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!
Aurelia made her way through the city of Haulani, trying to stick to main streets. She passed between the buildings and people, feeling slightly more familiar with them now. It was still a new and daunting feeling, walking streets out in the open without threat of being attacked by wild animals. That instinctive flutter of her heart often had to be stilled, her brain had to be reminded that this was a new place; things were different in Caido.
A net was slung across her shoulder - the spear was left behind with Jack. Her dark hair curled behind her head in miniature waves, sun-dried and bound into a ponytail to keep the frizz out of her face. Her boots were a little worse for wear but, they'd survive a few more dunks in the ocean yet. What she'd give for a fucking nap, though. Her limbs felt limp from the fast-paced trek from Aumakua and sweat beaded along her temples. It was only when she was ready to give up that she spotted a shack that fit Jack's brief description.
Approaching it, she tried to peer inside to see if Saiden really was there but, the sun hindered her vision. "Hello? Saiden? You in there?" She called. Upon getting closer, she propped up an elbow on the window and held up the net with her other hand. Three mantas were entangled within it, fresh and ready to be cooked. "I brought you these."
12-02-2020, 11:45 AM (This post was last modified: 12-02-2020, 11:46 AM by Saiden.)
just take your time wherever you go
Saiden was really there, along with a few lingering customers. It was in between meals, but Torchliners ate at all hours of the day. The inside of the shack was kept cool by the open windows that let in sea breeze that did nothing to disperse the scents of food and drink. The cook was whistling as he stoked the fires of his stove and his oven, preparing for the next rush.
Looking up, he grinned at Aurelia. "Ye found me. Brought me what?" He tossed a log into the oven and closed the grate before making his way over to his crew mate. Eying the sack over he shoulder, he arched an eyebrow. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" Reaching out, he snagged the sack and brought it over to the kitchen, gesturing for her to follow.
Aurelia raised her brows as Saiden spoke up at her call. Eyes adjusting to the shade, she saw him standing by his stove, tending to the fire there, prepping, doing the kinds of things cooks would normally do. "Cloud mantas?" she answered, better able to see his rugged, one-eyed face as he neared to take a look for himself. To Aurelia, Saiden had always been one-eyed, and she didn't find it startling. She'd seen plenty worse done to a person's face - she'd inflicted worse. It was nothing that fazed her as she looked up at his gold-tinted, brown eye.
She let him take the net and, without protest, followed him back into the kitchen area. It was hotter in the shack and she felt it in one big wave. "Jack and I caught 'em not long ago, he was gonna bring 'em to you himself but," but, the smell of meat and spices made her body anticipate a good meal, and she was quite content to stay. She placed a hand on her hip, glancing around at the kitchen tools, "I offered to do it for him instead, figured you could use a hand... and teach me how to prepare those things," she nodded towards the mantas, glancing back up at him and adding, "if you're alright with that."
"Hmmmmm." Saiden inspected the offering, turning it this way and that as he considered the offering. Lifting the bundle, he sniffed it. His eye darted up and down as he considered the strange mix of plant and animal.
Grinning at Aurelia's explanation, his gaze slid over to her. "Jack didn't tag along, huh? Sounds about right, he's a lazy git." Chuckling, he turned and headed towards the kitchen, gesturing for her to follow him. "So ye want to play sous chef? Fine by me, I'll always take an extra pair of hands."
Reaching over to a hook on the wall, he took down an apron and tossed it to her. He himself wore an apron, shorts, and sandals, but was otherwise completely bare. Setting down the mantas on a table, he jerked his chin at them. "Wash those for me." There was a sink in the corner. Taking out a large cutting board and a knife, he started to sharpen the blade.
Aurelia smirked at the crack Saiden made and added, "You should've seen him try to catch 'em. He caught himself with the net." She let out her own small laugh, remembering the sight of him floundering about in the waters, tangled up in the netting.
She nodded at Saiden's question of if she wanted to be sous chef, watching as he reached for an apron on the wall. In a swish of movement, she caught it and looked it over.
"You got it, chef," she said as she tied the apron around herself. Then, scooping up the mantas, she brought them over to the sink. Although, noting the dirt on her palms, she took a moment to wash her own hands and arms first. The water was cool against her heated, red skin and she let out a soft sigh of relief.
Onto the actual task. She picked up one of the mantas and it almost fell through her fingers with just how slick and slimy it was. Curling her lip, she dunked them one by one under the water, using her fingers to wipe away any sand or grime.
Picking them up a bit haphazardly, she brought them over to where Saiden stood in front of a cutting board. She approached him on his right side and plopped them down onto the board. "All clean!"
Tilting her head around to examine the mantas, she asked, "Do you eat these a lot? ...They don't look all that appetizing."
Saiden threw his head back and boomed out a laugh at Aurelia's description. Shaking his head, he grinned at her. "Did he now? Well I'll have to tease 'im about it when I see 'im next."
Nodding as she already started to call him chef, he set down the now sharpened knife and started working on another one. He held it out to her after she dumped the cloud mantas. Scooting over to make room for her, he snagged one of the mantas and brought it over to his half of the cutting board. "Never had 'em before," he admitted. With that, he brought his blade down and began dicing them.
Aurelia grinned, herself, at Saiden's promise to tease Jack about it. "Oh, no, don't do that," she said sarcastically, everything about her expression saying that she hoped he would.
When he made room for her, she hesitated for a moment and made a slightly sour face. She wasn't particularly interested in cutting up these weird, slimy, fish-like creatures. The thought actually grossed her out. Which was funny, considering she'd spent years doing heinous things to people and even spent some of that time hunting animals. She'd often carved their pelts and cut their meat for food or to sell but, something about the sea animal in front of her was just... not sitting well with her.
Still, she wasn't one to offer help and then not actually give it. So, she took a knife and watched what Saiden was doing for a few moments. Then, doing her best to copy his actions, she set to work on her own manta. "Well! Then it'll be a first for both of us." She offered him a quick smile but, stayed focused on the cutting board for the most part.
As she diced the manta, a question came to the front of her mind. She asked it without looking, "So... how long have you been with the Ark? It seems like you've all known each other a while."
Saiden winked at Aurelia, though with only one eye it was obviously hard to tell. Whistling, he smiled. "He'd do the same to me, and turnabout's fair play." Chuckling, he shook his head, moving with a spring in his step at the prospect of bringing up this incident at an opportune time.
Nodding that it would be a novel experience, he focused on cutting the creatures. His own knife moved fast and sure, and he finished the first manta in a short time. Before he could snag another, though, he glanced over at her question. "Yeah, I've been with the Ark several years. I might be the oldest crew member aside Jack now that Elo's..." Voice trailing over, he went still. Turning away, he blinked away the tears that gathered in his eye.
"Why'd ye...why'd ye decide to join up?" Still not looking at her, he grabbed a corpse. His strokes as he diced had a bit more force behind them than before.
Aurelia's knife didn't quite move with as much confidence but, it wasn't too long after he'd started the last manta that she finished dicing the meat into equal-sized chunks. She wasn't looking at him as he answered her question. That was, until something in his tune changed and she glanced up at him, recognizing the weight of unspoken words glistening in his eye.
Her expression softened and she looked back over the meat before her. "How's it look?" she asked, gesturing towards her finished product.
Only, it was a feeble attempt to bring the conversation back to something lighter. Saiden's question, in and of itself, was simple but, Aurelia's answer was not. "Well, I haven't been in Caido for very long. I came in at the end of... "Longheat", I think?" She sighed, shaking her head. She remembered it as though it was yesterday. "Jack's the one who found me, all bloody and dazed and pissed off. Not exactly the best welcoming committee but, in his defense, I wasn't in the best state either. He, uh.. he explained a few things to me and we ended up making a deal. I could stay on the ship until I got on my feet, as long as I pull my weight."
"I actually just got done talking to him about making my stay more permanent. What with not being able to go back to my old world, you know. I'm not sure what else to do, at this point..."
Turning back to face Aurelia, Saiden nodded as he looked over her work. Grabbing a few of the larger chunks, he sliced them into slightly smaller pieces. "Good! Very good. Now we need to cut up the rest of them then season it all." Humming, he finished the second manta before heading over to his spice racks. He took down the salt, pepper, and then the chilis before returning to the cutting board.
"Longheat, aye," he confirmed. Mostly, though, he stayed quiet through her tale. Grinning as she mentioned that she was planning to stick around on the crew, he chuckled. "I suppose I should give ye a proper welcome then." Pulling out a flask and some glasses, he poured them both some rum. He raised his in a toast. "To the Ark and 'er crew!"
Aurelia nodded at the next set of instructions. Seasoning, she could do. So, she grabbed the spices and sprinkled them across the fresh meat, creating an even spread of flavors. If Saiden wanted something extra, he was free to add more. She stepped back to give him room and to finish relaying things to him, glancing over to gauge his reaction, to see if he would prod her for any other information.
Only, he didn't, and a pleasantly surprised smile parted her features when he broke out the rum. She took hers as he raised his and gladly followed suit, though her voice was a little quieter, a little less sure, "To the Ark." But she still smiled, because the gesture was quite welcoming.
She took a swig of the glass, smacking her flushed cheek against her teeth in a grimace. "Still not used to that," she glanced away, clearing her throat, "Not sure I ever will be."
When a few moments passed so that she could regain her composure and so that he could move on to the next step of cooking, Aurelia cocked her head to one side curiously. She parted the silence with her own inquiry, "So... why did you join the Ark, Saiden? More importantly, how have you put up with Jack for years?" There's a smile on her face again, small and humorous. But the look sobered as she listened for his answer.
Aurelia would soon find that Saiden would always want something extra when it came to food. Coming up beside her, he nodded at her work with the spices. "Very good." Reaching up to the spice rack, he pulled down one of his hottest peppers. He added just a pinch to the cloud manta bits, not wanting to overwhelm the rest of the dish.
Then he got out a pan and coated it with oil. When he was done, he put it on the stove. "Now we just fry 'em up." He grinned at her as he gestured for her to go right ahead. As she did, he double checked the fire under the stove. He poked it back into life and sent a short burst of air magic into it to get it going.
Chuckling as he closed the small door, he took poured himself another shot. "Ye will, given time." Shrugging at her question, he cupped the glass in his hands but didn't drink yet. "I've always been a sailor, so when a spot opened on the Ark I joined up. As for Jack, he's a bit of an ass but a good captain, which is all that really matters."
Aurelia was growing more excited at the prospect of trying out the manta, feeling the hunger that churned in her stomach. She finished off her shot and set the glass down by the bottle, not intending to have anymore - at least, not yet. She nodded at the followed instruction, smiling to herself as she found a nearby spatula. She poured the meat into the pan, once it seemed hot enough. It didn't take long.
"Hmm," she nodded at his answer, stirring the meat. She made sure it would cook evenly without burning. "that makes sense. Jack seems like an alright guy. I just like to give him shit, because it's... uh, fun!" She chuckled.
She had remained silent about the use of air magic, fully realizing that was what it was after a few moments passed and she dwelled on it. And he must have been using it back on the ship, when Melita had been struggling against the cloud wyrms. But she thought she'd ask anyway, glancing over at him quizzically, "Was that magic just now? Do you have other abilities?"
