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 think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper had arranged to meet Gideon in a little cafe in the Sea of Branches, a stall that sold coffee and snacks with a few somewhat rickety tables nearby for customers to sit and eat. She'd already bought her tea and a scone and sat scanning the market for Gideon. He wouldn't be hard to spot, she imagined; the market-goers were mostly Fae, so she assumed his height alone would make him stand out. And, if he happened to be short for an outsider, she'd look for the lack of wings.
But she happened to be looking down when Gideon arrived, stirring some more sweetener into her tea, taking a bite of her scone -- she didn't notice his approach until he had reached her table.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
Gideon had been to the Greatwood for walks for quite some time, but had never actually passed into Sidhe nor met many of the Fae, finding the people of the Woods to be particularly elusive (not that he'd been looking all that much). The invitation to come to the Stonesong was exciting simply because of the discovery involved in getting there and he had arrived early, walking across the woods using directions he'd gained from Juniper and a couple of others with experience of the place.
He wasn't quite sure who he was looking for, when he did arrive at the cafe. In his satchel, a simple bag across his body, he had a vial of his blood and a lock of hair (easier than forcing Juniper to extract it from him; hopefully the items didn't need to be fresh), something that he did not want to give away to the wrong Fae.
Knowing that he stood out here (he was a tall, broad man and very obviously not a Fae), Gideon put on his most confident wide smile as he went to speak to someone at the first table he came to, asking for Juniper. Once he had been pointed in the right direction, he went to stand by her table, a hand on the back of the empty chair. "Ms Dubois? Gideon Clemments." He introduced himself, holding out a hand for her to shake.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper looked up, a bit startled, and climbed to her feet, trying not to feel loomed over. Gods, he was tall. As on a couple previous occasions when she'd encountered tall outsiders, she had to resist the urge to hover up to eye level with him.
Shaking Gideon's hand, she nodded. "Yes, thank you for coming. Feel free to call me Juniper -- and to sit down."
She gestured to the empty chair, then added, "Would you like anything from the cafe? My treat."
It was the least she could do, she figured, when he'd come all the way to the Greatwood to give her his hair or blood (or both). After this, she'd check back in with Alina, see if she had made any progress on the Ascended parts, and then they just had the wicker woman's branch ...
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
Gideon nodded, going to sit; the chair was a little small, clearly made for Fae and not 6 foot tall human men, but he did not complain (just made a private, silent prayer in his head that it would not break). Her offer for a treat from the cafe made him pause and look over to the counter, then he nodded. "Well, I won't turn that down, but I don't know a lot about what Fae eat. Surprise me?"
The point of his travels was meant to be to learn about the cultures around Caido and consider how he could help them best serve the Gods, after all. It was practically his job to eat something from the cafe.
While Juniper went to get what she selected for him, he drew out the bag containing what he had brought and laid it on the table, sure she would know what it was when she saw it. As she came close again he pushed it closer to her side of the table, allowing her to inspect it further if she wanted to: within she would find a vial of blood (drawn from his elbow and enough to fill a vial the size of his little finger) and a tuft of hair cut from the nape of his neck, where it could be quickly fixed to look untouched, tied with a cord.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper nodded. "All right."
She went to get Gideon some refreshments, carefully considering what he might like. Something characteristic of the Fae, traditional for them, but with a universal appeal, so that an outsider could also appreciate it ... After a moment's musing, she laughed at her own over-thinking and just got him a mixed berry scone and some herbal tea.
Bringing the food and drink back to the table, she placed them in front of Gideon sat down. "Here, I hope you'll enjoy this."
Then she took the bag he'd pushed towards her, glanced inside quickly, smiled, and put it away in her own bag. "Thank you. I'm sure Safrin will be pleased."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
What Juniper brought back didn't look so different from something one could get from a cafe in Stormbreak, something that surprised Gideon; he had heard all kinds of rumours about the Fae eating only leaves and beetles, or whatever else they could find on the forest floor...he supposed that was the danger of ignorance; stereotyping swiftly overcame knowledge. "Thanks. Looks good."
Taking a drink of the tea, he nodded at her thanks. "I'm sure she will. Anything to help the Gods, I will assist with. If you need anything else, let me know." To Gideon, if it aided the Gods and harmed the Ascended, it was worthwhile, no matter how small a task or choice. "I've heard that you've been quite busy; visiting regions all over the place. Can I be rude and ask what it is you're doing?" He asked, picking up the scone and carefully examining it instead of looking directly at her.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"Thank you for the offer -- I will let you know if anything else comes up." The Fae could always use more allies, Juniper figured, even if Gideon was only one man. (She knew nothing about Stormbreak, after all; if she'd known, she might have found Gideon an even more useful contact.)
She saw no reason to conceal her activities from Gideon, or anyone else -- there might be details she'd rather keep private, but Wessex knew of the plan for a trial now, thanks to Juniper's letters, so there was no point keeping that secret. "I've been building relationships with the other nations of Caido, in the hopes of combating the Ascended's influence ... and physically combating them, should they attack the Greatwood again."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
That Juniper had been conducting her own mission across the regions to stop the Ascended was interesting; the Order were not the only ones working behind the scenes to stop the growth of the Voice, it seemed. While he was sure some of those in his organisation would see it as a distraction or even something in the way of their plans, Gideon found that he was happy to see it. The more of them vocally against the Ascended, the more chance there was of the right side prevailing.
He took a bite of the scone and ate it before speaking, taking a moment to nod appreciatively at it; the Fae could cook. "How's that going? I'm gonna guess you haven't had the best reception from the Hollowed Grounds, at least."
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper couldn't help laughing a little at Gideon's guess, a bright sound despite its hints of irony. "No. Wessex flatly rejected the concept, but ... she did agree to schedule a meeting to discuss it further. I'll admit I don't have great hopes for that meeting" -- though she didn't intend to admit just how nervous she was about it -- "but at least she's willing to talk. And the other leaders are more or less onboard, fortunately. That'll make it harder for her to ignore us."
Sunjata was the "more" onboard, Juniper figured, and Morgan "less." The Warden had expressed deep skepticism about the idea -- skepticism that despite her best efforts Juniper could admit was deserved -- but at least she was open to it. The Governor, meanwhile, had committed a bit more enthusiastically.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
"...Good luck. I doubt I could make it through that." It would end with hands on someone's throat, he was sure, and while Gideon knew he had the Gods on his side, he wasn't totally cocksure: he'd lose in a fight against Wessex. Hopefully Juniper was more gifted in matters of diplomacy, even with her Fae honesty.
As for the other leaders, Gideon had never met either of them, but he knew who they were; it was good as a member of the Order to be up to date on current events. "I'm surprised. The Warden is abandoned, isn't she? And the Governor...I thought he was married to an Ascended." He shook his head softly, widening his eyes; he couldn't imagine why anyone would subject themselves to that.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"Thanks," Juniper said ruefully. "I'll probably need it."
She, too, knew that she would most certainly lose a fight against Wessex -- her only hope was that it wouldn't come to that. That Wessex would be too concerned about the social and political consequences of killing her to actually do so. And such consequences hadn't kept the Ascended from attacking the Greatwood before -- but there had been no real consequences then; those were what Juniper was trying to create now.
Juniper nodded. "I've heard that about Warden Aristomache, though I didn't ask when we met. And the Governor told me about his husband himself. It doesn't mean they're bad people, or inherently against us. The Governor's husband wasn't involved in the attack on the Greatwood, and my quest is to hold those specific individuals responsible, so his husband wouldn't be part of it."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
Gideon laughed and nodded, sure Juniper would indeed. From what he'd heard of Wessex, he couldn't imagine her willingly or happily agreeing to anything the Fae had to suggest, and they were already starting on opposite sides of a very heated divide. Eating the last of the scone (the food here was not made for 6 foot tall men, so was quite small) he rubbed any crumbs off his fingers and picked up the tea cup.
Juniper clearly wasn't quite ready to accept the truth about the Ascended; that one could not pick and choose within them. They were an evil people, lead by an evil Goddess, and any action they committed was inherently wrong. Gideon knew better to jump right in with that though, and after a casual sip of tea, simply ask: "How do you know that his husband was not involved in one of the many other things the Ascended have done? That he will not be involved in the next? The Ascended are still acting upon their plans and I doubt they're done with the Greatwood."
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
"I don't," Juniper admitted. She could hardly lie to Gideon -- but she wouldn't have wanted to anyway. She could afford to be straightforward about her thoughts and plans; she'd already shown her hand to Wessex and the Ascended, so her intentions were now public. "But I can't punish someone based on what they might do in the future, only for what they've actually done. And as much as I would like to have the Ascended's plans laid before me, I can't react to things I don't know about."
She took a sip of her tea, then added, "Even if I personally wanted to go after all the Ascended -- and I genuinely don't believe they all deserve punishment for the actions of a few -- I would receive no support from Torchline or Halo in such a project. It's better to pursue an achievable goal than hold an untenable, extreme position."
Looking Gideon in the eye -- even if she had to crane her neck a bit to do so -- she finished, "I know the Greatwood is not safe from the Ascended. I've made what arrangements I can to protect us in case of an attack, and others are also working on defensive measures. In the meantime, I hope that addressing past wrongs will help discourage future ones."
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
Give your heart and soul to charity 'Cause the rest of you
Juniper's viewpoint was a considered and fair one; if it were being applied to anyone except the Ascended, Gideon would have approved. As it was, though, he was disappointed. The Ascended, much like their Goddess that brought them into the world, were inherently evil, their existence itself a mark of shame on the beautiful world the Old Gods had made. He held his tongue, just about, knowing better than to be upfront about his more extreme ideas.
"You would receive support from Stormbreak, as you would for any other goal in this area." He assured her, sure that the Order would be willing to assist in any Fae battle against the Ascended. After all, the Fae were a race created by the Old Gods the same as the Accepted, and he was sure together Stormbreak and the Greatwood could make quite the impact on the Voice's forces.
He raised an eyebrow at her hopeful sentiments, thinking it all very unlikely, but not saying anything for the moment; discouraging could wait until there was a more immediate danger. Putting down his now empty cup, Gideon nodded. "You're clearly very intelligent; a good person to be leading this kind of mission. I hope it goes well. Thank you for the snack."
