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!
Noah had not been in the Kraai since Korbin disappeared. He stood outside the door for some time, staring up at the sign. His stomach churned as he stood there, contemplating whether to go inside or not. He did not want to, really. He felt he had to. He did not want to go home. He did not want to see Delphine. It was too dark to be out on the tundra, and he had already spent most of his day there. He knew a light in his office would attract the attention of people for business, and he was not ready to work on that just yet.
So, here he stood, hands in his pockets, staring.
After what seemed like an eternity, he entered. A few eyes cast his way, a few murmuring greetings lifted through the warm air. Inside the Kraai was teeming with life. She would have wanted this, he thought to himself. His glacier eyes scanned and he found the perfect spot. It was the table she would sit in to have private conversations, and most people left it alone. Noah knew, however, he would have been welcome at the table if she were seated. He would have been greeted warmly--moreso than most people could claim. He chose a chair with his back facing the wall. Settling down, Noah nodded as the waitress set a drink down in front of him. She was s good, that waitress. He didn't have to ask, and she knew what he wanted. From his pockets the hunter drew a small carving knife and a palm-sized block of wood. He carved and drank, in silence.
cause it makes me that much stronger makes me work a little bit harder
After talking to Gideon, Luciana worried she might've judged the lands outside of Stormbreak too quickly and too harshly. So she bundled herself up and transported to the Citadel once more. This time, she headed not for the training grounds, but rather somewhere she could get to know what the normal people of Halo were like.
Which meant a pub. It didn't take long to get directions to one. Entering, she raised her eyebrows when she saw a familiar figure. Not knowing the significance of the table, she slid into the seat across from the man she'd sparred with, nodding for a drink of her own. "I didn't catch your name last time I saw you."
An ale was slid in front of the Hammer and she thanked the server. Taking a sip, she pressed her lips together. Jerking her chin at the wood in the man's hands, she curled her fingers around her cup. "What're you working on." She leaned forward to get a better look.
it makes me that much wiser so thanks for making me a fighter
He was sitting alone for quite some time when the woman appeared. He had been nursing his drink, and focusing on his carving. He had the basic shape and outline done, and was working on the finer details. Something he knew to be quite dangerous with too much alcohol, thus the nursing of his drink. So focused on his witling, the hunter only registered the woman's presence when she sat at his table. In her seat. Glacier eyes lifted from the wooden carving to the woman. Familiarity washed over him and he offered her a small smile in greeting. "Noah." He said. he placed the carving knife down on the table and extended his hand for her to shake, should she take it.
"What brings you back to Halo?" He knew she was back, from wherever she had been from, because the hunter paid attention. He had not seen her in the streets, in the market, nor on the tundra. Her presence had not graced the council building, either. He lifted an eyebrow at the woman's question, and looked down at his carving. He turned it over in hand a few times before extending it to show her. "A carving of Ludo. I heard people are making likenesses of him to present for the season."
cause it makes me that much stronger makes me work a little bit harder
Luciana sipped from the drink again, nodding as Noah introduced himself. Reaching out with her free hand, she shook his in a firm and calloused grip. "Luciana." Letting go, she shrugged. "Figured I should check out more than just the training ground. So here I am." She gestured around at the bar.
Frowning, she tapped a finger against the mug. "Huh. I hadn't heard of that." Leaning forward, she looked over the carving. Then she reached into her belt and pulled out a carving knife of her own. "Any chance you've got a spare piece of wood lying around?" Turning, she inspected the tavern, searching for something else she could use if the answer happened to be no.
it makes me that much wiser so thanks for making me a fighter
Her firm grip did not take Noah by surprise, nor did the feeling of her calloused hands. He suspected that she must be some tradesperson, if she weren't a warrior. She had a great deal of strength and power in her fairly small form. He wondered for a moment what she did for a living as they shook hands.
He made a short hming noise of interest when the woman mentioned she hadn't heard about the Ludo dolls. Noah shrugged some along with it. Maybe it was something people were just doing in Halo, Noah was not sure. Her ignorance about it, though, did not take away any interest she had in participating. He watched with bright eyes as she pulled her own carving knife from her bodice and his smile broadened some. "I sure do." He turned his body around some and rummaged around in the pocket of his jacket, draped over the back of his chair. He pulled out a similar sized hunk of wood to what he had started with. "Here you go." He held it out to her. He had originally brought it in case he ruined his first carving terribly, but if she wanted to use it, Noah would gladly give it.
For as haunted as he was to be sitting at this table, in this bar, he was glad that the company that came to him did not know of it.
cause it makes me that much stronger makes me work a little bit harder
Taking the wood that Noah offered, Luciana inclined her head towards him. She took a moment to turn it over in her hands, looking at every inch of it before responding to him. When she finished her inspection, she nodded. "Thank you." Picking up her carving knife, she began to peel strips from the wood, swiftly creating a small pile of shavings.
She kept the man in her peripheral vision as she worked. Although she would be fine sitting there working quietly, the silence soon became awkward even for her. So she cleared her throat. "Do you worship Ludo? Or is this just because it's Leafchange?"
it makes me that much wiser so thanks for making me a fighter
12-28-2020, 07:00 PM (This post was last modified: 02-25-2021, 06:44 PM by Noah.)
will heaven step in?
Noah could have been completely content to sit here with Lucianna and work in silence. Her presence was enough company to keep his mind from lingering too much on Weaver, or on Korbin. The hunter whittled away at the wood in his hands, working to carve as carefully as he could. The wood was softer than he expected, and the carving came easily enough, and he knew if he did not treat this project with careful tenderness it would end badly -- and he had given away his back up.
When the woman spoke, Noah's eyes moved towards her. At her question, the man shrugged gently. "A lot of my life has been about survival rather than worship. I hadn't had an experience with the gods outside of my attuning until the portal opened." Glacier eyes moved back down to his work, turning the small doll over in his palm. "I've decided I need to give the gods more attention than I have before."
