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!
when the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
Honestly you rarely leave the Tower. Food is brought to you in your apartment when you need it, and given your office and clinic are on the first floor, what reason could you have to go? Workaholics don't tend to stop and appreciate the little things in life, but as a doctor you're more than aware of the medical benefits of a little thing called fresh air. So you've scheduled time in your day to go for a quick trip around the square, before returning to work.
You're wearing your scrubs (because of course you are), no makeup (of course you aren't), with your hair tied in a knot on top of your head (because of course it is). The day looks as though it might threaten to rain, and so with you you've brought a bright yellow umbrella that you use like a walking stick as you begin your mandatory loop. In your head you're naming the bones of the foot (The Cab in New Mexico Is Land Cruiser -- what did those words even mean? Where was New Mexico? What was a Land Cruiser?), but they're just nonsensical enough that they stick in your mind. Which...well, is exactly what they're supposed to do.
and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
"My word, is that a pig taking flight in the distance I see?" Dorian's voice was enthusiastic as he spotted the doctor making a rare appearance in the light of day. Always disheveled, but beautiful nonetheless - though a woman was always beautiful if you asked the Orator. Diamonds were a girl's best friend and his best friend were compliments.
Moreover, it had been awhile since he had been home and he was delighted to see a face besides his traveling companions and the plethora of heathens mucking about the rest of Caido.
The Orator approached, dressed impeccably as always, a wide, handsome grin on his face. "Tobi, my dear, how kind of you to bless the realm of Rae with your face! A lucky man am I to catch a sighting so rare!" If she allowed, he would take up one of her hands and kiss the back of it in greeting before offering his arm to her. "Have you, perchance, learned the meaning of the phrase 'a day off'?" he asked with a chuckle.
"Revenge" sounds so mean
That's why I prefer to call it:
when the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
You'd know that voice anywhere. So would most of Stormbreak, come to think of it. Turning with a smile on your lips, you fix the Orator with a stare that is as close to disapproving as you can manage; currently, it isn't very close. "Dorian." You say, your smile contouring the Orator's name as you beam up at him. Indeed he'd be able to kiss the back of your hand—receiving an amused roll of your eyes for his trouble—before you link your arm with his.
"No, I'm afraid not. Old dogs and new tricks and all that." You say wrinkling your nose and shrugging against him as you continue your stroll around the square. Unable to help yourself given your curiosity about the Outlanders that the higher Order members have been sent to learn about, you try and casually bring them up as innocuously as possible. "I treated Finn just yesterday...I was under the impression that he was the only one who had returned home. Is your...task finished, then?" Just light chatter. Small talk really, certainly not your way of finding any crumbs of information that you can.
and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
Dorian chuckled, winking at her as she rolled her eyes. He knew she at least appreciated his antics - if not adored them - so he was completely unbothered by her very poor showing of exasperated disapproval. In his typical gentlemanly fashion, he tucked her arm close to his side, escorting her on her little jaunt around the outside.
"An old dog? You?" he said in mock horror. "Whoever put that notion into that pretty little head of yours, hm? I shall find them and clarify their grievous mistake, for you are a youthful as Vi's earliest Flowerbirth blooms!" he said with a wide grin. "And more importantly you are uncannily clever, my dear, there is not a single trick you could not learn if you only wished to try."
Her questioning though brought a smirk to the Orator's lips and he chuckled in amusement. "My task is never finished, my dear, should Cian have his way." he said, shaking his head. "For the moment, though, he has allowed me respite...if only because I am tardy in giving my report." he added with a mischievous grin.
"Though...is it my schedule you're really interested in, or the details of my escapades?"
"Revenge" sounds so mean
That's why I prefer to call it:
when the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
"Well, if you listen to the gossip I am." You say with a wistful sigh, though in truth, you're not bothered at all. "32 and unmarried? Honestly, how I even get myself out of bed in the morning is beyond the comprehension of the gossips." Then, with a grin, you lean into him with a playful nudge. "Besides, you have to say I'm not old. Because if I am, what does that make you?" He was only a few years older than her if she remembered his medical charts right, but it would be a cold day in hell when the great Dorian Pryor resigned himself to being old.
"Mmm, and he often does." You interrupt with a smile before the apples of your cheeks flush as he calls you out. "Now, now, I thought of everyone you'd be the subtle one about it." You complain with an affectionate grin. "Besides, I'm always interested in your escapades. For purely medical reasons, of course." You add, gazing up at him with a wink.
and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
He scoffed, waving a hand in a flamboyant manner. "Gossip is the pastime of old housewives, of which you and I are neither." he quipped. That said, Dorian was always on the beat of the latest gossip. His profession relied on it heavily after all. "Quite suitably, you are called to duty by Rae - a most noble call I might add - and any who might dare to question that are no better than heathens." he said, nose pointed up ever so slightly - a pose he held for a moment before grinning at her handsomely.
Tobi's accusation though had him grasping at his chest, eyes wide and jaw slack. "How you wound me, my dear! The only thing in this world I have to do is keep our dear Cian from losing a personality all together as he buries himself in the dregs of paperwork." he said dramatically. Dorian tilted his head close to hers, a finger raised over his lips as mischievousness once again took hold. "Now you listen here, young miss, I've a proposition for you! The day you turn forty should we both still be woefully unwed and single, I will marry you that very instant - and that means you are engaged in a manner of speaking and you can put those crotchety housewives back in their place, no?" he said with a chuckle.
The Orator grinned cheekily as her cheeks flushed. "I would have but then I would have missed out on your blush, my dear. It does a man's ego good to make pretty lady blush." he teased, nodding sagely as she went on. "Mmm, yes, medical reasons, of course. How can I deny a request of such importance? What would you know, then?" he asked. In this one instance he really had nothing of great weight to hide, no grand schemes or plans to ruin, just a few interesting conversations with strange people.
"Revenge" sounds so mean
That's why I prefer to call it:
when the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
You can't help but laugh at that. No, neither of you come close to being the picture of an old housewife, conventional or not, but just the thought of either of you in any sort of position to make dinner or tuck loved ones into bed at night, makes you laugh. Still, you appreciate his haughty and over-the-top dismantling of the rumours, choosing to portray you in a much more favourable light. The truth is you're married to your work and have never found anyone who means more to you than it does. It's as simple and boring as that.
"Oh I see. So it's really a kindness that you've not handed in your report then?" You quip back with a raised brow. "Fewer words for him to drown in?"
As Dorian leans in, you too turn your head playing along perfectly to this conspiratorial affect that he's donning. "A marriage proposal before lunch?" You say, lips parted in an O of bemusement. "And here I thought you were a gentleman." You add, sweetly scolding. Much as you appreciate the offer, Dorian is probably one of the most eligible bachelors in all of Stormbreak. If he's single by the time 40 rolls around, it'll be by choice and not mere happenstance.
"Oh you scoundral!" You trill, shifting your hip into him as he pours on the charm. But...well, you are interested. Finn couldn't tell you much (wouldn't?) and so you've got to take your scraps where you can find them. "What were they like, these outlanders? Are they very different from us?"
and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
Dorian nodded slowly, lips tucking into a serious frown. "A great kindness indeed. If only Cian would recognize all I do for him." he said forlornly, gazing off into the distance briefly. In reality he knew his friend was very aware of all he did for his benefit - but he was also very easy to tease. Old school boy habits died hard.
Dorian grinned wickedly at her scolding, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "I am a man, my dear, still prone to the impulsiveness of my lesser instincts in front of a beautiful women whom I can aid." he said, bowing his head slightly. "But if you are so affronted, consider it more an arrangement than a proposal, a formality with which you can smack unsuspecting dissenters." he said with a handsome grin. Eligible bachelor though he might be, he was far from the young man who had prowled the parties in search of the perfect spouse. No, that had not ended in his favor, and once burned he was not eager to place his hand in the flames again.
But Tobi wouldn't be awful. Witty, pretty, and most importantly too busy to seek anything emotionally intimate. And forty was a long way off no less.
The Orator grinned and chuckled as she bumped her hip against his, happy to take the chiding. He hummed, staring up at the horizon for a moment. "They are ignorant of the seriousness of their situation, quick to defend their friends regardless of race, and quick to assume us blindly hateful." he said frankly, sobering for a moment. The conversations he had had drifting back to the forefront of his mind. "It became far more personal than I appreciate, but...if discussingher persuaded them, you know well I would not shy from it." he said quietly. Dorian was fully committed to the Order, heart and soul, and he had proven it time and time again, through circumstances no other had face in a great many years.
"Revenge" sounds so mean
That's why I prefer to call it:
when the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
"No need to call it lesser, Dorian. I've done your physicals. It isn't that bad." You say with a bright laugh, hugging at his arm as you grin mischievously up at him. It's true enough, as well. Dorian is a near-perfect male specimen for all intents and purposes. Would you sneak into his bed when certain itches that needed to be scratched became overwhelming? Perhaps. He seemed the type to be a fairly equitable lover too. But there would always be work that came first, relegating you to the darkness of empty examination rooms when such urges became too strong.
"Us blindly hateful?" You repeat, your eyes narrowing with obvious confusion. The Order's entire existence is dedicated to protecting the continent from another devastating war. How can these people who have only been around for a year or so, be so quick to judge? You frown as all of your naive and optimistic hopes about the Outlanders start to be coloured in more realistic hues.
"Why was she.." You swallow, your grip on Dorian's arm softening, but only so that it might seem all the more sympathetic. "...and did it? Persuade them?" You say instead, large almond eyes seeming sweet and sad all at once.
and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
"But is it that good?" he asked cheekily, wondering if she would flounder at the question or find a witty way around it. He suspected the latter.
But the conversation had turned more serious, and even he was not invulnerable to the whims of emotion. Especially around those he considered friends. As she had stated herself - she had seen him naked and kept her mouth shut about it (as far as he knew). He trusted Tobi's discretion. He nodded at her question of disbelief. "Many spent time locked away with the Ascended after all. They have glimpsed their humanity - but it seems they have yet to witness or at least recognize how very little that humanity matters when the Voice's whims shift." he explained with a sigh.
"They questioned if I had ever met one, trying to prove I spoke of things I did not know." But oh, did he know. And he knew the pain in store for them all, the poor, ignorant sots. Dorian smiled at her, in contrast to the distant sadness in his gaze patting her hand upon his arm. "It proved that I did not speak from a place of ignorance. And in both cases, they agreed to help as they could...with some terms though nothing laughable."
"Revenge" sounds so mean
That's why I prefer to call it:
when the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
You merely shoot the Orator a sunny smile, shaking your head wryly. "That sort of ... appraisel isn't part of your standard physical examination." You remind him. "And I'm not one to assume anything. It sets a bad medical precedence. If you're worried about it though, I'm sure I can arrange an adequate test?"
Despite your interest in the Outlanders and their habits, you can't help but feel a prickle of sadness for Dorian. Its been a few years already since the loss of his love, and while you don't quite know how he's feeling, you're imaginative and caring enough to be sympathetic just the same. "Hmm, indeed. I suppose being locked away there is not much they could have done. But now? With things exposed as they are, I'm sure it's only a matter of time." Because you, like everyone else in Stormbreak, have grown up on the stories of what the Voice had done. You know what she's capable of, what she's done in the past, the fresh hell she rained down upon the world.
"Gods, I'm so sorry. What an awful thing to have to justify." You say softly, your fingers softly stroking the crook of his arm where you're joined. "Oh..? What sort of terms?"
and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
Dorian's smirk widened, a mischievous look lighting up his eyes. "Who am I to question the professional opinion of such a talented doctor? Could you be bothered to make a house call, my dear?" he asked, voice low, winking at her playfully. What a feat that would be - getting Tobi out from behind her medical texts and into a bed!
The Orator nodded slowly at her assessment of the Outlanders, the impending painful realization they were all bound to come to. But a cold, niggling part of his brain left him doubting. Could those so quick to assume fault with the most beloved people of the gods ever truly see Caido's demons for what they truly were? Or would they instead wallow in their sadness, cursing all divine beings as though they were equally to blame? Ignorance was bliss after all... "I pray that per usual you are right. It would make my job a lot easier." he said with a chuckle.
He sighed dramatically, tilting his head to rest atop hers and leaning slightly against her as though suddenly overcome with exhaustion. "It is awful indeed, but I should repeat it a million times over for the sake of our cause - such is the curse of loyalty. Your sympathies are as always the balm my soul needs to carry on!" Dorian grinned, kissing the top of her head quickly as he straightened. He waved a hand dismissively at the question of the terms that had been laid before him. "To not have to travel here by the Voice's portals, and to give spouses and children safekeeping here when the time comes." he said, rolling his eyes. "Trivial matters really in the grand scheme of things - though that seems their nature to focus upon each grain of sand rather than lift their eyes to view the scenery."
"Revenge" sounds so mean
That's why I prefer to call it:
when the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long
"Who indeed." You agree, equally playfully. "You know I would, Dorian, but I fear for someone as intrinsic to the Order as you are, only the very best would do." Your smile widens as you flutter your long lashes enchantingly up at him. "I'm sure Dr. Guildenstern could make himself available...?" You let your nose crinkle, offering him a mischievous wink.
"Mmm, it is a heavy burden I bear, being right so often." You agree, though in this, you do hope that they'll come to their senses before it's too late. Before the world has to crumble and burn for them to realize what the Voice is truly capable of.
You laugh lightly beneath Dorian's weight. He is warm and strong and possesses the unmistakable and well-groomed scent of man that is utterly lacking from your life. You don't linger in the experience too long though, far too consumed by what the Orator is saying. Because while your words might be a balm to his soul, his are a bomb to yours. "They..might come here? And stay?" The breath leaves your lungs and you find your grip on Dorian's arm tightening for balance. It's everything you've ever wanted—to be able to learn about the Outlanders—but you'd never expected them to just take up residence in the city.
and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
It is rare for the Orator to be taken by surprise, so deeply was he involved in guessing the outcome of every possible encounter. But at the notion of Gildenstern making a "house call" to check his sexual prowess left the politician momentarily wide eyed and slack jawed. But he recovered quickly, lips curving into a grin as he laughed; a full, genuine one no less. "I see you are trying to shift the topic of gossip off yourself and onto me and your employer. How very clever." he said, still chuckling. Oh would the gossiping hens of Stormbreak have a literal cow at such a tidbit of news! "However, I think I shall pass until you are available, my dear. As much as I highly respect our dear Fixer, I would rather not have my apartment smelling like skunk anytime in the foreseeable future."
Ah, but as quickly as she pulled the rug out from under his feet, he returned the favor. Her wide-eyed gaze of wonder left him grinned, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "Demigods, no less. But yes, they very well may." he said. He stroked at the stubble along his chin, contemplative for a moment. "You know, there was one young lady in particular our dear Cian visited. One who was deeply involved in the Blight of the Greatwood and Hollowed Ground...and she has managed to capture the genuine interest of Frey of all the Heralds. I do believe you may have heard whispers of this Nightingale?" he said, smirking at her. It didn't last long though as he sighed dramatically. "A pity you don't know anyone close enough to the Eye to persuade him to let you visit her. You've oh so much in common." he lamented.
"Revenge" sounds so mean
That's why I prefer to call it:
