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!
With a laugh, Sam left the tale of the shower stalker there, unsure if he was able the handle the embarrassment if it went much further; luckily Ianto asked him a question he could answer instead, though he hadn't realised he was leading towards it earlier. Hoping that the man would be accepting of his race, he spoke quietly towards the ground: "Oh, um, I'm Ascended, so thinks like alcohol or drugs don't..do anything."
Hoping he'd be alright with that, Sam slowly let his eyes rise back up over the sands and to the ocean, nodding at Ianto's appraisal of it: just the sight of the gently rolling waves calmed his heart.
Though they likely would not be gentle for long. "No, I've never seen one...I've only just come here this year. I'm a little worried about it myself, honestly. I've always been a bit scared of storms." The noise, the overwhelming way it could surround you; he hoped Ianto would understand. "...I'm not sure how long it lasts."
Sam will be pleased to note that the news that he’s Ascended rolls off Ianto like water off a duck’s back. All the fox does at the revelation is raise his eyebrows in mild surprise, taking one last puff on his pipe before putting it out, tapping away the leftover ashes. ”That’s a shame - about the booze and drugs, I mean. They can be a lot of fun.” His laughter is warm, teasing almost, but he’s not the type to judge other’s choices.
”Knowing Caido, it’ll probably last all damned season,” Ianto remarks with a chuckle, carefully putting away the pipe, dangling his feet from the edge of the wagon and stretching mightily. ”Still, I guess everywhere has to have its downsides, right? I’m sure the place will be prepared for it, if it happens every year. I’ll spend the season as a fox if I have to.”
Thankful that Ianto didn't seem to be bothered, Sam leaned back and relaxed, watching the man tip out the ash in his pipe with a mild interest, never having seen it done before. He'd wondered sometimes if he hadn't have been Ascended, if he would have been tempted to turn to alcohol or drugs for the escape that others seemed to find in it; perhaps the chance that he'd never found out was one of the few blessings he'd had. "I'm sure, but they can also cause a lot of problems. I...live with someone with some problems with alcohol, and.." Sam shook his head with a sigh, unsure what else to say.
He could at least laugh at the remark about Caido, knowing all too well how it seemed to do everything the most cruel way possible. "As a fox? Oh, yes, I remember seeing the tail." Sam smiled, often finding it quite sweet when Attuned mixed in animal attributes to their human forms. "Do you have any flying shifts? When I've gotten to use them from other people, I've always found it wonderful."
”It’s certainly a complicated beast, is booze,” Ianto confirms, tucking away his pipe in his inner pocket, leaning back on his hands. ”Sorry to hear ‘bout your roommate, though. I’m personally more of a fan of tea.” And drugs. Various drugs, most of which he had not indulged in for quite some time. At least they weren’t as bad as booze, in that he didn’t need topping up everyday.
His tail flicked as Sam mentioned it, Ianto flashing a golden grin his way and nodding. ”Aye, I do, as it happens. I’m a very ferocious cardinal, when the mood strikes. Got a very pretty song, if I do say so myself.” He raises a hand, and bright crimson feathers fluff out along it, as if to demonstrate.
Granted, it’s getting harder to see now that the sun is almost down, and Ianto shakes out his hand and squints across the sands. There’s a glint of gold in his eyes, the fox using the vision his shift lends him to see better. ”Sun sets quick here, doesn’t it? I’d better get this wagon off the beach.”
"Me too!" Sam exclaimed, probably far too excited about this similarity between them, but happy all the same. It was rare he found someone that shared interests with him. "I try all sorts...each region has their own specialities. Torchline has a lot of fruit teas, which are nice, though I do miss the more bitter herbal mixes from the Grounds sometimes." It was one of the only things that made him want to visit, to pick up some of the tastes he missed.
Not entirely sure what a Cardinal was, Sam trusted it was some kind of bird and smiled to see the feathers, their appearance reminding him for a moment of when things with Remi were simple and fun, years ago.
It was getting darker around them and it wasn't really a surprise when Ianto announced he ought to get his wagon moving. Sam stood up and turned to look at it, hands on his hips. "I'll help you get it up the beach, if you need." He offered, finding himself glad to have met the friendly travelling merchant.
