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!
It is the second time Ronin has come to petition Cian at the Eye's office, except this time the Star knows what to expect. He was serious about heeding Tobi's warning, and serious about his intention to speak to Cian regarding what had happened the night before at the Falling. There's another reason for him being there, though - one that is less to do with skyboats and more to do with why he is at Stormbreak to begin with.
So Ronin arrives not in anything formal, but in his training gear, all leather and boots and weighted vests, his eyes bright despite the early hour. He hasn't made an appointment this time, so he's prepared, both for the possibility that this will be a quiet chat at a desk, or for the Eye to find some way to squirrel them off to another part of the city. Inhaling deeply and letting it go again, he reaches out and knocks at the door.
you're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way
'Come—'
The curtains behind Cian's desk are heavy and drawn open to let the early morning light spill onto his desk in puddles. Many candles are lit despite this, and for good reason: the Eye is looking over some of Sera's architectural drawings. He can't afford to think that a shadow is actually part of her design, indicating depth or some such.
Smartly dressed as always and with a coffee next to him, the Eye does not bother to look up as Ronin enters, instead furrowing his brow deeply at what he's looking at.
12-11-2020, 09:27 PM (This post was last modified: 12-11-2020, 09:48 PM by Ronin.)
the baffled king composing hallelujah
Come, Cian says, and Ronin obliges, stepping into the Eye's office and clicking the door shut after him. He has to admit that the appearance of candles, of all things, after all the wonders shown to him by Stormbreak... it's a quaint surprise. Still, he approaches to stand before the desk and glance down at the sketches that Cian is poring over, tilting his head. "Planning an extension?" he muses, his arms linked loosely behind his back.
It feels almost like visiting the General of the Storm, back when he'd been nothing but a grunt worker for the Guard, except this time he's a little less eager to please and a little more savvy to the ways of the world. And to think there was an alternate reality somewhere, where Ronin Taliesin had become a Bloodfiend. "Forgive me, it's none of my business of course," he adds on, waiting patiently for Cian to be finished before speaking further.
you're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way
One might have thought the Eye the type of man to snarl when one over steps. But he isn't. He's the sort to let you turn up the heat and boil yourself alive. Slowly and without an ounce of concern or hurry, Cian tilts his dusty blue eyes up toward Ronin. Without breaking the stare, his fingers nimbly fold the diagram upon which he'd been pouring over back into a neat rectangle, before tucking it away in a drawer.
"Is there something I can help you with, Ronin?" He wonders, voice conversational enough, though his actions have more than answered the Star's later comment: No, it certainly wasn't any of his business.
12-11-2020, 09:44 PM (This post was last modified: 12-11-2020, 09:47 PM by Ronin.)
the baffled king composing hallelujah
Ronin meets Cian's gaze, blue on blue, and he considers his next words carefully while the Eye places the sketch back into a drawer. He considers them very carefully... and this is still what he comes out with. "I took a skyboat for a joyride yesterday and it was damaged. I intend to go to the Falling after seeing you here, so I might make amends." It goes without saying that he will be gone for much of the day up on the cliffs. "I thought you ought to know, in case a few angry sky sailors come a'knocking."
With a tight smile, he waits for no reaction and merely continues, stepping back from the desk to address Cian properly. "And I'm also interested in joining the Order, potentially. I was wondering if you might explain to me how the organisation works." He tilts his head. "Unless, of course, you think the Order would be better without me. Believe me when I say I would understand were that the case." Especially given what he's just said.
you're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way
'It's already been taken care of." Cian replies in a voice that almost sounds dryly amused. Almost. That the Eye knew already, that it has been handled, shouldn't be that much of a surprise. But then again Ronin is new to Stormbreak. Perhaps he thought he could come in and own his mistakes earlier than Cian would have heard of them.
"Have a seat." Raising a hand and gesturing at the two chairs before his desk, one still bearing the marks of Amalia's claws in the armrests, the Eye studies the Star for a long moment before speaking. "What do you know of the Order so far? You must have some idea about us. You don't strike me as the sort of man to hitch yourself to a wagon without knowing at least something about it."
"I appreciate that, but I'll be going to see the boatsman all the same," Ronin says softly, with a quiet smile. Yes, part of him had expected that the Eye would... well, see. It's what he's for, after all. But never one to let others smooth over his mistakes, Ronin will be on his way nevertheless. If nothing else it's an excuse to see the skyboats in the light, as well. Tilting his head as Cian offers him a seat, the Star does indeed take one, sinking down so he might gaze at the other man on equal footing.
He, of course, has inadvertently chosen the one with punctures in the armrests, not that he has noticed just yet. "Regardless of the sort of man I strike you as, I am already hitched to Stormbreak," he reminds him with a shrug that suggests he's made as much peace with it as he ever will. "I know that the Order are charged with preserving the peace that trapping the Voice behind the barrier in the Hollowed Grounds provided. I know that war is coming - I have all but been told as much."
Ronin's brow furrows; he gazes out of the window into the morning light. "But what I don't understand is why the Stormbreak Dragoons aren't already under the Order's remit. There... is a lot of work, to be done with them. A lot of talent, but very little experience." Put bluntly, for all their training, they'll be sitting ducks in an ambush.
you're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way
"You're free to do as you see fit." Though...there's something in the Eye's tone that suggests otherwise. Still, for now, Ronin's freedoms within Stormbreak are without bounds. When he goes, as he inevitably will, Ronin will find Gus won't hear a word he has to say. Smoothed over with bribes as much as with fear, the boat-master will want little to do with the Star. And the pilot with the concussion? He certainly won't be accepting help from Tobi anytime soon.
'Stormbreak yes, but not the Order.' The Eye smoothly interjects, nodding along as Ronin recounts what he knows. Raising a brow Cian offers the Star a sympathetic smile as he shakes his head. "They are. I'm sure you've met Amaris Chandrakant? The Blade?" Not commenting on Ronin's judgements of them, the Eye simply reaches for his cup of coffee.
12-11-2020, 10:21 PM (This post was last modified: 12-11-2020, 10:22 PM by Ronin.)
the baffled king composing hallelujah
"And so I will." Thus ends the conversation in that regard, however much of a closed door Ronin is about to find against the boatmaster. Instead he laughs softly at the divide that Cian gives towards the city and its governing body. "That is like saying I am tethered to Torchline but not its smuggling community," he murmurs. "Spare me, Cian. I know enough about this place now to know the power when I see it." He shrugs his shoulders.
Nodding at the other man's question, he leans back in his seat, remembering his first day in Stormbreak. "I have, yes. She introduced me to the Dragon's Nest when I first arrived, but I confess I haven't seen anything of her since. By her title I assume she is part of the Order as well?" He raises an eyebrow.
you're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way
"No, it isn't like that at all." This time the Eye's voice is more cutting, despite his smile. "The Order is highly specialized and focused in their pursuits. While it's true that all of Stormbreak knows of us, it is not the case that our citizens are tethered." So much control has Cian of his face, that not even the skin around his eyes grows tight with tension as he speaks.
Spare me, Ronin had said. Indeed.
'Do you...require something of her?' To be babysat, perhaps? "She is, yes. For many years now." The Eye replies, taking a sip of his coffee before setting it down on his desk. "So what you know of us is that we are meant to keep the peace. A war is coming, yes, but joining the Order requires pledging your fealty to our cause. A cause that will not simply end if and when the war does. And of course it will require following orders." The Eye shrugs a touch at this, as if bringing himself to heel is something the Star wouldn't struggle with at all.
"Your citizens might not be tethered, but I most certainly am," Ronin repeats, having never suggested otherwise. He tries not to let a smile creep across his face at the sudden flare of what is undoubtedly emotion, despite the admittedly stellar way the Eye handles it. Besides - Ronin can always ask Gus, later, what he thinks about how tethered he is to the Order. His fingers dance along the chair arm, finding the nicks and punctures from claws.
"Of course I require things of her," he says, sitting up again now. "More involvement, perhaps. Any idea about how the Dragoons are meant to fit into the Order's plans. At the very least, an idea about how many of those men and women you plan to sacrifice to the Ascended as cannon fodder when the time comes. Because I have seen war, Cian, and they are not ready for it."
Okay, maybe Ronin is the one having a flare of emotion now. As for following orders, he scoffs. "My husband and my infant child are in the Greatwood, and I am here discussing politics with you. You'd know if I was against obeying an order."
TALIESIN
they said it's all been done
but they haven't seen the best of me
you're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way
'Being tethered is not what the Order requires.' Cian says, his voice the verbal equivalent of waving away annoying smoke from a campfire. Whatever this man who has been in Stormbreak all of two weeks thinks of her citizens is not Cian's concern.
"Let me remind you that this is not the world you came from. The wars you have seen, in your land without gods, are unlike anything you will experience here." Smirking and then scoffing under his breath, Cian rises from his chair to turn his back to the Star. Hands clasped loosely on his lower back, the Eye gazes up into the morning dawn and breathes in a deep and relaxed breath. "Cannon fodder, mmm? And wherever did you get that idea? That we would fight our wars so...carelessly?"
As for Remi and Mateo? The Eye does not look back over his shoulder as he continues to speak. "Do not mistake the lack of opportunity as following orders." Had Ronin a compass, no doubt he'd be gone already. That he hadn't, because of mere circumstance, hardly counted in his favour.
12-11-2020, 11:08 PM (This post was last modified: 12-11-2020, 11:08 PM by Ronin.)
"Tell me, then." Ronin frowns at Cian, baldly unafraid to call out, to be taught. "Tell me about how you fight your wars. Tell me about the armies and their strategies and their units. Who led them, and where I can speak to them. How you won or lost, and how many died. Tell me why I'm wrong about your Dragoons, and how useful they will be at defending Stormbreak."
The Eye rises to his feet and Ronin remains seated, legs stretched out, ankles crossed. Still, he can't help but huff out a laugh under his breath at Cian's last comment. "Do not mistake love for weakness," he fires back, before waving a hand. "I can follow orders better when I'm not distracted." Something which Eyes and gods alike seem to struggle to understand.
TALIESIN
they said it's all been done
but they haven't seen the best of me
you're either on my side, by my side, or in my fucking way
"Much as I'd love to, I have other things to see to this morning. Perhaps later we could take a trip to the archives and I could direct you to the information you seek." Which was of course Cian's way of being both helpful as well as being firmly unyielding to Ronin's demands of him and his time. "You and Amalia are alot alike." He notes, denim eyes lowering to the scours from her claw marks in the chair; how funny that Ronin's fingers fit so easily into them.
'I never have.' The Eye replies, then finally does turn his chin over his shoulder, to shoot Ronin a challenging, but amused smile. "So is your love the distraction? Or trying to find your way back to him, which is?" This is: was having Remi better for following orders, or being without?
