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!
Now, Oliver had initially come to see Loren but he ended up chickening out, realizing that maybe Loren didn't want to see anyone after the whole, well, shit show that went down. Things had happened and Oliver was so relieved to find out his friend was okay.
Rather than wasting the man's time, Oliver turned the trip into a way of seeing what sort of demand there might be for his products. Scoping out the competition and realizing that honestly, there really wasn't any. It was perfect and Oliver was more than ready to figure out how exactly to sell to such a market. What better way than to take a little trip to the Kraai, the major bar in Halo, to maybe talk with a couple of people and see what information he could gather.
Settled into a chair, Oliver ordered himself a simple drink to start off with. His eyes scanned and searched the room, eager to see what he could figure out.
Noah's morning had been going well. He spent time out on the tundra with a few other local hunters that he knew well, tracking some luxere herds and checking snares and traps they had set a few days prior. Noah's traps had been lucky -- a few hares, plump and tender. A few of the other men had had the same luck, while others not so much. Noah split his hares with another man, knowing he had to go home and feed his family. While Noah had given away the larger of the three hares, he knew what he had would feed him and Delphine well. She didn't eat much meat, anyway, and she definitely ate less than Ezekiel ever did.
Now, happy with their finds from the tundra, the group of men sat together. They ate, drank, and laughed. Noah had not done this since before Deepfrost -- and it felt so right. He felt like himself again, his face wrinkled as he laughed loud and deep and warm with his comrades. While none of them were his close friends, it was enough for him. In fact, it was more than enough. They did not spend time sharing deep stories of their intimate feelings, trauma, or plans for the future. They merely sat together, telling tales of hunting stories and ideas to help each of them improve.
It was nearly impossible to not stare over at the table- because, well, damn.
They were loud, speaking about very interesting stories... and a couple were very attractive.
Buzzed thanks to the alcohol slowly taking hold of his system, Oliver ordered himself another drink as he finished off his first one. Although he tried his very best to not stare, it was clearly growing harder and harder. His eyes would drift towards the other table and he was fully enthralled in the stories echoing through the room.
It was a learning experience, absolutely, but also a much needed distraction. He would be able to get a better understanding of the hunting traditions of these men but also keep his mind off of negative things. A small part of him was trying to build up the courage to wander on over and try to join on in (and hopefully make some sales) but he wasn't quite drunk enough for that. Not yet, at least.
Just as impossible as it was for Oliver not to look over at them constantly, it was impossible for Noah not to notice. While his comrades had consumed enough alcohol not to notice, Noah had only had two drinks. Compared to what Weaver would have forcefully served him, they were weak. The blond man watched the other -- an outsider, surely -- for quite some time. He still participated with his hunter friends, but as time went on they slowly staggered up and home on their own accord, or for a few of them with their wives finding them at their table and dragging them away.
Eventually, it was just Noah.
Motioning for the bartender, Noah lifted his glass slightly. The man noticed and started fixing the drink for him. The Olson looked then to Oliver, hoping to catch his eye. If he did, Noah would motion for the other man to join him, just as the server set a new, full glass down on the table.
Guess Oliver was a tad bit too obvious as one of the hunters noticed him, glancing over and making it very obvious that he knew Oliver was kind of staring. Glancing away, Oliver took a swig of his beer and remained with simply listening for a short while. Thankfully, none of the other men seemed to notice nor was the guy all that bothered by what Oliver had done. The last thing Oliver wanted was a drunken brawl in a bar.
Over time, the men would gradually leave and Oliver would continue to glance over, watching as they made their way out the door. It was until the man who noticed him was alone that he was gestured to come over. Raising an eyebrow, Oliver stood up and brought his drink over with him.
Settling down near the man, Oliver waited for a moment before speaking. "Sorry about staring back there- you guys had some pretty damn cool stories." And there was the whole shop thing but Oliver wasn't about to mention the fact that he had been contemplating an attempt to make multiple sales through his shop. That... probably wouldn't look too great.
In all honesty, Noah was not offended by the man's staring. He was used to being watched--even, at times, oggled--by outlanders. Those from the world outside of Halo were often interested in how the people here lived in this frozen hellscape for so long, and usually without complaint. As the smaller man moved over, Noah gave him a once-over. He didn't seem the type of man to be a hunter, like he and his crowd that had now disbursed, but there were easily detectable callouses on his hands that gave Noah the instant impression he worked some sort of trade. He took another drink, and smiled. "Oh, those were nothing. We didn't even run into any predators today." The statement was lighthearted, and jesting, though there was some truth to it too. The stories the men shared today were tame. "What brings you to the tundra?" He asked, adjusting his seat so he could lean forward on his elbows. Noah assumed that he had come to trade, based on his assumption that the other man worked in some sort of trade. It seemed to be the set of options that outlanders came here -- to see what in the hell was going on in the frozen world, or to try and make money.
A raise of his eyebrow and Oliver leans in ever so slightly, clearly interested in hearing what the hunter has to say. "Do go on, if you wish... tell me your favorite story from hunting a predator." There is a faint smile on his face and he is clearly captivated, egging the man on to dare to say more: to tell him of one of these tales.
There is a shrug and Oliver finds himself leaning back in the chair. "A number of reasons." It didn't answer the question at all and Oliver wasn't exactly a very mysterious person, far from it. "Haven't visited for a while, with Deepfrost preventing all travel... decided to stop by." That's just the start of it. Oliver was here to make a sale so surely, he could get something out of this conversation. "Also looking to gauge the interest in products... I'm a Blacksmith and an artist, you see? So I was trying to understand if there were people looking for things like that." Oliver had grown to understand that people in Halo cared very little for art, only interested in practical items, which is where his Blacksmith skills came into play.
Oliver's eagerness brought a kind of thrill to Noah's heart that he didn't really know he could feel. To have someone sitting there, awestruck and seeking more stories from him who had no (to his knowledge) experience of hunting on the tundra just made Noah want to talk about it all. Noah loved hunting--loved gaining the knowledge of his prey's habits and characteristics, loved providing for people, loved being out on the tundra--and now he was discovering he loved sharing about hunting. "When I was about 12, there was a pack of wolves picking off a lot of the luxere population. My father took a small group out--him, myself, and two others--to find the wolves one day. We stalked them for a while before we discovered they were stalking an ursur. It as incredible. The wolves were starting to pick off their own competition." He took a sip of whiskey. "It took hours, but we continued to follow the pack until they came upon the ursur. We watched this huge bear and this pack of wolves-- like 6 or 8 of them -- fight each other. By the time the ursur fell half of the wolves were dead and the rest were so tired that it was easy for us to pick off the rest." He leaned back in his chair again. "That's the only time I have seen predators gang up on each other like that."
It was a truly remarkable story. But, what the non-Halovian said was interesting, too. "Hmmm, a blacksmith. We had a blacksmith...but he died when the Citadel was attacked before Deepfrost." Noah frowned for a moment. "You from the Hollwoed Grounds?" He asked, though he felt he already knew the answer. The man was muchtoo pale to have been from Torchline.
The blonde was absolutely captivated by the story being told. His eyes wide with wonder and mouth moving in response to the little parts of the story. From frowning to smiling to almost gasping, he was absolutely amazed. Noah was simply reciting something from his childhood, but to Oliver, it was something he had never heard nor experienced in his life.
"Damn... that must've been super incredible to see." It was gruesome, yes, but something to learn from. Oliver knew now that animals dying weren't something to shy away from. No longer was he afraid of blood or throwing himself in to take down prey. It wasn't his nature, far from it. To learn from the wolves would absolutely help him, but all he could do was imagine just how the wolves behaved.
A light shrug and Oliver finds himself returning back to normal. No longer is he staring at Noah with wonder, he seems far more relaxed once more. "I am... sorry for your loss." It was a hard thing to hear about and Oliver couldn't even fathom how it must've felt. "Yeah, I'm from the Grounds, came from Ireland- I think- originally." It sounded right and it's what he went with for now.
"I... don't visit here often... but I can help? If you ever need it... I want to make sure everyone is safe or has everything they need." Price wasn't mentioned. Honestly, he wouldn't charge them at all, or if he did it would only be for supplies in exchange. It would be rude to rip that away from people who once had their own blacksmith.
Noah finished off the last of his whiskey while Oliver pulled himself back from the awe he had felt during the story telling. Noah watched how his expression changed, though the man did not give him any less of his focus than he had been giving before. Noah returned the same curtesy--he listened intently as Oliver shared about himself. When Oliver offered condolences, Noah nodded and offered a small smile. He did not know what else to say. The pain he felt at the losses that added up day in and day out was healing. He felt more pain still for losing Weaver than he did anyone else within the year. The Blacksmith--while Noah knew him--was not close to his heart like the Hale woman had been.
"That would be kind." Noah said at Oliver's eagerness to help. "I am sure the guard is lacking in weaponry since the loss of our blacksmith. He always outfitted them well." Noah felt the vocational tone rise up from his heart through his throat as he directed Oliver's kindness and skill. As the other man had brought up his homeland, Noah lifted a brow. "The Hollowed Grounds...everyone there seems to know more about the gods than we do here in Halo. What can you tell me about them?"
Rather than being offended, Noah thankfully understood what Oliver was saying and seemingly accepted his offer. "I'll be sure to try and get into contact with the right people in that case... I don't have workers so it wont go super fast, but I know I can at least try my best to help you guys out." And hopefully by helping, he'd be able to boost some relationships. Maybe get closer with the Warden or something, as that would absolutely be beneficial.
The next comment was a surprise, but one that Oliver would absolutely answer. Oliver's ability to hide his distaste towards Frey was already hard enough to hide, but now that he was relatively tipsy... well... safe to say, he wasn't about to hold back. "Okay... my experience isn't like others, so... yeah." Who to talk about first? "I haven't really interacted with Ludo... but It is very childlike. I couldn't give you any advice, but I can tell you people that do know It well." That was all he could really say on the subject, honestly. "Safrin is... by far my favorite. She has done absolutely so much for me and she is so incredible. She... she's amazing and I highly recommend you talk with her over any of the other gods... words cant describe just how beautiful and incredible she is." His eyes light up and a smile grows on his face as he talks about the Goddes.
But oh...
The smile drops and he sighs. "And then there's Frey. Frey is... difficult. So so difficult. The Gods are ya know, hard to work with and don't like to be pestered... but Frey especially. They fucking cursed me, mate. They cursed me and it was fucking embarrassing. Like, it wasn't a bad curse.... but fuck mate. Gave me a wooden dick and everything, made my friend think I was hard for him and shit. It fucking sucked... and I don't recommend you go to Frey unless it is absolutely fucking necessary."
Noah listened as the stranger went on, answering his questions. Oliver offered more information that what Noah expected. It made his face light up with a little surprise. The corner of his mouth curled slightly as he went on about Ludo and Safrin. While the stranger did not know much about the one associated with death, Noah could fill in his own blanks there. He knew Delphine knew about the god -- for better or worse. Oliver's adoration of Safrin, however, was the first time he had heard about the goddess. He nodded fervently, "I will have to call for her, to see how true that is." His smile broke open to show some teeth, a jesting glint shifting over his glacier eyes. However, the hunter's brows knit together as he moved the conversation towards Frey. This Oliver seemed to have a very different opinion that what he had heard before. "Hmm." Maybe Frey prefered women, like Phoebe. Noah shrugged, either way. The door to the tavern opened and a few people stumbled in. The hunter turned to look at who was coming in, but one of them -- his neighbor -- was beckoning for him with both hands. "Thank you for your time, Oliver." Noah said, standing. "I'm sorry to cut it short." He pointed with his chin over his shoulder at the group of men gathering his attention, before extending a hand towards Oliver for him to shake. "If you're ever back in Halo, keep in touch." And with that, the hunter met with the rest of the group and followed them out of the tavern.
