.
At the sight of the Madame, Jack gave her a self-satisfied and indulgent smile, nodding his head. ”Thoroughly,” he drawled, eyeing the dragon by the door and wondering if there would be trouble. Hopefully not. ”I’ll have my payment to you by the morning as promised. An’ maybe once the Ark is back for LongHeat, we can talk more business than pleasure.”
It was always good to have as many on side as possible, and the Halenani looked as though it would be a very profitable venture. Jack would have to make sure he returned bearing gifts. In the meantime, though, he had other places to be. So, giving Phoebe another, more formal goodbye, the captain went on his way into the night.
