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!
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
Nodding at Sam's words, Amun grinned. "Yeah, I've noticed." He chuckled, since the Shield's fanaticism was well known. However, he shrugged. "I've never had a problem with her and she's never had a problem with me, though. Not personally" Granted, they hadn't spoken in a while but last the potter had checked he and Amalia were on good terms.
Still resting his arms on the top of his broom, Amun grinned at the bookmaker's words. "Someone like you? What do you mean by that? You mean someone handsome and smart and strong?" The guild master raised an eyebrow at the other man, as if daring him to disagree.
Amun whistled at Sam's request. "We can take it slow. How does a date sound?" Picking up the broom, the potter began to sweep again although he kept his eyes trained on the redhead.
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
"Have you spoken to her often?" Sam asked, unable to quite imagine Amalia having a significant relationship with an Ascended. Eventually, topics of conversation about the world, their Goddess and alignments to the two would have to come up, and he knew that Amun was one of the more active, devout Ascendeds there were. While he supposed there was the possibility that Amalia simply disagreed with himself particularly because she didn't like him, Sam found it hard to believe she'd simply put aside all those opinions. "I would like to have more of a relationship with her, I mean, I don't have very many family...but.." He shrugged sadly.
Amun's (highly inaccurate, by Sam's estimations) description of him made him utterly unable to look anywhere but the floor, a flustered laugh leaving him; had Sam still had blood, he would have been entirely beet red and he didn't quite glance up as he shook his head and spoke: "That's not quite what I meant, no."
And he would only become more flustered and surprised as he was asked out on a date. Sam had expected Amun to give up when he'd been informed of his wishes, go looking for someone more exciting and easier to bed; did Amun actually want to know him? To give a chance at being with him? That anyone would even consider it was almost bizarre at this point, and of course Sam's mind immediately filled him in on all the various ways it could go wrong: There were things Amun did not know about him he could not like, they could find they horribly annoyed each other when in close contact, he could ruin it like he had his chances with Remi...yet the flicker of hope in his heart, the leap in his chest, it was too precious to let his fears ruin.
"If...if you really mean that, yes. That sounds great." He grinned, then knelt down to sweep under one of the tables, avoiding Amun's eyes for a moment while he silently opened his mouth to make a goofy thrilled expression.
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
Nodding, Amun smiled. "Yeah, we're friends." Or at least friendly. As Sam went on, though, the potter raised his eyebrow at the redhead. "Family?" he asked. Not knowing the relationship between the Shield and the bookmaker, the guild master just shrugged. "What's stopping you? Besides the old gods new gods thing?"
Chuckling at the other man's flustered response, though not at all in a cruel way, Amun put one hand on his hip, keeping the other resting on the broom. "What did you mean then?" He gestured for Sam to answer the question.
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't mean it." At that the potter grinned and winked. "Looking forward to it, Red." Returning to the cleaning with a lighter stride, he found himself whistling.
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
Odd to hear that Amalia was friends with an Ascended, and Sam could feel a small jealous frown forming on his face, but he did his best to dispel it; it wasn't Amun's fault that Amalia found Sam's particular ways of helping the Voice distasteful. He moved on to explaining his own relationship to 'Vi's chosen', complicated as it was: "We found out...after my fathers death, that we are half siblings. Neither of us were very happy about it."
What was stopping them? He laughed bitterly, wishing it could be that simple. "We've tried to get along quite a few times. Every time the Voices comes up, or we're reminded of some past disagreement, and it just...doesn't work. And now...I did something I don't think she'll ever forgive me for." Sam sighed and shook his head. "I don't think we're destined to be close." He could only hope for better luck with Evie.
What he had meant about himself was not a topic he wanted to delve into, but compared to his dealings with Amalia, Sam rushed to talk about it. "Well, I just meant...I'm shy, and people think I'm weird, and I'm very rarely called handsome...especially not by someone like you. You're confident and good looking." This whole conversation was incredibly embarrassing, but Sam made an effort to keep Amun's gaze now that he'd gotten over the initial surprise.
"Yes, me too. Um...what would you want to do?" Sam asked, walking up the room a little to tackle a new area of dirt.
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
"Huh." Amun's face scrunched up as he processed the news that Amalia and Sam were half-siblings. Shrugging, the potter focused on the redhead again, features smoothing out. "What'd you do? And fuck destiny." Chuckling, the guild master winked at the other man. "Because in my experience all you've got to do is make her laugh and she'll move on from the whole mortal enemies thing." Amun grinned.
Tapping his fingers against the handle of his broom, he raised an eyebrow at Sam. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that." Smiling, the potter cocked his head to one side. "Nothing wrong with being shy and weird. At least you're not normal and boring. And being shy and weird doesn't preclude you from being smart and strong now, does it? Or handsome."
Moving on from his area, he swept the dirt into the center of the hall. Pausing, he gave the redhead a once over. "Now that is a loaded question." Chuckling again, the guild master returned to his sweeping. "What sorts of things do you like to do?" He glanced over his shoulder at the other man, though Amun soon found himself tangled up in his broom and had to face front or risk falling on his face.
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
Sam's face flickered with a brief smile at Amun's reaction to the news of his and Amalia's relation...that was how he had felt about it too. Huh. Even now, seasons and seasons later, it was hard to always remember, even when he could sometimes see in Amalia flashes of Evie, or even sometimes, himself.
As for what he had done, his heart sunk as he wondered if he ought to tell Amun. Not wanting to ruin what had so far been a nice day, he shook his head. "I made a mistake, but I'd rather not talk about it, sorry." One day he'd confess that secret, but for now it was locked tight behind Sam's lips until it was forced out.
He couldn't help but laugh at Amun pulling out the old trope and before he had considered it, Sam asked: "Oh, and you behold me as beautiful?", laughing as he asked, thinking the whole thing quite silly. "And I suppose, but I'm definitely not strong. I usually have to move books in small stacks." While being Ascended certainly lent him more strength than he might have had otherwise, there was only so much one could do with skinny arms and determination.
"I like to read, and go on walks...and sometimes I go swimming, though the Oasis isn't really anything compared to the sea, nowadays." He let out a little sigh and shrugged. "I've never been on a proper date, though. I went on a walk with Remi once...but a bear attacked us. So it wasn't...great. Do you have any ideas?"
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
Nodding at Sam's reluctance, Amun smiled. He wasn't going to press the bookmaker to talk before he was ready. When the redhead asked what the potter thought about the other man's appearance, though, the guild master grinned. "I could tell you yes, I think you're beautiful, but I have a feeling you'd just disagree with me again." He winked at the other man.
When Sam commented that he wasn't strong, Amun gave the redhead a once over. Then the potter set his broom aside and gestured for the other man to join the guild master at a table in the center of the room. "Alright, arm wrestling it is." He put his elbow on a corner and gestured for Sam to come.
"Not great," Amun agreed. Chuckling, he smiled. "Yes, I've got an idea. But it'll be a surprise. I'll come pick you up when it's ready, how's that sound?"
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
"I absolutely would." Sam insisted, but couldn't help the laugh, sounding more delighted than his words would give away. He glanced away from the wink, the expression far too flirty for him to be able to return it, but the genuine soft smile on his face would speak to how pleased he was.
The offer of an arm wrestle was one he'd never had before (and one he was certain he'd lose). Still, he was in good enough humour to say yes, so he went to the table, kneeling one leg on a chair for better balance and leaning over the table, putting his elbow down and clasping Amun's hand.
He was glad that the pressure of choosing a date activity was lifted from his shoulders, Sam never having been confident about the decision. With that happily organised for later and Amun's responsibilty, he tightened his grip and got ready to try his best to push against the other man, though he considered it highly unlikely he'd win.
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
Laughing along with Sam, Amun grinned. "I guess I'll just have to keep saying it until you believe it." He inclined his head towards the redhead, since the potter intended to do exactly that.
As the other man approached, the guild master shifted to a better position as well. He clasped Sam's hand, threading their fingers together. Raising an eyebrow, the potter smirked. "No holding back now, you hear me? I want a clean honest wrestle." He paused to let that sink in.
Then he nodded. "Three. Two. One. Go!" With that he threw all his strength into trying to push the other man's hand down to the table.
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
"I'll give you the best I can, but you might think I'm still trying to be weak anyway." Sam laughed, expecting to be beaten instantly. However, as he leaned forward and braced his arm against Amuns, he was surprised to find that he actually didn't struggle to keep his own in the match. Actually, as it went on and he genuinely put more strength into his efforts, he saw their hands begin to tilt in his favour.
A confused laugh leaving him, Sam continued to push, finding that he could keep going, effort in his face as he forced Amun's hand down. It was not easy, but it was achievable, if he tried. "You're letting me win." He protested, as Amun's hand began to approach the table.
-- I'm basing this off their strength stats: Amun 20, Sam 27
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes You're going to have to make a few compromises
Chuckling, Amun shook his head. "I think you might surprise yourself." He winked at Sam, because the potter could see that while the redhead was lean and skinny, he was also muscular, much more so than the guild master.
Which was why the other man was able to start pushing Amun towards the table. He gritted his teeth, putting all his force into the wrestling, causing the muscles in his arm to bulge. Even so, Sam continued to make progress as the potter's hand crept closer and closer to the wood.
Glancing up, he snorted. "Nope," he grunted. "Do I strike you as the type of person who loses on purpose?" Unfortunately, his moment of distraction and his relative weakness cost him, and the back of his hand finally slammed into the table.
For now we're happy if not overjoyed And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid
Sam laughed and shook his head; admittedly, Amun did not seem like the type to graciously lose for someone else's ego. It was still hard to believe that he was winning simply off of his own benefits though, Sam sure that the match was going to turn right up until the moment that Amun's hand smacked into the table, a laugh leaving his mouth in pure disbelief.
"...I'm sure you'd have a chance if we did a rematch." Untangling their fingers (now that the wrestle was over, it felt overly familiar, and Sam felt embarrassment beginning to seep up his back), he stood, awkwardly and quietly breathing a few more laughs before stepping away. "I think I should go back to the shop, but...I'm really looking forward to our date. I'll see you soon."
