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 level of irritation had nettled and worked its way into her brows since her latest adventure down tunnels, scourging upon lava monsters, and rendering their upcoming events possible again. Unfortunately her reward had been to wander around with a wounded Sunjata and concerned Nate, instead of with her crew. Instead of knowing what was going on. The waves of ignorance had been high, drowning her, without a semblance of awareness on her part – no behind the scenes declarations, no understanding of the twist and turns everyone had embroiled themselves within.
Then, of course, were the other aftermath accords – upcoming weddings with uncle one and uncle two, and then impending sailing – the events tending to crash and burn together on a time crunch.
Tempted to ball her fists in a meddling of fury, disgust, and annoyance, the youth breathed a little as her feet pressed into the familiar docks, as she walked over wooden planks, picking over the rotted or wavering ones, biding moments together so her patience rendered somewhere in between. Her gilded gaze swept up towards the Ark, and then towards the one she sought, nearby, likely preparing things. Another long inhale and slow exhale formed, to calm the ferocity laden in her bones, to will her eyes to not be so narrowed, emboldened, and contemptuous. It was far from easy. “Jack,” she permitted to slip in between turbulent storms in her mind. “Can I have a word?” Which was no doubt due to be more, but if she could get a single one, she’d edge in the rest thereafter.
help tonight to split its seams
Give the bruises out like gifts
There was a tempest on the way. One was brewing above them in the grey clouds and the humid air. Another was building behind Jack’s eyes, certain to crack forth at some point (hopefully after they set sail). And a third was just walking up the gangplank, twanging the strings of his telepathy and warning him to perhaps tread carefully if he didn’t want a premature headache or risk more bruises.
The captain had just finished tying a knot in one of the sail ropes, inspection complete, when Melita’s voice struck the air. ”Aye,” he said shortly, pausing to call an order for one of the men to pick up where he left off before turning to face the redhead and beckoning for her to walk as they spoke. ”Got a feelin’ it’ll be more’n one,” he remarked, pausing by a barrel of fresh water and dunking the cup that was attached to it with a bit of rope so he could take a drink.
At the very least he’d bothered to speak to her, but the tempest was building behind her brows and steeling along her chin, defiantly raised, so perhaps he could see the pulsing wrath coiling along her semblance. She wasn’t aware (of so many things) that he’d be able to tell, pronounce the contempt, without even sparing a glance – but she balled her fists around portions of her dress just the same, striving to rein it in. “I didn’t particularly care for the trick down in the Fingers.” Because she thought she was a part of the crew, not tricked and deceived like the rest. Maybe she’d been mistaken, settled into an occupation that truly didn’t want her there.
Then, for the second, where she clenched her jaw, gaze sliding down along the ramparts of the ship. If she was going to get anywhere, she’d have to smother the fire, the cinders, the embers, coiling within, especially with this particular request. “Also, my uncles are getting married. I would like to attend.” The only drawback was that the event happened to be occurring at the same time they’d be settling sail.
help tonight to split its seams
Give the bruises out like gifts
Taking a drink of water, Jack took his sweet time as she spoke, as her own anger continued to wind her up. And when he was finished, he leant back against the railings to regard her. ”Then take it up with your crew mates,” he told her bluntly. ”Since they were the ones who arranged it. Found out about it once it had already happened.” He shrugged his shoulders. More likely it was that Eloise and Zeph simply hadn’t been able to help it at the time, but fuck if Jack was going to speak for them.
Then, on the heels of her criticism - a request? Bold, but then she’d been a firecracker since the moment they had met. ”No one’s stoppin’ you,” Jack told her, raising his eyebrows as if to ask what exactly he was doing to stand in her way. If she wanted to skip one voyage to attend some wedding, that was her business.
That sounded incredibly convenient, but the statement took the wind out of her sails. With no rage to fester towards Jack’s wake, she stood there a bit numbly, coordinating her efforts and offense towards Eloise and Zeph in future ventures. They’d likely say they tried when the situation could’ve called for a lot more attempts, but the breath she’d been holding left, and she nodded, the pent-up storm ebbing away for another moment.
Her eyes narrowed at his no one’s stoppin’ you, realizing he must’ve thought she didn’t want to go onboard at all – which wasn’t the case. Melita had been looking forward to embracing the wild oceans, allowing her viciousness a bit of power, a bit of resolve, a bit of hardship, a bit of enthrallment. “I’d still like to go on the sea.” Her chin remained lifted, though less defiant, aware of what she was asking, time constraints an obvious inconvenience. “Could we…sail by, and I could just run out for a bit, and then come right back?” The question ended on a light smile, like a small child asking for an extra treat.
help tonight to split its seams
Give the bruises out like gifts
The captain regarded her quietly as the storm subsided, watching her expression, the small tells that showed only a fraction of what was going on in her mind. Still, she didn’t bring it up any further, and Zephyr and Eloise could lay in the beds they had made. As long as none of them endangered the Ark on her voyage, Jack really didn’t care. But anyway - back to the wedding. He folded his arms across his chest, still leaning comfortably against the railing, raising eyebrows at Melita as she seemingly asked the impossible.
”You’d like me to turn us around and come back, from wherever we happen to be at the time, for you to skip across the water in time for a wedding,” he drawled, not sounding impressed about it. ”When is it, pray tell? And who are your uncles?” Because that had never really been discussed; Jack wasn’t to know it was his two favourite people in the world.
Oh, a potential new storm was brewing, but this one was circumvented in dread and apprehension. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to go to the wedding, based on the situation, and she had the wherewithal to look moderately sheepish at the inquiry. The worst Jack could say was no, and it seemed to be leaning and leading that way. She didn’t have too many other favors to call in, and while there was always the threat of setting something ablaze, threatening wasn’t going to win her anything. “Soon. I don’t think we’d have to turn around.” If it came down to it, she could always race across the ocean for a little while to catch up (which sounded all the more foolish in her head, and if Melita considered it a dumb idea, one knew it had to be truly illogical).
Then came the question that truly made her want to squirm and blanch, the fire suitably dimmed. Melita had never meant to keep it a secret – just hadn’t publicized it around that Sunjata and Nate, both heavily involved with idiocy amongst the rest of the crew, were her flesh and blood. The girl half-wondered if this admission was going to gain her a one-way ticket out of anything, but she’d never committed anything untoward, ridiculous, or violent on the Ark’s intervals. She’d been the one to explore the Fingers, and then a major force in ensuring the creature within was defeated. Perhaps that would count for something now. So the honeybee girl swallowed down the bile rising in her throat, raising her chin again, less defiant and more emboldened, waiting the sentence. “Sunjata and Nate.”
help tonight to split its seams
Give the bruises out like gifts
The threat of setting something ablaze likely wouldn’t end well, Jack thought idly, the captain waiting expectantly on an answer from Melita. Raising his eyebrows, he didn’t look any happier when she gave him one; soon was not a particularly accurate measure of time. The absolutely not was on the tip of his tongue - he hadn’t halted or delayed a journey for very much (volcano eruptions notwithstanding) and he had certainly powered through more than what Melita was asking for.
It was the discomfort squirming in her that stayed his refusal for a few seconds - and oh, it was worth it. The names rang in the air like a bell, Jack’s lips slanting in a smile that couldn’t be said to be all that pleasant. ”Is that so?” he drawled, abruptly straightening up from the railing. ”Then mayhap we’ll make an exception. Provided we ain’t too far out, we’ll see what we can do. You’re not gettin’ a definitely from me. But it’s the best I can do. That all?”
Now, Melita had her own particular devilish grin, but to see the Cheshire pinnacles on another, especially like Jack, was an unnerving thing. She knew instantly that the whole thing wouldn’t bode well – cringing inwardly, a hundred apologies towards Sunjata, Nate, and Hotaru pieced and stitched together for the upcoming dramatics. The girl wasn’t even sure how to adequately prepare them for whatever was coming, but the acceptance, the exception caused her to tilt her head in confusion. “I’ll take it.” Impulsive, emboldened, and snagging what she could – not a promise, not a commitment, but a possibility – more than what she expected. A nod of gratitude was given, hastily bidding a retreat before any minds were changed. “That’s all. Thank you!”
And skipped her way along the docks, back to packing bags and not dreading upcoming nuptials, ceremonies, and whatever else was to come their way.
{FIN}
help tonight to split its seams
Give the bruises out like gifts
