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!
She gives him a salute, "Yes sir." Maeve purrs playfully, winking as she takes the bundles of leaves he's collected. She's feeling a bit more optimistic now. Last time with Rigby they were both at a loss and struggling. Neither one able to make a clear plan besides walk until they couldn't walk anymore. Ronin was clearly better equipped to handle this type of situation. It did wonders for her anxiety.
With her new instructions, Maeve heads back to the boat, leaves in hand. She sits down next to the rowboat, taking the time and extra effort to weave the leaves together into a flexible mat to cover the bottom of the boat. Maeve stands placing it into the bottom of the boat and making sure it fits to the contours of the inside of the hull. She stands back with hands on her hips as she looks over her work, satisfied with what she's managed to accomplish. Hopefully this will hold well enough for them to make some good distance.
They both get to work, and Ronin doesn't bother to hide his playful smile in return as he goes to take a look at their would-be oars. He's not gone for long - about as long as it takes her to line the boat, honestly - and Maeve will hear the cracking and snapping of branches from the undergrowth before Ronin emerges. He has managed to strip down two reasonably sized branches to leave a few sprouts fanning out at the end - as good an oar as he has ever seen. (Not that he has seen many at all).
"That looks really good," he says as he approaches; already the rowboat is starting to dry off a bit, and Ronin sets the oars down within the boat. "Now for the fun part. Would you be able to lead the way if I push this along the sand? I'd like us to at least get it to the mouth of the river before we stop for a break." Already he's moving around to the back of the boat. With a shove that has him bracing in the soft earth for a moment, Ronin finally gets the thing moving.
"You can even sit in it if you like - I just need you to navigate."
soft spoken with a broken jaw we step outside, but not to brawl
The praise does wonders for her overall mood, further boosting her confidence. They've got this. No longer does fear linger in her belly to make her sick. Instead it's replaced with sound knowledge that between the two of them they can manage. "Thanks.. I thought the weave might help some." She explains as if it really matters while she helps him situate the oars in the rowboat before finding a perch on the still damp seat. She can feel the cool dampness through the light trousers she's wearing and tries not to grimace.
"Uh.. Yeah. I think I can manage that. You just sort of need me to tell you which way to turn?" Maeve throws the question back at him from over her shoulder, following it with a quick glance in search of clarification.
"It does help, for sure," Ronin agrees about the leaves that now layer the bottom of the boat, and as Maeve takes her seat he flashes her a smile before proceeding to push them along. She's light and he's probably got more strength than sense most of the time, so it's relatively easy going. "Luckily I think we can expect a pretty straight line up until the end. But do tell me if I'm about to push us straight into the sea," he says with a chuckle, before his head goes down so he can concentrate more on where he's putting his feet.
And it's pretty plain sailing, honestly (except without the water) to steer the little rowboat along the boondocks and towards the riverside. Eventually they do need to turn, and it's banking lazily to the left to bring them parallel to the river. Satisfied for the time being, Ronin stops and straightens up, brushing himself off. "I think that'll do for now, until our boat dries off a bit more," he says.
soft spoken with a broken jaw we step outside, but not to brawl
It's more fun than it should be. He pushes her along in the boat and she can't help grinning as they make their way along the bank. It makes her think of the stories she read of royalty being carried around in large chairs everywhere they went. Not that she's royalty. It's still fun, but before long they make it to a spot Ronin thinks is a good stopping point.
Maeve hops out of the boat, already there with her canteen held out to him. "If you want, I might be able to find us some vegetables or berries to eat. We could probably make a little fire." She's not familiar with this area, but it's just as much of a jungle as what surrounds Torchline. Surely she can manage to scrounge something together.
Ronin accepts the canteen gratefully, taking another sip of cool water before handing it back to her. "Oh, fuck. I meant to look for some food while I was pulling down those branches for the oars." He offers Maeve an apologetic smile, nodding at her suggestions and gazing around at the foliage on the fringes of the riverbank. "If you want to go and forage for something to eat, I can try and get us a fire set up. Some of the earth around here is still pretty dry and sandy, so it shouldn't be too difficult."
If that is what she decides to do, Ronin will move to search for a few dry pieces of wood to use as kindling. He also stacks other dry branches to continue to feed the fire when it's gotten going, before kneeling down to prepare the area. He's brought a tinderbox along, so luckily they shouldn't have too much of an issue, and by the time Maeve returns it will be to see him starting to strike sparks at the tinder.
soft spoken with a broken jaw we step outside, but not to brawl
Maeve takes the canteen back with a grin, cocking her head to the side as she arches a brow, "And here I was under the impression that you were some sort of survival expert." She drawls, crossing her arms over her chest as she gives him a disappointed shake of her head. It only lasts a minute before she's giggling, "I'll go look. I'm sure I can find something. If not, I'll come back and have you do the job I hired you for." They both know she hired him for protection. Not hunting, but she makes the joke anyway. Maeve pulls a small dagger from her pack as well and sets off for the nearby tree line.
She doesn't go in too deep, making sure she can still see the river through the trees. Well aware of her lack of combat prowess were something to happen, the girl makes sure that she stays within shouting distance. It takes some searching, but she does find some berries and after testing them against her skin, she deems them safe. Maeve gathers a good amount into one of the pouches on her pack and keeps looking. It seems this land is incredibly fertile. There is a tree with low hanging fruit that she spots some birds eating off of and she plucks some for them too. That's not the best part. While the fruit is a huge win and she's very excited to share with Ronin; there is something even better.
Maeve grins and marks this spot for later before pushing out of the trees and heading back to join him. "So, I have some good news. I hope you're prepared to be impressed." She starts, a swagger in her walk as she approaches, chin held high.
"I am pretty good at surviving," Ronin objects with a grin as Maeve heads off into the brush. "Used to be a huntsman, back in my youth." Not so much these days, but he does his best to get his part of their work done while she goes to search for food. There's a bit of smoke when she returns, Ronin blowing at the cinders until they catch, then feeding the fire kindling so it can hold its own. He glances up at Maeve, obscured a bit by the haze and smiling at her swagger, Ronin rising to his feet to try and spot what she might be so proud of.
"Oh is that so?" he replies, stepping away from his fledgling fire to join her. "Let me properly prepare myself and then you can tell me." So saying, he inhales and centres himself (obviously and dramatically) and then exhales again, before nodding to her. "Okay, go."
soft spoken with a broken jaw we step outside, but not to brawl
It's difficult not to laugh. Her cheeks actually hurt from smiling as he prepares himself. Squaring up his feet and puffing out his chest before allowing her to continue. Maeve holds out her bag to him. Inside he'll find not only the berries she collected into a small pouch, but also eight of the large red, pear shaped fruits. They would no doubt make a very nice meal on their own, but Maeve has more.
"That isn't all though," she starts pacing a slow circle around him while he examines her bounty. Maeve stops when she gets behind him, hands finding his shoulders as she turns him towards the direction she came from. "Right through there, I found a burrow." Her voice is up by his ear, giving away that she's absolutely on her tip toes. One of her arms lifts and she points as she releases him, popping out from around his side. "I know what you're thinking... 'Maeve, how do you possibly know anything about burrows?' To be fair, I don't look like the type, but I know a burrow when I see one."
She's standing back in front of him again, hands on her hips and an incredibly proud glint in her eyes. "No only did I find a burrow. I saw a rabbit going into it. Who's the survival expert now?" Maeve smiles up at him, her whole face lightly up with it as her nose wrinkles just enough to be noticeable.
Ronin finds himself holding a bag of fruit, peering into it and already seeming mighty impressed by all that Maeve has managed to forage. Plucking out one of the berries, he rolls it between his fingertips and lifts it to his nose to give it an experimental sniff, befoe he pops it into his mouth. It's sweet and refreshing, bursting with flavour while his companion practically dances in circles around him.
Chewing thoughtfully, steered in the direction of the undergrowth with a voice purring into his ear, he tilts his head and let's a slow smile creep across his face. "That," he says, "is perfect, Maeve." Leaning down a bit as if to whisper to her, as if they're about to share some incredible secret, Ronin noses towards the place where the burrow must be.
"So... do you have any idea how to catch rabbits?" In another life, it feels, Ronin would be well equipped for any such task. For now, though, all he has is his wits, his agility, and whatever he can find in the undergrowth. "If we can get some rope, I imagine I could make a snare, and we could use some of this fruit as bait."
soft spoken with a broken jaw we step outside, but not to brawl
Maeve would be the first to admit that she was fairly easily motivated with praise. The girl lived to please. Thrived off of it. That moment where she saw how proud her partner was fueled her like nothing else. So when Ronin leans down to speak to her softly, a smile on his lips that was close to making her melt on the spot, Maeve positively preens. Her face lifts towards his as she returns his smile, sticking herself close to his side as they make their way back towards the underbrush.
The question causes her steps to falter and her smile falls just enough. She hadn't thought about that part. "Well... No, but that's what you're for! You said you were a huntsman. Does that not extend to rabbits?" A perfectly shaped brow arches and she crosses her arms over her chest when they come to a stop about thirty feet from where the burrow is located.
Now, the first time Maeve set foot into the Wilds, she was woefully underprepared. She made a vow that she wouldn't let it happen again if she were ever to venture outside of Torchline another time. In preparation for this little excursion Maeve made sure to have the necessary items that would help should something like this ever happen again. Which meant that she did in fact have rope. How lucky for him. "I suppose it's a good thing I packed rope then, huh?" Maeve drawls, digging into her bag and producing the small bundle or rope. "Remind me what I needed you for again?" A smirk settles itself onto her plush lips and she holds it out to him.
Ronin can't help his shit-eating grin as the reality of the catching rabbits situation dawns upon Maeve, though between them he does, indeed, have the knowledge to hunt them. Still, he can't help but make a show of thinking about it, shrugging his shoulders in the end. "Banshees, rous, spire demons, cloud manta... how hard could rabbits be?" And then she produces rope and his eyebrows raise, impressed. Ronin accepts it and threads a length through his fingers so he can begin tying a knot for a snare.
"Look at you," he murmurs. "I imagine you don't need me at all. I'll take myself away after this and just follow at your heels to get home." It's all in jest, and the continuing smile on his face shows as much. Finishing the snare and taking a few of the berries out of the bag so they can use it as bait, he begins setting up the trap.
"There," he says. "Come on - we'll keep feeding the fire, and I'll come back and check this in a little while."
soft spoken with a broken jaw we step outside, but not to brawl
03-13-2021, 01:41 PM (This post was last modified: 03-13-2021, 02:34 PM by Maeve.)
I don't trust nobody
Maeve rolls her eyes. Hard. Of course he just has to tease her. "For someone like you it should be easy. I suppose it's too bad you can't just smile them to death," she tosses right back at him, not to be deterred by his jest. Maeve was plenty capable of dishing it out too. Except she struggles to keep her smile at bay and it takes away whatever sting could possibly be attached to her words.
"Feel free to look at me all you want," Maeve hums, crossing her arms over her chest as she leans against a tree, cocking her hip out. "I like the attention," she punctuates the sentence with a wink, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. The new position highlights her curves; showing off the slim taper of her waist and soft flare of her hips. She's not exactly trying to flirt, but it's hard not to. "You'd miss me too much if you did," Maeve coos, wrinkling her nose at him as she passed him the berries to set for bait.
Only when he's finished does she push away from the tree to follow him back out to fire. The promise of a good meal and warmth enough to push her forward.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Ronin inquires regarding smiling them to death. In truth he doesn't feel much like smiling at all, but the strange circumstances he's found himself in means he has no choice but to lift his spirits - he has no idea how long it will take for them to get back to Torchline, after all. Having finished the snare, Ronin steps back only for Maeve to all but invite him to ogle her, and he raises his eyebrow as he gives her the attention she craves.
Because she is attractive - one would have to be blind not to notice that - but honestly the last thing he's thinking of right now is getting close to someone in that respect. "You know, I probably would," he murmurs as they head back towards their makeshift camp. He'd miss her company and her conversation, for sure.
They head back to the fire, enjoying fruit and warmth as the afternoon winds on - and when they do go back to the snare, there is indeed a rabbit in there waiting. Ronin proves his hunting prowess by skinning it and roasting it over the fire, though there's not much by the way of cutlery or plates. Leaves will do, though.
By the time the sun is setting, it almost seems natural to settle down beside the boat, and it ought to be dry enough to set off down the river in the morning. "Strange," Ronin remarks, "That we've not seen anyone else out here."
soft spoken with a broken jaw we step outside, but not to brawl
