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!
They won't stop our evolution. Who do you think we are?
It was not easy work nor was it particularly rewarding, but it had to be done. Even with the new gates and the tall walls in the Citadel, the Flowerbirth winds brought snow with them into the streets. It piled up against buildings and dug into cobbles, becoming ice with heavy footfall: that was when it caused issues, so it was best to get it early.
Morgan, Warden or no, had no qualms with doing labour usually reserved for the average folk. In her mind, her title only gave her power to make decisions when they had to be made, so her and her guards were out in full force (not that it was that impressive a force, with their recently dwindled numbers) shovelling and moving the snow, pushing it outside the gate. Where she could, she melted it down, but there was far too much for that to be feasible for the entire Citadel: Morgan was a powerful mage, but no one had enough control over their powers for that much.
Once they had gotten a decent pile going, she paused for a break, running a hand over her forehead and looking to Mallorie: the woman had proven herself to be a good guard in the few weeks of service she'd had and had forced Morgan to reconsider some of her biases about Outlanders. Walking over to her, Morgan began to help her shovel at the pile she was attempting to get through, which was admittedly large. As she helped, she asked: "Are you planning to travel outside of Halo for the Flowerbirth at all?"
Fight against your execution. Who do you think we are?
Come leaders, come you men of great, let us hear you pontificate.
After the chill of Deepfrost, the snow drifts of Flowerbirth were almost a relief. Being able to step outside and not wonder how many toes she’d have by the end of patrol was almost liberating. Helping to keep the walkways clear of the snow was demanding, physically, but it got Mallorie out and about. A more tangible way of helping the people of Halo than merely providing a presence.
Mallorie, lacking a magic that would be particularly useful in moving snow, dug in with her shovel. She quite enjoyed the quiet time she got to spend with Morgan, glad her initial impression of the woman as sensible and principled had born true. The chance to do something that required little thought, in good company, was rare. She stood up and leant on the shovel when Morgan paused, a little breathless herself.
“Mm. Not right away.” She paused for breath then added, “I don’t know where to start, really.”
She was used to Halo now, the cold and the people. And Mallorie wasn’t a wanderer by nature. She pausd to idly fantasise about shoving her sweating hands into the snow pile they’d gathered, then looked over at Morgan.
“I suppose the Warden doesn’t get to travel much?”
They won't stop our evolution. Who do you think we are?
Morgan wasn't that surprised to hear that Mallorie wasn't planning to travel: she'd heard that most Outlanders settled wherever it was they landed. Probably made sense to put down roots in the first place you began to learn about, she supposed, though she liked to think in the same situation she might explore a little. Either way, she was happy enough with it: a guard that stuck around was invaluable at the moment. "I assume you'd start by going through the portals. Of course, you can always return."
Hitting her shovel against the ground a couple of times to get off clumps of frozen stubborn snow, Morgan shook her head at the question. "You'd be surprised. I need to talk to other leaders and higher-ups, and not many from the fairer lands want to visit our Tundras often." There was a little bit of superiority in this, a tiny bit of bragging: who could blame her for some cockiness where strength in the cold was concerned? "I was in the Hollowed Grounds recently, immediately after Longnight. ...A...sad place. You can feel the weight on the shoulders of the people there." Morgan was not often prone to poetic descriptions, but it was hard to think of another way to describe it.
Fight against your execution. Who do you think we are?
Come leaders, come you men of great, let us hear you pontificate.
The somewhat practical response to her musings amused her, though her face didn’t show it. Mallorie nodded and idly swept snow aside with her shovel as she replied.
“I suppose I’m a little wary of the portals, still. “
In truth she was half convinced that stepping through a portal would send her careening off to another world again; arriving here had been enough world hopping for her, thank you very much. Now she had a job and a place to stay and she was happy enough for the time being. Especially considering she apparently had magical abilities now.
“I was considering taking the time to study a little with the academy. At least see what they can offer,” she returned to shovelling as if to avoid having to directly acknowledge her feelings on the matter, adding, “that or find out if I need to worry about blowing myself up.”
That people didn’t care to visit Halo didn’t surprise Mallorie. The place seemed as taciturn as she was. Morgan as warden suited it, she thought. Deadly, cold, but unchanging. A communal personality built from will and almost zealous desire to survive.
Mallorie wondered, as she scraped snow up and away from the paths, if any of these traits were common to the people of this world, or were local to Halo.
“The Hollowed Grounds seem to suit their name, from what I hear. I...have thought about visiting there.”
From what she understood it was where Adam had first appeared.
They won't stop our evolution. Who do you think we are?
"That's fair; they are rather daunting." Morgan agreed, nodding. She had been hesitant her first time, standing outside for a while simply staring at the thing, wondering if she would be the same woman on the other side. "It can be...disorientating, but the experience is not as jarring as you would imagine. I think it will be more pleasant than the portal that took you here from your old world, for instance."
Taking time to familiarise yourself with your powers was always a good idea Morgan thought; she nodded appreciatively and laughed at the idea that Mallorie might 'blow herself up'. "With Earth magic? You might struggle. It is good to learn, though; there are training sessions too, though I would warn you that they can be...eccentric and difficult." To put it nicely; an encounter with some dummies came to mind.
Moving to begin to shovel again, rolling her shoulders as she put her shovel down, Morgan thought about it: really, the Hollowed Grounds seemed the best place for Mallorie to go. Not as much of a shock to the system as Torchline would be after Halo, and relatively safe. "It's dull, but the people are determined. What are you hoping to find there?"
Fight against your execution. Who do you think we are?
Come leaders, come you men of great, let us hear you pontificate.
The portal that brought Mallorie to this world was...an experience. Though she supposed it made sense that travelling within one world would be less taxing than travelling between two. She considered Morgan’s words in quiet contemplation, shovelling the snow between thoughts.
She’d made another small mound of the stuff when she finally had more words.
“I think…” Mallorie rubbed the back of her neck, exhaled, then continued. “I’m being a bit superstitious, I suppose. This still feels too new to be home.”
She started on another pile, shooting Morgan a sidelong look as she did.
“Magic as I understand it is largely built on exploding things.”
It was a joke, mostly. She didn’t laugh, but let her lips twitch a little. In all truth, she was mostly just reticent to involve other people in the process. She trusted Morgan, a scant handful of others. Some unnamed stranger getting involved though?
Malloried sniffed, only half from exertion.
Morgan’s question gave her pause; fingers flexing, red with chill, around the shovel in her grip. Mallorie thought of Adam’s body, lost to the snow, and wondered how to explain the need to know that at least some part of his life here was happy perhaps. A desire to know that he didn’t suffer any more than anything he inflicted upon himself.
“Dull makes a change from Halo,” she said, carefully, “maybe I’m seeking a holiday.”
07-24-2020, 07:12 PM (This post was last modified: 07-24-2020, 07:12 PM by Morgan.)
MORGAN
They won't stop our evolution. Who do you think we are?
Morgan gave Mallorie time to think of her words, sure that the situation she found herself in was an intensely confusing one. When she did speak, Morgan stopped her shovelling for a moment to listen, nodding quietly to herself. "All I can give you are reassurances that the portal will not take you anywhere other than where you wish to be...and reassurance that this is your home now. You will always be welcomed back." A friendly smile graced the Warden's face and she tried to make sure Mallorie caught it, meeting her eyes.
"Maybe if you're bad at it." She said back with a smirk; while she knew that was rather reductionist, Morgan had far more respect for those that could make things with their magic, than those who only destroyed.
The cobbles of the street belong were finally beginning to real show and Morgan held out a hand to make sure the pile of snow before them was properly bound together and would not blow away, fusing the water particles where needed as she listened to Mallorie. "I promise Halo is not always as....exciting as it has been in recent seasons."
Fight against your execution. Who do you think we are?
