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!
we used to play outside when we were young & full of life & full of love
It's been a long fucking season, and it's barely just begun.
Sometimes it feels like the whole fucking island is sick as a dog; other times things are fairly normal, until someone appears, blathering nonsense, trying to fight the sea. Between keeping the idiots from drowning themselves, managing the inevitable fighting, and trying not to let Sam eat you alive, you've barely had a moment to breathe.
But you know Vai's had it worse.
So one night you decide, fuck it. The kids are either running crazy or gone to the mountains, but it's time for the adults to have a night off. You've already taken care of the nitty gritty, paying some folks you trust to watch the docks, threatening a couple of the kids under penalty of death not to let things get out of hand. The clinic is being watched over, too, and you've snagged a very nice bottle of wine from the Hanged Man, leaving an apologetic note for Raza. You've even brushed your wild hair back and put on a (relatively) nice shirt. Everything is in place for a delightful evening.
All you need is your date.
You 're standing on the beach in your bare feet, suddenly feeling stupidly nervous, like a gods-damned teenage boy. You'd made Vai promise to meet you here, but told her nothing more. Hopefully she won't be too angry, but even if she is - you're stealing away your girlfriend tonight, whether she likes it or not.
Vai keeps her promises, and so despite how batshit crazy the world has become in the past five minutes of LongHeat, of course she shows up. It’s too hot even in the night on the beach, and when she appears her dark hair is left wild around her shoulders, her feet are bare, and she wears what basically counts as an oversized shirt with a belt cinched around the waist to make it a dress, however daringly short it wants to be.
It has been a hell of a time and then some, and so really it’s little surprise that she greets Zeph without words. No, Vai is straight in his arms and sealing her lips against his own, an arm curling around his shoulders so her fingers can run through his hair (undoing every attempt to make it neat that it can). Humming appreciatively into the kiss, she melts against him and smiles.
”You look good,” she mumbles against his lips. ”Where are we going?”
we used to play outside when we were young & full of life & full of love
Now that's a greeting you take no issue to, and would gladly accept any day. Your own arms wrap around her waist, one hand cupping her lower back, the other squeezing affectionately on her scarcely-covered ass. Pulling her close (sweat be damned), you deepen the kiss as long as she'll let you, humming against her mouth. You've barely had a moment to spend with her, and now that you've got her in your arms your body fucking aches.
But. Business. There's a plan, one that doesn't involve throwing her down and showing her how much you've missed her right here on this beach.
Reluctantly you draw back far enough to rumble a chuckle, pressing a kiss to her nose. "So d'you," you murmur hotly, lips on her cheek next, her jaw, her neck. "Mmm. I had a plan, but now I'm thinkin' 'bout skippin' dinner an' goin' straight t'dessert."
Vai’s laughter is lost in the whisper of the ocean, but she still leans into Zeph, draped against his body with the touch of his hands leaving heat chasing across her skin. ”It’s too hot for dinner,” she murmurs against the shell of his ear, head tilting so he can kiss wherever he likes. Even as they speak she rocks her hips forward; listen, after the start of a season like the one they’ve had, she’s entitled to be as distracted as she likes with her man.
”What’s for dessert, anyway? It it something with ice?” she asks with a chuckle, one hand sneaking down (brushing annoyingly against his hips and the front of his pants) to reach about for the bottle of wine. ”Or is it this?” She grins. A fan of surprises, she hopes it’s some ridiculous combination of everything.
we used to play outside when we were young & full of life & full of love
Your body reacts exactly as one might expect to her rocking hips and searching hands, heat welling predictably in your groin as the blood rushes down from your brain. "Hnng," you groan expressively into the crook of her neck, your hold on her ass tightening to a greedy, full-fledged grab.
She's making it really fucking hard (if you know what I mean) to focus on your carefully laid plans. The snatching of the wine is a good distraction; reluctantly you push her further away, not separating your bodies but at least removing the pressure of her hips from your poor, needy groin. "Ahem. Yer gonna have t'stop distractin' me if ya ever wanna find out."
Your arm is still around her waist, hand comfortable situated upon the curve of her hip. With your other hand you take the wine bottle back, raising up and taking the half-exposed cork between your teeth. It opens with a satisfying pop that hopefully covers your grimace of pain; you spit the plug out into the sand, then offer the bottle back. "I was thinkin' some exercise, first. Get our appetites whet. Y'ever walked on water, Vai?" you ask with a roguish grin.
Smiling against his lips and allowing him to carefully peel her away, Vai accepts the bottle of wine once it’s uncorked and takes a very appreciative sip. Her eyebrows rise, clearly impressed by the vintage he’s managed to procure, and she offers it out to him to try as well. ”But I’ve proven myself to be very good at distracting you,” she murmurs, kissing the corner of his mouth so he can taste the sweetness of the wine on her lips. ”Where would the fun be if I didn’t capitalise on my new skill?”
But then he talks about walking on water, and that definitely gets her attention. She tilts her head, gazing over his shoulder at the rolling waves, the hush of the sea lapping at the shore. ”I can’t say I have. I know you wouldn’t ask if you didn’t have an idea about how to do such a thing.” She grins, waiting for him to expand on his charming suggestion.
we used to play outside when we were young & full of life & full of love
The mixture of the wine and her lips is as intoxicating as a shot of whiskey, sweeter than melon on a summer day. "Plenty'a time for you t'show off all'a your yer skills," you murmur, willing yourself to keep from being distracted, to focus on the task at hand.
Kissing her one last time you finally step away, your body already screaming in protest at the loss of her skin. It's a relief that she hasn't experienced this; a small (large) smug part of you is thrilled to be her first. "I do. Here. You'll need this."
You scoop your bag up from the ground, reaching into the endless abyss of it to find some pieces of stale bread. One is passed over to her; the other you grip onto with a serious expression, raising it up for her to see. "Right. Ready?" The bag on your back and the bread in your grasp, you once again reach for her hand, linking your fingers into hers and drawing her towards the water, your almond eyes glittering with hidden amusement as you wait for her to weigh in.
”That better be a promise. It’s been a helluva few days, Zeph, and a girl’s got a lot of steam to burn off.” She grins to him, tilting her head with a thoroughly bemused expression as she watches him reach into the bag. And reach, and reach, and dig around some more. ”What have you got in there?” she wonders, not knowing of its properties, of course.
And of all the magic that the dockhand might produce, some bits of bread do not make the list, unsurprisingly. ”What?” Vai chuckles, accepting the bread mainly because she’s too shocked to do anything else, her arm slipping into Zeph’s easily. And so they stroll towards the shore, their hands held aloft, like they’re giving the moon a treat. ”Ready for what?” she inquires, both elated and just a little wary.
we used to play outside when we were young & full of life & full of love
The serious expression almost falters, your shit-eating grin threatening to leak down from your eyes. "Ready to meet my friends," you explain seriously, tapping your bread to hers in a solemn toast and then letting out a shrill, warbling whistle.
The idea of someone not knowing how hels work is enormously amusing and bemusing to you, having grown up alongside their birds and their rather unique gift. Like all good Torchers you've a dedicated flock that you make sure to feed every gods-damned day. You've taught them your whistle and your smell and that you're generous in gifts, and in turn a couple of them are sure to come whenever you give a call.
Their caws herald their appearance before they actually arrive, squawking eagerly and swooping down to snatch at your held bread. "Wait for 'em t'sit," you caution, whistling again and waiting for a pair to settle. A smaller female takes your shoulder, and a large male takes to Vai. "Vai, meet Haku and Noe. Haku, Noe, no shittin' on us." Noe squawks from your shoulder, while Haku gives a very dignified croon. Looking down from the munching gull, you turn back to your date. "Aite, madam - shall we?" you ask - and there's the shit-eating grin.
Vai ought to have known that there would be shitfuckery to follow. This was Zeph, and where he walked, chaos ran in his wake. She allows him to toast his bread against her own, though what exactly for she doesn’t know. Until, of course, she does know, and the urge to duck down at the chorus of squawks only marginally overtakes the urge to reach for an arrow that isn’t there. Shooting at hels that are apparently her man’s lackeys probably isn’t a good first impression.
”Whoa...!” Used to animals, she’s at least still as one of the birds takes to her shoulder, munching on the hunk of bread, and she gives Haku a few encouraging clicks of her tongue for his trouble. ”Ready for what, pray tell?” she inquires, raising her eyebrows at Zeph, though she’s beginning to put two and two together. ”You’re going to make us walk on water.”
we used to play outside when we were young & full of life & full of love
She figures it out quickly, causing your grin to widen significantly, your eyebrows rising in turn. "Hels ain't just pests- no offence." A placating scratch is offered to Noe's head. "Get 'em t'trust ya an' they're great adventure buddies." Not unlike you, though you're too dense to say or even really think that. Something something your days of adventure are over and you're an old man now who doesn't do dumb shit like walk on water with the aid of unpredictable hels.
Except oop, there you go.
The first few steps are always the hardest because you have to skip across the breaking waves. Even on a still summer day like this it can take a minute to find your footing, so you're patient, letting Vai set the pace. "Steady," you caution as you step out further, the hels still sat obediently on their perches. It's not unlike walking through a puddle, and the water is refreshing on such a hot night. "Gets easier when it's smoother. Whaddya think so far?"
”Birds of a feather,” Vai remarks with a crooked smile, giving Zeph a nudge but offering no further information; he is a very good adventuring buddy, and that’s all he needs to know about that. Especially when they’re tripping and stumbling out onto the waves (she is, anyway). With a peal of laughter, she tries to find her balance, though she’s unashamedly clinging to the dockhand until they get a little deeper and the water steadies out.
”It’s... something else,” she says, breathless and excitable and trying to pick up the pace with him, so they can run across the waves instead of just walking - something very predictably Vai. ”Just what I needed after the time we’ve been having.”
we used to play outside when we were young & full of life & full of love
You keep her hand clenched in yours, your need for stability less physical and more emotional. There's a pure delight upon her face that cracks the stony shell of your heart, leaving you breathlessly amazed and pleased to have been part of its cause. And, yes, smug as a snake in a patch of sun, but you wouldn't be you without a little bit of insufferable self-satisfaction on your stupid face.
The running is predictably Vai, just as the half-hearted grumble of protest is predictably you. Noe and Haku squawk indignantly at the increased pace, but keep their places for now, and you make a mental note to give them enough crackers tomorrow that they gorge themselves and can't eat more. Maybe some booze - do birds like booze? These two have earned a drink.
It's exactly what you needed, too, and you're glad to have been able to offer her some respite from the shitshow of the world. It's hard for you to express what she means to you, how much she's carved a place in your life; even now you find yourself at a loss for words. Flushed and breathless, you instead settle on actions, stopping the run to her into an embrace, the birds again shifting to accommodate the sudden proximity of your bodies. Cupping her cheek in your hand you bring her to you, pressing a passionate, adoring kiss to her delicious lips, all the things you can't quite say poured into the touch.
It’s exhilarating and Vai doesn’t want to stop - they run on the waves and she laughs alongside the squawking of the Hels, feeling the sort of wild freedom that only comes with complete abandonment of responsibility. Even if it’s only for a little bit.
The smile is still on her lips as Zeph turns her, the witch gazing up at him against the backdrop of rushing water and the distant shore, feeling her body warm through even with the sea chilling her skin. She wants to tell him how he looks in that moment - a charming rogue, standing on water as casual as anything - but as her lips part he’s drawing her into a kiss instead.
Not that Vai is complaining; her hand comes up to rest against his chest, not winding around his neck for fear of disturbing the birds and sending them slumping into the sea, and she returns his affections with just as much enthusiasm. ”You’re amazing,” she murmurs.
