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
"He absolutely will be. But it will be worth his anger." Remi agrees with a roguish grin, before taking a slurp of his tea to gauge the temperature. Finding it quite drinkable, he downs nearly half of it in one go, forgetting that tea is something one normally savours and drinks slowly.
"Ahh well. From what I saw, it is large enough for three. Or more." With a modest chuckle, Remi shrugs. "I have gotten fairly good at making myself new clothes that last long enough to make my escape." He adds.
Her question is one he expects, and yet the foreknowledge of it coming doesn't do anything to ease the guilt and sorrow that suddenly weighs heavily on his heart. Rubbing unconsciously at the scar tissue around his sternum, Remi looks down into his mostly empty cup as if the lingering tea leaves there might spell out a fortune where he can say yes without hesitation.
"If your name appears on my list, I would." The alchemist replies in a soft voice, his sea-glass stare raising from his cup to meet Maeve's own gaze. "That is the work I do for Ludo. It is why I am called the Lullaby, you see." Swallowing hard, Remi pulls in a breath and releases it slowly. "Would I out of anger or spite? No. That I cannot see myself doing." But just as Remi vowed not to sugar coat things when they last spoke on the beach, so too would he not gloss over the darker details of who and what he was.
"If I did though, lock you away in sleep, Ronin would have the ability to bring you back." Remi adds, unsure if that would help or not.
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 certainly large enough for three. Probably more. I haven't tried yet." Maeve muses with a faint smile, shrugging her slender shoulders as she sets her now empty teacup back onto the tray. "What a relief. I won't have to worry about explaining why there is a naked man fleeing from my room. That usually doesn't happen."
The casual playfulness fades quickly and she takes a breath, waiting for his answer. She isn't exactly surprised. A cold acceptance washes over her instead and she nods slowly. The will of the gods was a fickle thing and she knew that Remi couldn't fight it. Her own green gaze settles on his and she gives a nod of understanding. "I understand. I suppose I'll just have to try hard not to end up on that list, huh?" It's a soft attempt at a joke, wanting to keep them both at ease, but knowing it was unlikely given what they were discussing.
The knowledge that Ronin could wake her should it happen is a relief and she's grateful to have that to hold on to. It eases the tightness that had formed in her chest, "That's good..." She murmurs, pursing her lips as she weighs all of this information in her head. Ultimately she believes that Remi has no real desire to harm her. She's done nothing wrong. Not to mention that she's a friend to his husband and hopefully one to him as well. "Alright. I'll do this for you."
I admit that I'm a little messed up but I can hide it when I'm all dressed up
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
"Everyone dies." Remi says with a slow roll of his shoulders. "Appearing on my list at least means you are being spared a worse death." All of his magic might be life-ending in nature, that didn't mean it was all painful or brutal in practice. Much of what he could do was intended to make one's demise as sweet as possible. In the wrong hands of course the Lullaby could turn one's world into a waking nightmare, which always begged the question of whether or not Remi's hands were indeed the wrong ones.
Smiling gratefully, the alchemist dips his head, placing his teacup gently onto the table and turning towards the Madame. "You do not have to be asleep for long." He explains. " Are you alright here, or would you prefer to be in bed?"
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.
The clarification helps to ease her further. To be collected by the Lullaby when the time came was not an unpleasant thought. Maeve felt in her gut that he would make it sweet for her. Send her off with fields of flowers in her head and the warmth of the sun on her skin. He'd take care of her. "There would be worse ways to go." Maeve murmurs, offering him a small smile before she draws in a breath and moves to stand.
"The bed will be more comfortable, I think. I can hardly ever sleep on the couch." As if he couldn't make her fall asleep there. That's what he's going to be doing, but the bed just seems the safer spot to her. Carefully she makes her way over to the still unmade surface, having not bothered to remake it after she got up the morning. She crawls in, moving to curl up on her side, leaving plenty of room for Remi to join her. Maeve goes as far as drawing the blankets around her prone form, keeping out the chill of the room as she settles in. Her fingers curl in the sheets, clutching onto them tightly, "I'm ready..."
I admit that I'm a little messed up but I can hide it when I'm all dressed up
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
Remi nods, sadly. There were indeed worse ways to go, such as being skewered by a spear of ice or tearing out your own throat. Both of which the alchemist knew intimately.
Chuckling under his breath but nodding nonetheless, Remi rises, padding softly after the Madame. Were there eyes to see this, a man in a towel following Maeve to her bed wouldn't have been an unusual sight in the least. Sliding in next to her, this time not minding the smell of another in her sheets (Remi's brief 'encounter' with Sunjata on the beach hadn't imparted the smell of the man's sex in the alchemist's brain, thankfully), Remi reaches out a tentative, but steadying hand for her shoulder. "You will wake up. I promise." He whispers, and no sooner do the words leave his lips, than she is asleep.
Though it is her dream, the world is entirely of Remi's making. They sit on a beach in another world. There is a log of driftwood upon which Remi sits, with a sketch book half-open in a bag, and a green sea spread out before them. "That was not so bad, mm?" He wonders, turning to flash Maeve a radiant and appreciative smile.
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.
Maeve watches him from her makeshift cocoon, eyes trained on each movement as he crawls into bed next to her. A shaky breath pushes past her lips as she looks up at him from beneath her lashes. She draws the blankets up higher, burying her nose in the fabric and she can still the smoky musk that belongs to the Flood there. Maeve closes her eyes as Remi reaches out to smooth a hand over her shoulder, barely having a chance to register his words before she's slipping under and into the realm of dreams.
The light is blinding at first, green eyes blinking as she gets her bearings. Surprise washes through her to see the ocean and feel the sand beneath her feet. She looks down, finding she's no longer in her pajamas, but a dress of soft purple instead, the fabric billowing in the breeze that rolls off the sea. His voice catches her attention and she turns to look at him, a slow smile spreading onto her lips as she finally approaches. "No, it wasn't. I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it." Maeve admits as she lowers herself to join him on the driftwood.
I admit that I'm a little messed up but I can hide it when I'm all dressed up
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
"No?" Remi flashes the Madame a boyish smile. "Were you expecting something like.." The world around them ripples and shifts. Mountains jut from the horizon, though they're upside and painted the same purple as the gown Maeve wears. Stars twinkle with a tactile texture and smell like morning dew. Sounds are made visible, rendering the lapping of the waves into white shapes that float up from the waterline and gradually become clouds. "..this?"
Across the world a melody rises, the rhythm of which is informed by the beating of their own hearts, and gradually the light dims until the world is bathed in a sunset spectrum of colour.
"This is how our son came to exist." Remi explains out of nowhere. "He was conceived in a dream. The product of love and want for another life, and nothing else."
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.
If she hadn't been sitting, she might have stumbled at the change, a breath catching in her throat as her eyes widen a fraction. Maeve looks back at him, shaking her head as she tries to make sense of what she's seeing. A childlike wonder suddenly sparking in her eyes as she stands, spinning slowly and reaching towards the sky as if she might pluck a star from space to cradle in her palms. "I don't know what I was expecting, but this? This is incredible." She declares, giggling as she spins on the tips of her toes, bare feet seeming to glide across the ground with no resistance.
Maeve only stops when he speaks again, focusing on him as a warmth spreads in her chest while he shares that memory. "I didn't know such a thing could happen. That's beautiful, Remi." She says softly, returning to his side as if a tether keeps her from drifting too far from him in this place. "How old is he now? What's his name?"
I admit that I'm a little messed up but I can hide it when I'm all dressed up
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
She can pluck them, if she wants. They will make a sound like an apple being pulled from a tree, weightless and shimmering in her hands. Chuckling almost bashfully, Remi runs a hands through his curls. "When Ronin and I first started dreaming together, it was a lot of this." He gestures to the strange quality of the world. "And then we began to live out things we could not experience together at the time, like sitting around a fire, or ice skating."
On the beach, a boy with dark curls and eyes as blue as the ocean turns and waves merrily before returning to the sandcastle he's constructing. 'I did not either. It probably should not be possible, really, but...at the time when Ronin and I were apart, I built a life in here that I did not want to leave. I think Ludo knew that without a reason to wake up, I would stay here forever." Remi explains in a distant, almost melancholy tone.
'He is called Mateo. Mateo Isla Taliesin." Remi's accent hugs the words, giving them far more curves and melody than they possess on their own. "And...well. Age is a funny thing here I have noticed." He replies with a shrug. "But he seems about five or so, now."
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.
She does pluck a star merely because she can. It's cool in her palms and yet it feels like nothing is there at the same time. Maeve turns it over in her hands as she finds her way back to him, sitting next to him once more. She's enraptured by his tale, sitting with the whole of her attention on him now. "That sounds wonderful... To have a world all your own." Maeve murmurs softly, even though she knows that the reason they were apart was anything but.
Her eyes catch the wave and she smiles at the curly headed boy that looks a perfect mix of Ronin and Remi. A pang spears through her chest and her smile falters slightly as she looks down at the star still shimmering in her hands. "So Ludo granted you a son..." Maeve murmurs softly, looking back up at him with a smaller smile than before.
"Mateo..." She tests the name out and her own tongue doesn't form the words quite like his does, but it sounds lovely nonetheless. "Just a baby... I hope I can meet him one day. Perhaps when I come to visit you in Stormbreak." Maeve glances back at the child still playing on the beach.
I admit that I'm a little messed up but I can hide it when I'm all dressed up
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
"It can be. But it can also swallow you whole." Turning to look at her, Remi lets his chin tilt softly to the side. "The real world can seem...so inhospitable compared to a place like this, where everything can be just as you want it. Were it not for Ronin and Mateo, I would have stayed here and let myself slowly die." It's a sad thing to admit, but Remi offers the information without any hesitation.
"Mmhmm. It needed me to get on with my work. Mateo's life came at a very high price, though." Gravely said, colour fades from the entirety of existence for a moment. The waves cease their relentless push toward the shoreline and a stiff breeze sings out from the coast. Quickly Remi—and the world—recover.
"Anytime. We could even go now, if you like." Remi says, knowing his offer isn't likely to be accepted right this second. "But if not, Ronin and I both have special charms that always allow notes to find us. If you ever do want to come and do not feel like taking a Skyboat, you need only write."
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.
Just as he promised her, he doesn't sugar coat things. He's blunt and honest as he tells her the dangers of losing herself to a place like this. She understands, knowing he only means to keep her from growing too attached even though she's only been here for a moment. There is a longing to stay despite that. The world is harsh and cruel. Constantly beating her down with storms and people who don't care how much they take. Maeve turns the star over in her hands, chewing on her bottom lip, "I'm glad that you have them. That you had something worth coming back to."
Her voice is distant, lost in her own thoughts until the world drains of color and a wind like that of a storm blows through her, chilling her to the bone. As quickly as it came, it also fades. Light and warmth bleed back into their surroundings and she takes a breath, looking up to meet his eyes. "No... I can't go now. I need to stay here with my girls. With the Halenani." She sighs, shaking her head even though she longs to go. To run away from the monsoons. To see Locke. "At the end of the season. Once the storms pass and I know that I can take some time away."
I admit that I'm a little messed up but I can hide it when I'm all dressed up
What good are hands if there's nothing that they hold
'Me too.' Remi agrees with a dry laugh before his expression turns wry and he rolls his eyes at himself. "And I nearly threw it away. When Ronin met you, in the Wilds, I had told him we needed a break. That I was not sure I could be with him." It's laughable even now, to think of it. More sure now than ever that there was nothing that could come between them, it made the hurt he had felt before seem small and unimportant.
"I thought as much." It was also why he hadn't planned on taking Maeve on a proper dream-venture this go around. "I will take us back." Little do they know that the men they care deeply for are battling it out in the street just a stones-throw from where they sleep.
Disappearing from Maeve's side, the Madame will remain in the world of Remi's making for a few moments longer. Unlike Ronin who can properly guide sleepers out of Remi's dreams, the Lullaby is forced to do it on the old fashioned way. So with gentle fingers he reaches across the bed to give Maeve's shoulder a light shake.
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's hard to imagine one without the other. Even though she met them both separate from each other now that she knows they're a pair it just doesn't seem right. Maybe it was true that distance did make the heart grow fonder. A faint smile finds its way back to her lips as she meets sea glass eyes, "I suppose that explains his mood then." She muses softly, a quiet laugh bubbling up in her chest.
She nods, still holding on to that weightless star as Remi disappears from her side, but panic doesn't overcome her. Instead she stays where he left her, watching the waves roll in until the dream fades and her eyes flutter open to find Remi back beside her in bed. She's not sure how much time has passed, but even that brief rest has her feeling more refreshed than a full night of sleep has lately. Her brows knit together as she comes to, finally settling back into the real world.
"Remi... Can I ask you something?" Maeve suddenly murmurs, voice still heavy with sleep, accent a touch thicker as she blinks up at him from where she's nestled into her pillows.
I admit that I'm a little messed up but I can hide it when I'm all dressed up
