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!
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
With Mateo and Ronin in Torchline, there was only one person with whom Remi was dream-tethered in Stormbreak. Just one person he could use to bring Amalia back. And, without knowing anything that had ever happened between Spyglass and Archangel, Remi expected awkwardness to be sure, but likely not of the sort which was to come.
"See you on the other side." Remi had whispered, before reaching for Amalia. Asleep in his arms then, the Lullaby closes his eyes and disappears with her.
The room is dark, of course. No light peers through the skylight if only because there is still no light yet to be had. Finn will find his bed suddenly quite full; sandwiched by a very naked Remi, will be a very naked Amalia. She already knows the similarities between the two men, but they're almost indistinguishable now, in the flat light of Finn's rooms. All the more so given that they're asleep, bodies covered by blankets, with just a tangle of curls and closed eyes for visible features.
And what good are hearts if you bury them all alone?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
it is both a blessing and a curse, to feel everything so very deeply
Amalia doesn’t ask how they’re going to get back, whose dreams she will travel through. She doesn’t think to do it; Remi’s abilities are still rather new to her, and she figures he can simply dream his way back into her empty bed. She is wrong, of course, as she will soon find out, in the most mortifying way possible.
It happens sometimes when she falls asleep, that Amalia’s body shifts and changes from that of a young woman to a leopardess. Ever since she found it she’s been waking up half-shifted, various degrees of feline characteristics taking over her form. And so even though it is a human that Remi takes hold of in Torchline, it will be a snow leopard he wakes up beside. A very warm, lush, cozy snow leopard, her loud purr radiating against the bodies of the men beside her beneath the blanket. She is dreaming of curls and stormy eyes, of sitting near the water as clouds roll in. Of a confusingly familiar yet comforting scent, and the sound of silver strings.
With a soft whuff of contentment the leopard stirs, back arching as she rolls beneath the blankets to press her head closer against Finn.
Finn's meds wear off towards the morning anyway, leaving him in a light doze; the perfect recipe for disaster when it comes to realising that he isn't alone in bed any longer. But it's not just a naked version of the man who wears his face this time. Nah, this time Remi's brought a tiger along for tea.
Well, a leopardess. Same big cat difference.
Not naked, the Spyglass is in a perfect position to rocket back and fall out of bed the second a furry head comes pressing towards his own, choking out a curse that's too sleepy to be anything but random noise.
He recovers quickly, though - remarkably quickly, for Finn. All that work he's been doing on himself is paying off in some way, at least. "Out." His voice is firm this time, and it carries, and it leaves no room for questioning.
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
Used to falling asleep next to Ianto, a furry form at his side is nothing new. Yes, this one is much larger, but Remi's sleep unconscious doesn't mind it. Only when Finn falls out of bed, mewling under his breath and then barking an order does the alchemist stir.
They've just decimated a shrine, his marriage is in tatters, and Finn is choosing now to find his backbone? Clicking his teeth together with a sigh—really, the alchemist has no right to be annoyed, he did promise he wouldn't do this again—he sits up and nudges the feline at his side. "Come on, Ama."
Stifling a yawn with the back of his hand, Remi moves toward the foot of the bed. Both Finn and Amalia have seen him naked by this point, and given the intrusion, Remi doesn't really think he's in a position to be asking for favours. Still, he glances toward a towel thats been hung on the back of a chair. "Can I borrow that?" He wonders in a soft voice. If not, he'll leave the room completely naked as he is, morning wood and scars and all. But, it would probably draw less attention if he didn't.
And what good are hearts if you bury them all alone?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Still sleepy, Amalia is immediately confused as both bodies abandon the bed, leaving her cold and alone. Blinking large, onyx eyes, the girl sits up in the now-empty bed, her body shifting as she tries to gain her bearings. Leopard fur fades away, leaving human skin scarcely covered by a thin draping of sheet. The fabric is pulled up over her chest, and barely at that, leaving back, arms, and one leg fully exposed. It's cold, and Amalia shivers as she peers through tousled tawny hair, peering at Remi through the dim morning light. "Where...?"
Except, of course, that it's not Remi. As the haze of sleep fades away and the world comes into focus, a very naked Amalia comes to a very startling realization. "I- Finn?!" the no-longer-Shield squawks, a rosy blush quickly rising over her narrow cheeks. "I- where- is this.... oh, Mort." A frantic glance around shows a very naked Remi at the end of the bed, acting like this is all very normal. "Remi, why... what happened?"
It gets worse, somehow - and that's probably deserving of some kind of award at this point. Finn flushes from his chest all the way up to his cheeks as Amalia appears in the flesh (and it's a lot of flesh, frankly), averting his eyes and trying to ignore the way his heart tries to thunder its way out of his chest. He can feel them all over again, pressed against his body, though of course it isn't the bedmates he's awoken with. It's someone else - a lot of someones, through a period of years and years.
Remi speaks and draws his attention, and although Finn's fingers and toes are numb, he still manages to keep his voice somewhat steady. "No. I said out," he mutters, trying to imagine that Amalia isn't even there because he literally can't think about this right now. "Just go. You know where the door is."
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
Fine.
It is a lot, but not for the reasons Finn thinks. Raking a frustrated hand through his curls, still completely naked, Remi just lets his hands flop to his sides. "There was no one else." He manages through dry lips. 'She had to come back, or Cian would have found out.' It likely isn't much of a consolation, probably not one at all, but maybe it would make a difference to Finn that this had been intentional, rather than a surprise to them both.
If nothing else, Finn could properly hate Remi for it, rather than just being bothered by his uncontrollable powers.
And so Remi reaches for the doorknob. Whether he'll strut down the stairs entirely scarred and nude, or if he'll shift is likely not at all Finn's concern.
And what good are hearts if you bury them all alone?
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
it is both a blessing and a curse, to feel everything so very deeply
She feels like this isn't about her. Like there's something she fundamentally does not understand going on between the men, leaving her an unfortunate bystander in the middle of the bed. Awkwardly she pulls the blanket between her fingers, staring down at it as the strange mirror of man argues with itself. This isn't about me, she inhales through her nose. This isn't about me, is breathed out her mouth.
"We're going." There's no anger in her voice as she looks up at Finn, no wavering disappointment or conflicted desire - though perhaps Remi will sense it, knowing her as well as he does. "I'm sorry, Finn- we, we shouldn't have invaded your space like this." A sad, apologetic smile flickers over her face, quickly replaced by feline features as Amalia shifts again. Maybe Remi is comfortable walking through Stormbreak naked, but the girl still has her shame dignity.
Hopping gracefully off the bed, Amalia prowls to Remi and the door. With a final glance to Finn she slips out into the hall; only then will the facade release, allowing her to turn baleful eyes towards the Alchemist, her ears set back in confusion. What was that about?
