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!
07-05-2020, 11:55 AM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2020, 10:26 AM by Chulane.)
May your past be the sound
Things had gone… differently to how he expected. But then, perhaps it was foolish of him to have expectations at all, given how just a few months ago he had expected to return home to Australia from his expedition in Antarctica. He still clung to routine, to some kind of normalcy, where he could, for it was within his nature - but he was also adaptable, and while he had hoped he and Kia would return to smiles and welcomes, he would take what he could from what they had actually returned to: Most of her family still alive to welcome them.
He'd done what he could to comfort her, to console her. He'd been the pillar of support when she needed it, her warm embrace, her hand to hold when she felt lonely. But there were many hours in the day, and as the days ticked by, they could not spend every moment together - Kia was back home, her attention pulled in many directions even as his had been when they were in Halo.
So Chuy did what he always did, and found work to do. There was a great many more animals in the Grounds than in the snowy plains of Halo, and he had found himself making friends as he shared his knowledge of animal medicine and husbandry. The effects of what the region had gone through were evident, but he had given what help he could on preserving the healthiest bloodlines, and treated some immediate wounds that had become apparent of one particular farmer. After having been invited to assist with ploughing the fields, he agreed with warmth and enthusiasm, and so found himself this day driving a horse through a paddock, feet upon the plough as it dug into the soft, damp earth below.
Amalia has gone to make sure the farmstead is well maintained in time for her to leave. It isn't that she questions whoever Rory hired - far from it: she trusts his judgment implicitly, when it comes to his animal's care. But the Shield is still protective of her friend's home and animals, and promised both the hunter and the fox that she would keep an eye on them.
So keep an eye she does.
She has taken Talys out for a ride (the pony wonderfully behaved; the Shield woefully in-adept) and so she finds herself among those who work the fields, watching as they set to work in time-honored tradition. This year, though, Amalia finds she cannot stay out long: every clang of metal or animal's cry causes her to twitch and look around, eyes as wild as an animal's.
It isn't long before she finds herself slipping off the horse and planting bare feet on the ground, unable to control her thundering heart. Oblivious to the world around her Amalia buried her face in Talys's neck, half-shifted herself with leopard fur upon her neck and locks of lilac in her hair, her long half-qilin-half-leopard tail wrapped around herself for support.
07-07-2020, 04:28 AM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2020, 10:26 AM by Chulane.)
May your past be the sound
It was a change from the way he might have ploughed a field in the past, but he enjoyed it. The smell, the air, the dirt - it felt right, like home.
He tried not to think too much on how torn he was about such a feeling. It was so easy for him to find his way here, to be nearer to Kia all the time - but he had made a commitment, a promise to an entire region that he would see through for as long as they needed him. It wasn't the easy thing to do, but it was the right thing to do, and he was blessed to have Kia, so understanding and supportive even when she carried her own pain, behind him every step of the way.
He doesn't take much note of the woman upon the pony riding past initially, thinking her merely another passer-by, another person living a life that led them out to the rural farms and lands within the Grounds. Only when the equine is brought to an abrupt halt, and the slim woman slips from the back to stand beside her, does he pause his own motions to make a closer observation, quiet alarm rising within him as he hoped she was not hurt.
"Steady, whoa now," he crooned softly to the horse who was pulling him and his borrowed plough along, releasing the light pressure on the reins when the equid obediently halted and immediately capitalised on the rest break by hitching a hoof up onto its toe and promptly having a nap. Satisfied that the beast would not venture further, he folded and rested the reins loosely upon its back, giving a gentle pat before walking through what was left of the field between he and the woman, his concern too great to keep him away.
"Hello? Miss?" he called out, seeing more as he got closer - the partial shift, the pale pelt with dark spots hinting at a feline, but the length of the hair down the tail hinting at something else. A fellow attuned, he could surmise, though not much else. He stopped, still some distance away, not wanting to press his presence on her in an overbearing manner, but wanting to be able to help in some way (exactly what he might do to help was still unclear). "Are you alright?" he asked, voice reflecting the concern he felt, as he waited for any reaction from her to guide his next movements.
Much like the animal she's half-shifted to Amalia flinches at the sound of the voice, a ripple of discomfort shivering down her spine. It passes quickly enough but the instinct to flee remains, swallowed but never extinguished in these darker days.
Turning to face the source of the voice, the Shield lets her face form into a pleasant enough smile. The man is tall and unfamiliar, and this foreignness has her heart rate rising again. There are so few she doesn't know; what if this is a trick, a trap? But Talys is at ease as she looks upon him, her steady soul calming Amalia significantly.
Inhaling deeply, the girl flushes with warmth that doesn't meet her eyes. "Ah, sorry. I'm fine." Pressing a lock of gold-and-lilac hair behind her ear uncomfortably, she meets his eyes before glancing away. "Are you... You're helping with the planting? Talys and I came to see if we could help. She knows a lot about the fields; she's ploughed them every year." Affectionately she lays a hand on the mare's neck, taking comfort before looking back to the man.
07-11-2020, 05:11 AM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2020, 10:26 AM by Chulane.)
May your past be the sound
An apologetic expression was worn when the woman's response was to flinch at his approach, feeling awful for causing her distress when already something had caused distress to begin with. He made sure to keep a distance, to respect a healthy personal space bubble, in an attempt to lessen the impact his presence had upon her.
A smile is offered in return to hers, a small nod of acknowledgement given, as he patiently let her gather herself, and reply. He wasn't entirely convinced that she was 'fine' when she said so, but didn't push the issue - she wasn't telling him to leave, which he took as a win.
"Yeah," he responded with warmth to her question, gesturing to the horse who was snoozing in the field behind him. "Lukkja is about due for a break, if you wanted to take over this rig?" It didn't matter that the horse could keep going all day, Chuy was confident he wouldn't mind a break, and if it allowed the woman to come out of her mild panic further, he'd be glad.
"You have a leopard shift?" he asked by way of striking up conversation, of filling in the silence as he made to walk back towards Lukkja and the plough rig, inviting the woman to accompany him.
It's good to see an Outlander so willing to pitch in and help; Amalia finds herself softening despite the lingering panic, heartbeat slowing steadily back to what might be considered a reasonable pace. Reaching back to press a hand to the mare's face, the Shield raises an eye at her charge, a mental discussion passing briefly before she turns back to the man. "Talys is happy to sub in. But I'm afraid I, uh, I don't actually know much about using a plough." Talys in response snorts expressively, clearly communicating that she knows all about it, even if the human does not.
Girl and pony trail after the young man as he leads back to the plough, though her attention is more on the horse who waits for him than the human. "Hm? Ah, yeah. It was my first one. Are, are you Attuned?"
Stepping up beside Lukkja, Amalia smiles genuinely and raises a hand to the gelding. "Hello, Lukkja- you live with the Astiles, don't you?" A soft nicker and a series of mental images confirms this. Chuckling softly, the girl steps back to investigate the bucklea and straps that hold the horse in place. "Okay. Walk me through how we get this off." Whethwr she's speaking to man or equid remains rather unclear.
07-14-2020, 01:53 AM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2020, 10:26 AM by Chulane.)
May your past be the sound
It was a curious thing to observe, and Chuy didn't fully appreciate the implications of what he saw immediately. The woman leant in towards her mare, in what he assumed was a simple pat, a comforting, soothing motion for the both of them. But the way she spoke of the mare, like she knew the thoughts intimately - and then the mare also seemed to respond to her words - had Chuy wondering. This world had gifted him, and others, with the ability to attune, to shift into forms other than the one they were born into, he shouldn't be surprised to learn that it might be possible to communicate with other animals, especially when things like companions existed as well.
"Yeah," he said with a grin as she asked about his own Attunedness. "My first shift was a leopard too. Clouded leopard," he supplied, and was about to offer his name before he became absorbed in watching the woman interact with Lukkja.
He really shouldn't be surprised to have his suspicions confirmed about her ability to speak on some level with the animals, but he still is. The wonders of this world would seemingly never cease to amaze him. Recovering fairly quickly from his amazement, he stepped forward to also pet the equine, though he was careful not to crowd the woman, still wary of causing undue distress. He offered her a smile as he ran his hands along the straps and buckles. "It looks more complicated than it is," he began, before gesturing to a large buckle that had a matching twin on the other side of the horse. "These two are the main lines connecting the rig to the horse. We undo these first when taking the rig off, and do them back up last when putting it back on."
A clouded leopard. Something about that feels familiar, tickles the back of her mind, but whether because of distraction or poor memory she does not make the connection that flutters out of reach.
Lukkja's mind is a comforting place, his presence soothing enough that Amalia does not flinch when the man draws near. Instead she follows his instructions curiously, keen dark eyes tracing the buckles, listening to him explain the rig. "Does it hurt them?" the Shield wonders, though Lukkja and Talys are quick to suggest that it does not, no, so long as whoever applies it isn't an idiot.
Smiling slightly the Shield steps back, more than willing to let him take the lead on this venture, to watch and learn from what he does. "Were there many horses where you're from?" Her head tilts curiously, avian and keen; though still strung tight, she is clearly more at ease now than before.
07-16-2020, 01:46 AM (This post was last modified: 07-17-2020, 10:27 AM by Chulane.)
May your past be the sound
"Not unless the human is incompetent," he supplied with a wry smirk, unaware of the assurances from the equines she might've heard. He liked to think he was competent, having been raised on a farm, and being a veterinarian to boot, he had a knack for picking up new tasks easily, and could interpret animal behaviour pretty well - it's what made him good at his jobs on Earth.
Nodding at her question, he got to work undoing the buckles, and replied, "Yeah, I was raised on a farm, and we preferred to use horses when moving the cattle. I also studied to become a vet, which is a doctor for animals, so treated plenty who found themselves hurt." He spoke as he worked, gently asking Lukkja to step forward out of the rig set up, before undoing more buckles here and there, and eventually lifting the hame over the horse's head. He rested the gear on the sturdy wood of the plough, not in a rush to gear up Talys - hoping to perhaps encourage the woman to do so herself, with his guidance, if she would have him.
"Now it's mostly a matter of doing all of that, in reverse," a kind smile coloured his words as he gestured to the gear, Lukkja now standing off to the side with his leadrope slung over his back, seemingly happy to snooze his afternoon away now that he had been freed from his duties.
"Mmm, that's what he said, too." Chuckling softly, Amalia continues to watch as he expertly removes the harness, letting Lukkja's relief pulse through her and further soothe her nerves. Somewhere behind her Talys snorts, coming to press a nose to her shoulder; from her pocket the baker extracts a sugar cube the mare knew was there.
Raised on a farm and taught to be an animal doctor. It doesn't sound so far removed from life in Caido, really. "Did that make the transition easier? Coming here, I mean. From... wherever you were... before." Trailing off awkwardly, Amalia flushes and rubs her wrist. Her curiosity has gotten the better of her again; she looks away, realizing she's prying, that for all she knows he isn't an Outlander at all.
He seems to want her to help fit Talys into the plough, something that catches the Shield by surprise. Smiling uncertainly the girl steps forward, Talys trailing helpfully into place. He'd made this all look so easy, and she'd seen Rory do it time and again, but faced with the contraption now, well... the girl finds herself a little bewildered.
At least she can lift the gear without issue. She's stronger by the day, it feels, almost unnaturally so. "Okay... like this?" Amalia asks of both pony and man as she fits the harness, mentally flailing for advice from either of the pair.
A half-grin slanted his face as he thought on her words, amused and oddly chuffed that he had managed to echo the horse's thoughts. It was something he had longed for since before he knew he wanted to be a vet, the ability to relate directly to the animals he admired - it was heartwarming to be told in some way that he had managed to achieve some semblance of just that.
Chuy was an open book, more than happy to share his tale, no secrets to hide. He welcomed her curious questions, more than happy to illuminate more on his past, on his journey to here. When he had first arrived, talking about it had been a way of coming to accept what had just happened to him, being torn from the only world he had ever known. Talking about it now was just another way to share, to explain what some might consider were his quirks and mannerisms (delayed understanding of gods and magic as an example).
"It's alright," reassurance came as he noticed the flush that coloured her cheeks. "The portal dumped me in Halo. The transition from my homeworld to there was… pretty startling actually," he chuckled at the memory, a thing that seemed so long ago and yet was barely more than a season ago.
"I've since been made Chief of Agriculture though." He added a bit absentmindedly, like it was an afterthought, a comment to assure her that he had found his feet.
Watching her move the gear and begin to place it, he nods with a smile and a gesture to a wayward strap that had managed to tangle beneath the harness. "Yep, you got it, just mind the strap there - don't want to pinch her when you go to tighten it up." Once the harness was in place, he picked up the next piece, and offered it to her with a playful smirk. "Remember which buckle this one goes with?"
"Startlingly cold, I'm sure." Amalia doesn't care where he's come from: Halo is cold, dismally so, even in the height of the summer sun. Still fidgeting with the halter, she once again fails to pick up on an obvious identity clue; the strength of her attention is focused wholly on getting the rig in place.
Obediently adjusting the offending strap, Amalia turns back to Chulane just in time to be offered another piece. Her nose wrinkles thoughtfully as she takes the leather from him, inspecting it, trying to remember from whence it came off. "Yes," she says, more stubborn than certain, turning back to the mare.
At least she has the advantage of assistance from Talys. Under the watchful eye of the pony Amalia finds her way to the correct buckle. "I love animals, but I don't have much opportunity to work with them," she admits. "I'm a baker. I have a shop, actually- you'll have to come get some bread for the journey back."
He hums in soft agreement to her assessment - there was no denying the chilly climes that Halo offered was startling no matter where one came from. There was more to it that had taken him time to grow used to as well; the culture, the magic, the notion that gods and spirits could enact actual change upon the world. He hadn't believed it until he'd seen it for himself, and he had been given quite an introduction, with the destruction of the Palace and death of the Warden shortly after.
Allowing his attention to focus on the task at hand, however, he lets that line of conversation fade after his hum. He easily steps around Talys and picks up some of the equipment that was best attached from both sides at the same time, confident that the woman knew enough of what she was doing to complete her side. She mentioned a bakery, and at first, he thought nothing more of it, a soft laugh and a "Thank you, I'll be sure to drop by."
And then he went silent and somewhat motionless, a thought suddenly cascading through his mind, a memory of mention of a bakery by another, by Deimos, and then later, again, by Kiada.
"Are you..- Is your name Amalia, by chance?" He asked, looking over Talys' back to her, brow raised with the question, curious to know if he had indeed chanced with meeting with the woman who held such a special place in the hearts of others he knew.
She works steadily, if not with expert skill then at least with expert guidance. It is pleasant to be doing things with her hands, the buckles and straps a welcome distraction from the anxiety and trauma that eats at her from the inside. Here in the safety of anonymity she feels comforted, but of course it is not to last.
And there it is: the recognition she has come to expect and dread. It interrupts her working like jolt of electricity, causing her to wince and flush as he peers across the pony's back with that question, that accusation. Said in the kindest, most polite tone of course - no room to blame him for her reaction. A slightly chagrined smile crosses her face, a little hazy, distant even. "It is."
Schooling her expression, the Shield pushes a lock of hair behind her ear, the faint scars like stardust on her temple briefly visible to view. "What... uh, how do you me...? I still don't know your name, I'm sorry." Chuckling anxiously, she turns her expectant dark gaze up toward him.
