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!
one by one they lay the world at my feet,
one by one they drive me crazy.
"When you're a doctor you call it a scalpel." You correct with a twist of your lips. "And besides, I wasn't being a doctor when I was sat at my piano. You've found me at one of the few times I'm not in my scrubs. That'll teach me, I suppose." You add with a shrug and a slightly self-deprecating laugh.
Looking at the ground and kicking a pebble aside, you nod your head. "If it wasn't too badly injured. They..have a natural propensity to want to heal. So if it could, I knew it would. It's like you said—" Glancing up, you flash Finn a warm smile. "—they would make very good doctors or additions to the clinic."
Huffing a note of laughter at that, you roll your eyes and shake your head. "Then you'd be in every few days." What Finn says next makes you fall silent for a few steps. It isn't that you don't want to play with him, there are few things you'd enjoy more, it's the leaving your door open. Would he play in the hall? Would he lean against your doorframe, his guitar propped up on your knee?
"What is it?" You ask him softly, dark eyes kind and unthreatening beneath long lashes and even longer bangs. "It's me of all people. Why would your first instinct be to make music together at a distance?" You bite the inside of your cheek slightly as you offer him a sad smile. "I'm sure you know that isn't the best way of going about it."
”Just because it is called something different, it does not make it any less a knife,” Finn fires back about her scalpel. ”And I wasn’t being a researcher when I stopped by the clinic. Besides, I had precious little need to sharpen pencils with only one good hand,” he points out; already his left hand itches beneath the cast, keen to be free now that it really doesn’t feel any kind of pain.
Her explanations about the unicorn are easily accepted, and it’s more than a touch because of what the creature has just managed to give to him. ”Perhaps we ought to see if this one can remain a permanent addition to the gardens. There may even be a herd, if you are lucky. It seems lonely to be in an enclosure all alone.”
An apt remark, given her next comment, the Spyglass chewing at the inside of his cheek and looking away as they walk, making good time towards the exit of the Celestine now that they know where they’re going (and they have something to go back for). ”I know,” he says slowly. ”I... feel uncomfortable, being in someone else’s private space.” The admission is likely the first to have passed his lips, and it’s as Tobi says; it’s because it’s her that he can let it tumble out.
”We did not always remain at the Silk Houses,” he explains. ”On occasion, wealthier clientele would request house calls.” And so Finn had learned that stepping in through the door of someone else’s abode tended to come with expectations.
one by one they lay the world at my feet,
one by one they drive me crazy.
"If you keep that up you might just give Dorian a run for his money." You chuckle, before covering your mouth as if having made a mistake. "It's...run for your money, it's an Outlander expression." You explain. That you've grown up with parents who were fond of sprinkling in these strange words and phrases has made you more used to them, and often you forget that others don't know what they mean. "It means to...take someone's job? Or...challenge them in what they do well?" Your nose crinkles; this isn't the best explanation you might have given, but oh well.
"Oh..." Glancing over your shoulder despite being a good ways away from the enclosure now, your head bobs back and forth uncertainly. "They're herd animals. They don't like to be alone." That makes something clench in your stomach, but not for the reasons that Finn is bringing them up, but instead of how it relates to you. "I'd hate to keep her here if her herd is waiting for her somewhere. And it wouldn't be fair to bring them here. Not when there's a whole world out there."
Softly you listen, your head cocked to the side to better hear Finn's words without having to stare directly at him. You think in this moment that the least amount of scrutiny is probably what the Spyglass needs to feel comfortable talking about this. You're no Falke of course, but it seems an easy assumption to make. House calls you think, stilling the shiver that wants to rack through your body at the thought. Rather than trying to diagnose or work through Finn's trauma, you simply pull in a deep breath and flash the man at your side an optimistic smile. "Well, why don't we play somewhere neutral then? Does the Collegium have a study-room we could use?"
Finn is glad for her explanation, because the way his lips part and his brow furrows suggests that he has no idea how she expects money to run. There isn’t any, to begin with, so he gets the impression that it wouldn’t be in a rush, if it was going anywhere. ”I see. In that case, I take it all back. I wouldn’t want to give Dorian a run for his money in that particular arena,” he decides.
He glances over his shoulder as well, echoing Tobi’s gesture, though soon enough the unicorn enclosure is lost in the cobbled pathways and the sweeping tree line. ”Well, perhaps we shall have to visit again before she leaves to rejoin her herd. We can bring a thank you, since she was kind enough to heal my hand.” Even this is said softly, like Finn doesn’t want anyone else to hear.
It isn’t long before they’re nearly out of the Celestine again (maybe the Spyglass has picked up his pace ever so slightly in his haste to get to the clinic), and Finn isn’t sure what to expect from his admission. Tobi’s response, though, causes his shoulders to relax, and he smiles across at her softly. ”I imagine it will. I’ll have to look for a music room, unless you know a way to transport your piano.”
one by one they lay the world at my feet,
one by one they drive me crazy.
You offer Finn a crooked smile for this, appreciating that he's humouring you despite this odd turn of phrase. It is one of your more odd personality traits, this obsession with Outlander language you've picked up from your parents, and you know that it has a tendency to make others feel a bit bothered to hear it.
"I would really enjoy that." You agree, feeling a strange mixture of hopeful anticipation and a forward-looking sorrow. It makes you want to laugh but also to drop to your knees in anguish. Instead of doing either of those things, you let your eyes drop down to Finn's hand knowing perfectly well that it will have been healed impeccably, but playing up your feigned ignorance just the same. "We'll make sure that everything is back working just how it's supposed to once we're back"
With a sly and rather private smile, you bite the inside of your lip as you try and work out just how you want to answer Finn's question. "Well...I do play other things, you know. Things that are easier to move around." Your shoulders shrug slightly, taking no offence that he hadn't thought to ask if you meant to play piano or something else. It is your main instrument after all, but there are many smaller things you might choose instead for this particular situation.
”Then that’s what we’ll do,” Finn murmurs with an uncharacteristically decisive nod. He realises that Tobi has been much more than a doctor to him over the past few weeks, getting the cure for his sickness and helping him when he was arguably at his worst. Even going so far as to come out here with him, and to look at his hand after it’s been healed. ”I’m sure it’s fine. But thank you,” he says of the offending limb, smiling softly and glancing up as they step into the shadow of the Tower.
Rather than surprise or embarrassment, something strange comes across Finn to hear that Tobi does not only play the piano. It’s a cousin to pleasure, the Spyglass smiling openly even if he’s gazing at the ground before them. It dimples his cheeks and takes years off him. ”What else do you play?” he asks, his curiosity cheerful as the sunshine that plays through the trees.
one by one they lay the world at my feet,
one by one they drive me crazy.
You pick up on that, Finn's stark nod of agreement, and it makes you laugh softly to yourself. Knowing what unicorns can and can't do, you're confident his hand will be fine as well, but of course, you can't say this. Already you've said more about your knowledge of unicorns today than you have in years, and though you think perhaps a secret like the one you carry might be safe with Finn, you also think it might not be. Finn is, if nothing else, a survivor. And surviving the way he has does not allow for many loyalties. So you think, anyway. But that's much more Falke's domain than yours.
"It's called an array mbira. An outlander came through the portal with one at some point, and it was given to my parents. It's like..." You bite the inside of your lips, smiling to yourself trying to describe it. "Like a small piano I suppose, if instead of keys there were just different pieces of metal that you pluck with your fingers." Whimsically and a touch foolishly, you look toward Finn with a bright smile. "I think it sounds like rain."
Knowing little about the thoughts that fly through Tobi’s mind, Finn contents himself with trying to pronounce the name of her mystery instrument to himself - array mbira - and imagines what rain might sound like if it were music. Such daydreams keep the smile on his face, and he barely notices as they head back through the heavy doors of the Tower, back into the smell of wood and books and the curious sterility of the ground floor.
”I would love to hear it,” he says to her, glancing sidelong at the Attuned in time to catch the bright grin cast in his direction. Finn rubs at the back of his neck, as if just about realising that he’s dropped his guard, and he gestures for her to lead the way into the medical wing so they might remove his cast. ”It sounds a lot less cumbersome than a piano, at least.”
one by one they lay the world at my feet,
one by one they drive me crazy.
Nodding to the nurses as they scurry around, you lead Finn down a hallway he's more than familiar with now, into the first free treatment room. More than used to the way the Spyglass's smiles come and go, you think little of the way he shuffles back into himself as you shuffle him into the room and close the door.
"It is. Not as rich though. Or at least...not as big sounding." You say with a light shrug, opening drawers until you find the device you're looking for. Holding it up—a large aggressive-looking wheel on the end of a handle—you flash Finn a smile. "It looks worse than it is, I promise. I actually can't cut you with this. All it does is vibrate. It will make your skin itch like nothing else though." This latter bit is added with a bright laugh as you wait for Finn to take a seat. "Ready to be done with this thing?" You ask of the cast, holding out a hand for Finn's so that you can begin.
”Not as big sounding,” he repeats quietly, as if he hasn’t even noticed that he’s done it, before suddenly they are in a treatment room and he’s watching as Tobi reaches for some remarkably small torture device. Finn shrinks back from it at first, and the look on his face must be enough to tip Tobi off, because an explanation comes not a moment later. ”...I feel as though you’d tell me that even if it did hurt,” he says, slowly extending the arm with the cast upon it.
”Yes,” he says nonetheless, grateful for all that has taken place today and Tobi’s part in it. ”I do wish you hadn’t warned me about the itching, though. Now all I’ll be able to do is wait for it.” He smirks.
one by one they lay the world at my feet,
one by one they drive me crazy.
You fix Finn with a gentle smile. Fully in doctor mode now you give the Spyglass the sort of reassuring look you might offer a small child, or, were you a vet, a wounded animal. "No, I don't lie about pain. I just..misdirect." You say with a shrug. Saying things like This will only take a moment! rather than It will only hurt for a moment.
"Well then I better get a move on, huh?" You chime back playfully, holding Finn's casted-wrist between your fingers for stability before pressing the vibrating metal against the cast. It will feel like his entire arm has been shoved into pure static as the device jostles back and forth with incredible speed, pushing easily through the plaster. When it does touch the cotton over his skin, it will feel like nothing at all. Just something round touching his arm. Continuing upward towards his fingers making a clean line, eventually, you reach his palm and then do the same on the other side. Reaching for what look like scissors, only they work in precisely the opposite way, you pry open the cast so that it neatly falls off in two pieces.
"How does that feel?" You ask, knowing the answer. Slowly removing the gauze to reveal pale skin beneath, you let Finn take back his hand so that he can regain some of his lost sensations.
Finn wants to ask whether or not misdirection is still just lying, but by that point Tobi has seized his wrist and is working on his cast with her tool, and the Spyglass is a curious mixture of captivated and horrified. And she’s right, it does itch, and he’s left nibbling at the inside of his cheek as he tries not to flex his fingers too much or pull his arm out of her grip. But soon enough (or not that soon, actually, but he bears with it), his arm is free and he lets out a breath he doesn’t realise he’s been holding.
”It feels... cold...” he says slowly, rubbing at the pale skin of his arm and his hand; there’s not even any scarring, thanks to the unicorn. Forming a fist and relaxing again, Finn lets out a low whistle under his breath. ”That is... Thank you very much, Tobi. I will... try not to do something quite so stupid again.”
one by one they lay the world at my feet,
one by one they drive me crazy.
As Finn retracts his hand and you're left holding his cast, you offer him a knowing but still amused look. "You were very brave." You say in the wake of his exhaled breath, leaving him to examine his arm while you dispose of his cast. "Don't thank me." You chime over your shoulder. "It was all the unicorn." Though I wish it could have been me. I wish I could have helped you sooner.
"It will take a bit of time for you to fully regain any muscle you've lost." Returning to sit before him on a stool, you hold up a small pin. Holding out your hand to indicate he should put his in yours, you slowly and softly begin to trace the tip up and down his fingers, on both sides, and then against his fingertips. "Can you feel all of that?" You ask, ignoring entirely his comment about what led to the situation you both find yourselves in. You're as much to blame for it as he is. More so, in your opinion, and that's not something you're going to let go of quite so easily.
It’s a remarkably intimate moment, as Tobi takes his hand and traces the pin up and down his palm, and Finn finds himself caught entirely by surprise. His arm tenses at first, then relaxes in her grip, and he smiles a little to hear her call him brave, even in jest. He doesn’t think that’s a word anyone has ever called him by, and he watches his skin dimple under the pin with quiet interest.
”Mmhm. I can feel it,” he says, stormy eyes flicking from his palm and up to her face. There’s wry amusement in his expression. ”I don’t think it’s just my arm that lost muscle over the past few weeks,” he points out. ”I’ll have to work on it along with the rest of myself.”
