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!
they say i did something bad, so why'd it feel so good?
It's a leather and iron kind of day, but then, when isn't it for Mara? And given that she can't feel the cold, thigh-high boots and the leather equivalent of a cat-suit seems like the perfect outfit for a day in hell-frozen-over. Mara isn't stupid of course, knowing her skin can still be damaged by the cold, so she does hustle towards the Kraii. But if she gets a bit of frostbite, well then....she'll just have to find some poor sap willing to warm her up, won't she?
Banging open the doors like she owns the place, Mara looks around. No Neron. Well, that figures. She's wanted to harasschat with him about something, but it could wait. Helping herself behind the bar, Mara grabs a bottle of something dark and two shot glasses that she plunks down onto the counter. Pulling out one of her daggers, she uses it to crack through the wax-seal that tops the bottle, before stabbing it into the top of the bar and pouring herself a drink.
Entering from the private section of the Kraai, Astra in tow, Loren's steps slowed as he spotted the woman inside. Walking up to the bar, he leaned an elbow on it and turned towards her, giving her as charming a smile he could muster. It was ruined somewhat by the scars on the right side his face, which were pulled oddly when his lips moved, and from the sharp look in his eyes.
His gaze flicked towards the knife embedded in the wood before returning to the woman's face. "Whatcha carving?" His voice came out in a wryly amused drawl. As his companion pressed herself against the back of his legs, he reached down with one hand and rested it reassuringly on her head.
they say i did something bad, so why'd it feel so good?
Without missing a beat, Mara raises her dark stare to meet Loren's and grins. "Your tombstone. I heard a while ago you blew up another bar, so I figure when this one gets shot to hell, it'll be a fun little memento to toss on your grave." It's all sarcastically said, the ascended's sensual voice honey-dipped but somehow still sharp. Her eyes roam over the scars that slander the Launceleyn's once-handsome face. She doesn't recoil, but actually seems impressed by them. "From the looks of it, I better hurry."
Pouring a shot for Loren and nudging it across the bar towards him, Mara props herself up against the countertop as her eyes flit wonderingly towards the bit of Astra that she's able to see. "That thing always follow you around?" Her nose wrinkles slightly, clearly not a fan of the idea.
Letting out a huff of laughter, Loren nodded. "It's true. I haven't burned down a building in ages." Lifting the hand he'd been resting on Astra, he waggled his fingers. "Starting to feel the urge."
Standing up straight, he slipped his hands into his pockets. "I have to warn you, though, if you're planning to despoil my grave, you'll have to get in line. I imagine there are quite a few people who will want to dance on it." His tone was self-deprecating, but he didn't sound that bothered by that fact.
Making a show of looking behind him and then giving her a confused look, he raised his eyebrows. "What thing?" Then his expression hardened. "Astra follows me around, but she is most definitely not a thing." Only then did he reach out to take the shot, tossing it back in a smooth motion.
they say i did something bad, so why'd it feel so good?
Mara intentionally recoils at that, what with fire being the mortal enemy of ascendeds and all. She can't help making one final crack though as she nods towards the scarring. "Firebrand though..bit on the nose, isn't it?" It's a bit unfortunate what nicknames seem to stick. But fire brand was just a flowery way of saying scarred to shit, wasn't it? And well...it isn't like Loren's scars were all that subtle.
Snorting, Mara raises her glass as if cheersing him, before downing it. She couldn't taste it of course, but she liked the gesture well enough. "I'll be sure to show up fashionably late, then." With a wink, Mara wipes her mouth before filling up her glass again. "Besides. If they hate you enough to show up at your grave, that still makes 'em a fan club, more or less. So fuck 'em."
Running her tongue over her teeth, the ascended just watches this display with a bored sort of look. "We're all things blue-eyes." She says with a shrug, filling up his glass again once he'd knocked back its contents. "Yeah well, shouldn't she go like...frolick with the other luxere, or whatever?"
Snorting, Loren nodded. "My thoughts exactly." Shrugging, he rolled the shot glass around in his fingers. "It's not like I asked to be called that." There was a slightly annoyed edge to his voice, but his posture and expression were still relaxed.
Laughing outright at her comment, he grinned. "I can't imagine you showing up to anything less than fashionable. But that is a good way to look at it." Lifting his now empty glass, he cheersed her right back. "Fuck 'em."
When she refilled his glass, he nodded his thanks at her. "Shouldn't you go like...frolick with the other Ascended, or whatever?" He managed to match her tone and infliction as best he could. With his free hand, he gave Astra an affectionate pat. "I'm her herd. And yes, I know how dumb that sounds. Her words, not mine. Don't you dare laugh."
they say i did something bad, so why'd it feel so good?
Mara can appreciate that. She'd had all sorts of nicknames over the years that she hasn't been particularly fond of. "What would you call yourself, if you could choose?" Picking up her shot, she lets the glass sit on hew lower lip for a moment before tilting her head back, downing it easily. Fuck 'em indeed.
Pausing, Mara raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow before fixing the Launceleyn with a challenging stare. "I strike you as the frolicking type?" She asks, leaning forward in a way that presses her breasts against the wood of the bar in a way which was anything but unintentional.
"It absolutely sounds dumb." Mara agrees with a twist of her lips. "So does that mean you're all against dark magic and the ascended too?" Luxere were judgy little cliche shits as far as she was concerned.
Smirking a bit, Loren shook his head. "That feels like a trap." Giving her a bemused look, his expression grew thoughtful. "Honestly? Probably just the healer." He shrugged, not particularly caring what people called him or thought of him these days.
Letting his eyes deliberately stray down to her chest, he leaned forward as well. "Yes." He spoke the word without an ounce of doubt, though his mouth twitched with amusement. Lifting his gaze, he met her eyes squarely.
Shaking his head again at her questions, he tossed the next shot back. "Nah. I'm fine with dark magic and Ascended in general. So long as they don't mess with me and mine, I don't really give a shit." Then he glanced at her curiously. "You got a problem with Attuned or lighter magic?"
they say i did something bad, so why'd it feel so good?
"ThE HeALeR" Mara repeats, eyes rolling. "How boring. I give you the chance to really toot your own horn, and you just pick your job." Scoffing under her breath, the ascended just shrugs.
Approval radiates darkly across Mara's features, and she offers ThE HeAlER a half wink for his trouble. "I'll take that, but only because it has the word licking in it. And that I absolutely do." So saying, she smiles widely, her tongue dancing over her sharp canine-teeth. Mara might be many things, but subtle has never been one.
Again the glass is filled. "How very liberal of you," Mara purrs, eye brows bouncing once before shaking her head. "Nope. Love 'em. Variety is the spice of life, so they say. Always nice to sink my teeth into something new." Straightening up, the ascended reaches for the dagger, pulling it easily from the wood and sheathing it back against her hip. "Much easier to hate people for who they are, y'know?"
"I told you it was a trap." Not at all bothered by Mara's criticism, Loren grinned. Leaning forward slightly, he narrowed his eyes. "Alright, I'll bite. What would you call yourself?"
Humming, he smirked as she winked at him. "Is this the part where you tell me how talented you are with your mouth?" He bit his lips in a matter that was half-suggestive half-thoughtful. Then he grinned again, letting his teeth shift to fangs for just the briefest moment.
"Despite reports to the contrary, I'm a very open-minded person. In all sorts of ways." Lifting the glass to his lips, he paused with it right before drinking. "Easier for who?" Finally tossing the drink back, he gave her a pointed look.
they say i did something bad, so why'd it feel so good?
"It isn't a trap just because you came up with a shit answer." Mara says, before grining with a dark sort of vibrancy. "Oh you'll bite will you? Love to see that." Pulling in a breath, Mara looks somewhere over Loren's shoulder as if actually thinking. She lets a cat-like stretch ripple through her body before returning her dark stare to him. "The predator." Mara decides at last, whispering the word as if wanting to let it linger on her tongue.
"Honey if I have to tell you, you're doing something wrong." The ascended laughs, before peering forward and narrowing her eyes. "Well, well. Boy's got bite, huh. Y'any good with those things?"
So blue-eyes wanted to play his cards close to the chest, huh? That's fine. Mara can work with that. "All sorts of ways, mmm? Is this the part where you tell me all about how sexually adventurous you are, then?" She asks, happily lobbing his own wording back to him as he'd done with her.
"Me of course. Why should I give a fuck how hard it is for everyone else?"
Laughing, Loren inclined his head at Mara. "Fine. I trapped myself." Raising his eyebrows at her answer, he leaned in closer to her. "Is that your job? Or what you are?" He asked the question in a suggestive tone.
"Oh, so you're planning on giving me a show, then?" Smirking, he let it broaden to show off his teeth though he didn't shift them again. "Apparently, if I tell you, I'm doing it wrong."
Grinning outright now, he nodded, setting the shot glass down on the bar with a distinct click. "Yes it is." Looking far too pleased with himself, he felt Astra get up and trot into the private parts of the Kraai. However, his eyes remained trained on the Ascended.
Lips twitching with amusement once again, he shrugged, the motion languid. "I don't know. I can think of some situations when you might care how hard it was."
they say i did something bad, so why'd it feel so good?
"I should hope that was obvious." Mara replies. Dressed in leather, daggers at the ready, teeth on show? She is absolutely a predator. "Though...they say if you do what you love, you never work a day in your life." Said with such snark it should be clear Mara wasn't one for cookie-cutter aphorisms, but even so, it seemed fitting.
If the clip-clop of hooves was noticed by the ascended, she gave absolutely no notice, preferring to grin wickedly at her new drinking buddy. Speaking of, she tapped his glass before downing hers again. "Well. Go on then. Regal me with your mighty prowess and all your sexual deeds."
With a snort (pouring more whiskey, assuming Loren had taken her up on this latest offer), Mara would simply shake her head. 'Ascended, remember?" She said, licking a canine. "Besides, awful easy to make it hard, when it needs to be." Though her wink was suggestive, Mara was fairly certain what with the gossip that followed the Launceleyn like a bad stink, that she didn't need to tell him what her teeth could do.
Loren snorted at Mara's response. Shaking his head at her next statement, he rolled his eyes. "They say a lot of shit. I try not to listen to any of it."
Grinning, he joined her in taking another shot. "Nah. It would be wasted on you." His tone was entirely unapologetic. Then his grin gained a wicked edge. "Unless, of course, you want to know more."
Putting his hand over the shot glass to prevent her from pouring him another shot, he nodded at her words. "True enough." His eyes narrowed slightly at her. "Now what brought you to the Kraai? Since I'm assuming you didn't come here just to get me drunk." Laughing slightly, his eyes remained trained on the Ascended.
