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!
"And medicine, if it comes to that." Ronin shrugs gently beneath her hand, his smile lopsided. Hell, it works for him most nights already, and since having to take a very impromptu nap to guide a Spyglass out of his own nightmares, there's always that to count on too. Still, the Dragoons soon fade from his mind - whatever dance they are dancing, Ronin isn't stupid enough to think he's immune to it. Safrin is a goddess, one he has been drawn to since the moment he first came to a shrine in Caido.
So he bends willingly to whisper sweetness into her ear, his body relaxing under her touch, his hand itching to slip around her waist and hold her close. Lips part, as if to describe all of this to her in great detail, though she will doubtlessly feel him smile on the precipice of speaking. "You will have to slip into my dreams and find out, won't you?" he suggests, drawing back enough to gaze at her with warmth in his eyes.
She can feel the potential in him, the things he might do, the actions he might take. She can almost hear the tearing of silk and what it might sound like for her dress to be cast aside into the flowers. But instead of such things or words whispered in a charming accent, he pulls away.
She could have killed him on the spot, for that.
Instead she lets her hand fall away from his shoulder, her eyes playfully (?) narrowed. "And how do you know I haven't already?" She wonders, having slipped into the Star's dreams before seemingly without him noticing. "So you wish for your projection to...travel? Is that it? Being in two places at once Ronin...it can fracture a man." Pausing for a moment, Safrin kneels down into the grasses, running her hands through them. "Would you take on that burden?"
He knows he's toeing a fine line - he knows that, regardless of what he has done or what games they play, he must tread carefully. And he's making deals and promises no matter what comes of tonight. So when Safrin pulls away Ronin feels the subtle undercurrent of danger, the frustration in not bending to her will. But she continues, and he offers her a dashing smile for her trouble, plopping down into the grass opposite her to admire the way fireflies and flowers cluster about the goddess.
"I would expect nothing less," he says honestly, to her dream spying. "It would be lovely, though, to be the star in one of them, wouldn't it?" Pun intended. Then, of course, discussion moves to more serious matters, and Ronin grows more solemn. He nods quietly. "I can project at a distance already, but... not far. No farther than the Silk Houses, or the Tower."
It's risky, but then aren't all ambitious plans? I'm willing to take on anything if it means seeing Remi again. It almost slips out that way, and Safrin will undoubtedly lift it from his thoughts anyway. Still, he tempers it for her. "With your support, I could move mountains." It's still just as honest, if in a different ways. "I'm willing."
It is a dangerous game they both play. Perhaps that's why Safrin allows it to continue. Why she has to allow it.
Tilting her head sharply over her shoulder, the goddess raises a brow. The star. It is of course precisely what she wants, but does Ronin know what it is he offers? What being the star means to someone like Safrin? "Lovely is one word for it," She all but purrs as she luxuriously lowers down into the grass so that she can gaze up at the stars.
Indeed thoughts of Remi slip in, and it is a good thing Safrin's eyes are directed upwards lest they shoot daggers Ronin's way. One day she will banish the Lullaby from her Star's thoughts. One day, his mind will only be full of her.
"Across the world, then." Safrin says pulling in a breath that makes the fabric of her dress softly tighten across her chest. "You will have to learn what it is to be fractured, before you can control yourself over such a distance." Plucking a single blade of grass, Safrin presses it between her thumbs and brings it to her lips. Blowing softly it lets out a whistle that echoes throughout the meadow. Flowers bloom suddenly around her, buds growing swollen and opening to reveal small stars of various colours. Orange for glutton, red for rage, violet for passion, white for deception, and black for chaos. "When you are ready, pluck the petals off of each flower. You will find yourself suddenly divided, your other self fully encompassed by a different passion. You, like a ghost, will have to watch yourself. Only with utmost concentration will you be able to break through and control your other self."
* Ronin won't know ahead of time what flower-colour is tied to what emotion
Of course Ronin has no idea what depths he might be plummeting into with his offers - he is merely half god, a bare whisper of what Safrin is capable of, and he falters. Hard. But it makes him no less committed in his folly, watching in quiet awe as the goddess settles herself in the grass like a nymph, plucking up blades to make them sing and conjuring beautiful flowers all around. He snaps back to attention to hear her remarks about this, brow furrowing to examine the blooms.
"I understand," he murmurs with a gentle nod, clambering to his feet to move and collect the flowers with care and delicacy. When he's done, Ronin of course lowers back to one knee before the goddess, the blooms cradles in the crook of one arm. "Thank you," he says, quietly and reverently, starlight all but cascading out of him. "Thank you for giving me this chance. And for caring for me enough to let me know the dangers. To teach me how to try this safely."
Sitting up, the mosses sighing their disappointment to lose her warmth, she stretches out a hand. Her fingers softly caress the curve of his jawline, lingering there for a moment, bathing in both his light and hers.
"Of course. I think you will find these experiences...quite telling." She flashes him a smile then. He'll know soon enough what she means by that, but there's no point in spoiling the fun or causing him unnecessary anxiety about what's ahead. Besides, he'll never know in advance what splitting himself into two will entail. No reason he should have that knowledge now.
"Now go, sugar. Go, and come back to me just as soon as you can." So saying, Safrin's light outshines even the moon, and when it fades, Ronin will find himself alone on a bench in the middle of the Celestine.
