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!
07-07-2020, 05:54 AM (This post was last modified: 07-16-2020, 02:41 AM by Chulane.)
Just give me a reason just a little bit's enough
The Hollowed Grounds were an endless well of new information, new knowledge to be learned, new sights to behold. It was a place rich with history and lore, all of which he was excited to see. Upon delivering his notes to where the Loreseeker's Guild had been (he'd been quite saddened to learn of Jigano's departure), he had left the Athenium with a few more borrowed books to keep himself learned whenever he had a moment to sit back and read.
Wandering about, his movement sedate as his thoughts percolated about his head, he explored, here and there, mostly directionless as he couldn't find himself able to focus on any one thing in particular at this moment.
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
The temple was damned, it was the first time she'd visited the place since she'd left it fixed up and new for Longnight. It'd failed, left it's inhabitants tormented and those who hadn't made it inside fucked. The precious door was just a machine of the gods, more than they'd bargained for, death for the queen and a boy. Aisha had no love for The Voice, but the Ascended she adored. They were not their mother, and they had suffered for her failures.
For her failures, or at least that'd what Aisha's brain kept nagging her with. That somehow she was responsible, that she hadn't done enough. And it was with that pained thought in mind that she wandered the sanctuary today, cleaning up debris and piling things neatly where she could. Her eyes passed over a man, carrying with him a score of books. She'd never met him before, though there were many she hadn't. Some she never would.
He bundled what books he could into his pack, slipping others into his many pockets - he hadn't grabbed too many, but a decent enough pile that would certainly keep him busy. His thoughts were all over the place, as he wondered where he would even keep these books: At his small residence in Halo? At Kia's, here? Spread between the two?
He kept walking, idly watching passers-by in the street, thoughts also drifting to the recent events - it wasn't lost on him that this was where it happened, where the Queen and the child had fallen, struck down by an accursed door crafted in partnership by Deimos, an Ascended, and Safrin. Gods and magic, he thought, patting his pocket as he did. One day I'll understand you, he promised, in amongst all the other promises and commitments he had made to himself and the friends he had managed to make in this strange new world.
"Do you need a hand?" he asked as he almost walked by a woman clearing debris from the street, eyeing the pile remaining with a silent, thoughtful gaze. He paused his motion, happy and ready to drop his pack and shed his jacket for a moment if she so agreed to his assistance.
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
The man noticed her, stopped and offered his help. He looked so happy, it was both refreshing and sickening. Aisha was still racked with bitterness, about the state of her grounds, the people they'd lost. Joy felt like a reach, but she could manage gratitude, friendliness. And so she reciprocated, offered a small smile and nodded, "A hand, a leg, I'll take whatever you're offering."
She moved over, to show him the pile she was making off the side of the road. It was a mix of things, lost and sad and broken, fragments of faulty doors and other unfortunate things. She'd brought a broom from the manner to sweep the cobble, it lie next to her pile and would be used once the major rubble was removed from the section.
With her confirmation, he placed his pack down nearby, shed his jacket and got to work. He was pleased to receive a friendly response, and looked to the general rubble she indicated. "I'm Chuy," he supplied, before rubbing his hands together in a way of preparing for the task before them.
He got to work without further prompting, moving what pieces he could without needing a second set of hands, rearranging it by the pile she had also began. "Help me with this piece?" he asked as he bent before a rather large piece of rubble, waiting before proceeding to see if she might help.
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
07-12-2020, 03:27 PM (This post was last modified: 07-12-2020, 04:05 PM by Aisha.)
striking matches to watch 'em burn
Aisha had never met the man before, but she was happy to now. She appreciated any help she could get, especially of a friendly sort. He offered his name, Chuy, and so Aisha gave hers "Aisha." She didn't mind any conversation he had to offer, but she was happy to get down to business.
They'd cleared quite a bit of the smaller items, the others would need some teamwork to complete. He beat her to the question, and she moved over to the other side of the chunk of rubble. It took more muscle than the others, but together they removed the piece, leaving behind it a dent where it had struck the cobbled street. It was heaved off the side of the road, out of the way and out of mind.
Aisha patted her hands, taking a break for a moment and looking over what they'd accomplished. "How is there so much shit," she remarked, a hint of humor in her voice. It was frustrating, upsetting, but there was some kind of absurdity to be found. That all of this had accumulated over a week, that they should spend the first weeks of the new season cleaning junk out of the roads.
Aisha, he does his best to commit it to memory, should he ever see the woman again in the future. They worked together seemingly pretty well, anticipating each other's needs, uniting to move a rather cumbersome piece off to the side. He smiled as they got there, breathing a sigh of relief as a small break was seemingly decided upon. At her words, he let a soft huff of laughter press through his nostrils.
"It does seem never-ending," warm tones concurred, as he looked over what was left to clean up. He had spent a fair amount of time doing what he could to help out - and also spend some time in his eagle shift - repairing rooftops and ploughing fields. He'd have to devote more time in Halo soon too, though he was managing his attention being split between regions 'well enough' so far.
"Do you know how long it has been this way for?" The constant cleaning up after a week of darkness and destruction, of monsters and mayhem? The answer was probably in one of the books he had packed away in his bag, but there was always more than one way to gather information. He looked to her as he posed the question, azure gaze curious.
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
How long had it been this way? It was difficult to say, to discern the general rubble in the ruins from the new additions. She couldn't give him a great answer, so she just gave a shrug, reaching up to re tie her golden ribbon. For a moment she let her blonde hair fall down and into her face, so wisely choosing that point to reply, "I've only lived in this world like half a year, wish I could tell you more."
It seemed like far longer that she'd been here, but the strange truth was that this was her third season in Caido. Strange because it felt so long, strange because it felt so short.
07-16-2020, 02:45 AM (This post was last modified: 08-11-2020, 02:19 AM by Chulane.)
Just give me a reason just a little bit's enough
He nodded in understanding to her words. He'd only been here for barely more than a season, still learning his way around, still finding his feet in a world that seemed determined to pull the rug out from underneath him at every turn. He also felt like he'd been here forever, though memories of home were still clear in his mind, the heartache of leaving it behind had numbed down to a small pulse every now and then rather than an overwhelming tide swallowing him up whole nowadays.
"Where're you from?" he asked, idly looking out over the ruined buildings before refocusing on her with a quiet, friendly curiosity. He hadn't quite been able to discern Outlander from Natural a lot of the time, though other times it was plainly obvious. He'd get better at identifying it in time, he supposed.
It was another day, another new face to meet, another world to learn about - and another street cleared of debris caused by monsters Chuy hoped never to see.
--
FIN <3
I let you see the parts of me, that weren't all that pretty
And with every touch you fixed them
