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!
There are some people in the Order that Falke doesn’t worry about; they seem perfectly stable, have no incidents in their past to make him think they might be volatile in the future, and always perform their duties. To be honest, they’re usually women, too. Seraphina is one of them; her file is small and it’s a two-edged bit of relief, if only because that means he doesn’t know her very well. Falke is generally quite a self-sufficient and busy person, he doesn’t believe in bothering someone if he doesn’t need anything.
So this must be a time when he needs something. Not that the Artificer would know that - would know his tendencies or predilections for stubbornness.
His cane was lost in Haulani - after weeks without it it’s time he got a new one. Perhaps a fancier one? So the Fixer sends a note up to the Artificer and asks her to meet him in the shadow of the Tower whenever she can spare some time. So he waits at the appointed time, sitting on a bench in the weak Deepfrost sun, soaking in some of its healing energy.
Ophelia isn't far off, but she's far more concerned with some bugs since Falke isn't hurt, alarmed, or in need of something.
// last night you came to my house with drunk eyes we didn't think too much this time, we danced like we were the same //
A flurry of white announces her arrival before she’s able to make her way down. Levi, the opalescent dragon darts from the opening of the Tower and spirals around Falke a few times before taking off to the sky again to perch on the roofing like some sort of living gargoyle. Seraphina, however, isn’t too far behind the dragon even with the display, turning the corner from the entrance to head toward the bench to take a seat beside her fellow Order member, her notebook and blueprints tucked under her arm.
“Falke, hello!” She chimes as she takes a seat. Luckily for the Fixer, despite Sera having a lot to do between here and the Greatwood, she’s always kept a somewhat open schedule – bits and pieces for time where she may be needed by her fellow Order partners. This is one of those times, a time where she’s refreshed and ready to take on whatever it is Falke has asked her to meet him for, whatever it is he asks her to make.
Of course, his trip to Haulani is lost on her, from her trips to and from the Greatwood, gathering supplies and building. She hasn’t kept herself up to date with the goings-on, sure that Cian would mention something to her should he see she needed to know. “I hope you’ve been well.” She murmurs, flashing him a wide grin, giving him the floor so to speak to they could get down to business should he wish to dive straight in.
Levi’s display pulls an easy smile from the Fixer - and a screech of fear from Ophelia. She has yet to really encounter dragons, so for all she knows, the white thing is a bird of prey or something else that screams predator. She goes skittering for a hiding spot and Falke has to flash Seraphina a apologetic smile as he rises and goes to coax her out from underneath another bench.
“Sorry,” he begins, looking down at the monkey, who has managed to burrow itself inside his jacket. “I don’t think she’s ever seen a dragon before.” One had absently reaches up to gently stroke Fee’s head for a bit while they continue talking. “Anyway, no harm, no foul, hmmm? You’ll get used to it soon, won’t you Fee?”
Whether or not the companion agrees is unclear, she just continues to clutch at his inner layer tightly.
Back to the matter at hand - he notes her notebook and blueprints at hand and is glad that The Artificer has come prepared. His own sketches would be embarrassing simple next to hers. But there’s a bit of hesitation before he sits down again, as he’s suddenly remembered a fascinating rumor, heard a week or two ago and placed in the back of his mind ever since. Returning her smile, Falke gestures to the fine Deepfrost day that awaits them out there and offers an idea. “Do you fancy a walk and talk, Madame Artificer? I hear there’s a firling in the center of the plaza and quite honestly, I’d love to see it.”
// last night you came to my house with drunk eyes we didn't think too much this time, we danced like we were the same //
Suddenly, there’s a screech that has Sera jumping a bit – startled by the sound and letting the surprise of it crash over her, mentally calling Levi down to relax and appear less like a threat to this sudden new creature that has distracted her entirely. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” She offers, flashing Falke an apologetic smile – ensuring that Levi has dropped to the ground to appear small and less threatening. The pale dragon acquiesces, settled on the ground with his wings tucked in tight, letting his bright eyes lift to peer at the other companion with wide, curious, but nonthreatening eyes. “Who do we have here?” She asks, turning her attention to the companion hidden in Falke’s coat.
Before Falke sits back down, however, he gestures out to the cool Deepfrost day that has overcome them and her gaze follows it as if he’s drawing a line of sight toward where it is he wishes to go. And who is she to deny that sort of idea? She stands easily, pulling Levi up to become her scarf around her neck, moving to offer her arm to Falke should he wish to walk with her that way (because yes, she’s noticed that his cane has gone missing, a hunch given to her when he’d mentioned an appointment). “I think I would love that too.” She offers, giving him an easier smile.
“I have yet to see it myself, actually. What do you imagine it to be like?” She offers with a bit of amusement. Work had kept her far too busy to be able to focus on exploring it. Such a shame it was, truth be told.
“No, no, it’s quite alright,” Falke says as he tries to assure the two of them that they’d done nothing wrong. “This is Ophelia.” He opens himself a bit to let both Artificer and dragon get a look - and to also show his bonded that he trusts these two. “Fee has only ever known the jungle of Torchline,” he continues. “So there’s a bit of a learning curve.”
The Fixer is quite good-natured about it all, and it’s obvious that he isn’t bothered by the event. So with Seraphina’s agreement, he points the two of them towards the center of the plaza. His steps are even and steady for now, having had little in the way of strenuous exercise in the past couple of weeks - while his hip may love that he’s taking it easy, his waistline certainly doesn’t.
“From my reading, they’re literally just happy little pine trees. They giggle when you touch them. And legend says that taking care of one will bring gifts at the end of Deepfrost. Though... “ here he makes a bit of a face, “I’m not sure how true that part is. No one’s seen one in awhile.” Maybe this is one of the few positive aspects of all the barriers falling. Maybe.
// last night you came to my house with drunk eyes we didn't think too much this time, we danced like we were the same //
Seraphina leans forward a small amount to peer at the companion, her dark eyes lifting from Ophelia back to Falke with a soft smile on her face. “I imagine you can’t wait until she learns the jungle that is Stormbreak, hm?” She asks him with a playful edge to her tone before they’re standing. Understanding is evident in her tone as she nods her head toward Levi to let the little dragon dart off and give them all space – Sera paying little mind to how long it may take them to get to the small tree.
She’s simply along for the journey, really.
Her blueprints and notebooks are settled easily into her elbow as she walks with him, her head tilting toward him with a soft smile along her face. “They giggle?” She comments with an amused huff of a laugh before letting the smile linger on her face. “Well, then in the name of research I suppose we must take real wonderful care of it, yes? Then we can record what happens.” Patting her notebooks she flashes the Fixer a wide grin. “It sounds like something Rae may have made simply to experiment.” Looking ahead at the path they take she tries to imagine what it would be like. “And it just… Randomly showed up one day?”
“Yep, it popped up on the first day of Deepfrost.” Someone had alerted a member of his team and once they’d investigated it, they’d brought new to Falke that it was, indeed, a confirmed Firling. However, it had never occurred to him to ponder why it was created, and the suggestion that Rae might have made it just to have experiment is a delightful thought.
“Can you imagine them going, hmmmm, what would make me laugh on a cold, gray day? And then poof! there's a giggling tree!” A small, deep chuckle rumbles from his chest, along with a twinkle in his eye and Falke finds himself unexpectedly jovial. “From what I hear, the shopkeepers around the center of the plaza are taking good care of it.” Like the members of the Order, there’s a deep sense of reverence for the Gods in Stormbreak, and he thinks the general population is quick enough to recognize that something unusual like this is quite obviously God-sent.
They continue walking - and still, so far so good. The neighborhood begins to change and there are more people around them now. He turns his head to look down at her. “Will you tell me a bit about yourself, Madame Artificer? I confess I don’t know much.”
// last night you came to my house with drunk eyes we didn't think too much this time, we danced like we were the same //
With Falke’s chuckle, Sera finds it quite infectious – a soft snicker leaving her. “And having them spread it for us to find and enjoy as well. Isn’t it a beautiful thing?” She murmurs softly, fondly, appreciative of the little things that Rae did that enhanced their lives so much. Perhaps that’s why they followed Frey so fervently.
But they’re still walking and Levi has darted out ahead, scouting and dancing through the cool air, puffs of air leaving the dragonling to blow bits of snow around purely for amusement as Sera’s attention tilts toward Falke again. The question takes her a little bit off guard, unsure where to even start. She hasn’t needed to talk to Falke about how she’s doing – a feat she thinks is relatively good – and so it takes her a moment to mull it all over.
“There isn’t really much.” She begins with a quiet laugh. “I have a good family. My sister is the caretaker of the Celestine. I work hard and I enjoy to shop.” She offers before she’s leaning into Falke as if she’s about to tell him a secret. “Though I’m sure with the amount of clothes in my closet you might tell me I have a problem.” A wink leaves her before she’s letting another trickling laugh leave her. “And what about you?” Her gaze slips back toward his face, a soft gentle smile on her own.
“Oh that’s right.” Somewhere, a memory is jogged and last names are connected. Lena Magnus. Seraphina Magnus.
Look, Falke is fallible. Chalk the lack of memory up to that head wound or something. “Lena helped resume me from Torchline. I ought to thank her for that…” though how he’s going to remember without anything to write on it a bit of a concern. He pats various pockets for a pen and pad of a paper, but seems to come up short and after a moment shrugs. Oh well.
Anyway - back to Seraphina. “Mmmm, yes, collecting things that make you happy is definitely a sign of a problem.” He rumbles, obviously teasing. As for himself? Taking a moment to think of something, he grins. “Similar background. Dreams of a being a Dragoon turned into finding an unexpected love for learning. People are fascinating. And I’m easily plied with tea and a soft chair and Mag’s scones.”
Wherever they are right now, it must be close to the Firling - perhaps their companions can hear the delighted giggles of the tree as others reach out to experience that same kind of joy.
// last night you came to my house with drunk eyes we didn't think too much this time, we danced like we were the same //
“Did she?” Sera asks easily, shifting her attention toward Falke as he moves to pat at his pockets, though she’s not entirely sure why. “I can pass the word along.” She offers softly, a knowing gleam in her gaze that seems to suggest that she can tell Lena in advance and the next time the Caretaker and the Fixer cross paths, he could thank her in person himself, but at least he wouldn’t feel bad about it in the meantime.
As it was, however, she focuses on explaining herself – how there really isn’t much to her, aside from working hard and attempting to be the best that she can be with her work. Anything other than that and she’s simply content to watch everything unfold leagues away from the drama. Still, she offers a laugh at his teasing tone, a shrug of her shoulders. “You haven’t seen how many I have, though.” The protest is teasing as well, before she’s listening to his story – having not known much about the man either.
“Mmm, Mag’s scones.” She hums wistfully, before shaking her head and flashing him a grin. “Well I’m glad you found your niche. Gods know we need someone like you.” Maybe not her, not yet at least, but the rest of the Order crew? Well…
There’s laughter in the distance, a swift giggling that captures both her and Levi’s attention – the dragonling flying toward the tiny tree, hovering over it before landing with an audible plop on the ground and approaching it with an outstretched nose. Sera, however, tilts her head upon their approach, watching the tree as it giggles after a child had poked one of the boughs.
“Oh no, that’s quite alright,” Falke says, gently refusing the offer without realizing what Seraphina means. He definitely thinks it ought to be done in person, especially as Lena isn’t a member of the Order and wasn’t required to take any kind of risk for him. “I appreciate the offer, though.” And then there’s the Celestine to consider - he doubts the unicorn is still there, but it’s worth visiting anyway.
Yes. Getting out of the clinic will be healthy for him.
“Right?” he chimes in after her agreement about Mag’s scones. “I think if I lived closer I’d be twenty pounds heavier!” They’re almost close enough to her shop to - ah, but his concentration is taken by Fee deciding she wants to see the tree and dislodging herself from his jacket to scamper under people’s legs and right up to the little pine. He can’t quite follow as well and displays some a small amount of difficulty in edging around people and through the small crowd, try as he might not to show it.
The tree, when he gets to it, is as fascinating as he thought it would be, but he doesn't reach out to touch it, instead leaving one hand at his hip while the other pulls out his glasses from an inner pocket.
// last night you came to my house with drunk eyes we didn't think too much this time, we danced like we were the same //
A nod is given to Falke at the easy dismissal. She understands why, the reasoning not lost on her, yet she’d still be willing to do it for him should it be something he wanted. He declines, and it’s no matter for her, not as they continue to make their way toward the tree that’s set up a space within the town for everyone to observe and look at. She can’t help but to offer a quiet chime of laughter at the mention of Mag’s scones, of how much heavier he’d be if he lived closer.
“I heard she delivers a few days a week.” She casts a knowing glance Falke’s way, the grin on her face a bit more Cheshire like in nature, before she watches the monkey dislodge herself from her companion and dart through the crowd. Sera doesn’t struggle to get through it as much as Falke does, but she attempts to speed up to offer some sort of comfort and companionship while he makes his way through and she follows suit.
Falke doesn’t get too close to the tree, not as his companion does. Levi flies above the tree to peer at it before landing on a nearby rooftop to watch everything happen below. Sera, on the other hand, crouches in front of the tree, peering underneath it before looking up in the boughs. And of course, because she can’t help herself, she sticks her hand out to run along the edge of a few pine needles, watching as it curls and the tree begins to shake with giggling laughter.
“Don’t tempt me,” Falke shoots back, already knowing that Mags delivers - but that kind of thing is easy to refrain from indulging in. Out of sight, out of mind, or something like that. At least when it comes to sweets.
What happens next isn’t anyone’s fault - not really. Falke is trying to find a good position to take notes in, Fee is almost stepped on as she makes her way back to him, and in the jostling and sudden movement, the Fixer is knocked off-balance. It might have been okay if he’d tried to catch himself with his good hip, but he hasn’t really had great luck these days and he goes slowly tumbling down, ending up on his ass in the street, glasses sliding off the bridge of his nose to hang around his mouth.
More embarrassed at yelping than anything else, he firmly grasps the hand that reaches down to help him, trying to make light of it with the stranger with a strained chuckle. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Thank you,"
Fee, of course, has no idea about the small ruckus she’s caused.
// last night you came to my house with drunk eyes we didn't think too much this time, we danced like we were the same //
“Who’s tempting who?” She retorts, flashing an amusingly wicked grin back Falke’s way. But then her attention is focused entirely on the Firling, watching the way she prods at it and it begins to dance and giggle. She’s so focused on it, actually, that she doesn’t notice as Falke steps away for a better space to take notes in. All she hears is the sound of him hitting the ground that draws her up immediately.
Swinging her head toward Falke, she abandons the Firling entirely, making room for her to help him when a stranger steps in to do it anyway. So she sidles up beside Falke allowing him to lean on her should he need to without being conspicuous about it at all. “Thank you.” She tells the stranger with a wide grin of greeting, a few bats of her eyelashes, before the stranger is stepping away.
Her attention flickers to Falke now, that same feigned smile mixed with a bit of worry. “Falke, would you like me to make you a new cane?” She asks, point blank, bluntly as quietly as she can so nobody else overhears.
