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!
He'd asked Amalia out on a date, half as a joke really, and she'd said yes. Adam had been so surprised he'd managed to make it through agreeing on a time and place before he really realised what was happening. When he did, though? He was pretty fucking happy about it.
It wasn't much of a secret he thought Amalia was attractive and not only that, she was a hell of a lot of fun, probably the best friend he'd had in a long while. The more Adam had thought about it the more pleased he'd been, though...fear had also begun to settle in, in the back of his mind. He had to make sure this date went amazingly, or he'd not only face rejection, but potentially losing his best friend. The stakes were high.
A picnic at the Oasis, they had planned, and while she was obviously going to be the one most in charge of food, he'd wanted to contribute. Holding a bottle of sweet wine and a blanket, he stood on the edge of the water, looking at the ripples as he tried to calm down before her arrival. C'mon, Pikely, you're the fucking coolest guy in the world. What's she gonna do? Cut your dick off?
Amalia hadn't known what possessed her to say yes to Adam's offer. Half of her had thought it a joke, that by saying yes she'd call his bluff and force him to step down. A part of her still anticipates it: that she will show up in the Oasis to find he's only upped the ante, or even worse, that he isn't there. Maybe she should bail just in case, to avoid the embarrassment.
Maybe it would be better that way. If it wasn't real, she couldn't mess it up.
And yet when the appointed day arrives the girl appears, a basket of food clutched between her hands. She's wearing a leaf-green open-back dress, her feet as bare as ever, her hair done in a neater braid that what she normally sports. Emerging from the trees on silent feet, the girl stops in pleased surprise at the scene that unfolds before her. Adam, a blanket, a bottle of wine.
Either this is a very well-constructed practical joke, or this is really, actually, seriously, a date.
Terrifying either way.
Amalia doesn't know what to do, and so she clears her throat. "I... brought the food," she declares into the silence, her voice sounding strangled in her own ears. "Hope you're hungry."
reach for the stars: but child, first recognize
the constellations of light you already carry
inside you
When Amalia finally appeared, Adam turned to look at her and before he could help it, his mouth fell open unattractively in amazement. The dress, her hair, the basket...in the surrounding of the soft Longheat Oasis she looked like some kind of forest goddess. "Wow, uh, wow." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You look...you look really beautiful, Amalia." The lack of swearing in this statement punctuated the heartfelt nature of it, the almost boyish smile he said it with before coming forward to take the basket, guide her to the blanket.
"I'm always hungry, you know that. And for your food? ....Though come to think of it, I haven't really eaten much of anyone elses, in Caido." Setting the basket down he went to sit on one side of the blanket, leaving plenty of room for Amalia: somehow, he figured she wasn't the type that would want to be sitting on his lap in the first date. "I got some wine from the market, and I even paid for it, so you can drink it without any guilt." Adam placed the bottle next to the basket, leaned back to see what she'd brought. When he was nervous he had a tendancy to over-ramble, so with some effort he forced his lips together, giving her a chance to speak.
The gaping mouth, the overt stares- even though this is her dream, Amalia doesn't know what to make of his reaction or how to respond except by curling her fingers anxiously in the folds of her dress, a flush making her tanned cheeks glow bronze. "I- thank you?" the Shield replies lamely, the upward lilt of her voice making what should be a simple response into an awkward question. Gods, she's never really been on a date before, not like this. For all that Amalia has grown and accomplished, in interpersonal relationships she remains woefully out of her depth.
She smiles shyly as he takes the basket, not sure what to do with her now-empty hands and settling on fidgeting with her hair. "The truth comes out. You only like me for my food." She sits on the other edge of the blanket, consistent with his expectations about wanting space; half of her is still convinced she's utterly misread this situation. Legs tucked up beneath her, the girl leans back on one hand, glancing furtively at Adam before back to the Oasis.
His declaration of legal purchase does earn a snorted laugh; already she can feel the tension waning, her anxiety comforted by the simple fact of being in his presence. "I made a curry duck pie," she informs him, and with the simple act of speaking it the food appears upon the blanket, aromatic and warm. "And some rosemary bread. Roasted vegetables. And blueberry crisp, but only after you eat your veggies." Reaching over, the baker jabs a finger playfully at Adam's ribs, her dark eyes glittering with shy mischief. "You're a growing boy, after all."
reach for the stars: but child, first recognize
the constellations of light you already carry
inside you
Amalia's confusion at his compliments always made Adam smile, though he both found it funny and a little sad. He'd never had troubles accepting people's praise of him, in fact he welcomed it; did Amalia not think she deserved it? Because if he was honest, she did, more so than even him.
"Yeah. Sometimes when I look at you I just see a pie." He joked, knowing by now she could take his teasing. It was true though that he did love Amalia's food and as she brought it out he grinned excitedly, leaning over to look into the basket: with her cooking, he was even willing to eat the vegetables. "I'm not a boy, I'm...oh fuck, I'm thirty, aren't I? Uuuugh." Adam groaned, realising as he spoke just how old he was; he reached for a knife to cut the pie for comfort.
As the curry scent flowed up he grinned, lifting the pie and some vegetables onto a plate. "Reminds me of the kinda stuff I used to steal from the bakery near where my mum worked, when I was a kid...Man, I'd give anything to just smell the stuff there again." Caido was, in many ways, better or at least comparable to his home, but there was still nostalgia that held onto his heart. "I know it doesn't sound great, being the kid of a whore stealin' most meals...but I dunno. It was simple, back then."
"And sometimes when I look at you I see a skeleton in rags," the girl retorts easily, though a blush lingers on her cheeks. It pleases her immensely, seeing his enthusiasm for her cooking; it is one of the few things Amalia takes pride in, and it warms her to share it with those she loves. She turns to the pool to hide her delight, failing utterly, open book that she is. "An old man, then," she agrees, pulling off a piece of the rosemary loaf. "Ancient. Grandfatherly, one might say."
As scandalizing and mystifying as the stories of his past life are, Amalia adores hearing them, her attention and imagination captivated by the idea of the bustling city that housed Adam as a youth. "Did you ever get caught?" She imagines he must have - for all his protests to the contrary, the Shield still can't picture her friend as much of a blackguard or serious thief.
There's bitterness in his voice, though, nostalgia, and the words tickling some insecurity that is never far from reach. "Do you... do you regret it? Coming here, I mean. Losing your old life. Do you miss it all?"
reach for the stars: but child, first recognize
the constellations of light you already carry
inside you
"Well now that's just mean." He pouted, faking a crying face until he wanted to take another bite of food, at which point Adam appeared to miraculously cheer up. While he wanted to get the frown back when he was called an old man, the sight of Amalia's smile stopped him from being able to get too grumpy, the sight inspiring a smirk of his own. "Yet you still agreed to go on a date with him. Weirdo."
By his nature, Adam was a storyteller, and he loved an attentive audience. "Oh, tons and tons a times. It's easier to get caught as a kid, though, 'cos usually they just feel sorry for you and let you out...if not, I was usually skinny enough to fit through the bars." That had ended when he'd started puberty and had shot up like a fountain, growing into a gangly mess for many years that sounded like a strangled chicken; harder to get sympathy then too. "I got jailed a bunch when I was older too...depending on what guard you got, it wasn't that bad. Some of them were right sadistic fuckin' bastards, though." He frowned, absentmindedly went to rub at his back, where several fading whip marks ran across his skin.
Looking up at her next question, able to tell she was unsettled to ask it, he tried to answer gently, but still honestly: he didn't lie to his friends ...most of the time. "Kinda hard to regret something I didn't choose t'do...do I miss it, though? Yeah, I do. I knew how stuff worked back there, I knew a lot more people, I knew the place....but now, if I went back from here? I'd miss Caido over there. In a lotta ways it's not any different to moving to another country, and I'd considered that a few times, so..." Adam shrugged. "Sides, you're here, and I wouldnt've gotten to meet you if I hadn't come over, which would be pretty awful."
