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!
She asks more, and Finn’s gaze grows a little darker and flatter, like there are invisible shutters he’s pulling down behind his eyes. ”No,” he says softly, ”no, it was... someone I used to work for.” Perhaps it’s a good thing, that - unlike with Remi - Finn does not want to admit the truth of his past to Amalia. She’s too good for that, he feels, and he finds himself wanting her to believe the best in him. ”It was a long time ago.”
He watches her with the guitar, smiling as she touches its strings and seems to feel for it in the same way that he does. ”...I find it difficult, yes,” he admits softly, unaware that the words have left his lips until it’s too late. ”I do not travel well.” A poor explanation for something much deeper, but it will have to do. ”I could teach you to play... The guitar, I mean. If you wanted.” The offer is a sudden and flighty thing, Finn rubbing at the back of his neck.
& oh, poor atlas - the world's a beast of a burden
Nosy as she is, Amalia still has enough social awareness not to press this issue. Once again she's come up against the shroud that is Finn's past; once again she finds herself deeply curious but unwilling to risk hurting him with prying fingers, peering in too deep.
She might have asked more about his present, though, about travel and home and why he journeys through the lands of Caido if he enjoys it so little, but the offer her makes sidelines her thoroughly, knocking her off guard. "Teach me?" Amalia repeats, incredulous, turning to stare wide-eyed at Finn as though he'd grown a second head. Her expression softens as she searches his face, disbelief replaced by a slowly blooming, radiant smile beneath her rosy cheeks. "You... Really? I'd, I'd like to learn. But I'm not talented, and I don't even have a guitar..."
From behind her a warm voice rumbles: 'Well now, that's not true.' Before she can protest Roland has taken the worn guitar back from the wall, pressing into Amalia's arms with a smile that leaves no room for argument. You an' your grandmother have been feedin' my family for decades. Least I can do, little Lia. Like you said, she deserves to be loved.
Unable to protest, Amalia cradles the instrument like she might a treasured friend. Positively aglow with the surprise and excitement of this strange turn of events, she turns a luminous smile back on Finn, her dark eyes dancing with glee. "Well, ah... if you were serious we, we could go back to my bakery, and I could make you some tea and you could show me some chords? If... if you don't mind." She's rocking back and forth on her feet, nearly bouncing in anticipation.
Finn nearly wilts under the attention she gives him, his own cheeks flushed pink, his smile flickering and uncertain, though he can only shrug his agreement. ”If you would like to learn, I am sure I could teach you the basics,” he says. ”Talent doesn’t make you a musician. Hard work does.” It sounds as though he’s reciting it from somewhere, like it’s a phrase oft repeated to him in his more frustrated moments.
And then the owner of the music shop is lifting the guitar down from the wall and now Amalia has an instrument, and things have all fallen into place quite wonderfully and horribly. He lets his hand drop, nodding to her despite himself. ”That... sounds nice,” he says, and means it. ”Shall we, then? We will have to make sure the guitar doesn’t get wet, on our way.”
& oh, poor atlas - the world's a beast of a burden
Her smile only widens, if that's possible, the pleased flush on her cheeks positively rosy in the light of the shop. Much like a child on Christmas morning she's floored and delighted by this series of gifts, glancing between Finn and Roland and back to Finn as she rocks on her heels, holding the guitar gingerly between her hands. "Yeah, I'll be careful," she promises brightly, pulling the instrument against her chest.
They say their goodbyes and make it back to the bakery with little incident, the guitar guarded carefully against the rain. And when Finn finally takes his leave Amalia is still far from a musician, but she can play out a handful of chords. More than that, the Shield is happy, for she has made a friend. A friend who doesn't value her because of who she's known as, a friend who doesn't expect her to be more than what she is.
Or so she believes, as she watches him leave. But my, how wrong she is.
