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!
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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!
"At least unchecked in the ways I would expect of them," he agrees - should any demigod decide that they didn't want anything to do with tHe pLaN, would anyone beyond their parent gods be able to stop them? He doesn't think so. That's not to say that he expects the worst, but... it's a difficult think to reconcile. And it's something that his fuzzy mind wants very much to let go, and so Finn gladly does it.
He presses his eyes shut to hear her admission, the Spyglass nodding his understanding and tolerating the attention given to him with surprising calm. Enjoyment, even, if he's honest. "I don't know how it could have been someone else," he murmurs. "Not many know about it. Only those in the clinic. You, Falke, and Cian of course." He shrugs his shoulders, blinking his eyes back open.
"It's more likely to be me. Some part of me that... forgot, or was too tired, or too..." Mad.
There's something reassuring about the shape of the bones beneath Finn's skin, not that you'd ever be able to properly express why. Something to do with your love of anatomy probably, and the uncomplicated nature of it all. It should be traumatic, probably, to hold his hand like this given what had once happened to it. But you two have made peace with what happened, and so you're content to keep holding Finn's hand without it feeling like you're holding his hand.
You offer a non-committal hum, thinking Finn was probably right. "I can't see anyone wanting to hurt you." If anything the Spyglass seemed to attract would-be heroes who wanted to do nothing other than save him. You're in that group too, probably, but it is your job. That, and you're more concerned with keeping Finn healthy than SaVinG hiM FroM HiMSelF.
'Well that's easy enough then. If I have the pills it won't matter how tired or forgetful you are. Problem sorted." Brightly said, you flash Finn a smile. Yes, he might have died. Yes, it took a demigod to save him, but all was well now.
"I feel like Cian absolutely wants to hurt me at times. But not like this," Finn admits with a sad sort of smile, peeling his eyes back open to blink up at Tobi. He lets out a quiet and shuddering sigh, sinking into the bed further and trying to make peace with the fact that he can't trust anything any more - not even himself. His free hand comes up to rub at his forehead, swiping his curls out of his eyes and trying to focus on Tobi and nothing else.
Though there's a niggling thought in the back of his mind that suggests he can't trust her either.
"Problem solved," he repeats, as if he might be able to convince himself. There's a beat of silence where they simply sit and exist, her fingers clasped around his. "Who do you need to tell about this?" he asks. "I'm not... obviously, I won't ask you not to say anything. I'd just... I'd like to know."
"That's because he knows he'll have to deal with me, if he ever does." Your smile is sweet but your words are sharply defensive. Rarely do you half-shift, either going all the way into it or not at all, but just now beneath your hair and your scrubs, your hackles have raised.
Looking down with a small frown, your fingers wander toward Finn's fingertips where they explore the callouses he's built up from hours and hours plucking and pressing on guitar strings. "Anytime a member of the Order comes in I'm required to submit a report to Cian, outlining the nature of the visit, whether any follow-up procedures are needed, and if there is anything medical preventing them from continuing their work."
You won't lie for Finn, and you think he knows this about you. It simply isn't the sort of person that you are. What's right is right, regardless of what you might think or feel about it. 'And with Ronin having to be involved he might take more notice than he otherwise would.' You add with an apologetic twitch of your lips.
Finn's eyes drop away at the hint of protectiveness that sneaks through Tobi's tone, a faint smile twitching at his lips. He's not sure how to react to the caresses delivered to his fingertips, the gesture both unfamiliar and not. It doesn't take long for the feeling to trigger a memory deep within him, and his hand jerks out of hers once more. "Sorry," he mumbles with an awkward clear of his throat, the Spyglass staring off at the opposite wall by now.
He listens to her explanation with all the patience of a man on trial found guilty, and there's no rebellion in him, no outrage. "Include whatever you need to," he says with a nod. "I'll expect a meeting with Cian sooner rather than later, in the meantime."
Is it possible, he wonders, to feel more tired after overdosing on sleeping medicine? If it is, that's precisely what's happened to Finn right now. "I suppose you will need me to stay here, for observation?"
"Sorry, I—"—forgot that it was you I was touching? Forgot how slow you need things to be? That this isn't the sort of thing you like? But instead of apologizing and making real the sudden discomfort for having pushed Finn out of his comfort zone, you merely shoot him a crooked smile. "Geeze Finn, it isn't my fault that your callouses feel like weird finger-hats." It's silly and stupid and you lean into it, beaming a bright-white smile at the Spyglass and shrugging it off, refusing to let things stagnate in uncomfortable waters.
"It was just a dosage error. Nothing to be worried about. If anything I expect Cian will be more interested in the role that Ronin played. Slipping into the mind of someone else seems very up his alley."
As for Finn remaining? "Until everything is out of your system, yes. But if you prefer and have a spare blanket, I can always sleep by your door if you want to be in your own bed." This is said with as much casualness as you can muster because you know that 1. Finn hates having anyone in his rooms, but that he also 2. Hates being under a microscope here in the medical wing. As a dog your presence isn't that intrusive, but you're happy to respect his privacy if remaining here is the lesser of two evils.
Finn is well prepared for this to stray into the sort of awkward territory that almost feels comfortable by this point, so Tobi's remark does exactly what it's intended to. He huffs out a surprised laugh, flexing his hand and glancing down at it, thumb running across his fingertips as if to test that out himself. "Finger hats," he repeats, raising his eyebrows at her. "I haven't played for a while. They'll disappear if I'm not careful."
Nose scrunching regarding Cian's interest in the Star - Finn wishes none of that sort of intensity on anyone - it's nonetheless a relief to know he might not be under such scrutiny again quite so soon. And with Tobi taking his medicine over, with any shred of luck this will be the first and last time something like this happens.
Her offer is a kind one, one that Finn doesn't take lightly, but for once he's in the right sort of mindframe to see himself in relation to other people. A rarity indeed. "I'll stay here, if it's all the same, Tobi." He smiles. "Thank you, for doing all that you did."
You frown deeply, folding your arms with over the top disappointment across your chest. "Not taking care of your finger hats? Finn." You scold, before relaxing into a more comfortable posture and grinning. "I'm prescribing at least two hours of guitar a day, doctor's orders."
You nod at his decision, not reading into it one way or another, but merely taking the Spyglass at his word. "Alright then." Glancing around the room then as if having just realized something, you turn back to Finn with a vague look of confusion on your face. "No more owl?" Frankly you're glad, having not liked the silent intensity of the owl.
Appropriately scolded but unable to provide much more than confused amusement at her antics, Finn holds up his hands as if to placate her. "Alright, alright. I'll take care of my finger hats." He nods to her, though there's something reluctant in it that has never been there before. Truth be told, since the strings had been left on his desk, he hasn't touched his guitar, let alone put the new strings on it. He doesn't want to, and he can't quite place why.
Speaking of which, Tobi notices Artemide's absence as well, and Finn nods his confirmation. "No more owl," he agrees, sounding more relieved than he would like to admit. "She flew out through the skylight a few days ago. I suppose my work with her was done." Work in general, though? That's never done.
"Next time we play together I'll know if you haven't been following my instructions." You remind him and a smirk, having not heard about Safrin nor any of the lingering strangeness with Artemide.
"That's probably for the best. I've never met Safrin, but I hear she really isn't the type to be kept waiting." Being an attuned in a city of mostly-accepteds, you find yourself at quite the divine-disadvantage. Luckily though your earlier encounters with Rae have provided you nearly everything you think you could ever want, and so you've never felt too concerned about it.
"Speaking of Safrin, I suppose I should go check on Ronin too. Was there...when he pulled you out, did it all seem fine?" You've no idea what it was like for either of them, but other than tired the demigod seemed perfectly fine.
The idea of playing again with Tobi does bring some warmth and ease back into Finn's expression, and he nods gently to her. "Then I had better work hard not to get another scolding," he remarks with a smirk, fingertips rubbing absently together as if to test the callouses and how much his next practice might be affected by the lack of attention paid to his instrument. Nodding in agreement about Safrin, the Spyglass seems as though he's about to get lost in thoughts of the star-clad goddess; luckily, Tobi draws his attention again.
"It was fine for me," he says, though that doesn't really say anything to how it was for Ronin, the man having done all the hard work. "It was like waking up from a very good sleep, honestly." Despite the truly nightmarish depths he'd plunged into, following the soft glow of celestial light seemed to wipe it all away, to warm him and clear his mind of it all. "Go ahead - I should be alright here, I think."
There's a sex joke in there of course, about it having been fine for Finn, but you don't make it. Whether it's because things have already gotten awkward between you, because of his history, or because objectively Ronin is just about the most handsome man you think you've ever seen, you don't know.
'Alright, well you know the drill and how to call one of the nurses if you need anything. I'll be back to check on you in a few hours." Rising from the bed but not before giving Finn's pillow and obnoxious fluffing, you bring him a glass of water and set it on the bed side table.
There's a lightness about being left to his own devices that nothing else seems to bring, and as Tobi walks him through the usual protocol (and how bad things must be, for this to seem usual by now), Finn waves her away and offers her a smile that nearly seems playful in the right light. He makes all the appropriate grumbles as she fluffs up his pillows, looking absurdly comfortable to say he's in a hosptal bed - again - after doing something stupid - again.
"Not unless you feel like hauling my office in here and giving me the research I was working on," he says, hoping it sounds absurd enough that she'll know it's a joke - he barely seems able to stay awake even after everything. So, assuming that she'll head straight out from here, Finn bids her a good afternoon and settles down to tend to his own ever-scattered thoughts.
