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!
"Then it sounds as though it was worth it," Finn says with a smile that brings out his dimples, and he steps out onto the path to let his feet sink into her fading footprints. "I am glad that you were able to enjoy yourself. Though I don't envy how you may feel tomorrow," he remarks, letting his hands sink back into his pockets as they stroll. The snow is starting to come down hard and fast now, prompting Finn to glance over his shoulder. "I daresay that no one will know we were here by tomorrow." Not that tomorrow means much in LongNight.
Cian has Finn's brows knitting together, and he shakes his head, though it's obvious that his curiosity is piqued. "I've no idea if the enclosures react to those within it that are not mere magical creatures," he says slowly. "It is something that I might be able to find out in the Archives, though. Either way, I'm sorry that it worried you," he says.
let me see you through 'cause i've seen the dark side too.
"I don't think I could have done that with anyone else." Not Dorian and his endless attempts to get her into bed, not Falke and the questions it would no doubt spark about why she'd kept it hidden and what it said about her, not Sera or Ronin. But Finn? Did Tobi believe her secret was infallibly safe with him? No. But that was okay, somehow. What had just happened was okay, somehow.
'Uhhghg, why'd you have to go and say that and ruin it.' Tobi groans playfully, stepping to the side between their tracks that she might knock her shoulder into his. Glancing over her shoulder, she too notices how the Celestine seems to have swallowed up their footsteps. 'With how everything moves around in here, I bet if we walked backward right now, we wouldn't even be at the same enclosure.'
Twitching her lips from side to side, the doctor shrugs. 'Oh, now I'm a mere magical creature?' Tobi wonders, her voice rising with feigned offence as she grins over her shoulder at Finn. 'It would be interesting to know...I wonder if the enclosures could make Outlander worlds.' Shaking her head again (and causing the snow accumulated there to fall to her shoulders), Tobi reaches for her scarf. "Not worried. Moreso...everything was just...so perfect, and then hello Cian." With a grumble, the doctor halts for a moment that she might rebundle herself up with her scarf now that her heartrate as slowed somewhat.
When the night falls on you & you don't know what to do Nothing you confess could make me love you less
"Oh?" Finn tilts his head at her, not questioning it but not understanding it either. He's not even sure if it's a good or a bad thing, that she could come out here and trust him with something as delicate as her hidden shift. "Well, it was my pleasure," he says, typically polite in the face of having just tromped through snow deep enough to soak him up to the knees. The movement is keeping him from getting too cold, at least, but there's a reason his hands are bundled into his pockets.
"Sorry," he says, not sounding sorry at all. "Do you wonder whether this place has the same kind of energy as the Greatwood, perhaps?" It's the moving around that has him thinking, though Tobi's unfortunate focus on his choice of words has his cheeks flushing with shame. "I didn't mean it like that," he says apologetically, stopping so she might adjust herself and her scarf.
He commits himself to finding all he can about the Celestine - side projects, and all that - and he's unable not to laugh at Tobi's depiction of Cian's entrance. "Only the Eye would be able to stand in the snow and light a cigarette," he agrees.
let me see you through 'cause i've seen the dark side too.
'Oh I just bet. I always knew your favourite things included secret excursions, tromping through the snow in the cold, and being forced to ride a unicorn." Tobi's smile widens at this last activity, her nose crinkling an unsaid apology. She both is and isn't sorry, in typical Tobi fashion. Never does she want to make Finn actually uncomfortable, but having to endure a walk uphill in the snow would have sat just as uneasily. "But I promise, I won't ask again. You can just assume the offer is always there." She adds with a smile.
As to its similarities to the Greatwood, Tobi can only shrug her shoulders. "Perhaps. I've never been, but.." Does Finn know how knowledgeable and worldy he's become? "..I wouldn't be surprised. That's how the Greatwood protects itself, right? So why wouldn't Frey do the same thing here." Finn stumbles over her playful prodding of his words, and Tobi can't help but let her head tip back with laughter. "No, it's fine." She muses, wrapping the heavy lilac scarf around her neck. "I've been called worse." Giving Finn a wink as her bright smile disappears behind her scarf, Tobi tucks the ends into her collar and nods that they can carry on.
"That man could suck the fun out of any situation." Tobi grumbles, her voice slightly muffled behind her scarf.
When the night falls on you & you don't know what to do Nothing you confess could make me love you less
"Well, you've got me there," Finn says dryly, letting out an exaggerated sigh as if Tobi has finally uncovered the deepest of his secrets. Still, there's no denying that he appreciates her understanding, her assurance that she'll not try to strongarm him, and although he hasn't felt particularly uptight, something in Finn relaxes a great deal to hear it. "Thank you," he murmurs, waiting for her to get bundled back up before they set off a second time towards the Tower.
Finn has no idea how wordly he's become, it's true, and he nods obligingly as their talk turns towards the Greatwood. "That's right, yes. The only thing that has me thinking otherwise is the fact that the Greatwood is completely organic. But..." He trails off, at risk of being caught in a research hole that he might not come out of in time to make polite conversation. "I'll find out more and get back to you," he finishes, flashing Tobi he lopsided smile.
He raises his eyebrows, though, to hear that she's been called anything bad, let alone worse than mere. "Like what?" he wonders before he can stop himself, before wincing. "You don't have to answer that."
As for Cian? Finn's smile turns just a bit crooked. "He is quite dry, isn't he?"
let me see you through 'cause i've seen the dark side too.
'You aren't the only one who's clever.' Tobi sings playfully, flashing him a last smile before the majority of her face is hidden behind a swath of lilac.
Finn talks and Tobi listens, happy to play witness as he walks himself through his own thoughts on the matter. She's smirking adoringly at his side, not that he can see it beneath her scarf. "I'm going to hold you to that." The doctor mumbles, as if the Spyglass needs any outside motivation. They both know that once Finn sets his mind to something, especially something research-related, he's like a dog with a bone.
Not at all put off by the question, Tobi lifts her eyes up to the falling down as she laughs. "Not all my patients are as good as you, Finn." She reminds him as deep laugh lines form around her eyes and snowflakes land on her lashes. "I've heard it all. But pain—and fear—make people say terrible things." She shrugs her shoulders bouncily. "I don't really take it to heart, though."
No. The things that get to her are the things said by those closest: Dorian trying to get her into bed, the last words of friends dead at the hands of the caves near the sea, what Finn had said to her about needing her still after he'd slammed his fingers in his door.
"Like the desert." Tobi agrees, her smile equally crooked.
"Hey, do you have any idea what time it is?" As the Spire comes into view, the doctor realizes she's absolutely no idea just how much leeway she has left before her obligations to the clinic become overwhelming. But she really could go for some mulled wine, or spiked hot chocolate right about now.
When the night falls on you & you don't know what to do Nothing you confess could make me love you less
Finn doesn't really have anything to say to that, but the soft smile that he's no longer able to bury in his scarf speaks volumes. For a man who has grown up without anything at all - worse, with only his body to offer as value - to hear out loud that he's clever, even by proxy, means more than Tobi can know. "I will have a report on your desk before LongNight is through," he tells her simply, quietly certain about that fact.
The amusement - pride, even - dampens completely to hear that some patients don't treat Tobi with the respect and kindness that, in Finn's opinion, she sorely deserves. His brows knit together in a frown, the Spyglass struggling to articulate the tangle of emotions that he feels regarding the matter. "I am so sorry," he says, though he understands better than most how cruel people can be. And that's even without the pain and the fear.
There's no argument about how sandpaper-like the Eye can be, and Finn's attention is soon stolen by the matter of the time. "I think it was about... six in the evening, when we left?" It's a stab in the (literal) dark, but knowing Finn, he's on the dot. "Not too late, I imagine."
let me see you through 'cause i've seen the dark side too.
"Hah!" Tobi's exclamation of amusement leaves a puff of white air in the darkness. "As if there's any room on my desk for more paper. Nope, you'll just have to give me the details in person." She meant it before when she said she could listen to Finn talk about his work for hours. And this topic concerned her, if only tangentially; would the Celestine protect her secrets the way the Greatwood protected the fae's?
'Oh it's fine.' Tobi replies airily, shaking her head. 'It comes with the territory.' There were ways to pierce the doctor's armour of course, but insults and curses screamed in the throes of pain or terror were certainly not enough to do it.
'So probably only seven or seven-thirty now...do you think the drink-carts in the Plaza will still be open?" The ones in the Silk Houses are sure to be open, but the pair have likely done enough demon-facing for today. And if they weren't open, it was no matter. Tobi was sure there was a bottle of red wine in her office that would do in a pinch.
When the night falls on you & you don't know what to do Nothing you confess could make me love you less
Finn enjoys the sound of her laughter more than he expects to (not that he expects to hate it, of course), and they head out of the Celestine within a matter of a few more minutes - apparently, the gardens want them out of there rather than leaving them to wander around. "Could I still write the report?" he wonders, the hint of a smirk on his face. Finn works better presenting his findings in an orderly fashion, and prompts like reports and other physical aspects work best to keep his focus where it needs to be.
It might come with the territory but that still doesn't mean Finn has to be happy about it, though Tobi does a good job at distracting him with the offer of a drink from one of the carts in the Plaza. "I think they are opening longer because of LongNight," he says, taking the path which curves away from the Tower so they can go and see for themselves. It's true that there's always the Silk Houses if the carts are closed, but Finn is admittedly reluctant to even consider that as an option.
let me see you through 'cause i've seen the dark side too.
'If you must. Though I think your guitar will be sad you're using your fingers for work and not for play." Tobi says, the slant of her smile colouring her words. It isn't quite banter between them, but certainly the conversation isn't as one-sided as it usually tends to be. But then, the doctor has always taken Finn just as he is, in whatever iteration the day brings. And she'll continue to do just that regardless of what comes, and regardless of how Finn's search for inner strength changes him.
"Mmm, something warm for sure." Tobi says, following as Finn leads them onto a different path. There are no tracks no for her to walk in, and so her pace slows slightly to prevent slipping in the accumulating snow. "And something strong. May as well get a head start on relaxing my muscles before the start tensing up." Despite having said this, Tobi is not a drunk. She can't remember the last time she drank to excess. A glass of wine (or two) will put her to bed in her office, but it isn't enough to make her act a fool. Just enough to take the edge off of days that Finn can likely well imagine she has.
"A few days ago I tried this hot chocolate with whiskey and salt around the rim. I thought I would hate it but, it actually balanced out the sweetness of the chocolate really nicely." Then, remembering for all his leaps and bounds as of late that this was still Finn she was talking to, Tobi adds: "Want to have a drink with me?" Gently she nudges his shoulder. "It'll give me time to tell you how I like my reports formated." She adds with a peel of laughter.
When the night falls on you & you don't know what to do Nothing you confess could make me love you less
"Guitars cannot be sad, Tobi. Don't be ridiculous," Finn says, and though his tone is as serious as it usually is, there's a soft suggestion that he might be playing along with her. "Even so, I will be sure to play as well as write the report." He glances over his shoulder as they begin to walk towards the Plaza, and it's impossible not to notice how her steps have slowed. Finn drops back automatically; before he can give it too much thought, he offers her his arm to slip her own through. His hands, of course, never leave his pockets.
Warm and strong sounds good to both of them, evidently, and as they turn towards where the firling still sparkles in the distance, Finn is already able to spot the lights from lanterns and stalls. "It seems as though we are in luck," he says, turning to look down as she nudges against his shoulder. Tobi knows all the right questions to ask and it lets the Spyglass relax in a way that might be considered very rare indeed; he nods softly. "I would like that," he says, nodding for her to lead the way.
"Hot chocolate and whiskey, hm? We will both be sleeping well tonight."
let me see you through 'cause i've seen the dark side too.
"Oh right, my mistake." Tobi replies flippantly, though the warmth of her hidden smile carries the words rather buoyantly. It's the most Finn-response she can imagine, and it warms her in ways that the prospect of warm drinks simply can't. As the Spyglass slows, Tobi glances over her shoulder, brows already knitting together. She assumes he's seen something or is stopping to tie his shoe or take notes about the weather, but when his arm bows out from his side, the doctor feels the warmth spread, almost like butterflies. Linking her arm through his, though Tobi is not necessarily one to hide her emotions, she is suddenly rather happy that the scarf over her nose and mouth is hiding just how wide her smile is, and the blush on her cheeks. It's so sweet and unexpected that she wants to wrap her arms around his neck and thank him for just..being tonight. But she suspects that would be too much, and so she contends herself to fall into step with him.
"There's an Outlander tradition on some of the different worlds to do with trees and ornaments and gifts." Tobi says conversationally. "In some worlds there are trees like the firling that are decorated. In others, the trees are brought inside because the societies couldn't be bothered celebrating in the cold." Ordering their drinks, Tobi nods instantly when she's asked about whether they would like whipped cream and nutmeg on their drinks.
Reluctantly (Tobi will realize that's what the feeling was later), she unlinks her arm from around Finn so that she can grab her cup with both mittened-hands. "Let's sit on that bench over there, and I can tell you about decorations and my preferred margin widths."
When the night falls on you & you don't know what to do Nothing you confess could make me love you less
It is her mistake, and so Finn humbly lets it go, strolling through the snow towards the dancing lights and faint music - because when the sun doesn't rise, there is nothing stopping Stormbreak from celebrating until it does again. The firling catches his eye, Finn tilting his head up to admire the thing - it has certainly grown since those first glimpses he's seen of it at the beginning of the season, and it is looking quite festive now with its various baubles and decorations. "They didn't want to celebrate in the cold, so they chopped a tree down and brought it inside...?"
The furrow to his brow tells that he's thinking hard about these implications while Tobi orders their drinks, and he pulls his chilly hands from his pockets to accept the hot chocolate when she's finished, surprised to find both cream and nutmeg but not complaining at all. "That sounds good," he says - and it really does, the Spyglass leading the way across the trampled down snow to an empty bench. It's cold to sit on, but the contrast with the warmth of the drink makes it worth it. "Standard margin widths are one-inch, but I can make them more narrow if you require," he says, and there's just a hint of amusement dancing in his stormy eyes.
let me see you through 'cause i've seen the dark side too.
"Strange, huh?" Tobi agrees with a laugh. "Early on they would tie candles to it. Inside their houses." She rolls her eyes, wondering how an entire civilization couldn't see how absurd that was. Outside with everything covered in snow made sense. But inside? "And then in some cultures, it was...taken over. It wasn't about celebrating the change in season anymore, but this young god who had to have presents every year." At least, she thought that was how her father had told it. "And if you didn't get the god a present you were turned into a lump of coal."
Plopping down next to him, Tobi is techinically touching Finn, but the thick layers of fabric between them make him feel like a padded wall. Pulling down her scarf so that she can drink, Tobi snorts into the thick curl of cream before turning a wry smile toward the Spyglass. On the subject of margins Tobi of course as no opinion. But that doesdn't mean she can't string this conversation along. "Well that all depends Finn." She says, almost sounding a trifle condescending, though her smile and the cream that threatens to touch her nose ruins the sarcasm. "Wider margins mean fewer pages." She shrugs her shoulders. "I guess it all depends if you think a high-page count matters."
When the night falls on you & you don't know what to do Nothing you confess could make me love you less
