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!
”It’s... not the same?” Ronin’s brow furrows; he tries to track her words, but the more she speaks the less it makes sense, until he’s entirely convinced himself that this whole thing was just a sick moment of lucidity. He tries not to let the disappointment show on his face too much, even if his insides feel like a crushed flower. ”Okay,” he says slowly, glancing to the sand but not seeing anything to suggest that the water has spilled out - he probably just imagined there being anything in there at all.
”Listen, Ama... do you think you can come back home with me? We can get you somewhere safe. You can sleep, and we can get you cleaned up. It’s better than staying here and hiding from the ocean, right?” He tries a smile for her, speaking slowly and clearly, like he’s talking to one of the sick. Because with talk like that, she’s obviously slipped back into a fever.
Her brain is still racing to catch up, stumbling over itself and skinning its knees and getting up and pressing on. It all continues to spin and dance like the murky netting of a dream, so close she can almost touch it, hold it in her hands. If only the pieces would unravel, if only she could find the end...
She stops and blinks when Ronin speaks again, abruptly remembering where she is. Confusion lines her face for a moment, and then bemusement, and then deep sorrow, understanding filling her eyes with a film of salty tears. "Ronin- oh," she interrupts, rising up to bring her hand up against his cheek. "No, I... I'm sorry. I'm still so fuzzy, but I'm okay. I promise. I'm not- I don't think the ocean wants to eat me anymore. I don't see things that aren't there." Though she supposes there's no way to truly prove that- she hand't thought she'd been hallucinating when she was, after all.
Stepping away Amalia drops her hand back down, laughing through a grimace and rubbing awkwardly on her wrist. "I probably smell worse than death, though, so if you don't want to be close I understand."
Ronin is just about to start guiding her away from the burning sands when she puts her hand to his cheek, the Star having to do a double take before he can actually look her in the eyes. ”Yeah,” he says softly, like he’s filling silence, ”of course you are, Ama. You’re going to be alright.” A gentle arm moves around her so they can set off at a slow pace back up the beach, Ronin forgetting, in the somersault of events, that he has a perfectly good nimbus to carry them home.
He frowns at her gently - there’s no doubt that she certainly sounds a little more lucid than before, but he’s not likely to let his hopes creep up twice, so he’s reserved to say the least. ”You don’t smell too bad. Nothing a cool shower and some fresh clothes can’t solve, right?” he says, trying his luck.
He seems more reticent than she would expect, but she's quickly swept up in the idea of being clean and safe and human again. "Gods, that sounds incredible," Amalia breathes earnestly, eyes slipping briefly shut in bliss as she imagines a shower and clean clothes. "And food- I don't remember the last time I ate. And water. I was so thirsty, but the idea of water... I don't know. It terrified me." A shudder courses through her body at the memory of the feeling. Of watching the world spin and spin and never being on solid ground.
Turning in toward the Star, she searches for his hand and eyes, her own dark gaze concerned. "How were you okay, Ronin? And... how are you? I remember when the Blight-" She breaks off, grimacing and giving into another shudder. "Everything since the fever started is so hazy. I remember pieces, but none of them really make sense. Like a dream."
”It does?” Ronin had been expecting an argument at best, and a complete change of subject at worst, so to hear her agree and sound excited about it is a surprise. He blinks across at her, his fingers closing around her own, brows drawing together to hear her speak. ”You really are alright, aren’t you...?” he whispers, no matter how the mention of the Blight makes the bottom drop out of his stomach.
He lets out a shaky breath, his smile nowhere near his eyes as they continue walking. ”I don’t know,” he admits. ”Still trying figure that one out. I’m surviving - I’ve had to keep Remi asleep so he doesn’t hurt himself or anyone else - don’t ask me how, it’s a new magic. I’ve taken on Torchline too. A lot of people here are sick... we’ve had to close the clinic because it’s affected Nate. I went to see Safrin, and she told me the Climb was where it started. And now...” Now water from there might help?
"I'm getting there," she replies honestly, squeezing on his hand. Alright is relative, but she is certainly better- much better than she was. Her brain is almost clear now, and though she feels exhausted and filthy it is nothing compared to the sweet sensation of being back in control.
But for all her suffering as an invalid, she had no concept of the toll it would take on the well. She can feel her heart sinking as he describes how it's been the last few days (weeks? Minutes? She has no concept of time since she became sick). Her grip on his hand tightens; she wishes she could convey her pride and sorrow through the Attuned bond. "That's... gods, Ronin," Amalia murmurs, stopping to look up at her friend with open admiration and empathy. "You must be exhausted, I can't imagine... have you had any help?"
”Good.” He squeezes her hand back, his smile coming a little easier this time. The Star pauses suddenly, as if realising that there is zero reason for them to be walking and sweating their way back to Aumakua, and he nods up at the sky to conjure a nimbus down for them to fly on and head back. ”I’m tougher than I look.” He winks to her, though the tension in his shoulders and the circles under his eyes belie the truth.
”Some. Vai is there, and Felix is alright, so she’s been a huge help. Sunjata, Nate and Hotaru are all sick... I’ve called in Raza, since she’s the last of the government personnel available, and Zephyr too - he’s a dockhand who’s in Vai’s pocket.” He grins, figuring she can put those pieces together. ”It doesn’t help Remi, though. I’m taking him with me to the Climb. Especially now, if that water is supposed to help.”
She's never ridden his cloud before, and it feels a little unsettling to situate herself upon a nimbus, as questionably corporeal as they seem. But she trusts Ronin so she trusts his mount, sliding onto the condensation beside him and gripping whatever it is she can. "You're still a human," she murmurs sadly, frowning at his wink. "You don't always have to be strong."
The list of those who are sick feels endless, especially compared to those who are well. Sunjata is strong, as much as she doesn't want to admit it, and Hotaru... "Hotaru was there. In the Climb, with Tanau. And Wessex, Loren, Ki-" She breaks off with a sharp exhale, catching herself too late.
That he's going back doesn't surprise her. That he's bringing Remi should have, but honestly? She can't say that it does. She knows him well enough by now to know that he will do anything for Remi, and he knows her well enough that her next words should be exactly what he expects.
”It won’t bite. Promise.” Ronin grins as he watches her settle on the nimbus, climbing aboard as well and urging the cloud up so they can soar above the trees and the beach, catching a breeze and beginning to shoot towards the lighthouse. ”I can be weak when Remi is well again,” he tells her easily, the wind ruffling through his dark hair. ”But... thank you. I appreciate it.” Reaching back, he gives Amalia’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. And some of the tension is already bleeding out of him, just having a friend close by who knows him well enough that he doesn’t have to put on a show for her.
He raises an eyebrow to hear that Hotaru was at the Climb as well, storing it and the other names away. ”What happened there? I know you went to save that god, but... do you think anything could have triggered this? Safrin swears Tanau can’t be responsible, but I’m going to try and reach out to him while we are there. He might know something that we don’t...”
Amalia says she’s coming as well and Ronin has to bite back his objection, giving her a small smile instead. ”A couple of days,” he murmurs. ”I have to make preparations, make sure Torchline is left in good hands. Then it’s to Halo, to meet with the Warden there.”
She describes the events of their trip to the Climb in all the detail she can recall, focusing on the way Tanau had suffered, the strange metal they extracted from his chest. The water that was given to them, the promise of safety from the heat. "Loren kept the metal," Amalia explains as they ride back on the cloud. "Maybe it can help, if we take it to the spring? While we're in Halo I can see him... see if he's well."
Never had there been an instance where Amalia would let him go alone. She listens to his planning, nodding seriously, thinking of her own affairs. "I should go to the Grounds. Check on things there. On Deimos." She bites her lip, suddenly anxious for the next step she must take. "I'll... I'll try to speak to Vi. Maybe he can guide us." If he speaks to her at all, she thinks, closing her eyes.
Again they open, and she turns to Ronin, her smile tired but resolute. "We can meet in Halo in two days. And then head to the Climb."
They soar gently over the cliff sides and past the Aumakua, its light softly beaming over them. Ronin listens carefully to everything that Ama has to say, mentally jotting it all down and planning to add it to his extensive notes later. Because apparently when Remi gets sick, Ronin turns into him, and he’s been logging all that he can about this sickness and where it might have come from. Wincing at the mention of Loren, he nods gratefully to the Shield. ”I’d appreciate that,” he says. ”I need to know more, but if I can avoid speaking with Loren, I will. I’ll meet with Morgan while you speak with him.”
Nodding at her plans - to the Grounds, to Deimos, to speak with Vi - Ronin lets out a long sigh and conjures a smile for his friend. ”I’m glad you’re here,” he says, the nimbus drifting to a halt outside the front door of the Governor’s House. ”That sounds like a plan. Come on - you can shower and get something to eat, and I’ll drop you back to the portal. Least I can do.” Winking, he helps her down from the cloud and leads them inside, feeling at last as though they might be getting somewhere.
