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!
Maybe it was foolish of him to try and bear out the storms again, but honestly? Oliver was a bit too overly confident to be super worried.
Yeah, he knew the extreme risks of it, but Oliver also tried his best to time them and track for when it would be safe to go out. It took a bit of time for him to finally be able to leave the Grounds again. He missed the atmosphere that Torchline provided and desperately wanted to go back to its sandy beaches, even if he wouldn't be able to live the full experience.
Wrapped in a jacket that would hopefully protect him against the chill with some boots to match, Oliver set out, arriving when it thankfully wasn't pouring down.
He carefully made his way into the area, looking around for anything that would maybe be open and to see who would be out and about during this brief reprise. And hopefully, he didn't look too much like an outsider because the last thing he needed was to get into an altercation... again.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
now they're standing in the door singin' "that's my shit, that's my shit"
The storms should be lightening up. And with it, Milo’s far more active in the streets than he was before. It’s almost his favorite time of year, and so he peruses the streets – checking out the damage, doing his job as being Zephyr’s eyes in Haulani, at least until he’s back from wherever-the-fuck he’s gone. He initially started with a slow stroll – until some of the other dock kids started a race of sorts.
Milo’s pretty competitive, so of course he takes them up on it. A race to the end of the alley and then back again. Seems simple enough, right?
It starts off easy, nearly smoking the kid – but by the time he reaches the end of the alley, he doesn’t account for people walking along the street there, his hand snapping out to latch onto the edge of the building to try and catch himself before he goes sprinting into the crowd. But he’s too late, bumping into Oliver with a surprised bark of laughter. “Sorry mate.” Milo offers, realizing that he’s lost the race, but checking to make sure Oliver’s okay.
that's what everybody wants an' some more singing "you may be the death of me"
While he was genuinely trying to pay attention, no part of his mind believed someone would basically bolt out from the alley. His eyes were focused around him for pickpockets or people not looking where they were walking. This left his side completely vulnerable for when the redhead rammed straight into him, knocking him completely off his balance.
There was an attempt to prevent himself from falling to the side, but this, unfortunately, caused his balance to shift in a different direction. Stumbling backward, Oliver's right foot lands loudly against the pavement. Pressing down, he manages to regulate his balance once more, his left food landing far more gracefully. With that shock over with, his body relaxes and his shocked expression melts away into one of indifference. While he might've been angry before, the man before him quickly apologizes, already making his mood far better.
Looking at the man with his arms spread a couple of inches from his body, like that of a penguin, he offers an awkward smile, realizing how he must look. "You're fine, no harm done, right?" Yeah, Oliver was a twinge bit annoyed, but he tried his best to stay positive. "What's got you running like that? You ran into me pretty hard."
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
now they're standing in the door singin' "that's my shit, that's my shit"
If Oliver is annoyed, Milo doesn’t notice it – not as he checks the other man over to make sure nothing had happened. He’d stayed upright, which was a great sign, but from there? Milo could only offer the other man a wide grin and about as apologetic of a look as he could. A nod is granted to the no harm done, though playfully a hand reaches up to rub at his arm regardless. “Maybe a bit.” He teases, before shaking his head.
A quick glance down the alley way has Milo’s shoulders shrugging. “Racin’ some of the dock kids.” He offers, tossing his thumb over his shoulder to the group of kids playing at the end of the alley yet again. Many of them he’d grown up with, some of them he’d had to baby sit once upon a time. For now, however, Milo’s attention focuses on Oliver with that very same playful grin. “Y’don’t look like yer from around here. New to Torchline?” He asks, tilting his head.
that's what everybody wants an' some more singing "you may be the death of me"
There is a very obvious playful eye-roll. Two can play at that game. "I actually meant no harm done to me... but! I'm glad to see you're okay too." By the time he's done speaking, he's fully smiling. Honestly, it wasn't all that bad. Some people had annoyed him to no end when they ran into him, but it was all based on how they acted afterward. The man was quick to apologize and try to handle the situation well, despite the fact that he could've finished a race. It was great and a nice sight to see.
His eyes shifted over and he hummed before nodding. "Really... you win often?" He looked back on over wondering why he was playing with them in the first place. The guy seemed pretty old- about his age, really. Then again, who was he to judge? His experiences with Kaimana and his twin were enough to show that looks can be deceiving.
Torchliners were particularly keen at noticing Outlanders. It didn't phase him anymore, earning another shrug. "Yeah, I'm an Outlander, but I've been in the Hollowed Ground for quite a while now." The last part was thrown in to basically say 'im not totally new so don't try anything on me'. It wasn't quite a threat, more like an attempt to avoid any unwanted scenarios.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
now they're standing in the door singin' "that's my shit, that's my shit"
A snort is given back to Oliver’s comment – knowing full well what the blonde man meant, but still poking fun where he could. So he rolls back a bit on his heels, his thumb arcing back toward the group of kids at the end of the dock that were beginning another round in a space far less populated. “Usually I let the youngin’s win.” He says quietly, as if he’s telling a secret, flashing a wink Oliver’s way before an easy grin spreads across his face. “I like to make ‘em work for it though. Think they’re gonna lose. Makes their ‘win’ all that much sweeter, y’know?” A shrug of his shoulders here and there, a tilt of his head.
But then he’s asking if Oliver is new, his gaze focused a bit more intently on the other man when the answer comes. “Ahhh, th’Grounds.” Milo rumbles before he’s beginning to walk, imagining that Oliver might follow him. “Nev’r been. What’s it like?” He turns his head to look back over his shoulder at the other man.
that's what everybody wants an' some more singing "you may be the death of me"
There's a raise of his eyebrow. "The youngins? How old does that make you? You don't seem too much younger than me... then again, I don't even look my age honestly." Oliver knew he had a baby face but he sure as hell hoped he at least looked somewhat close to his age. The man before him didn't look much younger than him, maybe twenty-one or so?
A nod of understanding and Oliver offers him a small smile. "A noble thing... it's also fun to see them feel like they beat you, ya know? I used to take care of kids myself... they always loved beating me in games." It's a sentiment he can relate to, although he never really did it in public. Now that he thought of it, the racing really wasn't something all that bad. Really, the only thing bad about it was him almost getting run into. Even then, no harm was done.
What's it like? Damn... a huge question wrapped up in so few words. "It's... kinda dreary. The Grounds have been through a shit ton and although a lot of us have been trying to bring life back to it, you can really tell... it's just a small town. Nothing like Torchline, honestly." It wasn't anything extravagant. The Grounds had it small little perks, but that was honestly only within the people who lived there. Unlike Torchline where there was beautiful water and gorgeous sunsets.
I JUST WANT MY EXISTENCE TO BE MORE THAN TREMBLING
now they're standing in the door singin' "that's my shit, that's my shit"
How old is he? A crooked grin is sent Oliver’s way before his shoulders are rising and falling in a shrug. “Twenty-two.” But given the fact the rest of the kids down the alley were either in their pre-teens or just short of becoming a teenager, that made him quite the old man around the docks.
There’s a huff of laughter at being called noble, though, the red-head having never been called as such before. Usually a scoundrel, never a noble. But the kids at the end of the alley are looking back toward Milo and he waves back to them to hold on for a few moments longer, his attention returning to Oliver.
“Maybe’ll come check it out sometime?” A shrug granted before he’s moving away from where he’d crashed into Oliver, knowing that the blonde was alright. “See ya ‘round!” He flashes a grin Oliver’s way before he’s returning to the gathering at the end of the docks.
— FIN!
that's what everybody wants an' some more singing "you may be the death of me"
