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!
”Not just inns, but yea. I imagine there’ll be more, as more portals open up.” At least in the places where it makes sense. No ones going to a bar in the Climb, after all, and the Greatwoods would just throw them out. ”Its just good sense to keep ears and eyes open all over, right?”
Nate’s eyes snap up to Anden’s face, some snarl of stupid, impotent jealousy snagging on his lips before he can stop it. ”Sunjata.” He corrects quickly, not wanting his nickname in anyone else’s mouth. Already, a smile is on his face again, the knee jerk reaction forgotten. ”He’s not. No point in trying to keep up with someone who can’t get drunk, eh?” With a wink, Nate tips the rest of his glass into his mouth and leaves it empty, for the moment.
The mention of excitement has Nate’s gaze roaming around the VlamVloed, at the quiet, private patrons. ”The Kraai tends to be louder, so long as you don’t mind the cold. And the Slagveld is more a boxing ring than it is a bar, so the clientele are a little different.” With a quiet chuckle, Nate turns back to his lantern and reveals a few more little details, talking without looking up. ”You should visit, if you’re interested.”
Focus moved back to his lantern, back to the reason he’d been so glum initially, and a shadow of that heavy mood comes back. Nate’s hands move thoughtfully over the carved wood. ”Clemente. He was... like a little brother to me.” A humourless sound huffs from Nate’s nose, his head shaking gently. ”He didn’t make it through Longnight.” Andens apology is met with a quiet nod, blue eyes focusing on the mans hand as it reaches out to stroke along the carved wood. ”You know... I got some time, I could... teach you how to do this yourself. Maybe you’ll actually be an artist.”
Nate’s glad, more than he really realizes, for the subject change, for the cheekiness in Andens voice. ”What makes you think I’m in this dump alone?” He leans back, brows tugging at the scar across his face as they lift. ”You’ll see him around here, if you haven’t already. Hard to miss a man who’s taller than sin.”
Like a bullet through a flock of doves To wage this war against your faith in me
"More portals? Are they something you build?" It never ceased to amaze Anden about how little he knew about this world. So much of it felt out of his reach. For every question he had answered, it seemed five more sprouted up. Nate himself seemed to be a question. "Do you deal with secrets then? It seemed to be where Nate was leading, without outright saying it.
He realized his mistake when Nate's happy face curled into something foreign, only for it to fade back to normal. "He's a lucky man then. To have so many things together, you both must have quite the lives in Caido." Anden wasn't sure if he was jealous, or just in awe of Nate. He'd created his own path in Caido, something Anden still struggled with. "He's not like us then? I hadn't heard of any inter-racial relationships before... He had many questions, but he really didn't know Nate well enough to ask any of them.
Visit? Maybe the man before him didn't want to murder him like Anden thought. "They all sound rather... Exciting. Anden chuckled to himself. "Can't say I'm the type to fight though. And I've never really dealt with the cold before. Being so close to the forest back home meant he didn't get to experience all the seasons that others would.
Longnight. It wasn't the first time he'd heard about it. He was certain it wouldn't be the last either. He didn't know much about it, asides that it brought death and sadness when it came. It was Anden's turn to pour Nate a drink. He knew it meant nothing really, but old habits die hard. "To Clemente." Anden raised his glass.
Anden watched as Nate worked away on the lantern. Every time he etched a piece of the wood off, he started to see his vision more and more. Nate was talented. "Maybe I'll need to take you up on that offer. I seem to have found myself with a lot of free time, and nothing to do with it." Unlike Dani, or Aisha or Oliver, Anden was trapped inside all day. Locked away from the Sun, counting down the minutes until it was safe for him to roam the world.
"If I see him, I'll be sure to not accuse him of robbing his own place. Anden shook his head, still unable to believe his own mistake.
So many questions, and for perhaps the first time ever, they’re ones Nate has answers to. ”We do build the portals, actually.” His grin is nothing short of smug, chin rising just a touch after his words. ”We the ascended.” Just to clarify. There were a lot of we’s he was a part of.
”We deal in a lot of things.” Nate answers in the most nonchalant way he can manage, a shrug competing the words. ”Discretion is required for some of them. Why?” It was possible he was reading the man wrong, but Anden seemed like the type to know you shut up about certain business, unless you’re seeking it out intentionally.
Whatever insult Anden had unknowingly spoken is forgotten completely with his next words, Nate’s smile only growing wider. ”I’m lucky to have him.” It’s strange to have things that he took almost for granted pointed out as if they were something to be envied. ”We settled in because we didn’t have a choice. And because we could build something better here, especially between the two of us. You’ll get the hang of this place.” Andens surprise us Nate’s brows rising, his head working a moment before he answers. ”Sunjata’s attuned. We make things work.” It seemed to be all he was willing offer to a relative stranger, unless there was anything burning and specific Anden chanced asking.
”Well the good news is you don’t really need to deal with the cold now either.” Nate does his level best to not sound too sarcastic while he speaks. His opinion of his ascension may have changed drastically since it had happened, but old habits died hard, and if he can’t poke fun at what he’s become then what was the point? ”The Slagveld is probably safest for you over Longnight though. Torchline gets a lot of sun.”
The corners of Nate’s lips twitch upwards as his glass is refilled. And who is he to turn to down a toast, especially a toast to family? ”To Clemente.” He rumbles gruffly, clinking his glass against the other mans before swallowing the amber liquid. Perhaps it was a good thing alcohol didn’t affect him, as it couldn’t touch his hands and make them shaky, unsteady.
Being watched seems to only bring a more careful focus to Nate’s hands, their inhuman steadiness aiding him immensely in his efforts. ”I can go through the basics if you want to start now. Or,” Nate glances up, finding the others face, ”I’ll be around for a few more days, and my nights are all but wide open.” Truth be told, the middle of the night is when Nate gets the bulk of his work done, whether it’s in his own pursuits, or other projects. Better to fill the time than stew in it.
Like a bullet through a flock of doves To wage this war against your faith in me
The ascended seem to have their hands in everything. From the city itself, to the portals that were trickled across the world. Despite how few of them there were they seemed to have a lot of control on how the world functioned.
His mind trailed off to Eloise Marie. If he wanted to find her, this would be his best bet. The man of secrets might know something. Was it really something he wanted now? Eloise Marie used to be everything to him. Living without her for so long was a hard adjustment. Now though? He had a life of sorts. Nothing special, but he learnt how to live life without her. "I... Don't worry about it. It's nothing." Maybe one day he would seek out Eloise Marie again. But that wasn't today.
"I've noticed." Anden ruffled the jacket that he was wearing. "I swear I only wear it out of habit now. Or maybe it was the hand stitched patchwork his mother had done. Memories were priceless here. "I've yet to hear anything good about Longnight... Is it that bad?" It couldn't possibly be all bad, could it?
Nate was different than the others he'd met. He was more open in some ways, but also more reserved. But he was on of the only ones to invite Anden to do things. Not that Anden left a bad impression on the others, at least he didn't think he did. "And what if I have plans of my own?" Not that Anden did. He spent his nights switching between exploring the area around the grounds, and drinking. Neither really all that productive.
Anden stared at the booze in front of him. "If we keep drinking like this, you'll have nothing left."
There is absolutely something no there, but whether it’s a secret Anden wants seeking or something else, Nate can’t say. He devotes a moment to consideration, then hums. ”If nothing ever becomes soemthing, you let me know then, huh?” He won’t press it, but he will make this offer.
Mismatched eyes move over the others patchwork jacket, obviously well loved, Nate’s thumb comes up to rub at the collar of his own jacket, soft black leather, a comfort he’d apparently forgotten until Anden brought it back to the forefront of his mind. ”I might be a lot of things, but a hypocrite isn’t one of them.” He jokes, mostly truthfully.
”Longnight is all about location.” Nate spreads his arms, glass still in hand, lantern forgotten for the moment. ”Here in the Grounds? It’s a week of hell. But back home, in Torchline?” He leans back in his chair with a grin, arms folding across his chest. ”Its a week of parties. Just don’t piss off the pirate king.” A laugh leaves him, but there’s just enough seriousness to his words that it seems like a sincere warning.
”Do you challenge everything people say to you, or is that a special deal just for me?” More laughter follows this tease, the obviously rhetorical question. ”If you’re busy the whole time I’m here, you’ll just have to come to me, won’t you?” A brow rises in Anden’s direction, Nate’s smirk warming into something closer to an actual smile.
Nate’s head tips back and forth, considering the bottle, and their empty glasses. ”I don’t see anything wrong with finishing off the bottle.” He had a system that kept him from going through too much of anything, when the stubborn urge to feel the sharp burn of a drink, or the roughness of a smoke.
Like a bullet through a flock of doves To wage this war against your faith in me
Anden could tell Nate meant it, when he offered his help. Still though, Anden wasn't ready to travel down that rabbit hole. He had only just started to pull himself out of it with Dani's help. The next time, he wasn't sure he'd be able to find his way out without discovering the truth behind Eloise Marie's disappearance.
"Parties? While the other part of the world suffers." How fitting. So much about this world still made no sense to Anden. So much about Torchline seemed like a paradise in comparison to the Grounds. Anden didn't know equality before Caido, and he wasn't going to find it here it seemed. "A pirate King? Of course there is." The Torchline continued to interest Anden more and more. What was going on there.
Sometimes he was fun to be difficult, he wouldn't say it was specific to Nate. "Go to Torchlines?" Now that was a thought. Anden had been thinking about leaving the Grounds for awhile now, but he was never really sure where he'd go. "I don't know, I hear it's way too hot there. Anden flashed a smirk, before he continued. "Asides that, what would I even do there? What would he even do here - or anywhere for that matter. But Anden pushed that thought away from his mind for now.
”Yup, the more things change, the more they stay the same, huh?” Obviously Nate has no idea what kind of place Anden came from, but people seemed to generally lean towards being terrible in groups, no matter how good they might be one on one. A sly grin drags the corners of Nate’s mouth up as he straightens, leans in like he’s imparting great wisdom on Anden, instead of tourism pitches. ”Torchlines got everything you could want from a place. Beaches, bars, a pretty face and a thriving underbelly.” What else could you possibly need from a place?
”Just to visit, if you want.” Really though, Nate can’t imagine anyone just visiting Torchline. He certainly hadn’t been able to. ”You know you feel the heat about as much as you feel the cold. It’s just the sun you gotta worry about, and with Deepfrost coming...” Arms spread wide, Nate letting his words speak for themselves at this point.
Unblinking eyes lock on his fellow ascended, Nate barely bothering to hide his grin. ”What’re you doing here in the Grounds?” Nate retorts automatically, a brow lifting as he stared Anden down. He doesn’t know it’s a thought they’re trying to avoid, but he seems to recognize he may be touching a nerve, hands lifting in placation before Anden can get a word in. ”I’m not gonna force you. I’m just saying. Think about it. It’s not like you don’t know anyone.”
Like a bullet through a flock of doves To wage this war against your faith in me
Torchline seemed vastly different than anywhere Anden had ever been before. His homeland was reserved, hidden, and quiet. Fear of the Kingdom finding its way to their inn on the outside of the forest loomed over them with each passing moon. His new life in the Grounds, was filled with darkness, each day he heard another heartbreaking story, learnt of another ghost from someone's past. Torchline seemed free of all of that.
"It sounds so... thrilling." That was the only word Anden could find to describe it. "Definitely will need to visit it at some point." Probably sooner than later.
What was he doing in the Grounds. Heck if Anden knew. This was just where he ended up. He'd been living out his life here since then, trying to survive. To build up some semblance of a life ever since. Oliver found him, and brought him to manor. He'd made a family of sorts there with Aisha, Dani, and Oliver... But it's not like any of them really wanted to be in the Grounds. It was just where they ended up. Like seeds being blown through the wind, they planted their roots in the Grounds.
"I'll keep it in mind." Anden paused. "Is it as beautiful as you make it sound? Anything had to be more beautiful than the grey scale of the Grounds. Every moment here felt like it drained him. It was the people who energized him, gifting him the desire to keep pushing forward. "Can you see the stars?"
Thrilling is definitely a word for it. And Nate is definitely being choosy in what he mentions and what he doesn’t. Yes, Torchline is beautiful, and mysterious, and amazing, but it’s also dangerous. Even without talking about how he’d lost his eye there, the volcano, the hideous monsters lurking in tunnels and jungle, the ocean would swallow you whole without hesitation.
”Its amazing.” Nate breathes, eyes starry and distant, thinking of a half dozen moments, out of the hundreds, thousands that would have taken his breath away. ”Theres... rainbow geysers, and crystal and reefs that show up in low tide. The cliffs and the jungles and the ocean.” It’s his home, of course he thinks it’s beautiful, but there’s something special about Torchline too, something Nate tries to community care in the sidelong grin he throws towards Anden. ”You’ll see more stars than you ever have before.”
Because obviously Anden was coming to Torchline now. Even if just for a visit, even if just to see, even if just to spend Longnight there.
Nate’s head lifts a moment before the door clatters open, a too tall form stepping into the bar. ”Thats my queue.” His earlier bad mood is utterly forgotten, between the conversation and the reappearance of his husband. Standing and gathering his things, Nate spares a hand to clap Andens shoulder, grin firmly in place on his face. ”I’ll see you in Torchline. I’m not hard to find.” Then, with a wink, he all but threw himself into the arms of his husband, disappearing into a door behind the bar.
Fin
Like a bullet through a flock of doves To wage this war against your faith in me
