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!
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
A dutiful instructor, however well that may be or seem, resting her hands along her bow planted in the earth, she was silent as he took his shot. The honeybee girl had no expectations, not with the distance measured and calculated, meant to be significantly more challenging, nodding at his promises, at his humor, at the dedication immersed. Nate had been far more willing to try than most, not entirely bogged down by inexperience, mettle and determination forged amidst brows, and whatever else had been etched, sketched, sculpted into his existence.
He manifested the same techniques as before, and was able to produce adequate results. Melita was impressed he’d even hit the target, let alone measured up to a certain standard along the wood. No longer maintaining her serious countenance, she permitted an effervescent beam of a smile to glimpse along her lips. “Very nice. How does that feel?” Triumphant? Successful?
Then she wandered out, needing to maneuver, to move, as the restless coils curled within her limbs, intending to grab hold of both arrows, replaced and replenished – the electric one for her quiver, the training boundaries for Nate. Upon her return, she extended the weapon back out to him, her bow now safely ensconced, tucked away, in the bracelet on her wrist. “I expect you to keep practicing while I’m gone. No slacking off.” The grin turned into a smirk, wild and nefarious, every bit as untamed as the rest of the scorching earth. “Keep doing it just the way I taught you, and you should be able to take your enemies down.” Whomever that happened to be now.
Why you don't got any questions? How you know that this is real?
"Feels like I had a good teacher." Compliments roll off his tongue as easily as water, especially in the mood he's in now, triumphant and deservedly cocky. His smile follows her all the way along the path to the target, watching the arrows retrieved, though Nate goes to meet her on the way back, accepting the training arrow from her hand only so it's out of the way when he grabs her again, lifting her in a hug and carrying her the rest of the way back up the range.
The expression on his face grows suitably cowed as he sets her down and is bombarded by expectations. "I'm not going to waste all your hard work." Nate promises solemnly, not able to hold the expression for a second longer than he needs to, a wide grin breaking out over his features again. "I'll be a regular fucking Robin Hood by the time you get back, you'll see." There's a beat, a brow arching as savage words leave his fiery headed niece, before his own grin widens to meet hers. "Should have fewer enemies too."
Once his laughter has died down, something that takes longer than it really should have, Nate settles again, grows a touch serious again. "Thank you for teaching me, 'Lita." His hand comes out to squeeze her shoulder. "I really appreciate it."
I am feeling such oppression
You can't tell me how to feel
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
The girl rolled her eyes at his compliment, but didn’t lose the grin. She’d had good instructors too, like Alistair, or experience amidst demons, where success meant she’d survived for another day, another hour, another moment. Intercepted with a lifting hug, she merely laughed, reserving the moment for hilarity and amusements, pretending to kick along for freedom.
Then there were promises, commitments, oaths, and assurances of no waste to her work. “Good.” A pleasant wrinkle to her nose, conveying teasing intentions, not having a clue who Robin Hood was but taking it all in stride, touching down on the ground, collecting armaments back into their designated portions. She eyed the targets, considered dissembling them too, but thought better of it a moment later – something for him to practice against, upon, or anyone else who wanted to attempt. A pang of some other emotion twitched in her chest, and she ignored it for quips instead. “Who are your enemies now?” A matching arch to her brow, as she considered him, the eye that’d yet to be fixed, the way so many things revolved and blistered quickly around this portion of the world.
A squeeze on her shoulder indicated more sentiments, and she tilted her head, grin widening all the more. “You’re welcome.” A swift nod followed, gilded gaze flickering back towards the sea, and then maneuvering upon her uncle again. “Now you have another way to fight back.”
Why you don't got any questions? How you know that this is real?
The targets are left untouched, much to his delight, the ease of practice making it far more likely to happen often, though he hadn’t been lying when he said he was going to keep at it, that he wasn’t going to waste her work. It was just easier to start when he had all the tools already out.
It’s strange, to try and categorize people as enemies, when he’d thought he was past that, when he wanted to think of himself as above such squabbles. ”Your boss, for one.” He begins with a laugh, though he can’t actually bring to mind too many more he would stake himself against. No one else has given him a reason to build a hill to die upon, save for: ”The bitch who fucked up my face.” It’s harder to claim an enemy of someone unknown, but he’s certain he knows enough of her, her voice, the flash of a face, of dark hair, to be able to use it when the time comes. If he doesn’t, if he can’t, then he’s going to lose far more than an eye.
”Hopefully it’s not something I have to use to fight anyone.” There is an almost wistful note in his voice, because he knows Caido is the kind of place that will throw anything at anyone, and it’s far more likely he uses this new skill instead of simply letting it be a hobby. Nate watches Melita turn to the ocean, before facing him again, and he matches her grin again. ”I’m going to worry about you when you’re gone you know.”
I am feeling such oppression
You can't tell me how to feel
Like some child possessed, the beast howls in my veins
She managed a laugh at the first noted enemy – the captain of the Ark. “Jack?” Not a hint of surprise, considering the abrasive way they’d met – and she fought down the notion of raising her hackles again, pondering what had occurred to earn Nate as an adversary, a rival, a target for arrows. “What happened?” Curious really, to hear the range of pettiness, spite, and vitriol, uncertain where the lines were drawn, or if it magically related back to Sunjata again (and she wouldn’t be shocked or stunned by those parameters either). The other mentioned being remained a mystery – unknown and enigmatic, a twist of poignancy and pain. The uncertainty there might’ve been far more dangerous and treacherous – Jack was formidable, but so were shadows and daggers. She nodded, comprehending the worth and weight. “Are you going to try and find her?” And how?
If only they didn’t have to use weapons at all – but both of them knew better than that. Melita hadn’t grown up in the Rift only to believe there were no demons, no monsters, no humans that wouldn’t strive to become toxic, indulgent foes. Sometimes it depended on which side they chose to stand along. Sometimes it scarcely mattered; greed, avarice, and a blatant potency flowing through veins, cursing them to oblivion and treachery. Even if they could dream of a time where they wouldn’t be necessary, it seemed like a distant hope and haze.
But the honeybee youth managed to snort at his last reply, bending down to snag another arrow Fangorn had found, extending palms and fingers to scratch at the gourd’s head. She waved his concerns away; she was eager for adventure, for demolition, for an opportunity beyond these horizons. “Don’t waste your time worrying about me.” A grin embedded, infused, with mischief laden its way along her mouth, too much fire, too much vehemence. She could take care of herself - always had. “I’ll come back with all kinds of stories to make everyone jealous.”
Why you don't got any questions? How you know that this is real?
Really, he should know by now, should take control of the narrative before questions can be asked, before he has to scramble to find a better way to explain the situation. And since there really was no good way to explain their idiocy, to describe what events led to the ascended counting the Ark's captain among named enemies, he was forced to stick with the truth. Most of it. "Sunjata... had an accident involving uh," Nate snaps his fingers a few times, trying to bring the name to mind, though there was no good reason for it to have left, "Zeph. So Jack took a pound from him, and went... too far, in my opinion." Any injury to his fiance would be too far, as far as Nate was concerned, but that wasn't where the story ended. "So I went and got some payback, and that is why we were left in the tunnels." Some part of him howls that this is a gross oversimplification, but... no, that is almost exactly what happened, almost exactly how it had happened.
Jack is like a cartoon villain compared to his attacker though, despite the greater presence of the captain. It is at least a rivalry that Nate is familiar with, that he can understand. People attacking from the shadows, and melting back into them, that's not something he's ever had to deal with before. "No. I'm going to keep my ear to the ground, and I'm going to be safe." If it wasn't for the the touch of fear that shivers through him, he'd roll his eyes at the words leaving his mouth. "I want to know who it was, but I want to stay far away from her."
Surprising though it might be, talk of her leaving, her upcoming adventure on the waves is lighter. Nate matches the grin that spreads across Melita's face, hiding his fear, his worries behind a familiar mask. "You're right, there's too much to worry about back here at home." A hand claps against his face, as if the thought has only just occurred to him, though it's clearly a joke. "If I'm not jealous when you come back, you're not spending your time on a boat right, kiddo." He's not going to not worry, though he at least manages to keep it tempered, to keep it quiet. No point in burdening Mel before she sets off. Just as there's no point lingering outside now that their training's finished. It's late, sure, but not too late for a snack, for some more bonding, while they have the time.
Done~
I am feeling such oppression
You can't tell me how to feel
