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!
There was a rare break in the clouds, and Ronin seized it. Pale light shone into the long grasses outside the cottage, their stalks sparkling with the recent rain. The Star stood among them, taking in the stillness of the morning, the golden breath of the sun. His boots were tightly laced, his jacket the only protection against any downpours, left open to bare his skin and scars to the world. And he was not alone.
Lifting his fingers to his lips, the Star let out a sharp whistle; the sound pierced the clouds and brought forth a shape winging her way down, a pale rider warmed by the sun at her back. Sugar dropped into a freefall and Ronin took the hunk of cake from his pocket - he would never get the crumbs out and he didn’t care.
Breaking off a piece, he tossed it up into the air for his dragon to snap up, her trill the only music he cared to hear this morning.
Dorian's voice was soft, gentle, unassuming and entirely unthreatening. Despite likely seeming to appear out of nowhere, to a man such as the Dark Star, the primly dressed man with manners far too reminiscent of his childhood upbringing would likely be a surprise but not a fear inducing one. After getting word from Finn of this particular chosen of Safrin's, he had toned down his usual exuberance. Ronin was hurting and wounded - to be anything but calm and somber would be tone deaf to his situation.
"My sincerest of apologies for the intrusion, Mr. Taliesin. However, I would like some of your time to discuss a few important matters."
A voice, however soft, however gentle, was an unwelcome intrusion into Ronin’s little slice of peace. Still, it was with a sense of resignation rather than annoyance that he turned to look over his shoulder at the stranger, breaking off another morsel of cake to throw up to his swooping dragon. ”She isn’t nearly as sweet as her name implies,” he said, his tone wry and amused. After a cursory glance up and down, he turned his back on the man again and whistled for Sugar, an arm extended for her to land upon.
”Ronin,” he supplied in place of the more formal title given to him, the Dark Star tasting the morning for just a few moments more before he surrendered himself to a conversation. ”I was told to expect someone soon,” he said. ”I imagine you’re that someone?”
Dorian watched quietly as the dragon was fed some cake once more, watching it glide through the air with mild amusement, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I am sure not. No dragon would like such a descriptor of their personality." he said in agreement. They were proud, ferocious creatures. Think that something as superficial as a name would change that would be foolish indeed.
As the dragonling was called to Ronin's arm, the Orator stepped forward, stopping as he came up alongside the man. "Indeed, I am. My name is Dorian Pryor." he said, clasping his hands behind his back. "I believe my colleague Finn spoke with your husband, Remi. Did he appraise you of the meaning of my visit?" he asked, curious how much Ronin knew or didn't know. He would rather not regale him with details he already had heard and wear thin his patience with repetition.
07-21-2020, 07:10 PM (This post was last modified: 07-21-2020, 07:14 PM by Ronin.)
RONIN
”This one certainly doesn’t.” Ronin smirked, letting Sugar land upon his forearm and giving her the rest of the cake, the white reptile accepting it with gusto. She trilled to the two of them, clambering up to drape bout the Star’s shoulders, her serpentine head weaving to and fro as she examined the man beside her bonded. ”Dorian,” Ronin repeated; half a greeting and half a commitment to memory.
He glanced to him then, hearing him out and nodding absently. ”He did, in not so many words,” he said, tilting his head. ”I am to leave my home and my family to fight Ascended, if I was paying close enough attention. Is that right?”
Dorian grinned and offered the dragonling a small bow of greeting and respect. "And I shall be sure to treat her as such." he said with a sure nod, speaking to Ronin but vaguely to Sugar as well. Though he made a career of eloquent persuasion of man, he was no stranger to winning the favor of beast as well - if only to ensure that his coattails never ended up singed.
He hummed, tilting his head slightly as he considered the manner in which he might rephrase or present this information. "While you and your husband are amongst the few of a caliber capable of going toe to toe with an Ascended...I would not consider that the first course of action." he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I apologize if Finn made it seem we wished to conscript and ship you off to the front lines tomorrow. He is an incredibly gifted scholar...but conveying information is not his forte. Forgive him, please." he said with a low chuckle.
Dorian glanced out over the ocean, breathing in the salty sea air. "However...if he do not act quickly, it would invariably come to that. We would instead ask for your support in other ways - mostly information - in the hopes of ending it before the Voice has the chance to try to destroy Caido again." he said softly. "But I understand you have good reason for concern...you've already lost much and have a young daughter yet to protect...is that right?" he asked gently.
Dorian proved to be a smart man at least, giving Sugar due diligence, and the dragonling settled around Ronin’s shoulders to let them talk whilst she tended to the very important task of snuffling behind the Star’s ear. Trying not to cringe away from it but not entirely able to hide the smile on his lips, Ronin heard Dorian out. ”I can’t forgive someone I’ve never met. I’m just going by what Remi relayed to me,” he pointed out, neither knowing nor caring about this Finn person.
Taking a slow, deep breath and letting it out again, he followed the other man’s gaze out to the sea and passed a hand through his dark hair. There was something about the knowledge of his daughters that put his teeth on edge, even though he’d seen it coming. Even though there was nothing sinister about it. ”Have you ever met an Ascended?” he asked. ”They are, contrary to popular belief, actual people with actual feelings. I count some among my friends, and I mourn others that I’ve lost.”
"A fair enough point." Dorian conceded with a nod, happy enough to let the topic drop.
As it was, a shift in mood would take his mind far afield as Ronin pinned him with an accusatory question. "Have you ever met and Ascended?" The change in his demeanor was small, the slightest tensing of his jaw, the way the warmth in his gaze melted away slowly into cold, nothingness. Dorian glanced away from Ronin briefly, staring out at the ocean again. He had already tread these waters with Amalia, he had already reopened these wounds to gain the trust of another. How many more times would he be asked to torture himself so?
Fucking Rosencrantz.
After a long pause, the Orator took a slow, deep breath in. "I have, actually. The love of my life left me to join the Voice." he said softly, voice tight with emotion he held back by sheer force of will. "They are people, with actual feelings. I empathize with mourning them and calling them friends..." he stared, pausing as he finally looked back at Ronin. "But you do not understand yet the control she can exert over them - how she can coerce them to her bidding, love and kin and friendship be damned. I can assure you the day will come when she asks them to choose between herself - the one whom they rely on to exist - and you. The day will come when she asks them to prove their loyalty by wounding the people closest to you, because you are, by virtue of your bond with Safrin, her eternal enemy."
Dorian stopped briefly, gaze and words imploring the man to understand even as he spoke with and even, pleasant tone. He did not speak out of ignorant hate or rumored tales of monsters but from experience. He had seen her playbook firsthand. "I would not ask you to hate them. I would only ask that you assist us, so that such suffering can be mitigated." he said.
Well, that told Ronin. The Star at least had the good grace to listen to Dorian, to look a little sheepish at the intimate nature of what he knew he was being told. True, he could have been lying to get Ronin’s attention and to hit him where he knew it would stick most deeply, but... he was still good at heart. He was scarred, marked, burned and broken in places. But there was still light in Ronin Taliesin. He nodded softly. ”I see,” he murmured, reaching up to scritch Sugar’s scales under her chin.
”What would you have of me, then? I will not leave Torchline, not if it means leaving my family behind. Or using those portals.” He didn’t think he particularly needed to state why. ”The Ascended might be a grey area, but... you are right about the Voice. If you let me know the details, I’ll do what I can from here.”
Dorian nodded, glad to leave the more personal piece alone now. Some perhaps might've expected some sort of sympathetic gesture or words, but the Orator did not expect or wish for such things. Time for those platitudes had long since past, and Ronin was not near close enough to him to accept such a gesture as anything more than that.
"At the moment, we are merely preparing, gathering information so we might best understand the pieces in play. For now, we would ask nothing more than your cooperation with our questions until the full picture becomes clear." he said. From there, it was up to those who would orchestrate the battlefield - whether that battlefield be a literal one or one of politics. "As far as your family, it would be my distinct pleasure to arrange for them to stay within our home. It is impenetrable to Ascended, so they would be safe there when things escalate - and I will of course arrange transportation via methods other than the portals." he said with a sure nod.
07-25-2020, 03:22 PM (This post was last modified: 07-25-2020, 03:24 PM by Ronin.)
RONIN
Gathering information. Pieces in play. Ronin distinctly felt like one of those pieces, but what the man before him was saying rang true for him on a lot of levels. Not all but a lot. ”Your distinct pleasure, hm?” His smile was somewhat humourless, Ronin pinching the bridge of his nose and scoffing a little as Sugar nudged at his jaw with her pale nose. He nodded. ”If it escalates,” he corrected. ”Only if.”
A good soldier knew that conflict should be the very last course of action. And Ronin liked to believe that he had been a good soldier. ”I won’t hurt my friends though, Dorian. You must know that. I would expect the same from them in return, regardless of what conflict might arise. And... I’ll speak to Remi again about this. Whoever you are, whoever Finn is - I guarantee you’re both terrible at trying to convince my husband to do anything.”
Dorian grinned at the younger man, chuckling a bit. "Of course! I am always delighted to help those such as yourself, and your family, who have been so blessed by the gods. Anything less would be near sacrilegious." he said, only half joking. At the correction he was quick to nod. Yes, if. Only if...which Dorian considered more of a guarenteed when but he was equally comfortable floating between possibilities for the moment.
The Orater smiled slightly, somber and sad-eyed. "I do hope you are right about your friends, for your sake, but please forgive me for me pessimism, as my experiences lead me to believe otherwise." Ronin could protest all he wanted, proclaim those Ascended he knew as some morally different breed. But the man who might've once openly entertained such a possibility had long since died.
"I do truly appreciate your assistance with Remi. It is an invaluable service." he said, content with what he had gotten from this conversation. "Now, I do believe I have taken up far too much of your time. Thank you for entertaining my request. I look forward to next we meet." he said, first offering Ronin a slight bow, then one to Sugar, before heading back off from whence he came.
Sacrilegious? Ronin smiled a touch at that, shaking his head and nodding to the other man. Dorian certainly had the gift of the gab - enough to let it run away with him sometimes, it looked like. In that regard he reminded the Star of himself; and while he couldn’t commit to murdering his friends at this time, or to supporting an all out war, he could at least do his best. So as the other man turned to leave, he nodded and reached up to scritch Sugar under the chin.
”Look after yourself,” he advised him, watching him away across the cliff side before returning to his morning. (His morning, of course, now consisting of Sugar being annoyed that he had run out of bread for her). With the dragonling soaring overhead, he made his slow way back towards the cottage, planning to climb back into bed with Remi until he could find an appropriate time to breach the subject about the Ascended.
