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 was told we would be able to stay here throughout our visit."
Neron has never been to the Hollowed Grounds during Deepfrost, and honestly? It's hilariously mild. He and Morgan stand in a few inches of snow before Theskyra House, with more falling overhead, and yet compared to Halo, it's practically a sauna.
"I confess I'm unsure how many others may be staying as well, however." It could be a house full of Ascended for all Neron had been made aware of the arrangments. He carries their belongings in their cases, even if he's full aware that Morgan could probably carry them just as easily, and he peers up at the house with mild admiration.
"Wessex certainly has a unique taste, no?" He smirks across at the Warden, resisting the urge to slip his arm around her waist. That type of behaviour was for behind closed doors.
Morgan also hadn't believed it was nearly Deepfrost when she'd arrived in the Grounds, feeling as if they had to have stepped through some kind of time portal at the same time and ended up in Longheat...but no, she was assured it was the right time of year. Well, at least that part would be easy.
"It is better than I expected. Are we sharing a room with them?" She hadn't slept in a dormitory setting for many years, not since she was a training guard, but Morgan was willing to put up nearly anything to be here and do this. "You know we'll have to be careful with..." She trailed off, looked over to him and waved her hand vaguely; he'd know what she meant.
Stepping forward she went to put a hand on the door, pushing it open an inch then looking back to Neron: "I need to speak with you, as soon as we can, privately."
The idea of sharing his space clearly offends Neron on some personal level, because the way he wrinkles his nose at Morgan is entirely befitting of a former duke. "Absolutely not," he says. "We will be in a separate room, mark my words. In a place as large as this, I imagine there must be plenty of spare spaces." And if not, Neron is not above bullying his way into getting some privacy. Old habits die hard, and some do not die at all.
He reaches forward to push open the door with her, obviously intending to let the lady go first, when suddenly Morgan is pausing and speaking, and the Hailstorm's brow furrows in confusion. "Of course," he says. "Is everything alright?"
Shaking his head, he realises that she's not going to be able to respond to him until they have a space to themselves, and so he proceeds into Theskyra house and glances around. It's... pretty much empty, honestly, and so Neron heads right for the nearest staircase, intent on finding somewhere tucked away.
Morgan couldn't help the smirk and quiet laugh under her breath at Neron's clear disgust. Such snobbery had never been her way and it always amused her when she spotted it in others. "You don't want to start arguments with them before we've even settled in." She chided, though her tone was more joking and casual than anything else.
They headed through the door and she nodded at his question, then paused: was everything alright? She had what could be worrying news, though she didn't think too much of it at the moment. It would be best to explain when they could speak; Morgan followed him to the staircase and to a tucked away corner, the kind of place they might hide for something else if they were far bolder and carefree, but for now it would do for official matters.
"I received some information." She said quietly, voice measured and eyes checking around them. "A letter sent to Deimos, from someone in the Grounds council. Oliver. Do you know of him?"
Later, Neron will run into the housekeeper of Theskyra house, and they'll be shown to proper quarters - for now, though? He lets Morgan sequester them away to this little secret corner, rather amused at first and feeling like perhaps this could be the other sort of encounter they might have in such a place. But she did mention something to discuss, and the Warden is not the type to lie just to get her hands on him (or is she?), so he keeps his thoughts to himself as he prepares himself for what she has to say.
Keeping a sharp ear out as well, hoping that between them they'll catch any visitors before they arrive, Neron listens. And his brow furrows, the Hailstorm shaking his head to her. "It's a common name, no? I have met Olivers previously, but none that are on the Hollowed Grounds council. What did the letter say?" Little does Neron know that he has met Oliver, but that will click at some point, he's sure.
Neron not knowing of Oliver didn't really matter; Morgan was sure that they would know of him by the end of this. "The letter detailed a council meeting the Hollowed Grounds council had with the Queen. It appears Oliver has decided to betray his council and reveal their plans out of concern." It was clear from her tone that Morgan disapproved of this; she was loyal to her people almost to a fault, would never run to another Government at the first sign of a problem.
"They plan to ban the Order from entering - I assume you know of the Order." She glanced up to check, looking for recognition in his eyes. "It seems at some point in their discussions they thought about banning Demi Gods too, but have decided against that." Morgan shrugged; it hadn't happened, but it had been mentioned in the letter, so she supposed it was a part of it all. "I don't see any problems with the Grounds wanting to keep out dangerous people for their population."
No, there was a very different reason she was telling Neron all this. "I want you to, while you're here, look into some matters for me. How much of a threat is the Order to the Grounds, really? Have any Order members tried to enter....and Oliver, is he a true traitor to them? Is he working for the Order?" It wasn't impossible; from what little she knew, Morgan didn't think underhanded methods were beneath them. "I am currently undecided about warning Wessex."
Neron listens, and he listens well. From Morgan's first words, his brow is furrowed with concern - they share the disapproval, that much is plain, and he folds his arms across his chest as if he is considering what he might do to this Oliver if he meets him. But there's more, and a flash of recognition does indeed ignite in his eyes at mention of the Order. He hasn't run into them, but he has been warned about their threat to the Ascended.
Letting out a low whistle, he can't help but flash a smile at Morgan. "You aren't asking for much, are you?" he murmurs, though he's very clearly only whining for the sake of it. "Consider it done. As for Wessex, she is still resting as far as I am aware. If it were me... I would want to know. However, with all that is going on currently for Longnight, I think perhaps we ought to wait until after that is over regardless."
Distraction was the last thing anyone needed at a time like this.
"I only ask for what I know you can do." Morgan said succinctly, raising a brow as if daring to admit he couldn't accomplish the tasks laid before him. While she had once held quite a lot of disdain for Neron, she had always known he was skilled in the areas he specialised in; not using those talents would be a waste.
Nodding at his reasoning on not telling Wessex for the moment, Morgan leaned against the wall and thought it over: in the next season, would this situation develop further? Would it be too late to tell Wessex after Longnight? Knowing so little about the Order made it all the more difficult; she had no idea if an attack was due soon, or if they were a threat for years and years from now. "I hope I am doing the right thing investigating this further. I am not used to politics."
She did miss when it used to just be as simple as 'this person has committed a crime, fight them and put them in jail'.
Morgan glanced up at Neron, then up the stairs. "Shall we claim a room, then? If you're so insistent we get one to ourselves, we should do so quickly."
Neron narrows his eyes to Morgan, though the gesture is pretty much affectionate at this point. They both know what he can do - and he has a surprise up his sleeve to show her eventually, that might prove to make him even more valuable to Halo and to the fight against the Longnight monsters. "Very well," he murmurs, and leaves it at that. As for politics? He can only shrug to her about that as well.
"I lived and breathed politics since I was a child, and I still never know whether or not I am doing the right thing." It's a half-truth; Neron always did the right thing for himself - it was the rest of the world that took issue with it. But he's turned over a new leaf for Morgan, apparently (either that or he's just easily swayed by her dominance), and so this is the path they will follow. For now.
A room, though? That's easier. With a smile that's much more Launceleyn, he nods and beckons for her to go first. Neron will find the housekeeper, and he will sort them a room. "I could not agree more," he murmurs, following in her wake like a shadow.
