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!
They are both still breathing, and if anything the anger is welcome. One would swear Shaju was smiling, but that's between he and Sunjata right now. So up they come again, pacing and circling. The rain pounds down around them, and all eyes bore into the spectacle. When the boy moves this time it's fast, unexpected given the injuries, and Shaju doesn't step out of the way quite in time. It's not a full connection, but the blade does draw blood.
And when he realises, yes, there's definitely a smile on his face now.
Weaving forwards, his leg swings up to try and slam into Sunjata's already bleeding side, trying to weaken him further with hammer blows opposed to precise knifework. The bloodloss and pain will slow him down now, and it's only a matter of time before another mistake lets him get in close.
leaving well enough alone is no choice of yours to make
guilty says the proof, this town has no room for you
The smile on Shaju’s face perhaps hurts more, if he’s being honest. The fact that he’s making him proud of all things, despite the constant drain of blood and his inability to stop it because he keeps moving and stepping and opening up the wounds that continue to try and block themselves. He tears it open again and again, gritting his teeth – wondering if he’d cracked a tooth, unable tot ell by the blood in his mouth that he spits out again, darting forward to land that blow on his father, and withdrawing.
And because it’s how he’s raised, well, his gaze glances up to his father’s almost as if he’s seeking something. And he finds it, that smile, and he grits his teeth more. But an idea sparks, slowly, when his father’s leg swings into his side and Sunjata manages to push back just enough to turn, his back to the cliffs. He dives in a few more times, pulling away at the last second, blows landing and blows from Shaju bouncing him back further and further, slipping in the wet sand that starts to stick to his boots.
But he’s calculating, and he knows that he can’t win hand to hand, even with a blade. But if he can just get Shaju into position, he can try and use some of the other tricks his father’s taught him.
so look out, i fear they follow near
from the gallows you'll swing for all the kids to see
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
They exchange blows, a few nicks here, a few bruises there, and the rain increases in intensity. It hammers around them, muting the sound of the fight, muffling the sound of onlookers (if, indeed, they are making any noise). And Sunjata is driven back, and back, and back again, until the edge of the cliff yawns behind him, until they are both left out of breath and giving the other a chance to evaluate the situation.
And for Shaju it's clear. He spreads his hands, as if to demonstrate to Sunjata that he no longer has anywhere to go. A fight in front and a long drop into wild and churning waters behind. "Your move," he says, taking another couple of steps forward. He nearly swaggers with it, with the knowledge that it's almost over.
leaving well enough alone is no choice of yours to make
guilty says the proof, this town has no room for you
They’re out of breath and Sunjata’s bleeding, his sides covered in it. It makes it worse, far slicker paired with the rain, and part of it is almost poetic to an extent. His trial had been on a dark, dreary day such as this. And it’s in this time where they sit there, catching their breath, Sunjata attempting not to choke on his own blood, staring at his father as his voice burns against his mind. It buzzes, it vibrates, and he casts a glance over his shoulder to the crashing waves below.
Sunjata doesn’t move when Shaju steps forward, his gaze snapping back to his father. The blade drops into the sand, and he steps forward to greet Shaju – not on edge, no, but with a plan behind those dark eyes, a plan that would be… Difficult. And his father had never been one for affection, nothing even close. But he tries, because there was that smile, that hint of pride of him learning. "No." He pauses, brows furrowing in both his pain and shame.
And well, he puts it to use here.
He stumbles forward, a broken and choked sound leaving his throat. “Please, dad.” A few words, a white flag flown (though, looking at you Jack, you’ll know what it means), arms opening as if for some sort of acceptance, to know when the fight was lost and to give up before then, to open himself up for his father.
so look out, i fear they follow near
from the gallows you'll swing for all the kids to see
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
The refusal earns a raised eyebrow, the move forward even more so. Shaju stands like a marble statue in the rain, a silent monolith for Sunjata to throw himself against. The blade clatters to the wet sand and he sees it, the way the boy breaks and crumbles, the rebel surrendering at last. He is learning. Weak, always so weak, but here and now, finally he might be moulded into something worth the blood that flows through his veins and soaks his clothes.
Shaju steps in, reaching out to grasp Sunjata by the shirt and drag him up close. "You are nothing," he says, his voice a low rumble, almost growled into the boy's ear. "You have always been nothing. Too weak to hold my torch. Too soft to weather the storms of our heritage. Too stubborn and stupid to know when to give up." A scoff of a laugh leaves his lips. "Not any more, though. And for that?" He leans in closer, to share this moment.
leaving well enough alone is no choice of yours to make
guilty says the proof, this town has no room for you
He’s always been a stone in comparison to Sunjata. The Flood has gotten too much of his mother to ever become something his father would be proud of. And it’s this that has him numb when his father reaches for his shirt, pulls him up, the blood dripping from Sunjata’s ruined cheek. But it’s part of the plan, after all, even if he appears broken and crumbling. He absolutely is, (don’t get me wrong) but it’s for other reasons more so.
It’s the pride that makes him snap, that lets all those other words wash across him and off of him. Because two can play at the game Shaju plays, so he gives in. His arms wind around his father, acceptance in the way he presses his face against Shaju’s shoulder, smearing blood across it and wincing with the pain, but does it anyway. He buries his face into his father’s shoulder, and to the rest of them they’ll see the resemblance. They’ll see the way Sunjata carries himself certain ways, a mimicry of the man before him. They’ll see it, they’ll know.
But they don’t know this. They don’t know that he shudders a breath, that he takes a sharp one in, and uses every last bit of his strength to pull Shaju into him, right off the side of the cliff.
And down they go, down and down in the rain and the glimmers of gold, until Sunjata can manage to disentangle himself from his father, above the storming waves below. It’s not without a fight, though, his arm wounded in the fall. But he manages it, too close for comfort, feeling the salty spray, shifting into his macaw shift, pumping his wings to try and gain some space between them. He watches his father’s body fall into the water below, he watches it disappear.
And then his wing bends against the winds that lash against him, and down and down and down the Flood goes too. A shocked and pained cry of the macaw is made, a wave cresting and falling upon him, swallowing him up within it just off the coast.
And he disappears beneath the waves as well.
Alright, this is now OPEN FOR EVERYONE for reactions if you want ;D
so look out, i fear they follow near
from the gallows you'll swing for all the kids to see
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Uh, absolutely not. That was not how it was supposed to go. Jack's hissed curse is lost in the rain, and though he wants to march forward to look out over the cliffs, he refrains (just about). "Search the fuckin' shoreline," he grates to anyone who will listen, already peeling away to march off back towards Haulani. Who the fuck decides to host something like this up on the Aumakua anyways.
Because if the stupid, asshole Governor has blown it at the last moment, he'll be fucking livid. There's also nothing he can fucking do about it, and that makes it worse. So, looking over his shoulder (just in case Sunjata has surfaced - and he hasn't), Jack disappears into the dispersing crowd to try and find the Flood.
Or his body, at least.
Jack's out!
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
Two mental voices cried out, one in fear and panic, the other in morbid concern, in unison as the lion ran up to the edge of the cliff, watching as Sunjata disappears under the waves for now. He let out a roar that likely spooked away whatever feathery flock remained in the area, keeping his eyes, ears and otherworldly bond open for anything that may come through.
...he's...he's not...
Until a body's found, there's no way to know for sure.
He then sees someone bark an order, an order he can get behind as he peels off behind the running human...oh, shit, that looked like the captain of the ship he once stowed away on. One issue at a time, though, finding Sunjata was a priority for now...
03-04-2021, 11:22 PM (This post was last modified: 03-04-2021, 11:29 PM by Adam.)
If it's something I want
then it's something I need
Adam, ever faithful in his friends, watched the entire thing sure that Sunjata was going to come out on top. He whooped and booed at the appropriate times, called the other guy (who might have been Sunjata's dad?) a wanker, and waited for it all to be over so he could buy his mate a drink. It was only when Nate showed up, looking pretty fucking rough, that Adam realised something bigger was up.
He was not, at all, prepared for the final moment of the fight, the leap over the cliff. "Uh." Adam said out loud, not sure how else to express his utter disbelief. Sunjata had to be okay, right? The story would be really fucking lame if he didn't make it, yet Adam couldn't bring himself to look over the edge and check.
Nothing else to do but try and pick up the pieces here, he guessed, looking towards Nate. Sucking in a breath through his teeth, Adam took a step towards him.
Ray froze for half a second before she is leapt off of her rock and into her panther form. Sunjata! Once her paws reached the ground she tried to make her panicking mind slow. It was obvious that some of the other Attuned were calling out and when no reply came, she let out a frustrated growl. But she refused to believe he was dead until proof.
Ray turned back towards the others and her eyes were instantly on Nate. She carefully made her way over and stood some distance away. Shifting back she remained a few feet off, not wanting to spook him. Ray was about to try and rouse him when Adam beat her to it. So Ray instead helped Adam get Nate to safety. She hoped he would recover but from a single glance she could tell that he had a long road ahead of him.
r a y
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
—Albert Camus
It feels far too fast and yet seems to take an eternity all at the same time. Impossibly difficult to remain rooted to the sand as she watches Nate get carried in, looking as close to death as an Ascended can physically display. Even harder to watch as Sunjata faces down his father, flinching with each strike that lands, each cut that mars his skin. A shout rises and strangles in her throat as the two tumble over the cliff and out of sight, stumbling half a step forward in an aborted attempt to follow.
Everything after that is numb.
People move too quickly for her to keep track, but she forces herself to turn her eyes to Nate and the unknown man who is already helping him up and away - that infernal muzzle still firmly in place. It may be for the best, she isn't sure. Her knowledge of the Ascended still has far too many patches. What she does know is that Atlas' powers work on them, and so she sprints across the sand with the unicorn following at her side, getting close enough to use his healing magic on the worst of the physical wounds. Emotion shoved to the wayside for the moment to focus on ensuring she does not lose another loved one. Forcing herself to hope, to have faith in Sunjata and his aquatic form that she prays has saved his life. For now, she can at least heal some of the worst wounds that may keep Nate from being led away.
As for the thirst, well...that is something only his goddess can fix. Yet another debt owed to a goddess she has yet to even meet.
I'm ready to hope, swing me out of the low Wide awake in the glow, I can't do this alone
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
Theo appeared unfazed when Aurelia approached him, giving her a sunny smile. "My money's on the Governor, myself. He can turn into a dragon, you know."
But ultimately no one came to make bets, scared off by Aurelia -- probably for the best, considering the combat's deeply ambivalent outcome. Theo wouldn't know that, however. With Aurelia distracted by the combat, he slipped away. If he couldn't scam people, he wasn't going to stick around for them to start wondering where their valuables had disappeared to.
He stayed long enough to witness Nate's condition: not heartless, Theo winced in sympathy, but Nate clearly had actual friends to help him. Still, Theo was now sincerely on the Governor's side, not just taking the better odds. He didn't want to share Torchline with the kind of man who could or would do that.
But by the time the first blood flowed, Theo was gone.
Theo
"Poker" by ND Strupler is licensed with CC BY 2.0.
you think i'm happy because i'm smiling,
but it's the easiest thing to do
Juniper couldn't help gasping at Nate's appearance, a hand rising to her mouth. Then her expression went hard, eyes measuring Shaju coldly. She knew she still couldn't interfere, whatever she thought of the man; she assumed an outsider's intervention would only anger the Torchers and turn them against their Governor, and Sunjata already had enough to deal with. But her heart went out to Nate -- and remained in her throat throughout the conflict, especially as it seemed to go against Sunjata. Her lips drew back in a grimace as she thought ahead: who would be Torchline's new Governor if Sunjata died here? What could she do?
Nothing, until the fight was over and Sunjata and Shaju fell -- and then she was one of the first to the cliff's edge, fluttering over the heads of the rest of the crowd. As Jack called out for a search, she dove towards the waves, hovering over them and scanning them for any sign of Sunjata -- or of Shaju, because if there was any chance he'd survived, she wanted to know. Nothing, but Juniper didn't plan to stop looking any time soon.
if you looked a little closer,
you'd find my eyes aren't smiling too.
// but i'm not good with directions and i hide behind my mouth i'm a pro at imperfections and i'm best friends with my doubt //
He is surrounded by hands and faces that he knows deep down are friendly, though he still shies away from them. Even as he leans in, ravenous and desperate. Despite the humiliation of the muzzle, it’s the only thing that’s keeping him from lashing from succumbing to that animalistic hunger.
That, and the focus he has on this fight. On Sunjata. He doesn’t have the energy to flinch, to wince in sympathy with every blow, but he doesn’t look away either. He has to watch it. Has to witness it.
It’s a bad idea, a horrible idea, but Nate steps closer when his husband and bastard father in law embrace. It feels like a betrayal. And then he doesn’t feel anything at all, as both shapes go tumbling over the edge. He can’t believe what he’s seeing. What he saw. He takes another step closer to the edge, his legs crumbling under him and sending him toppling to his knees.
Nate has no idea how long he’s there. It could have been seconds, or it could have been hours. It all feels the same. He doesn’t want to move, even when hands come to him again, trying to help him along, to help him somewhere. Even as hooves click towards him, and he knows he should recognize it, knows some of this should be familiar, but the whole world has changed, in one fell swoop.
and now that my mind's out, and now i hear it clear and loud
