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!
A couple of hours later, the spot where Gideon had burnt his finger was still smarting and he could see the beginnings of a blister, in a very irritating spot just below the crease of his knuckle; deciding to deal with it before it became a bigger problem, he headed to the infirmary: besides, it had been a while since he'd spoken to October.
As he walked there, a stray thought did occur to him, possibly due to the extensive contact they'd recently had with the outside world, that in other places he might be going to an Abandoned to have his skin mended with magic, wound erased and nature changed by the wave of a hand: the thought made him shudder, and he was very glad indeed for simple medicine and bandages.
Entering the infirmary, he looked around for the woman in question. "Miss Hart? Could be doing with a little help, if you've got the time." Gideon called out into the room.
And when he laid across my chest My cutting stone it did the rest
09-03-2020, 04:04 PM (This post was last modified: 09-03-2020, 04:04 PM by October.)
October
a sunflower soul with rock'n roll eyes
"It doesn't matter how buddy-buddy with the gods you are Gideon, it will always be Doctor Hart, to you." You call playfully from around a corner, your voice sunshine despite the rather sterile environment that you're constantly in. With the Priest being the sort of man he is, to say he's revered by the people of Stormbreak would be an understatement. But, for all his piety, he is still flesh and blood, which puts him decidedly in your domain. He's a body like any other to be looked after.
Popping out from behind the corner, you flash the older man a bright smile before nodding your head over your shoulder suggesting he follow. Down the hall, you lead to one of the examination rooms, where you pause with your arm opened so that he can enter before you. "Now. What've you done to yourself this time?"
October's voice drew from Gideon an apologetic smile and raising of his hands. "Sorry, Doctor Hart, indeed. It's hard to keep up with you all, when I remember you still in diapers." He joked. As much as he often felt older and perhaps a little distant from the rest of the Order, he liked October; she was always happy, dedicated to her work, and he respected those that followed Frey's path (it was often a hard one to follow) get it, hard, haha.
Obediently following her down the corridor and to the door, he headed into the room and turned, holding out his hand casually: hardly the worst injury in the world, but the finger was visibly red and a blister was forming, the joint going stiff. "'Fraid I caught myself on one of my candles this morning, y'see. Guess I mighta pissed someone off." Gideon gave October a wink then waited for her to analyse his wound and make sure he wasn't at death's door.
And when he laid across my chest My cutting stone it did the rest
Fixing him with a look that you can't make last, you just laugh and nod. "Is that your trick for getting through your sermons? Remember us all in our diapers?" Your grin is positively menacing, but it breaks into playful rays of sunshine quick enough.
Putting on a pair of gloves, you turn around to inspect the offending finger which has brought the Priest to you today. You don't need to move the joint around to see that it's swollen and likely in a good amount of pain. Not enough for you to use your super-secret-super-power though. "Or maybe you're being tested. Isn't that something you've told us before?" You shoot Gideon an adoring look, before going to a shelf and removing some ointment for the burn. "All that time around candles though, and you'd think you would have learned to be more careful." You mutter over your shoulder, voice chipper, and when you turn around you're all bright smiles.
"You say that like you think I'm nervous during my sermons. Doctor Hart, but that pulpit is my home." Gideon reminded her, sure that his passion and drive during sessions at the Cathedral was more than obvious: he'd never been anxious about spreading the word of their Gods and the correct way to live by them. It was why he was here on Caido, and he'd fulfil that duty til his last moments.
Letting her look over his finger, he laughed as she brought his own words back to meet him. "Maybe, but I'm not sure what I'd meant to be learning from this test. I can handle a little burn." Gideon knew well what his tests from the Gods were, and they were sadly much more significant than a blister on his finger.
October continued her teasing and he just laughed, shaking his head, before his mind went to more serious matters: the meeting they'd had that morning, the future of their Order. "While we're here...what is it you really make of this illness, Doctor? After all, it's your department, right?" As much as he felt there was likely a Godly punishment component to the whole thing, Gideon knew science and medicine were often important allies to faith.
And when he laid across my chest My cutting stone it did the rest
"Nervous, nah. Bored? Maybe sometimes. If it wouldn't interfere with my diagnoses I might just do the same." You say with a bright shrug. Despite the topic of nudity, there's nothing flirtatious about your tone no matter how bubbly it is. The Priest is attractive enough, but as he mentioned, he's more like a father figure (which, being a priest is probably the point).
"Well....maybe it isn't so much about handling the pain as...being inconvenienced? Or..who knows, maybe that little burn saved you from something worse." Frowning, you shoot Gideon a crook smile. "Isn't it your job to be deciphering this stuff? I'm just the one with the bandages."
As matters turn more serious, you let your expression grow solemn as you apply the ointment and begin to bandage the burn. "Well...I know little more than what Cian mentioned, unfortunately. There are lots of very strange symptoms bending time here because I took a millenia to reply like this strange aversion to water...but also a great desire for it." Sighing, you shake your head, satisfied with the Priest's injuries. "I don't understand how it could have come from Tanau though. I'd think that a being composed of fire would be impervious to illness. His body temperature is simply too high for anything else to live on, or in him."
"I imagine in your line of work you see enough of people in diapers." Gideon said dryly, knowing he wouldn't be able to do it. He'd always been one for clean and quiet, predictable ritual and matters of philosophy, not physiology. As October bandaged his finger he hummed as he considered how she had interpreted his burn, a gracious smile on his face. "Well, seems like we have an amateur Priest on our hands. I don't need to say anything after that wonderful analysis, Doctor."
Truthfully, he was pretty sure he had just burnt his finger and that was that. Sometimes things just happened; thinking of everything as a test or lesson would make a man paranoid.
Finding out more about this illness was an important matter and he calmed his own expression down for it, listening to her speak. He was sure he'd have to explain it to his congregation soon enough, so the more details he held the better. "What if it's an illness of the soul, rather than the body? After all, came from a God. I understand that's not really your area...but that this illness affects those heretic Ascended too makes me wonder if it's something greater than a bug."
And when he laid across my chest My cutting stone it did the rest
Snorting, you give the older man a wry smile. You know how much you love it when your patients give you medical advice or diagnose themselves, and it's likely much the same with Gideon.
"You would know more about it than I would but...Tanau isn't really a god, is he? Not in the way the others are." You frown, not really sure whether this makes things easier, or more complicated to understand. "That...is strange." It's something you've thought of as well. What could affect both types of systems? "From what little I know, what remains of their biological systems is...basic, at best. Their hearts, lungs, digestive systems, nervous systems, it's all different. And those are the main places I would expect to see something like this attach itself."
Maybe not the soul then, but the mind? Saying as much: "Perhaps it's more of a mental infliction. The physical symptoms....it could all be traced back to the mind. That's the one thing we arguably still have in common with the ascended."
Gideon tilted his head from side to side as he tried to find the right words to answer October's question. "Sort of. It's not that Tanau isn't a God, it's just...there are different levels. A hierarchy, if you will. And Tanau is probably towards the bottom of it...but still much higher than any of us mortals." He gave her a grin, as if to say: So don't say anything too mean.
In a way it was gratifying to know that October didn't quite understand how the Ascended had caught the illness either; it meant that Gideon hadn't just missed something due to his lack of expertise in the area. An illness of the mind was certainly another possibility and he considered it, putting a finger to his lips. If it were just the Ascended, he could easily write it off as something attacking their clearly already damaged psyches...but given that this disease was further spread, there had to be more to it.
"I should pray on this. It may yet be a part of the God's plans." He concluded. "Do you ever feel like we might be getting to a climax of sorts in our efforts recently, Doctor?"
And when he laid across my chest My cutting stone it did the rest
'Alright, point taken.' You chime brightly, nodding. You're as pious as anyone here is meant to be, though certainly you .... haven't studied perhaps as much as you ought to have. One of the few gifted by Rae's presence, you've...perhaps let your allegiances and devotion to the other gods slacken, somewhat.
"Do you really think so?" You wonder as you put away the last of your things. "That this is all...not scripted, perhaps, but orchestrated? That this is what they want to have happen?" Given your closeness to Rae who is mostly hands-off when it comes to the world and how it progresses, that might explain why it is you don't understand the potential—meddling? was that the right word?—of Vi and Mort, if indeed this was their plan.
"Climax?" You repeat, offering the Priest a crooked smile for his choice of words. "I am but a humble doctor, who works too long of hours and probably drinks too much red wine." Shrugging your shoulders to suggest that really, you have absolutely no idea, you fold your arms softly across your chest. "I do hope so, though. If only because that would mean we'd be on the other side of all of this soon."
It went without saying that any member of the Order wouldn't dare to disrespect a God (the Voice, of course, being a heretic with unnatural power and not a deity), so Gideon did not warn her further, just grinned; he quite fancied meeting Tanau himself, if this situation brought the possibility up.
"Ah, that's the big question." He'd covered this many times with people in his congregation, but Gideon still found himself wondering about it every so often. "Let me put it this way: maybe it's not all planned in advance, but I'm certain if the Gods wanted to put the pieces in motion to make something happen...it'd happen." To an extent, he even thought the advent of the Ascended might be a plan: a test, to see how the faithful would react to a false idol.
He could have repeated the word climax, but eventually it would just get awkward, and that kind of atmosphere wasn't fitting for a man of his profession. "It will be odd though, when it is over. What will we all do? I don't think everyone will suit a more quiet, settled life. Of course, I have my Cathedral and you your patients."
And when he laid across my chest My cutting stone it did the rest
Twitching your lips, you remain thoughtfully silent on this subject. You're not...entirely convinced of all that Gideon is saying, though you do absolutely believe that if the Gods wanted to do something, they could. Whether or not they were or weren't was...well, his job, not yours, and you're quite content to simply be a very small cog in this very large machine.
"Oh, I see what you mean. Well...I suppose even if we...win? and the ascended are gone as is the Voice, there will still be sick to attend to, and the will of the gods to decipher." Biting the inside of your cheek, you shrug. "I mean, they were locked away from most of our lives, and we still found things to do, right?" You ask with a bright smile, nearly reaching forward and nudging his shoulder for all the paternal warm he radiated.
Gideon nodded; he and October had jobs that continued past the Order, things that would always be needed in their city, long after both of their deaths. He found that quite a comforting thought, actually; there was more to do even if the Order succeeded in it's goals (and he was aware he was likely being a bit eager, but he had felt as if they were speeding towards some kind of confrontation lately). "I suppose you're right. Hopefully soon we'll have them locked up again."
With that said and his finger seen to, he smiled and nodded, took a step towards the door. "Well. I have things to do and I'm sure you have patients to see, Doctor. As always, it was a pleasure. I'll try my best not to burn myself on any more of my candles...though if it is a lesson like you suggest, maybe I don't have a choice." With a laugh, he went to leave.
And when he laid across my chest My cutting stone it did the rest
"Or...turned off, or however it works." You don't really think they die the way that you would. Something about their souls being trapped by the Voice, and then there's the whole issue of them not being fully human. Do they disintegrate? Explode? You repress an unhappy shiver at the thought.
Chuckling under your breath, you wave a fond goodbye to Gideon, making promises that you'll come to his sermons more often. You probably won't, not with how busy you are, but you do genuinely intend to try. Putting away the last of your supplies, you go back to the chart you were working on.
