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!
08-19-2020, 07:34 PM (This post was last modified: 08-25-2020, 02:08 PM by Loren.)
They say blood makes you related but
loyalty makes you family
After the destruction of the Palace, and everything that followed, including Weaver's death, Loren had retreated into himself, as he was far too won't to do. However, he'd sworn that he'd never disappear fully again, and so while he went to lick his wounds for a while, he was still around. Now, though, he'd been wounded in another way.
Kiada's death weighed on him, but they hadn't been that close, and he didn't blame himself for her passing, seeing as he'd had his hands full (literally). Still, the lingering scars from that encounter, which covered his arms and the right side of his face, had finally spurred him into rebuilding the school that the Eirachi had destroyed. He'd let it go for too long already.
Finding an abandoned building in the Citadal that was suitable took him longer than expected. Still, he'd found one, an old hunting lodge that was too far from the center of town to be sustainable. It'd work for his purposes. Gathering the supplies he'd need, he set them up in front of the building. Then he'd posted a notice with the time and location and settled in to wait.
As individuals arrived, he would nod at them. Once he was sure they every was coming who was planning to come, he'd begin to speak. "Thank you all for helping. There are a few tasks that need to be completed. First, a wall needs to be constructed to split the building in half. One side needs to be set up as an infirmary, along with a station to create medicines. The other side needs to be set up as a classroom. All the supplies we'll need should be here, and the furniture is inside already, just not actually in place." He gestured at the pile in front of him. "Any questions?"
This is a PQ to build a new building for the School of Healing. There are 3 open spots, but more can be made available.
A wall needs to be constructed to split the building in half, with a door between each half. One half needs to be set up as a classroom, and the other needs to be an infirmary with a place to make medicines. All the furniture is gathered haphazardly within already. Please state which task your character would like to take on at the bottom of your post.
Kiada’s death weighed on her too, along with Rexanna and Clemente’s. Weaver's feels like a distant dream, though if she had the capacity, the Wraith would feel the Scythe's departure too. Gods, she feels like a fucking ghostly laundry line and knows she needs to cast off the dead (literally) weight, but can’t seem to do it. Maybe she needs more time, or something else to do. Keeping busy helps. It’s almost as if she goes from region to region, looking for something to do while plans are in the works.
She’d heard a carpenter in Snowcloak talking about ‘Loren’ and ‘wood,’ and because her mind didn’t immediately jump to his dick, she assumes he’s building something and could use some help. With a cloak flapping behind her, she asks someone and they pointed her in the direction of the Headmaster.
“Feel the need to keep busy?” she asks quietly, identifying what she assumes is a common feeling and nodding in agreement. Loki, at least, is with her this time. She’s felt the sadness radiating off her bonded lately and is loathe to leave Wessex. This does, however, create a problem sometimes because Halo is cold and the dragonling is still lizard based - she spends half her time curled up in an inner pocket in the Wraith’s cloak and the half the time soaring above her, much to the chagrin of the average Halovian.
He was a husk of a man. A shell, a walking in a haze through the Citadel. The world didn't feel real anymore. Nothing felt real, not since.. He could hardly think on it directly, and yet it was all that was on his mind.
He went about his duties, though there was no smile on his lips. His bright blue eyes seemed dull and grey in comparison to the optimism they once showed, his zest and energy sapped. But still, he showed up, he did the work, and went back to his house to sleep, only to get up again the next day and rinse and repeat the motions.
And so it was the husk of a man who arrived today, upon seeing Loren put out a call for assistance. Normally, he'd be happy to assist. Today, he was just assisting.
Blank stares viewed the woman and her dragonling with something undefined; on one hand, he wanted to hate her for taking Kia on this adventure, on the other, he wanted to beg her for more details of what happened. Either way, right now wasn't the time - he had neither the energy nor the focus to manage a conversation with her, or Loren for that matter, on the details of his lover's death.
"I'll build the wall." Tones were dry, spoken by a parched and cracking voice. He'd build the wall; that was all he'd been doing within himself since the news, he was getting quite good at it.
it is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers
As Wessex arrived, Loren gave her a careful nod. "You know what they say about idle hands." It was perhaps a bit more friendly than his usual reaction to her.
Chulane received a concerned look from the healer. However, he said nothing. Instead he just waited on the off chance anyone else would show up.
When it became apparent they wouldn't, Loren nodded at the other two. "Thank you both for coming. I'll take care of the infirmary if you're okay setting up the classroom, Wessex." Assuming she agreed, the Firebrand would head into his half of the eventual school.
Glancing around, he figured the first step would be to get the beds lined up. So he summoned a gorilla. With its help, he started maneuvering the bed frames and mattresses into neat rows.
No post order!
Loren takes on the infirmary. He summons a gorilla to help him get the beds into place.
You know what Wessex doesn’t know? That Chulane was dating Kiada. So he gets a bit of a weird look from her as the Chief of Agriculture seems to stare blankly at her. “You all right?” Her head tilts a little bit to one side, as if she could peer into him and try to see what’s on his mind. Not that they were ever particularly close, but as far as she can remember, they were on decent terms?
It’s not like she would know if something came up, no one ever actually talks to her when they’re upset.
Classroom it is. With a nod, the Wraith moves silently into the space and after a quick assessment of the furniture and the room, she decides on a course of action. Calling upon her shadow, she begins to move desk and chair pairs into position with her own arms grabbing the heavier items and her shadow pushing or pulling the chairs. The teacher’s desk, however, is moved by Wessex alone. The time is hopefully cut in half, so as she steps back, she shrugs and hopes it what Loren’s thinking of.
She wanders into the other room and sees the Gorilla, a half-snort escaping. Of course he would summon something like that. Pointing back into her side of the building, she asks. “This kind of configuration okay?”
Maybe, when all was said and done, when things simmered down, when time had passed, he'd be more reasonable.
Maybe he'd even be able to reach out to her, to speak with her, as easily as they had that night at the Kraai.
Maybe he'd share what Kia meant to him, how her death was crushing him, how in this moment, he saw Wessex at the cause of that death.
"No." It was all he could summon to say in response, biting back the rest that he wanted to say, swallowing down the hurt, the anger, the (irrational) rage that seemed to be growing the longer he remained glaring staring at her.
Loren's words were enough to get him out of his stewing and on to work. Being the person building the wall between the two, he was able to see them both working, but not even Loren's summoning of a gorilla was enough to crack any emotion other than weariness on his façade.
He went to work, focusing on building the frame first, hammering at the wooden planks to fit them together, before raising them up to fit snugly against ceiling and floor. From there, he'd attach broader sheets that would properly separate the rooms Loren had laid out.
--
Chuy builds the wall by building the frame first, then attaching the sheets of thin timber to it.
it is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers
Loren, perhaps because the gorilla was quite handy or perhaps because he had a clear idea what he wanted, was able to move all the beds into place without issue. However, that was just the start of setting up the infirmary. Dismissing his summoned creature, he took a deep breath.
Which was when Wessex called to him. He made his way over to her. As he passed through the wall Chulane was building, the timbers he was trying to secure fell down, taking part of the frame with them. The healer winced and patted the vet on his shoulder. However, the Firebrand kept going, coming to a stop beside the Wraith.
"He and Kiada were together." His voice was barely above a breath, just for her ears. Only then did he survey the room. She'd made progress, but the rows of chairs and tables were uneven, at least in his mind. She managed to move the teacher's desk part of the way, but there was still a bit to go. "Looks good. Do you mind straightening it out a bit though? And moving my desk a little further?" He smiled, shifting his weight from side to side, not quite able to meet her eyes.
With that he returned to his side of the building. Then he tapped into his telekinesis, boosting it with his chunk of mageglass. Walking through the room, he used it to try and pick up the sheets and pillows and make the beds as best he could.
No post order!
Loren was quite successful in setting up the infirmary. He is using his telekinesis to make the beds.
Wessex was moderately successful in getting the classroom set up, but the rows are uneven and the teacher's desk needs to be slighty centered.
Chulane was not very successful in building the wall, and part of the frame fell down.
Such mishaps would normally not bother him, would normally muster nothing more than an easy smile and a laugh at himself. He stepped back, out of the way of the crumbling timber frame, exhaling a long breath in annoyance and irritation.
He would persist, eventually. For a moment, he would just scowl at the pile of uncooperative wood, as if his bad mood could convince it to jump up on its own and form into what he needed.
Then, he forced himself to refocus, to ignore the activities of the others around him, and to try again - taking more care this time, going slower, double checking his measurements before fixing pieces together, and discarding the pieces that were now too damaged to use.
--
Chuy tries again, focussing on getting the foundation of the frame right this time.
it is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers
Well fuck her sideways and ten ways to Deepfrost; that explains everything. Closing her eyes in a private mea culpa between herself and Loren, she opens them a moment later and shakes her head. “Fucking hell.” Ever some version of an ice queen, she leaves it at that expletive and turns back to the classroom, to fix her apparently crooked lines.
Gonna blame the shadow on that one, of course, so she stands upon the teacher’s desk to see where she went wrong and then goes through and adjusts accordingly by herself. Some move to the right some to the left, or backward or forwards, and then finally - the bigger desk itself. With a little more attention to detail (and that’s probably why she isn’t a teacher, despite her elder status), the demigod moves it into a more central place and waits for Loren’s approval.
Nodding at Wessex's exclamation, Loren sighed. "He's grieving. Hopefully he'll pull through." Speaking in that voice barely above a whisper, he reached out to briefly lay a hand on her shoulder. "Kiada's death wasn't your fault. It was just a terrible, terrible accident." With that he returned to his side of the building.
Where his efforts with the telekinesis were mixed, to say the least. The beds were more than a bit messy. Pressing his lips together, he summoned the gorilla again. Then they both took a side and tried to straighten it out.
Which Wessex was easily able to do with the classroom. Poking his head in for just a moment, he gave her an approving nod. Seeing as Chulane had attached the frame, the healer pointed at the other end of the wall. "Why don't you two work on opposite ends and meet in the middle?" With that, he ducked back into the infirmary.
No post order!
Wessex was successful in straightening out the classroom furniture.
Chulane was successful in setting up the frame.
Loren was only partially successful in making the beds.
The frame rebuilt, it seemed to hold steady, as he took a step back to review his work with a critical eye. He might be grieving, but the only way he was getting through this was by working, by keeping his mind so busy that he could pretend everything else was normal still - even if it was anything but.
A slight sweaty sheen had come over him, but he ran his hand through his hair and turned about when Loren offered some more words of instruction. While he wasn't thrilled about the idea of working with anyone else, let alone the person who was in the most conveniently place for his brain to place blame upon, he merely nodding with an unreadable expression and got to work.
Lifting the sheets of timber that would make up the flat panels of the wall, he did he best to work steadily, with practiced efficiency and independence - not wanting or accepting any help that might be offered to him on completing his section. At this stage, he preferred to work potentially a bit slower, but alone.
--
Chuy starts attaching the flat panels to his section of wall.
it is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers
Of course Kiada’s death wasn’t her fault; in the back of her mind, Wessex knows this. She had been the Guildmistress of the Monster Hunting Guild for fuck’s sake, the girl could take care of herself and knew (as much as any of them did), what she was getting into. Does the Wraith feel bad about it? Yes. Yes she does. And she always will. But everyone needs someone to blame, right? And she’s been the convenient scapegoat before, might as well be it again.
She does, however, start to question Loren’s plan for them to work together, a brief protest put forth before the Firebrand leaves again. So she resigns herself to the work, taking a moment to see what Chuy has been doing and copying it.
At this point, Loki flies in, the sign of a ningo kill on her claws and teeth. Trilling her pleasure at being full, she drops in on the Wraith - literally - dropping down to her shoulder. “Easyyyyy, Loki,” the woman croons, pausing to give the dragon some scritches before scooting her off. “Go on and clean up, you’re a bloody mess.” It’s all quite affectionate, of course, but she doesn’t want to smell like blood and she needs to keep working on the wall.
---------------
Seeing as Wessex and Chulane were adults, Loren was absolutely fine leaving the two of them on their own. Besides, he was planning to be back before they finished anyway. He and his gorilla managed to make the beds perfectly this time around.
Heading towards the worktable, he frowned. Although he tried to lift one side, it was too heavy. So he had the gorilla do it while he iced the ground underneath. He repeated the process with the other side, and slid the desk into place.
At which point he headed back into the other end of the room. Chulane only made a little bit of progress, but the Wraith had completely finished her side. Loren smiled faintly at Loki as the dragonling came and went in a flash. Eying the vet, the healer turned towards Wessex.
"Why don't you and I put the door in place while he finishes with the rest of his panels." He gestured at the door, which just needed to be attached to hinges and a small hole for the latch that still needed to be put on the frame. "I'll take one side and you do the other?" With that, he bent to pick up a hinge and began measuring it and scraping a piece out of the frame for it to work.
No post order!
Chulane still has a few more panels to put up!
Loren asked Wessex for help with the door.
He knew, perhaps better than most, the strength that was Kiada. He knew, and he loved her for it, admired her for it - wanted to be strong enough to be worthy of her attention in return. And ultimately, he knew she was a woman who had lived by her choices, and he never sought to choose for her. But perhaps in this, he wished he had, wished he'd made the suggestion to stay back, to let Wessex and Hotaru and whoever else (anyone else) go on the expedition, the adventure.
But he wasn't like that. Their relationship wasn't like that. They existed together, happily so, but also with lives that could function independent of the other, if necessary.
Well, necessity had come. And while Chulane would continue to live, and to function, it hurt.
So he kept building the wall. The dragonling that appears in a flurry of leathery wings and feathery remains is hard to miss, and the vet, ever drawn to wildlife (and somewhat tempered by the work completed so far today), can't help but pause a moment to watch the exchange between the bonded pair. It was a different side to Wessex, one that reminded him of the night he'd met her, where laughter and conversation had flowed between them.
The anger dissipated, and instead, came the numbness again. He sighed, his expression dropping once more, as he turned away and kept working at the damn wall.
--
Chuy keeps building that wall~
it is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers
