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!
Since arriving in Stormbreak, Phoebe had tried to maintain a low profile. Not that she was under any impression that the Order did not know she was there or of her new state of being... but she didn't particularly wish to actively seek out confrontation either. However, there was only so much she could do and learn from within the walls of her temporary lodgings. And so today she worked up hrr courage to go look around the Tower. Apparently there were many medical resources there and it was hard not to be curious.
And thus Phoebe found herself meandering through the first floor halls, rather aimlessly as she tried to get her bearings. It reminded her of the structures she had grown up with. Though it should have been a comfort it was unsettling being in a place so familiar but strange. As she explored, she poked her head into an open door or two. There was a doctors office here, right?
she sprouted love like flowers grew a garden in her mind
Inside Phoebe will find a couch, a desk, a window in the centre of one wall bordered by bookshelves, and a brunette in a pair of scrubs pouring over some charts. If Phoebe looks harder, she'll see saltines, mineral water, and ginger for tea as well.
Lost in her thought, it is the voice of one of the nurses that tugs Tobi's focus away, as the woman harshly addresses Phoebe. "Young lady," She demands in a very maternal and scolding voice. "You may not just wander around!" Rolling her eyes, Tobi turns in her chair, and, spying Phoebe, waves her in as if she was an old friend.
"Oh Milligan. She isn't wandering, she's looking for me. Isn't that right...Violet?" Did she pick the name because of the bunch she'd picked to work that morning? Shhh.
Phoebe glanced about the room, realizing it was some sort of office. In a search for some sort of name tag on the woman's desk, honey eyes caught sight of the assortment of crackers and beverages. Ah, so the brunette woman must be...
The demigoddess didn't get to finish her thought, startled by the sudden scolding voice into jumping slight sideways. "O-oh, I'm sorry I was just..." she started, trying to explain her presence. But the brunette in the office seemed to have her covered there. "Ah, yes! Yes I was just trying to find her office. Sorry!" Phoebe said, not second guessing the floral name for a second. She could call her whatever she wished if it got her away from that cranky lady!
Once Nurse Milligan departed, Phoebe sighed a bit in relief. "Thank you. I didn't mean to cause a ruckus or you problems." she said with a small smile. "My name's Phoebe."
she sprouted love like flowers grew a garden in her mind
Tobi's smile goes from polite and warm, to a playful scowl as the Nurse turns her back and stalks off. Chuckling, the doctor shakes her head indicating Phoebe's apologies were entirely unnecessary. "Oh, you didn't at all. " She says warmly, before the demigoddess introduces herself.
"Oh!" Rising—she wouldn't bow or anything, Phoebe not being the first demigod she's met, but she feels like she should do something other than sit—Tobi smiles a touch awkwardly. "Of course. You're Frey's demigod." Flashing the other woman a smile, October nods toward the couch to see if Phoebe cared to sit. "Nice to meet you. I'm October Hart, or Tobi. I'm one of the doctors here. I was actually hoping to bump into you sooner or later."
Phoebe couldn't help her grin as the woman's look went from smile to scowl. Apparently the nurse in question was known for her strictness. No wonder she had reacted so quickly!
But her grin quickly morphed into a look of surprise as the woman stood and made note of her relationship to Frey. "Ah... yes, I am. I should've guessed I'd be infamous here." she said with a shy smile. Being in Stormbreak, Cian's domain, was nerve-wracking enough. Already being known on first name alone? That certainly was enough to throw off anyone right? "It's nice to meet you too, Tobi." she said before tilting her head. She had wanted to bump into her? Phoebe had already witnessed some of the technology in Stormbreak - certainly a doctor here didn't need any of her expertise!
Her eyes slid over to the seltzer and crackers once more. Well. Maybe she wanted a second opinion on something specific. "Is it related to your pregnancy?" she asked, looking at Tobi once more.
she sprouted love like flowers grew a garden in her mind
Tobi chuckles and nods. "Yeah...where demigods are concerned, the Order is quick to let us all know about it." She was a member of the Order, if only a low ranking one, so Tobi hadn't heard about it first hand, but through what was the equivalent of an office memo.
As Phoebe mentions her pregnancy, the cheer falls away from the doctor's face. The warmth remains, but there's concern and worry in her dark stare as she swallows hard. Adjusting her scrubs out of habit, Tobi shakes her head. "No, it hadn't been that, but...well.." Laughing at her own nerves, the doctor flushes and forces a smile. 'Maybe we could talk about that though. Gods know I've delivered them before, but being pregnant...it feels like something else completely." Though perhaps that had more to do with the fact the father wasn't around.
"But no, I was just excited to meet a Frey demigod. It was Rae who attuned me when I was younger, and there seem to be fewer and fewer of their followers these days." The allure of shadows and stars seemed to have captivated the world.
"Well, I am sure I've been made out to be far more interesting than I am. Apologies in advance if I disappoint." Phoebe said with a light laugh. She was nothing compared to Remi and Ronin after all. She could heal little things and make people horny in the process. Not exactly as spectacular as supernovas and dream walking.
Seeing the cheer fall from Tobi's expression made the Nightingale's heart ache. As much as she herself wished desperately for a child of her own, she knew well that it wasn't something universally desired - yet it was a reality many faced regardless of their wishes. Her own expression remained warm, nodding slowly as she nervously talked around the issue. "I didn't mean to bring up something you're uncomfortable with, I'm sorry." she said gently. "I am a midwife so I tend to notice certain signs." she said, gesturing to the drink and snacks on her desk. Could she have just had an upset stomach? Sure. But given her youth and sex, it seemed equally likely that she had been with child. And she had been right. "My methods might not be as...technical as yours, but I am happy to consult with you. Even if you know what to expect, it can be helpful to have someone else to confide in." she said.
But the actual subject the doctor had wished to breach came up and she couldn't help but smile. "I've never actually met Rae." Phoebe mentioned. Though from what little she had gathered about them, and given what Tobi said, it seemed the god was a bit standoffish like Frey could be. "It requires patience to come to know Frey in a deeply meaningful way I have found. The others seem much more straightforward and interested in giving guidance." she said with a light laugh.
she sprouted love like flowers grew a garden in her mind
"No, it isn't that I'm uncomfortable..I mean, well I obviously am." Tobi says with a laugh, shifting slightly as if it might make it easier to endure the somersaults occurring inside of her. "It just...It wasn't planned, so it's all still a bit..." Blushing and shaking her head, Tobi offers Phoebe a weak smile.
'That would be really nice, actually. And...if you're still around...Well, I hope it isn't too much of an imposition, but I'd really rather not have my colleagues deliver this baby." She says with a crooked smile.
"I have noticed that. Safrin and Ludo seem to like to collect followers, like treasure or toys." Tobi agrees. "Rae is...well, a bit of what you would expect if you know Frey, I imagine."
"It is a lot to take in." she said with a knowing smile. Tobi was not the first nor would she be the last with an unplanned pregnancy that Phoebe met. "I understand. Both my pregnancies were unplanned as well. But you've clearly a good head on your shoulders, and with Rae's approval I am sure you will be just fine." she said warmly, opening up herself to help relate and create some trust. It was hard to do that with someone who kept secrets after all!
At her request, Phoebe couldn't help but laugh a bit. "I am more than happy to assist with that. Frey gave me a little crown that makes labor a much more enjoyable experience anyways." she said with a grin. Tobi's colleagues might have lots of tech and know all about cells - but did they have a flower crown that turned labor pain into pleasure? She thought not!
"They are also more demanding of their followers." Phoebe noted. Between Remi and Ronin's experiences, she often thanked fate that Frey was not so meddlesome. It was a much more congenial relationship instead of master and servant. "Perhaps...Frey once told me that I could never really understand Rae. Though that was years ago now during the blight."
she sprouted love like flowers grew a garden in her mind
"Oh?" Tobi sits up a touch at that, looking slightly brighter. "And the father....s..." She doesn't want to assume anything. "...how did you tell them?" It's perhaps too personal of a question to ask this near-stranger, but Tobi can't resist. Not when her own situation seems to hopelessly complicated at the moment.
With a sigh of relief, the doctor runs one of her hands along her belly and smiles. "Everything about that sounds amazing." She hums, glancing down at her stomach with a wry smile.
Glancing up, her fingertips rubbing soft patterns against her belly, Tobi nods. "I heard about the blight. Thankfully it never came anywhere near us." She replies solemnly. "That makes sense. I'm not sure Rae is a god you really...understand. You just..." Tobi shrugs. "They gave me my shift—" Nearly, she says shifts, but catches herself in time. "—and helped set me on my path."
Personal questions? Sure. But it didn't bother Phoebe. It was what it was and years in the past now. "Fathers." she confirmed with a slight nod. "The first I told shortly after I found out while we were at Fiat Lux. But I miscarried - my body had just been doing a test run of sorts according to Frey - and shortly thereafter we separated." she said, trying not to think on it too deeply. "The second was taken while I was blighted. I didn't find out about it until well after the fact but I still told him directly once I knew." she replied with a quiet sigh. But she perked herself back up with a smile for Tobi's sake. "Have you not told the father of yours yet?"
Phoebe grinned as Tobi gazed at her stomach, a gentle running over her lower abdomen. At least in some way she seemed happy for the child growing within her, no matter how complicated the circumstances might've been.
"Frey had asked me to research it. I've all my notes still if you're ever interested." she offered. Surely someone with more advanced medical knowledge could benefit more from it than her keeping it in a trunk! Golden locks fell to one side of her shoulder, the Nightingale listening with curiosity. "Are they very stern then? Or not expressive?" she asked. It would make some sense. Frey would then be their opposite in a way which would balance the pair.
she sprouted love like flowers grew a garden in her mind
Tobi raises her eyebrows softly at that. She'd never miscarried before, but already she could empathize with what it might be like. Especially far along as she was, it was still possible. It was always possible. "I'm so sorry to hear that." She says of the baby. Hissing in a breath to hear that the blight had been what ended Phoebe's second child's life, the doctor winces. "That's so terrible." No matter that it might have been better in the big scheme of things, what an awful, awful thing to endure.
"No..I...He isn't around." Tobi explains, scratching at her ponytail and sighing. "He'll be back. At the beginning of the season I think." She mentions with a guilty shrug. "But we...we aren't even together." Swallowing hard, the doctor looks down at her stomach. "It was just the once." Yes, she should have known better. Especially given her profession she should have known better. But it had all happened so fast, and...but that's what everyone always said, and she should have known better just the same.
'I'd like that!' Tobi agrees, looking up and nodding. "Yes, a bit. They're twins, like Frey can be at times. Only Rae is always twins. They are meticulous and studious, but no, not very expressive. Or at least, not emotional that I've ever seen."
A melancholic smile curved her lips, honeyed eyes glancing at the floor briefly. It was terrible. It always would be terrible. But she could only hope that someday she would be so blessed as to hold a child of her own in her arms and raise them up. "It was long ago now, but I appreciate the sentiment." she said. Life went on after all. Phoebe couldn't continue to dwell on all that would never be but might have been.
Her smile turned sympathetic as Tobi further explained her situation. "It happens. You shouldn't be embarrassed." Phoebe encouraged. She herself had been in her same position twice over! The heat of the moment could make even the most careful of folks throw caution to the wind. "Do you think you'll tell him? You aren't obligated to." she reminded. Often enough it was the case that the father would be better off not knowing - for both the sake of mother and child - and yet there seemed some innate sense that they must in spite of common sense.
"Wonderful! I will make sure to get it to you." she said with a grin. The Nightingale listened to Tobi's description of Rae with curiosity. So they were very different from Frey then. "How is it you came to be close to them then?" she asked. She had been under the impression that the Attuned developed some report with the gods before receiving their shift.
she sprouted love like flowers grew a garden in her mind
"No?" Looking surprised, the doctor raises her dark gaze to stare at the woman opposite her. "Ronin...that is, a friend of mine—" How was Tobi to know the history that the Nightengale and Star shared? "—said I had to. Or at least, that he deserved to know." Swallowing hard, Tobi flicks at a piece of lint that likely wasn't even real. "It isn't that I think he wouldn't be happy about it, so much as...he..." But how could she describe Finn's mental status without making him sound completely deranged? "..it would be hard for him to hear it, I think." She decides eventually, frowning into her lap and suddenly missing the Spyglass even more.
"Mhmmm. I often volunteered in the Celestine when I was younger. I thought I wanted to be the Caretaker. I still do, sometimes." Tobi chuckles; animals rarely sassed back and said hurtful things like "fuck you, you bitch of a cunt" when you tried to help them. They argued in other ways of course, but none that were hurtful. "It was when a herd of unicorns were brought in, that I met Rae for the first time." Shrugging, as if it was nothing, Tobi just smiles to herself. "They helped me heal them, and...well, the shift they gave me when I attuned changed my outlook from animals, to people."
