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!
Fear is dark but my love is a lantern
Shining up like coins in a fountain
Morgan stopped a couple of steps ahead of Neron, only noticing he had once she could no longer hear his footsteps. His question, hers turned back around, made her sigh, because honestly she didn't know. All of the reservations he mentioned were true, things she had considered before, and that wasn't all of it; she had never been a hopeless romantic and Morgan knew there were practical considerations before anything else.
"You are, indeed, Neron Launceleyn." She agreed dryly, sure that he would know that was a problem. "I also have thought about this: you are over a decade my junior and immortal." Really, all together, it made sense to conclude that they ought to never talk about it again, put any attraction away and remain professional from this point on...but even Morgan, who valued her practicalities over all else, felt a tug in her chest at that thought.
"With all that said..." She sighed, held a loose strand of hair and twirled it around her finger as she met Neron's eyes. "Maybe, if we kept it private, it would not hurt to see. What it might be like."
Hope is a tree sitting on a mountain where the grass don't grow
There's a sad old sea but my love is an island
Neron can only spread his hands and shrug to hear that he is Neron Launceleyn, and very much Morgan's junior, and immortal. It's all true, after all, but from the look on his face he doesn't much care about it. No, his reticence only comes from what might happen to Morgan should this become common knowledge to the people of Halo. And yet, as she agrees that they might... give it a go, as the Glacier herself melts before him... why the bloody hell not?
"I can't really say much to that," he says. "Let's keep it private, then. As a former spy, you'll be pleased to know that I am quite good at keeping secrets." He's good at a great deal more than that, in fact, stepping forward to reach out and gently tease Morgan's fingers out of her curls. "Please don't slap me - I won't be able to feel it," he murmurs, before leaning in to capture her lips in a kiss.
Fear is dark but my love is a lantern
Shining up like coins in a fountain
At least Neron wasn't concerned about all the various roadbumps there were for them; it made one of them, and his casual dismissal of it made Morgan feel better in turn. Really, she wasn't sure what she was worried about: when had she ever cared about people's judgement? When had she ever curated herself for another's approval and why was she trying to start now?
When she looked at Neron, she felt something she had not for a very long time; a jump in her chest, a flicker of heat and interest that for a while Morgan had assumed was simply gone from her life.
"You're alright at it." She responded dryly, thinking that she had rather reliably so far been able to extract his secrets. Still, Morgan trusted he would keep this one, if only because he had to know if he didn't he would not live to see the consequences.
Her fingers went with his, Morgan watching closely, expecting him to perhaps kiss her hand (it was just the sort of thing he did); when he instead kissed her lips she froze for a second shocked, then with her body knowing what to do before her mind did she responded in kind, kissing him and lifting her hands up to gently touch his jaw for a moment, fingers tracing lightly over his face.
It couldn't last too long, though; Morgan glanced up and down the path. "You tell me you're good at keeping secrets, then you kiss me in the middle of the road." She chastised, though the smile on her lips that added a fond tone to her voice revealed her true feelings.
Hope is a tree sitting on a mountain where the grass don't grow
There's a sad old sea but my love is an island
Neron would have responded further with his objections about how very good at keeping secrets he is, but then his lips are on hers and she's melting against him, her fingers coming up to brush across his jaw, her touch somehow feeling warm even though he knows it can't be true. His imagination does a great job of it though, and the Hailstorm is about to slip an arm around her when it's over before it's even really begun. The smile he shoots in her direction is sly to say the least, and he rolls his shoulders in a shrug.
"If anyone had come upon us, I'd have let you slap me as hard as you can. You can tell everyone I made a very inappropriate pass at you, and you chastised me accordingly." He winks at Morgan, before stepping around her that they might continue to stroll towards the portal. The only difference, this time, is that he offers her his arm that she might link her own through it if she likes. "Would you like to go out with me this evening?" he asks. "Once I've gotten a chance to change into something less befitting a homeless person, of course."
Fear is dark but my love is a lantern
Shining up like coins in a fountain
Morgan laughed dryly and rolled her eyes at his proposed plan for if they were caught, though it really wasn't that far from what might have actually happened; she would have at least pushed him away and attempted to fake some resemblance of shock. "That's just what I'll do." She promised, though really she had no idea how keeping their relationship secret would work, if they could even really hope to manage it.
There was another glance around them before Morgan took his arm, once she was truly sure there was no one there to see. As well as the potential controversy of their being together, she also simply wasn't one for sharing her private business, did not want to share this part of her life with anyone else.
"I would like that. I do wonder where you might take me though, where we would be in private." She was sure he could manage it, certain that Neron had a few hiding places in the Citadel, but she had never quite found them. "...Though yes, a change of clothing may be in order first."
{FIN}
Hope is a tree sitting on a mountain where the grass don't grow
There's a sad old sea but my love is an island
