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!
And so here Neron finds himself, wedged between a rock and a hard place. He knows just as much now about the LongNight monsters as does Morgan, and he packs it away in the back of his mind, to potentially go and seek out Sam. He remembers the man from the trip to the Climb that he still hasn't told Morgan about and does not plan to, and providing he has enough time before LongNight, he'll seek him out to discuss matters. But it's a big if, at this point.
Letting out a sigh that unconsciously echoes the soldier at his side, he nods to Wessex. "I will work as a group with you," he says. "It makes sense, considering out previous dealings. Are you with us, Morgan?" he asked, almost wincing at her question, logical as it is. "I am always a fan of tactical retreat rather than fighting to a needless death."
“Of course,” she replies firmly, with the confidence (ha) of someone who’s already thought about this. “This isn’t a suicide mission. If we can’t live and succeed, I’d rather us live. It’s an easy choice.”
Is it a foolhardy, stupidly brave thing to do? Yes, yes it probably is. The course of events have led the Ascended to a place where they could let the monsters stay and gain invisibility to them, but as someone who wants the area to be safe for everyone to live in (and let’s be honest, being the one to end the plague of Monsters would be a massive ego boost), it seems like a logical goal. She knows her people. They’re stubborn. They don’t want to go to Torchline.
And they shouldn’t have to.
“I’m heading to Halo soon - do you need me to pick anything up for you? Pass along any messages?”
Morgan nodded, glad to hear that Wessex was sensible about the outcomes. A general ready to lead their troops to the bitter end was not usually a good sign, unless there was something worse than defeat waiting them after a retreat. Hopefully, if they did have to pull back, they could do so without losing anyone first. Then again, maybe she'd be surprised by how easy it was; one thing she knew of life was that it was not predictable.
She raised an eyebrow at Neron; as if he needed to ask. "Of course. I will follow Wessex's command." While she was here she was her soldier, after all.
As for messages for Halo...Morgan did frown while wondering just how Wessex was going to get there, but assumed it had to be something from the Ascended Goddess. "I would appreciate it if you could just make sure Deimos is doing well. I don't doubt his capabilities, but I know he finds the Warden title stressful...hopefully it has been peaceful at home."
Treasures and crowns wouldn't mean a thing If I only had a heart
Then it's settled, and Neron nods between the two women he's to head into battle with. Between the three of them they might just get out of this alive, but if things do go south, it's true that he's equally as relieved to hear that turning back won't be scorned. "If you need anything from us in the meantime besides Morgan's skill and training abilities, you know where to find us," he says. Easy enough, given that they're staying at Theskyra House.
"No messages from me, but if you might look in on the Kraai to check that people haven't drunk it dry, I'd appreciate it," he says with a lopsided smile. The people of Halo were a trustworthy bunch, but Deepfrost was Deepfrost, and he couldn't blame them for wanting the liquor. "Are we settled, then? I can't say we will ever be ready for the madness you have described, but I feel as though this is as close to prepared as we can get."
“Of course,” Wessex agrees to Morgan’s simple request. She doesn’t know the Sword’s history before Caido, but given his power and the opportunity, she’s sure he could have easily taken a leadership role if he wanted to. Making him Warden in the Glacier’s absence is logical, but yes, probably stressful. Not the kind of thing Deimos wants during Deepfrost.
As for the Kraai, Wessex just nods with a crooked smile. “Was planning on going there anyway.” And will have a drink on him, since there’s no one there to tell her no. “I’d say so. Ah, Morgan, feel free to let Daphne know if you want anything in particular. I think I heard her saying she can outcook anyone in the Citadel and well - it’s lost on me. So.”
Letting the conversation trail off from there, Morgan and Neron are free to do whatever it is they want to do - including each other.
