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!
It probably shouldn't have been a surprise that Deimos had not come from a life surrounded by riches and sparkles: just looking at the man told Bastien that; he supposed he still had preconceptions in his head from his upbringing of the life of Kings being surrounded by gold and treasures (and perhaps his more socialist leanings of later life, which characterised the ruling class as money-hoarding demons, had not helped). "Ah, mountains..I've heard there have been some recently revealed to us here in Caido, hm? But they are dangerous?" Not really the adventuring type, Bastien hoped Deimos might be able to fill in the blanks on that.
Again, for things that weren't surprises...well, Deimos didn't seem like the kind of person to have a huge circle of friends. "I'm sure she found it an honour to be in that category." Bastien smiled, though his voice was beginning to slip into the monotone it had often begun to carry again, the levity of the moment suddenly dripping away as quickly as it had arrived, the use of past tense in his own words a stark reminder of the reality.
Before he could say anything else, a cry sounded from the crib behind him; Bastien went to gently pick up Azrael, lifting the baby to his chest and stroking their back. One hand gently stroking his child's hair, he looked over to Deimos to say: "...I did want to apologise, for what happened in the temple. I was...not myself. I still am not, but...it was shameful, what I said, that I attacked you. Thank you, for still helping regardless; you are a good man. I..." He took a breath and shut his eyes to steady himself, not wanting to get too upset with Azrael in his arms. "..I do not truly blame you for what happened. I know that...it was done with good intentions."
If we should be arrested before we sleep I'll see you outside in a few days or in a few weeks
“In Halo.” Mountains not his own, not like the Aurora, with their beautiful borealis, hues blending and sharpened across the sky, caverns where they plotted, secret tents where there furtive orchestrations came alive, unfreezing lakes, hot springs to slip within after duels. He lifted another box, his jaw yearning to be rendered tight, defiant, done, but there was some amount of peace in the selected words, and if he glanced around he might’ve imagined Rexanna to be a part of the conversation, adding in her joviality and comments, about worlds beyond these. “It has cannibals, dragons, and genies.” He shrugged, allowing Bastien to determine the amount of danger – the Sword had unfortunately been witness to all three and the disasters they rendered. It wasn’t the same as the Basin, and any longing he’d had for the summits had been damned by Halo’s inability to be anything other than desolate.
He placed the artifacts down on another table, before repeating the actions. A long exhale followed Bastien’s comment, then a light, tightened smile; why anyone would be honored to be in his close circle of companions was up to them; especially now, when it had only led Rexanna to a point of no return.
The beast flinched at the cry of the child in the crib – eyeing it warily as Bastien picked up the babe and lifted it; he should’ve felt something else, perhaps, as the babe was one last remnant of the Penumbra.
But what followed distracted him more, so much so that he paused in his carrying, the chiseled foundations of his brow simmering back to their nonchalance. “I deserved it. And I still blame myself.” Not Sam, who’d only been trying to do a good deed, not Safrin, who’d only lended her aid in his belief that it would render something of use. “But I have only ever wanted to protect people here.” Everything else seemed to backfire horrendously. Rexanna had known, permitted it, allowed it, and still, it hadn’t mattered in the slightest.
Deimos listed three things that could be found on the mountains, each more fantastical than the last, but Bastien had long learnt not to underestimate what Caido could provide with each new place they discovered. At one point, he would have believed that being a vampire (Ascended might have been the appropriate word, but in his mind he'd always think vampiro first) was pure fiction, yet here he was, fangs and all. He didn't comment on the dangers, just nodded - didn't sound like anywhere he wanted to go.
Thankfully not noticing Deimos' flinch at Azrael's cry, he was unawares of any complicated emotions the man might have had towards his baby. Bastien had known before Azrael was brought into the world that there would be those uncomfortable with their creation, but he did not have the energy to deal with it right now along with everything else.
The last of the boxes was set down and Deimos declared himself still to be at fault. Bastien sighed and shrugged, unable to find the strength to argue. "Well...know that no blaming comes from me. That I do not believe that. ...That's all the cleaning I needed done, anyway, so thank you." Perhaps it seemed like a rushed exit, but suddenly Bastien had decided he needed to transition into being alone now, before the concept became so painful he couldn't handle it. "...I might...when I am going through Rexanna's things, if I find something I think she might have wanted you to have..." He trailed off, gestured aimlessly with one hand.
If we should be arrested before we sleep I'll see you outside in a few days or in a few weeks
Redemption had never come easily for the Reaper nor Sword; a pile of sins and iniquities, savage acts and dilemmas, seemingly drove him into stalwart and nefarious tactics all in the same measure. That some blame had been censured, erased, from his shoulders did lessen the burden and weight, and while a horde remained lodged and harpooned across his brawn, that Bastien didn’t regard him so maliciously was a relief. He released a held breath, and his voice rumbled. “You are welcome.”
With the last of the boxes in place, and nothing more to maneuver from the funeral arrangements, Deimos was free to depart. The expectations were surprising once more at the notions of Rexanna’s things; the man hadn’t thought of it – had only manifested her symbols at the pyre, had forgotten about daggers or shields he’d concocted, made, for her, long, long before. Memories in trinkets and objects were more than he’d ever ask for, so he nodded at the implications, both men understanding one another without having to impart any further into the emotional upheaval. “Find me if there is anything else.” Tasks Rexanna had left behind, that Bastien couldn’t manage on his own – Deimos wasn’t certain, but bestowed the offer regardless.
Then he could wander out the door, back out into the world without the Penumbra in it.
While Bastien couldn't know how much his words had truly effected or touched Deimos, he could at least say with some confidence that he felt there was no bad feelings between them; not a negative person by nature, he wanted to be friends with those he saw often as much as he could, especially right now when he'd need to depend on others more than he ever had before.
"I will. Thank you." He nodded, then looked away as Deimos left, worried if he watched he might be tempted to call out after the human presence, demand it stay: Azrael lay in his arms, but the child could not comfort him the same way an adult with conversation could: here he had to be protector, provider, all when he wanted nothing more than to curl up in a corner.
With a sigh, he sat down at one of the tables and stared out the window, the silence now that Deimos had gone, even though the man had never been loud, deafening. After a moment, a sad soft concerto began to play on the Thought Player; it wasn't much, but any noise was better than the absence of Rexanna.
{FIN}
If we should be arrested before we sleep I'll see you outside in a few days or in a few weeks
