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 might come as a surprise to some, that Ronin does not spend every second of every day glued to his husband, especially since the sickness hit. But he does, in fact, venture out alone from time to time - tonight is a perfect example. Haulani is home to many a cozy square, many a pretty and secluded area, and it’s to one of these that Ronin comes to make his offering to Safrin. He feels as though he needs to, and the Aumakua is too... obvious.
So he sits at the edge of one of the burbling fountains, lighting candles in small dishes that he sets on the surface of the water. The tiny lights bob and sail about, like stars in the water, and the huntsman smiles. ”Thank you for pointing me in the right direction,” he murmurs, not expecting an answer. Not expecting anyone else to even be around, truth be told.
Amalia, too, is out tonight, taking in the strange and vivid city she has found herself a temporary denizen of. Since moving in with Ronin and Remi the Shield has quickly learned to re-evaluate her concept of personal space and quiet; needless to say, the hustle and bustle of Haulani is almost soothing, given the chaos that is frequently found in that house.
She is walking barefoot, wearing a dress of pale blue with the back cut open to leave space for her wings, tattoo glittering in the lantern light. Still a stranger to this place, the Shield hardly expects to see anyone she knows among the evening crowds - but then she does, easily recognizing the Star as she approaches from behind, surprise lighting her cheeks.
Not wanting to interrupt his process the Shield simply finds a seat beside him, the unlit candles sitting between them on the stone. "For Safrin?" Amalia asks softly, looking from the lights to her friend with a warm, curious smile.
Ronin is beyond surprises in Haulani, and he notices the flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye as he sets another light into the water. Smiling back to Amalia as she comes properly into view, he offers her out an unlit candle, offering her the light from his taper so she can set her own afloat as well. ”For Safrin,” he confirms, sighing softly and watching the flames in the fountain, shimmering like the skies above.
”I went to see her, and she set me on the path to the Climb. I thought it would be nice to offer her a bit of gratitude without something so formal as a visit to the shrine,” he explains. ”How are you feeling now?” It’s both a question about her health and about... everything else, honestly. Ronin finds that Amalia can be both forthcoming and closed off, depending on the day.
"I remember," Amalia replies with a smile, taking the candle that he offers and lighting it from his taper. The fire dances merrily, reflected in the Shield's dark eyes and she looks upon it, fingers cupped around the warming base. "When I went to see her, she came and comforted me even though I was sick. I'll never stop owing her a debt of gratitude, I think."
It is easier to talk about the goddess than about herself. Amalia leans over to put the candle in the water, using the action to avoid Ronin's question as she tries to think of an apt reply. "I... don't know," the Shield admits, letting the flickering light spiral out away from her fingers to join its brethren in the fountain. "Everything feels like a dream, still. Like I'm going to wake up back at home, before the Climb." Before everything, everything, changed.
Straightening up, Amalia begins to run her fingers through her hair, where fragrant star jasmine blooms. One by one she begins to pluck them, setting them in the water among the lights. "How about you? I heard the meeting was... eventful."
Ronin can’t help but smile at that, nodding to her. ”She has her moments,” he agrees fondly regarding his goddess; because for all that has happened, the Star also owes her a debt of gratitude that he can’t ever hope to pay back. Safrin had given him life after he had none, was working tirelessly to return Vanya to Mort’s realm, had given him endless opportunity and forgiveness. He lights another candle, waiting for the flame to take before setting it down on the water.
Smiling at the flowers that join the candles, Ronin raises an eyebrow. ”A gift from Vi,” he assumes, nodding at the blooms in her hair. Amalia continues and Ronin lights the last candle, setting it free and blowing out the taper. ”It’s fine, not to know,” he points out. ”I still think I’m going to wake up in time to take Remi away on the trip I had planned for us.” Shrugging, he leans back on his hands.
Mention of the meeting, though, is enough to bring tension to his shoulders, Ronin smiling flatly. ”Eventful is one word for it,” he mutters. ”I didn’t act my best, that’s for certain.”
"Yeah," Amalia agrees of the flowers in her hair, flushing happily despite the discontent that swirls in her heart. The light in the water glitters enticingly, capturing her wistful gaze; steadily she continues adding aromatic blooms, new ones quickly growing in to take their places. "I... I know it's fine, I guess. I'm so tired of not knowing, though." A small, sad smile curls at her lips, below the lines of exhaustion that have marked her face since she grew sick. "I still wonder if it was the right thing. Leaving the Grounds, and... and Deimos. Letting go of everything I know and moving towards something I can't see."
Shrugging, Amalia trails off, her attention returning to Ronin's warm blue eyes. "Where would you have taken him?" Somewhere far away from people, from responsibilities, from anything being asked?
Except that responsibility always seems to follow them, no matter how far they run.
Her expression hardens as the topic shift, an apologetic glance thrown Ronin's way. "Our best is subjective," she points out with a sigh. "Is it horrible of me to think the Ascended deserve to stay sick, after the Blight?"
”They’re pretty,” he remarks of the flowers, leaning back on his hands to watch them bob around in the fountain with the candles, casting constellations in the water. Ronin smiles, content with his offering. ”...I think you’d have kicked yourself if you didn’t go,” he says honestly, letting out a slow whistle as he considers it. ”Even if you change your mind, at least you tried it out. And... I don’t know - you seem more free lately, I think. Maybe it’s just me.”
Focusing back on Amalia properly as she asks her question, the Star offers her a lopsided smile. ”I had hired us a little houseboat,” he says. ”I was going to take him away for the beginning of LongHeat, far enough out that we could barely see Torchline. We could just do nothing for a bit, guilt free.” It still sounds amazing, honestly.
Then the conversation switches to less savoury matters, and the twist in Ronin’s expression suggests that his opinion is closer to Amalia’s than he would like, these days. ”I don’t think I can justify it. But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought the same way, once or twice.”
"I feel more open," Amalia admits, smiling shyly at the Star. "Definitely... adventurous." Her cheeks flush, the memory of their shared adventure an uncomfortable yet pleasant nagging at the back of her mind.
The idea of a houseboat sounds lovely, and the Shield sighs wistfully on their behalf. "Sail into the sunset, see where the ocean ends?" Leaning back on her hands, she lets her gaze drift toward the horizon. "Free of plagues and Orders and everything else. All the things that don't make sense." All the responsibilities she doesn't know how to handle, the things she still has to find.
She doesn't want the conversation to move to serious topics, and yet Amalia finds her tone fading, her eyes downcast onto her hands. "At the meeting... Wessex said something I've been trying to make sense of. That the Ascended are new, so they need a new cure. I think the metal Loren pulled from Tanau is involved." Scuffing her feet on the cobbles, she turns her face toward the sky again. "He said he's hidden it, though. That it's somewhere in Halo, underwater? And that he found a gateway in the tunnels, behind a waterfall, with a platform and some... holes? Did you see anything like that?"
”Yeah, I’ll say.”. Her cheeks flush and Ronin grins, clearly feeling no awkwardness about their interactions now or before. The smile softens as he thinks of the tranquil stretches of ocean that he and Remi might bob away in, the shimmering waves bathed amber in the sunset. It’s still only a one day right now, but who knows? Maybe once the sickness has been cured for good, they’ll be able to go on that honeymoon. It’s only a couple of years late.
Ronin sighs dreamily, nodding to her. ”We could just leave it all behind for a bit. Rest and recover before we have to deal with it all again,” he mumbles. ”Maybe that means we’ll be better at it. Who knows?” He shrugs his shoulders, sitting up properly again and focusing back on the Shield as it appears she has more news to give.
There’s a lot to unpick, Ronin silent as she explains and then for some time afterwards, trying to make sense of it all. ”Why would he hide it?” he wonders. ”...He’s sick, though. So... I suppose that makes sense.” Either that or Loren is just being awkward for the sake of it.
The gateway behind the waterfall, though... that’s certainly something to think about. ”Holes...? I wonder what they could be for... Did she say anything else about it?”
Amalia might have said more about holes and Loren's unfathomable motivations, but it is at that moment that she begins to feel the tingling of a mental voice as another consciousness reaches for her. Blinking, she turns away from Ronin abruptly, her eyes shifting as she peers into the sky, trying to pinpoint the source and beckon it closer.
The barn owl materializes from the darkening sky, a letter tied to its talon. "Oh, hello Estee," Amalia greets the familiar creature, her rich alto warm with surprise. "Sorry, Ronin, give me a second." Still distracted, she opens the letter as large bird settles onto her shoulder, talons gripping into swiftly-produced scales as it regards the Star through large, unblinking eyes.
Amalia reads.
Reads again.
And wordlessly passes the note to the Huntsman, her own black gaze ablaze with growing hope.
Ronin raises a brow at the skies, spotting the ghostly shape of the barn owl as it swoops down for Amalia. He watches the lights and flowers bobbing in the fountain so he might give the Shield the time to read the letter, and when she offers it out to him and he feels so much hope kindle in the Attuned bond, he can’t help but be carried away with it. Scanning the letter, it doesn’t take much for Ronin to digest the information (and subtly ignore who it has come from), and he’s on his feet in an instant.
”This is amazing,” he mumbles, flashing a smile to Amalia. ”Come on,” he says, offering her out his hand. ”We should share the news. We’ve got plans to make as well.” With Remi, with the lilies, with The Climb.
10-10-2020, 07:06 PM (This post was last modified: 10-10-2020, 07:09 PM by Amalia.)
make peace with your broken pieces
She watches his face with the intensity of the owl, her own eager anticipation rising and rising as he reads. And when he stands and offers his hand she responds with bright enthusiasm, throwing her arms around his shoulders and rising on tiptoes to press an brief and eager kiss upon his mouth.
It's a flickering instant and she withdraws immediately, a flush of awkward happiness spreading over her cheeks. "Sorry, I- yeah. We should go. We have, um, a lot to do." Telling Remi, preparing to travel, making arrangements, feeding the grumpy owl. Plenty of time to think later about the fact that she's kissed him again, or what their odd dynamic means, or houseboats on the sea.
