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!
You don't have to be a hero to save the world You don't have to be a prodigy to be unique
By the time Flowerbirth rolls around, Aurelia hopes this will all just feel like one.. long night. All of it. She'd be lying if she said the starwhale incident wasn't getting to her as of late, making her feel ill-equipped to be apart of the Ark's crew. In spite of it, she's trying to will herself to be fine, to feel... fine. Feels like she's been doing that the whole time she's been in Caido. Faking it til she makes it. Maybe one day she will.
A sigh rolls off of her shoulders, which are tucked beneath a warming jacket. It's almost too warm for how mild Torchline's weather is. The lighthouse comes into view and Aurelia steals a glance at Milo. Her fingers fiddle absently with the ends of her sleeves.
He is a whole thing on his own that stirs around in her mind at a nigh constant. It's hard for her to believe things are okay between them. She hasn't spent anymore nights with him at his loft since telling him the truth, feeling too guilty. She feels guilty for that, as well.
However, when he asked her to go to the lighthouse with him, she wasn't about to turn him down - even if it's the last place she wants to go because of, well, Safrin and all that. Sheesh. There's a lot on this girl's mind! She does know that she wants to spend time with Milo, though, and try to make things... better. She'd much rather think about him, even if she's unsure, than all this other crap.
So, although disturbingly quiet, she's a steady presence as they make their way over the softly rolling hills. Close enough to touch but also not touching. She lifts her gaze towards the lighthouse and the stars in the sky past it, lips scrunching as she tries to think of what she wants to say.
It feels like nothing is easy, it'll never be That's alright, let it out, talk to me
The lighthouse always held the best view of the parties of LongNight. Safrin’s stars couldn’t be seen in the trench of darkness that overcame their world, but the light from the parties below twinkle around Haulani. He’s deep in thought as well, glancing now and then back down to Haulani to try and find the perfect view, contemplating whether or not to bring up the idea of joining the Ark crew this coming Flowerbirth, if he’d even be welcome to Aurelia to come or not.
At least they could keep up her training, right? If that was something that she was still interested in doing while she was away. He hasn’t asked, doesn’t know. But Jack had informed him that he’d be useful and it’s a tidbit he keeps to himself until he’s found the perfect spot, flashing Aurelia an easy grin – putting all that happened between them behind them for now as he reaches out for her hand, to take her toward the edge of the cliff where rocks sprout out where they could sit and watch the lights below.
“Here’s th’best view.” He informs her, plopping down on a rock and pulling out his flask, moving to hand it to her with an easier smile. “Y’warm enough?” He asks, glancing over her jacket, absentmindedly pulling on the light cardigan he wears because he knew he’d get warm (he’d already drank a bit before when he’d chatted with Jack and it was evident in the flush to his cheeks.)
You don't have to be a hero to save the world You don't have to be a prodigy to be unique
Only she won't find any stars in the sky. It makes her start for a split second before she remembers. Total darkness. Yup. Check. It's a little unnerving, if she's honest.
She can't quite let go of everything weighing her down but, when she sees his beaming grin flashed her way, she tries to. She offers a soft smile, one that's genuine, and gives his hand a reflexive squeeze.
She doesn't quite plop down in the same light-hearted manner as him but, she finds a place beside him, criss-crossing her legs beneath her. Her gaze casts out towards the view he's been talking up. At least Torchline is a blazing light in the dark. That becomes especially evident as she indulges in the view, taking it all in.
"It looks small from up here," she comments. She's still watching when he offers her the flask, to which she finally turns her attention.
Her eyes flicker up to his when he asks if she's warm enough, brows raising a bit. It's now that she notices there's a flush in his face. "Mhm," she gives him a playful, knowing smirk, "are you? Looks like you got a head start on this." She lifts the flask pointedly and pops it open to take a small drink.
It feels like nothing is easy, it'll never be That's alright, let it out, talk to me
“We’re sorta high up, I think.” He offers her playfully, his smile shifting to something that holds a bit more amusement as she sits beside him and tucks her legs up underneath her. But suddenly, a bit of concern crosses his face on ensuring that she’s warm enough, that the raise of her brows have him tilting his head curiously in response until her smirk turns playful. “Oy, ‘course I did. ‘ts LongNight.” He teases her, huffing out a quiet laugh before he’s leaning back on the rock on an elbow and glancing back over at her.
“’m warm enough though.” He assures her, letting his gaze drift toward the lights below as he contemplates it. “Usually th’crew gets real drunk on the beach ‘n it lasts th’whole week. Jus… Partyin’ it up ‘fore th’Ark leaves in Flowerbirth.” He murmurs this last part, tilting his head so his bronze gaze drifts back to her with a roguish smirk. “’n usually it means leavin’ poor suckers like me t’clean up the beaches when yer all gone.”
Not her, in particular of course, seeing as she’d only just arrived, and it was her first LongNight of all things. A new experience for her, one that has it relatively nice in comparison to the stories he’s heard of the Grounds though he’s never experienced it. For him, LongNight had been a week of family and fun and games, until he’d gotten older and he’d partied with the rest of the Ark crew, spent the nights in Halenani or whichever bed he could, until Flowerbirth came around and he was forced to clean and prep for when the Ark returned.
A relatively boring time after all that fun, if he’s being honest.
02-15-2021, 05:25 AM (This post was last modified: 02-15-2021, 05:29 AM by Aurelia.)
Aurelia
You don't have to be a hero to save the world You don't have to be a prodigy to be unique
She lets out an audibly offended scoff at his teasing, completely caught off guard. She tilts her head in a show of rolling her eyes even though it makes her smile. "Good! Don' know if I wanna warm you up now anyway," she retorts, fighting off the grin that threatens to take over and giving him a wry look out of the corner of one eye.
The humor fades as he goes on to explain how LongNight usually goes. Well, from the Torchliner perspective. She remembers what he'd told her of it before, when it had felt like such a far-off thing. Now it's here and, admittedly, she doesn't know what to do with herself. She was never much of a partier in the past, but bringing that up feels... bad.
To quell that thought, she takes another sip from the flask before offering it back to him. "Well, for what it's worth, I'll probably miss you the whole time," she blurts out. Then her eyes widen a fraction, surprised by herself. A touch awkward, she's rendered completely silent as she turns to pretend to be very interested in the parties going on below.
It feels like nothing is easy, it'll never be That's alright, let it out, talk to me
“Y’really think so?” He asks her, feigning offense with a smirk and a hand covering his heart, purely for dramatics over anything else. At least now, however, he knows the history she has, why she might not take to a time like this, seeing as she typically always had something to do, he assumes. A time like this where there weren’t anything to do but party and take a vacation? He imagines it has to be a difficult adjustment.
Regardless, he’s here for her anyway.
He takes the flask back, still leaning on his elbow as he peers at her and her response, a crooked smirk forming on his face as he hums a ‘welllllll’ before she has a chance to take it back. “Don’ have to.” He suggests, raising a brow playfully before he peers at the parties below, as if it holds all the answers he seeks. “Jack said I’d b’a welcome addition if I wanted to.” Slowly, his gaze slides back toward her with a hint of a question within it.
You don't have to be a hero to save the world You don't have to be a prodigy to be unique
It is all one very difficult adjustment, or a series of very inconvenient adjustments - however one wants to put it. She's unaware that he'd be so understanding of it, not because she doesn't think he'd be but because she's just not willing to talk about it and find out. So it's yet another issue swept under the rug, bottled away.
The crooked smirk that comes her way leads a small blush up the sides of her face. Willing it away, hoping he doesn't see it, she attempts to focus on the people below. People gathered around fires, cheering and howling about this or that. Having a generally good time. She smiles at one person in particular, who's jumping about and shouting rather joyously.
This concentration and amusement shatters when Milo suggests something Aurelia... well, she hadn't ever thought of it as a possibility. She glances over her shoulder at him, lips in a straight line, brows furrowed.
"And you would come? Even after hearing about...?" The incident with the starwhale is still a fresh wound so she doesn't quite know what to call it. She shakes her head and crosses her arms. "Jack just wants more hands on deck. He could've asked anyone, don't know why he'd ask you." The words are hurled out with vexation, though none of it is truly directed at Milo. Not that that makes what she's said any better.
It feels like nothing is easy, it'll never be That's alright, let it out, talk to me
He can’t see the blush that slips along her cheeks, it’s far too dark out here for him to begin to figure out what kind of small shifts and changes occur subtly along her face. But that’s fine, he doesn’t mind and continues to offer the little playful jesting that he’s known to do. He doesn’t expect the surprise that the news has, the question of whether he’d go even after hearing about the starwhale, drawing a shrug from him in response. “Sure.” He offers, glancing back down at the parties below, hearing the faint whooping and hollering. “Might be able t’help.” Milo adds on after a moment before his head tilts her way as she asks why Jack would ask him.
And he could take it as an insult, but Milo isn’t much in the way of that. Offering a huff of a laugh in response before taking a sip of the flask again and cradling it in both hands. “Told ‘im I have summonin’ an’ healin’ magic. Seemed like he thought ‘em useful.” He offers easily, in a bit more of a tone that seems to say it’s purely business, before his voice shifts and his gaze scans the dark shadows a long her face. “’sides, I haven’t gone adventurin’ before. Thought it might b’nice t’do it with you ‘n a crew that hopefully means some sorta protection overall.”
You don't have to be a hero to save the world You don't have to be a prodigy to be unique
He laughs and she tries not to snap at him for it because it's not his fault and he's his own person after all. She can't control what he does, or what other people rope him into. So she makes no more immediate comments even though a series of them are spitting around her brain like angry firecrackers. Her lips twist shut. The muscles in her jawline flutter. She brings her knees up toward her chest and rests her arms on them.
I'm gonna kill Jack.
This is bullshit. Idiots.
I'm gonna fuckin' kill him.
Why are we even setting sail? Not like we can get past the coast! This is idiotic. Shouldn't even be a consideration. I'm gonna kill him.
In her head, she's strangled Jack a nice, thorough seven or eight times when Milo's saying he thought his abilities would be useful.
But by the time Milo's done and she comes up for breath from her initial response, her expression softens and she looks in his direction. Her eyes search his face as she works her jaw. She doesn't understand. Why would he abandon his values of staying out of trouble now? And in this way, when there's no promise in the voyage Jack wants to set them on.
"Nothing's nice out there, not even the things that are supposed to be," she turns to look out at the ocean, though with no moon or starlight, it's very dark and foreboding. She sighs heavily and lowers her chin before looking at him again, "I did everything that I thought I could, next to jumping down in there with the whales. Made no difference, just put us in unnecessary danger. It's a nice thought, to go adventuring with you. Believe me, I want to," she pauses, "but I think all we're going to discover out there is failure or worse."
Whether it's true or not, she earnestly believes that, especially after what happened with the starwhale. Aurelia fancies herself rather useless, by all accounts. Just another set of hands on deck to keep the ship moving - but she has no ambitions or fantasies otherwise. Not anymore.
It feels like nothing is easy, it'll never be That's alright, let it out, talk to me
She works her jaw and draws herself in and the good thing about Milo is that he doesn’t think it’s his fault. He typically remains under the impression that if someone has an issue with him they’ll tell him to his face. This is different, because when Aurelia snaps it’s not directed at him per say, but about the ark crew trips itself.
So he lets her vent, let’s his gaze slip over her before returning to the party down below, shifting to sit upright a bit more as he peers down at the lights and taps his fingers idly along the flask in his hand. “It’s a shame, ‘bout the Starwhale ‘n all, but… Sometimes that’s the way things go, yeah? Y’cant save everything. The ghost whales prolly ate it ‘n left some fed the sharks ‘n other sea life.”
His head tilts toward her again, wondering whether to take another sip of the flask or to air his true reasons. He decides on the latter. “I really jus’ wanna go so I can help ya, Relia, rather than sit here ‘n wait fer ya t’come back wonderin’ if a ghost whale gotcha.”
You don't have to be a hero to save the world You don't have to be a prodigy to be unique
She watches his face closely, hoping to see some flash of recognition, realization. No. There's only his uncanny ability to not let anything get him down. Her shoulders slump and a short, frustrated breath puffs out from her nostrils.
It's not the whale dying so much as it's the fact that nothing they did mattered. The only reason the ghost whales left them alone was because it had died and they were hungry. Next time, she isn't so sure there will be such an easy escape. She lets this sentiment settle in her mind, tucked away to be worried about later. Because Milo says something she doesn't expect.
There's a flicker of something lighter in her gaze and her expression lifts in gentle surprise. But it's soon dashed.
"So it's my fault that you want to do this," she says lowly, defeated. "Milo, if one of us has to get eaten by a whale, I'd rather it be me - not both of us. I can't-" she stops short, letting out a frustrated 'hmmm', as if she's reluctant to say something. Her weight shifts in an almost impatient or uncomfortable manner.
She places her chin on her elbow, fingers fastened around her arms, nails digging into the jacket's material. It's his decision but, if it weren't, she'd have him stay in Torchline for as long as she could to keep him far away from danger. Which is highly unrealistic, especially if he wants to be with her. She seems to find trouble everywhere she goes..
Her next words are grumbled out quietly as if she doesn't actually want him to hear them. Even though she very much does. "I don't know what I'll do if something happens to you."
It feels like nothing is easy, it'll never be That's alright, let it out, talk to me
She at least listens to him, which is something that he appreciates far more than he knows how to put into words. And he can offer her the same as he listens to her response, a half hearted smile lifting the corner of his lips mostly due to the alcohol. “I’d really rather it wasn’ either of us.” He pauses, lifting the flask again to take a swig as she wraps her arms around herself, running her hands deep in the warmth of the jacket.
He does hear her follow up words, by some miracle, one that has him lowering the flask and casting a glance toward her. “Somethin’ could happen t’me here too.” He says quietly, protesting in the easy, calm way that he can manage. But he pushes off, faces her, reaches out to try and reach into her jacket and pull her close to him. “I don’ want anythin’ t’happen t’ya.” Milo rumbles after a moment, picking his words carefully. “’n I wanna be there t’help if I can. And I really think that I can.” He hopes she understands this, unsure of how else to go about saying what he means and the intentions behind them all.
He can heal and it will only get better in time, right?
You don't have to be a hero to save the world You don't have to be a prodigy to be unique
The urge to comment something sarcastic and unproductive - "let's hope we have that option" - is there but she refrains. Instead, she's quiet, closing into herself, aside from that one little tiny truth that manages to mumble through.
Her eyelids flutter lower at his next words. It's true. Torchline isn't exactly a 'safe haven' either. Would she really rather leave him here while she sets sail? Would she really rather not be there for him if something were to happen, either way? No, probably not. So then this should be easier to accept.
He suddenly reaches for her beneath her jacket, coaxing her closer. Her hands fall away from her shoulders and reach for him too, because in spite of all this stress and anxiety, she's missed this. So she pulls herself in, leaning her face into his shoulder. Being this close, his sweet, citrusy scent clouds her senses. It's pleasantly soothing and invigorating. She takes a moment just to breathe him in.
"I know you can," she murmurs into him, punctuating it with a firm kiss on his shoulder. Lifting her chin to rest it on him and look up at him, she says softly, "I'm sorry, I do want you to be there. I'm just... scared of what might happen." It's hard for her to admit and her pride almost didn't let her.
It feels like nothing is easy, it'll never be That's alright, let it out, talk to me
He coaxes her closer and she comes to him willingly, opening up just a bit, and Milo hopes that somewhere beneath the emerald storm clouds of her mind that he might be able to soothe it. His arms wrap around her beneath the jacket, tucking spots of it here and there to ensure it doesn’t fall off, his cheek resting onto hers where her head rests on his shoulder.
Milo certainly doesn’t stop the smile that creeps up on his face at the kiss she plants to his skin. His head pulls away slightly to peer at her when she speaks, that smile remaining, his arms loosening just a fraction around her but keeping within range. “So then let me come on the Ark. One trip t’start. See how it goes.” He suggests, raising a brow to her before he’s leaning in to peck a kiss to her nose.
“It’s gonna be a’ight, Relia. ‘n if it isn’t, I don’t hafta do it again.” A compromise, perhaps?
