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!
// i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright if i could trade mistakes for sheep, count me away before you sleep //
It changes everything, really. The trip back to Torchline made quickly, setting Adam and Peter up in the Advocates even easier. And yet, it still doesn’t feel like enough. He owes them, so much, for everything he’d done that brought them to their demise. But this, paired with the medicine he’s been taking, paired with the exhaustion and pain that’s splotched all along his face… Well, he doesn’t know where to start.
He is the Governor, however, and he could technically start wherever he wanted to. So he starts small, a knock on the door up to the Advocates that he’d given to the pair, leaning against the door of the hallway after that leads toward the stairs, arms crossed over his chest, settling all his weight against it. “Hope I’m not interrupting too much.” He murmurs once Adam is visible to him, inclining his head down the stairs toward the rest of the Slagveld and Haulani beyond.
“Care if I steal you away for the evening?” He asks after another heartbeat, having ensured it was evening in Torchline – or at least, close enough, that it wouldn’t be dangerous for his friend roam city with him.
i'll stay awake 'til i trade my mistakes, or they fade away
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Adam wasn't doing much of anything, really, still in a surprised daze, when Sunjata called down to him; he laughed. "I would say we were just having endless hot fucks down here, but you know that ain't true now, huh?" Actually, that was something he'd have to ask about - presumably Sunjata and Nate had worked something out about that particular element of relationships and could give some advice.
He glanced back into the room behind him, probably looking to Pet, then nodded and walked up to meet Sunjata. "Sure. So you wanna tell me how you ended up married to Nate?! I am somewhat fucking offended that my offer to suck you off was turned down only for you to go to Mr Thick Arms And Gruff Voice months later." The joking tone to his voice and hand on his chest, a pantomime of being wounded, indicated this was for the most part a joke, and he still followed Sunjata regardless of any offense taken.
// i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright if i could trade mistakes for sheep, count me away before you sleep //
Adam’s laughter is something that Sunjata wasn’t sure he’d ever hear again. To hear it chime back at him quirks his lips, has a huff of laughter of his own meeting the other man. “I do know that’s not true.” He murmurs, remaining leaned against the wall, letting his steel gaze – however tired it might be – focus on when Adam steps out of the door. A dark brow raises at the offense, amusement glittering in his eyes.
A rare sort of happiness that Sunjata hasn’t had in so long. “Oh, well, I didn’t know you wanted to fuck me so bad.” He can’t help the louder laugh that slips from him. “Maybe you should’ve taken charge like Mr. Thick Arms and Gruff Voice.” Tipping a wink toward him, he turns and pushes himself off the wall, the starry tattoos on his arms swirling with the movement as he guides them down the stairs to the front door of the Slagveld to Haulani at dusk and beyond. “For what it’s worth, Ascended bites are quite fun.”
He steps out into the alley that leads to the rest of it all, gesturing for Adam to pick which way he wishes to go. “Where would you like to go, first? Governor’s treat.” He can’t help the wink that slips from him, the way the smile on his face seems stiff with the soreness of his splotchy jaw, but it’s there in earnest in his eyes.
i'll stay awake 'til i trade my mistakes, or they fade away
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
The resigned tone Sunjata agreed with did not fill Adam with hope about the solution to his new bonerless existence, but he tried to not get disheartened for the time being; he'd barely begun and there was time to work it out.
"Ohhhh, you're a sub. Subjata. Okay, that makes more sense." Adam nodded, mystery solved; he supposed Nate was the sort that took control. Not really his thing, but if that was what rocked Sunjata's boat, he wouldn't knock it. He'd not yet had a chance to try out the Ascended bite for himself and the mention of it brought a smile to Adam's face as he swung through the door after Jata. "Yeah? Do y'know if it works if y'bite another Ascended? Y'know, just curious. Obviously."
They step outside and while it isn't sunny, it is brighter, and he gets his first good look at Sunjata. "Whoa, what happened to your face? And uh...I dunno, dude, what're the options? I never got to explore Torchline much before."
// i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright if i could trade mistakes for sheep, count me away before you sleep //
“Hey now, depends on the situation.” He rumbles, flashing a smirk to Adam as they step down the stairs. Truth be told, Nate’s the only one that had gotten him like that, aside from Hotaru’s attempts. But he stuffs any other comments down until the alley is before them, his gaze peering into the distance, before they slip back to Adam. “Mm well, rumor has it that it‘s better than a normal bite. It’s like, it doubles the intensity. I wouldn’t know of course, but.” He trails off, hoping that perhaps it might soothe whatever worries Adam’s harboring in that regard.
As for his face? It’s less painful than it has been previously, but the bruising is still stark against his skin. “Dislocated my jaw. It’s fine, Nate put it back.” He explains, shrugging it off, not wishing to go into the details of how and why it had happened. As for options? Well, there were a few. “Well, we’ve got beaches and jungles, a Port of merchants… Disappearing islands…” Already Sunjata steps forward, sure Adam will follow him, heading toward the Port. At least once they’re there they can branch off to whatever else.
i'll stay awake 'til i trade my mistakes, or they fade away
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"Heh." Maybe he'd ask Nate for tips later, though Sunjata and Pet were very different. Also, Adam suspected a lot of Nate's appeal as a burly man top was in his build, which....well, if anyone considered sticks held together with blu tack masculine and strong, he'd be in luck. "And...how's Nate doing, anyway?"
That the bite was apparently more intense with two Ascended involved put a smile on his face. That was a hypothesis he'd be trying very soon.
Adam raised an eyebrow as Sunjata casually informed him he had dislocated his jaw, but if he didn't want to elaborate, he wouldn't ask. He'd gotten much worse injuries (on his jaw, even) and just brushed them off the next day; sometimes you didn't want to talk about it. Following the other man he considered the options given, a hand rubbing his chin. Once he would have immediately suggested anywhere with a bar, but with that taken away... "Disappearing islands? That sounds fun. How come they disappear?"
// i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright if i could trade mistakes for sheep, count me away before you sleep //
How is Nate doing… Now that’s a question. Between all the trauma and everything Sunjata’s put him through, it’s a wonder Nate’s doing well at all. But of course, given the scar that bisects the Ascended’s face, there’s got to be some diamond in the mix. They have a new home, they run Torchline, Nate’s there for all of it and then some. “Better than previously.” He murmurs, a soft edged smile crossing his face. “We got married, actually. But there was this illness that took over and it affected the Ascended too. We’re all healed now, though. So… He’s good now, all things considered.” His head shifts a bit as he glances back toward Adam, as he’s already stepping through the alleys of Torchline toward everything and yet nothing in particular.
“I think it has to do with the tides, but they shift too. That part I think is probably more magical.” Shoulders rise and fall in a shrug before he’s leaning in a bit like he’s going to tell a secret. “Knowing Torchline though, there’s probably some ancient legend about it.” It wouldn’t surprise him, nor would he think it otherwise. As far as he knew, though? It was probably something magical or geological.
Sunjata shifts course to head to the islands anyway, nothing else on his agenda. “So… What’s it like? Coming back?” He asks, feeling like he’s treading dangerous territory and yet unable to stop himself.
i'll stay awake 'til i trade my mistakes, or they fade away
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"Man, everyone got married. We're getting old." Adam commented, making a face at the maturity they had adopted, including himself; he'd sworn, in his early 20s, that he would never be wed again, but here he was, 30 and happily settled. "Glad he's better. I'll have to catch up with him soon." He'd always gotten along reasonably well with Wren, given their similar histories and attitudes.
"Ooh, I like the legend thing more." Adam could see it now: maybe a King banned his commoners from being on the island at some times because that was when the sun shone the best and he wanted it for himself, maybe a jealous sea witch wanted the land to herself for dastardly plans...all kinds of stories he would have once jumped at a chance to be involved in.
He was ripped out of fantasies pretty quickly when Sunjata asked about his resurrection, though Adam wasn't necessarily distressed by the question, By all accounts, coming back from death had been a pretty painless process.
"I mean...it just kinda feels like I had a really, really long nap. I sort of remember the time between, and the...y'know, how I ended up there." What he did recall of the exact moments before death wasn't good, so he hoped Sunjata would be sensible enough to not ask too much about that. "I feel like me still...I mean, different, cos of the eternally soft dick and no booze, but...not like a zombie, or anything." He held out his hands in front of him and turned them over, inspecting his palms as if suddenly expecting to see decomposition.
"I suppose you'll be seeing Mort's realm one day, probably...I guess it's nice to know there isn't much to be scared of once you pop - unless the Voice's place is really different, I guess." Adam shrugged, unsure what the Voice had in store for the Ascended after death, but sure it wasn't going to be any worse than Mort's resting halls.
// i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright if i could trade mistakes for sheep, count me away before you sleep //
“Ack, don’t remind me. I’m almost thirty.” He rumbles with a tsk sound, amusement clear in his face as he glances back toward Adam, a nod given with a brighter smile when it came to Adam and Nate catching up. It would be good, Sunjata thinks. And at the very least, having Adam and Peter here, more Ascendeds, might prove more helpful for Nate in the late hours of the night when Sunjata was passed out and his husband had nothing else to do other than go for walks. At least there were more like him here now.
As for the legend idea, Sunjata agrees with a huff of a laugh. “The legends are always better than the reality.” A scarred and tattooed shoulder shrugs, but he continues to walk and guide Adam toward the coast and the beach, letting the sunset light begin to drift away and make room for the moonlight to take over. His question in response to the resurrection, however, is met with curiosity.
Only… Perhaps curiosity killed the cat in this instance. All amusement and playfulness remaining for the moment, though it doesn’t last. It never seems to. “There’s a room in the Hollowed Grounds that lets the Ascended fuck.” He murmurs, as if it’s some well kept secret even if it was anything but that now. But all thoughts of that wonderful room falter when Adam mentions the difference between Mort’s realm and wherever the Ascended go…
A fact Sunjata did not know.
There’s a stutter in his step, brows pinching together, his attention granted to Adam with his confusion. “What?” He utters, quietly, as if he doesn’t believe the man. “Wait, the Ascended go somewhere else?” This comes out quieter, the true realization overcoming Sunjata as his head turns again toward the path they take, realizing quite quickly the horror and the pieces that are put together so suddenly.
A flurry of questions begin to burn into his mind, all held onto in confusion and part horror.
i'll stay awake 'til i trade my mistakes, or they fade away
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"I am thirty! I fucking died and missed my birthday!" Adam exclaimed, already having realised he'd lost the chance to properly bid farewell to his twenties while in Mort's Realm. Now that he was Ascended and technically ageless, he supposed he shouldn't be that bothered, but he still felt his heart skip a beat as he thought of the big 3 0.
His eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline at the news of the Ascended fucking room, something Adam would definitely have to investigate further later. While having to go on a road trip every time he wanted a blowjob sounded like a hassle, he supposed he could see the funny side to it and get used to it that way. "I'll be asking more about that later, for sure."
However, just like Sunjata's face fell, so did Adam's pretty shortly after. It seemed in his rambling about his own situation, he'd stumbled into revealing something to Sunjata that he thought was pretty common knowledge. Coming to a stop on the path, Adam was acutely aware of the sound of the gravel under his boots as he watched the realisation dawn on his friends face in silence. "...Yeah, uh..I thought you'd know that, man. The Voice has her own place she sends people. No one knows much about it, but y'can only go there if you're Ascended."
// i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright if i could trade mistakes for sheep, count me away before you sleep //
“Never too late to celebrate it.” He rumbles with a bright laugh aimed Adam’s way. “You could probably celebrate your thirtieth birthday every year and nobody would be none the wiser.” This is both a truth and a joke aimed at Adam at the fact that he’d Ascended. Regardless, however, he informs his friend of the Ascended room in the Grounds, an easy nod given in response. It’d certainly get its use with all the new Ascended, he’s sure. And why keep such a wonderful thing a secret to himself?
But all those fun and games falter as the information hits him next, something he didn’t know, hadn’t figured out, hadn’t been told. And it made sense, perhaps, why Nate had been so against the idea of forever and after, though it doesn’t help the pit in his stomach. The pit that yawns open at the idea that they could be together as long as they liked while they lived, but the minute death separated them… It would separate them permanently.
It’s just as upsetting, Sunjata drawing silent as Adam comes to a stop and Sunjata can feel the wind of the evening brush through them, trying to focus on that rather than the information that the Ascended gives him, mulling it over and chewing on the inside of his cheek. “No… I wasn’t aware of it.” He rumbles quietly, shaking his head and filtering it away for later, to talk to Nate about at some point.
And in an effort to try and push away the gaping hole that yawns through him, he begins to step toward the beach again, toward those islands for a distraction. “Anyway… The islands.” He gestures with a hand out toward the dark dots in the distance, a quick swim away should Adam wish to investigate them more fully.
i'll stay awake 'til i trade my mistakes, or they fade away
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"That's true. God, no more worrying about wrinkles or anything either. I was always really fucking scared I was gonna start going grey." It seemed he had Ascended just in time to avoid that. Perhaps it would have been healthy to see and accept his own aging body, but if there was a way to avoid growth and hard realities and not pay too heavily for it...well, he was more mature nowadays, but he wouldn't lose sleep over that.
Speaking of aging, hard realities...Adam awkwardly glanced about the floor and walls of the alley they'd stopped in as Sunjata came to terms with what he'd said. It seemed odd that Nate hadn't mentioned it, in the years they'd been together, unless he possibly didn't know as well? That seemed unlikely, in which case Adam realised he'd probably just set the groundwork for a future fight for the couple.
Oops.
Luckily Sunjata was willing to push it away, so he did too, nodding and picking up the pace again. "Yeah! Y'know...I used to be scared of water and swimming, back on my world. ...It still kinda makes me nervous, but I'm willing to jump in if you are." Adam nudged the other man with his elbow.
i am on a journey to discover what it's like to be free of all my demons
Going grey sparks an amused grin to cross Sunjata’s face, his hand lifting to run through his short crop of hair. “I think I’ve already found a few.” He hums thoughtfully. Nate hasn’t noticed yet, though, but Sunjata’s seen the silver piece upon occasion. The longer it remains a secret the better, he supposes, especially in terms of the next type of conversation. The fact that he’d age and turn grey and Nate wouldn’t. The fact he’d grow old and die, and go somewhere else.
He swallows it down the best he can, stopping by the water, peering out at the island in the distance before his head tilts back toward Adam, a softer smile crossing his face as he slips away the information of afterlives away for later. “I almost drowned once. When I was six.” He murmurs, before spreading his arms out in a gesture that seems to scream “but I made it”, before a thought occurs to him. “We could go over there another way.” And maybe it’s because he’s not thinking, but Sunjata steps away from Adam to give himself space. “When I shift just hop on my back and we’ll fly over it.” An explanation is given, Sunjata tugging on that tether again and shifting into his dragon shift, large ebony scales appearing along his skin, long dark wings spread wide before tucking in as he lowers himself for Adam to climb up.
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
"Well, it can be like, distinguished, y'know. I think you'll make it hot. You've got that dashing thing going on." The same thing Adam had aimed for his entire life and considered himself somewhat of an expert on; there were few that had so intimately studied how to be roguishly handsome.
It was rather obvious Sunjata had made it through his drowning experience given that he was stood there before Adam, but he still nodded and smiled anyway as if it were a pleasant surprise to see it. "I don't really have a traumatic story. Just find it kinda spooky...who saved you, when you were six? Or did you pull yourself out?" He wasn't entirely sure why he was asking, but the question came to mind and out of his mouth before he'd considered whether it was a considerate thing to ask.
Hearing that Sunjata was going to shift, Adam looked over, expecting to see some kind of animal...but not a fucking dragon. Perhaps there ought to be have been some kind of traumatic response there, given his relatively recent death, but he'd been exposed to many dragons before the one that sealed his fate and more than anything he was in awe of how goddamn cool it was. No hesitation at all, Adam swung a long leg up and clambered onto Sunjata. "Holy shit dude, you have gotta let me bite you so I can do this."
