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!
10-24-2020, 04:21 AM (This post was last modified: 10-24-2020, 04:21 AM by Alina.)
When we can’t control fire,
we name it “wild”
Alina followed the man—whose name she still didn't know—through the winding tunnels of the Burrows. Staying aloft and just behind him, she kept close watch on him in case he tried something shady. In addition, she tracked their progress as best she could, though she prayed she wouldn't have to try and retrace her steps in a hurry.
Eventually, she heard the distinct sound of falling water echoing in the distance. Picking up the pace, she drew level with the stranger. Jerking her chin forward, she narrowed her eyes. "Think that's it?" She had mostly passed the journey in silence, not particularly inclined to chatter. Hopefully he'd know the answer to her question and they weren't just wandering aimlessly.
i have seen what the darkness does say goodbye to who i was
Milo hadn’t learned Alina’s name either – but the smuggler didn’t particularly care. At least, all he cared about was ensuring the safety of the flower in his hands and seeking out the waterfall. And when she’d agreed to come, only then does Milo end up working with the gears in his head to try and figure out what exactly needed to be done. A waterfall. A hidden archway? Place it somewhere, hope that it was exactly what was needed?
He sighs, running a hand through his hair in the silence, at least until Alina questions if this was it. He peers over her toward the area she suggests, slipping toward it with furrowed brows and the hope that they’re right. There is indeed a waterfall, and Milo finds his steps taking him closer and closer, not caring for the drenching of the waterfall – after all, he’d fallen into the pools of before – and when he emerges on the other side to see the little crevices, with four lilies perched within each section, a wide grin splashes across his face.
“See! Here. There’s more!” Boyish and excited, Milo practically dances forward toward an empty cavern, carefully placing the lily within it before stepping back, a bit of pride settling in his chest at having helped. He looks back down at Alina, that grin splashed across his face. “Look, there’s ten spaces’a ‘em. Five now.”
i ain't ever been away so long don't look back, those days are gone
As the man plunged into the falling water, Alina watched him. She wasn't going to go flying through the falls until she knew he was safe on the other side. When he called out she sighed.
Landing, she tensed for a moment. Then she stepped through, hissing at the chill. Brushing water off her arms and squeezing her hair (leaving the spear in the crook of her elbow). She looked over the archway, though she wasn't nearly as excited as the stranger.
Watching as he placed a lily in a slot, she shrugged. "I see it. How is it supposed to cure this sickness you were telling me about?"
i have seen what the darkness does say goodbye to who i was
He’s nearly vibrating with the excitement of putting the lily in the space required – vibrating with the fact that he’d managed to accomplish something that he wasn’t entirely sure he could. But he had, with her help, having found the lily and placed it. He’d done his duty, which simply meant that he didn’t have to feel bad for heading back home and simply never arriving here again.
Her question, however, has him looking back at her. “Heard th’gods asked fer ten lilies here, ‘n that would cure it.” He rumbles toward her, shoulders rising and falling in a shrug. As it were, however, all he could do was this and hope that it had been correct. He doesn’t know what the alternative is – only that if it was a stupid idea at least he wasn’t the only one, given the few lilies that had sat there before they’d arrived.
i ain't ever been away so long don't look back, those days are gone
Alina was equally eager to get home, though she wasn't quivering like Milo was. Instead, she was practically still, only shifting slightly as droplets of water slid down her skin and she fanned her wings to dry them. Sighing at his answer, she gestured at the five empty spots that still waited. "So we're literally just waiting for a miracle cure?" Grimacing she shook her eyes.
Hesitating for a moment, she stepped forward. Running her fingers along the archway, she frowned at some raised ridges. However, she dropped her hand soon enough. Turning back to the waterfall, she glared at it, knowing she'd have to go back through it. "What now?" She wasn't sure she could make it back to the hot springs, not with how many tunnels they'd passed through.
i have seen what the darkness does say goodbye to who i was
Dark eyes follow her gesture to the other empty slots, hearing her question over the roar of the water. “I guess.” He shrugs – it sounds par for the course really, the rumors he’d heard about the Blight being much the same, some illnesses requiring a bit of divine intervention in order to fix. All he knows is that he isn’t sick, that he hopefully doesn’t get sick either.
Her next question though, has him running a hand through his red hair, trying to comb it back out of his face. “Dunno ‘bout you, but I got what I came t’do. ‘m gonna go home.” Because he hates the Climb and the warmth, the lava and everything else. All he wants now is to return home to Torchline, back to his familiar docks and friendly faces, and be able to ignore that feeling in his chest of being unhelpful when he’d clearly done at least this much.
i ain't ever been away so long don't look back, those days are gone
Groaning at the lack of information, Alina turned back to stare at the archway. Sighing, she sighed and took a firmer grip on her spear. Shaking her head, she faced the waterfall again. "Then we wait."
She glanced at the man again when he said he was going home. Nodding, she took a few steps towards the falling water. "I should go home too." With that she took a deep breath.
Plunging back into the frigid water was a shock, but she made it through to the other side without incident. Once again getting rid of the excess water on her skin and her wings and in her hair, she waited to see if the stranger would follow.
i have seen what the darkness does say goodbye to who i was
Milo’s got nothing left to keep him there, rooted to the spot, and as she comments that they wait – well, that’s truly all they can do. Wait and hope for the best, really. But he tells her he plans on going home – having already lost Vai and Zeph on the trip up here, at least he’d been successful. Still, he remains a few moments longer, watching the waterfall briefly as she disappears within it, turning for a moment to cast his attention back to the slots and sighing lightly.
But he follows her, stepping through to the other side and shaking his head to rid it of the water. “D’ya live in the Greatwood?” He asks after a moment, unable to keep the question of whether she’s fae to himself for too much longer. It seems evident, but Milo can’t remember ever seeing a Fae, nor has the smuggler been to the Greatwood at all. Whether or not she decides to answer, Milo's already moving, adjusting the water soaked shirt that sticks to him as he heads back toward the tunnels.
i ain't ever been away so long don't look back, those days are gone
As the man finally emerged from the waterfall, Alina turned to head back into the tunnels. However, his question stopped her in her tracks. Glancing over her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes at him. "I am." Facing front again, she resumed her exit from this arid land.
"Where are you from?" She wasn't particularly interested in the answer, but figured it was the polite thing to do. Her wings fluttered behind her, shedding water. They were still a bit too damp for her to fly, but were rapidly drying off in the heat. Her hair was another matter: although it was drier, it was also frizzing terrible, and she grimaced as she reached up a hand to try and get it under control.
i have seen what the darkness does say goodbye to who i was
Well that solved that question. It gives him an idea of what the rest of the Fae looked like, perhaps acted like, within the Greatwood. A benefit, seeing as he doesn’t particularly want to go there at any point. Judging by Alina’s expression, perhaps that’s for the best. He walks behind her toward the tunnels, fingers running through his hair to try and comb it back while it dries, to keep it out of his face. “Torchline.” He rumbles, unsure whether or not she really cares for the answer.
And then he falls silent again, not sure what to say once they’d reached the tunnels, dipping inside the darkness once again and picking his brain to fall back into the familiarity of the Fingers, of retracing his steps, of finding the way back to the tunnel that lead to the ridiculously cold tundra of Halo to go back to the heat of Torchline.
i ain't ever been away so long don't look back, those days are gone
Alina kept up her efforts with her hair, not particularly wanting any part of her to be wet once they returned to Halo. Frozen hair was not something she wanted to deal with. Nodding at the man's answer, she looked around at their surroundings before glancing over her shoulder at him. "So how does this compare to your beaches?" Her lips curled in amusement, since her own opinion of this land was rather negative.
Testing her wings, she breathed a sigh of relief when she was able to take off. Still, she landed, moving to walk by the stranger's side. "Why'd you ask where I was from?"
i have seen what the darkness does say goodbye to who i was
A snort is given to Alina, a shake of his head. “Pretty shit ‘n comparison.” He murmurs, a ghost of a smile spreading along his lips as they dive into the darkness. “Torchline’s warm, not like this though.” This was too warm, even by his standards, who’d never ventured out and seen snow as wide and far as Halo had, who’d never seen lava free flowing aside from when Apopo blew.
It sucked, to be honest.
But they make it into the tunnels and he focuses on retracing their footsteps when her question reaches him. He’s dry enough now to stick his hands into his pockets, head angled down, eyes focused on the path they take. “Never seen’a fae ‘fore.” He begins, keeping his gaze focused on the dark floor. “Never been t’the Greatwood either. Heard stories.”
i ain't ever been away so long don't look back, those days are gone
Alina snorted right back at the stranger, finding that she was surprisingly relaxed in his company. Maybe it was because he'd been entirely unthreatening the entire time together and even she could keep up vigilance and suspicion indefinitely. "Is there anything as warm as this?" She fanned her shirt a bit as the chill from the waterfall faded and sweat replaced it.
Nodding at his words, she sighed. "You've probably got all sorts of questions then." Frowning a bit, she tapped a finger on the shaft of her spear. Then she shrugged. "What sorts of stories have you heard?" She braced herself for something very far from the truth.
i have seen what the darkness does say goodbye to who i was
Lines are left in his hair from where his hand had raked through it, only a few tendrils falling into his eye as he glances back down toward her. “Don’t think so. Fuckin’ sucks.” He offers, managing a quiet laugh along with it – feeling lighter now as they traverse the tunnels, his task accomplished. And the prospect of home far too great of a reward than remaining here.
“Aye, I don’ got ‘all sortsa questions’. Maybe a’couple.” His tone is teasing as he looks further ahead. “’Sit true ya can’t lie?” He asks, first and foremost, casting a glance her way. “’n I heard ‘bout somethin’ with a pit… Ya got one’a those?” He imagines so, based off of the spear that sits in her hands. “Does’it gotta big creature ‘n the bottom that swallows people whole?”
i ain't ever been away so long don't look back, those days are gone
