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!
That question was new, and Seren took some time to ponder it. Umbra pushed up on all fours as Fangorn rolled off along the beach, following after quite tentatively at first. Half expecting some trap, with a wary glance at Melita to see if there would be repercussions. But when none seemed forthcoming, the hatchling picked up the pace and bounded up to the gourd in a few easy leaps; pulling ahead ever so slightly, in a silent dare for the sentient plant to defend its lead.
"Yes, in some ways," the girl replied at last. "I enjoy the training, and all they teach us. Strategy, tactics, survivals skills and combat history. My dad is around a lot, and I love every moment I get to spend with him." Rubbing a cheek in thought, she shot a quick smile at the red-headed girl beside her. "I'm probably a bit too individualistic to make a good soldier, though. I go off on my own a lot, and... the things all the other recruits find interesting to talk about are usually strange to me." Relationships, drink, family and shared childhood events; it was the downside with being a newcomer to a tightknit community. "I've been thinking I might train to become a combat medic, rather than a regular. I still need to talk to dad about it though."
About gods and heralds, the starchild nodded her understanding. There was much she had yet to address with her own mother; some matters were hard to bring up, when all she wanted was to lose herself in motherly embraces and talk of unimportant things.
"Maybe you could try asking, someday," she suggested, thinking of Ludo and Melita. "You might learn a lot of interesting things. Hidden places, undiscovered treasures..." Her smile slowly widened into a grin, enticed by the notion of secrets, adventure and exploration.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
Without a doubt, Fangorn hadn’t expected to be racing a dragon that day. But the little competitive ire in the pumpkin’s mind seemed to appreciate the nuances, and he rolled along faster, pushing off the sand with his vines, attempting to gain momentum that would otherwise not exist (considering he had no legs).
While Melita watched with an arched brow and striving not to be an overprotective heathen, she continued listening to Seren, occasionally ceasing movement to pick up a pretty shell uncovered by the breeze. The Dragoons seemed like an organized unit, rather than haphazard melees of Torchline – the latter being conformed to street smarts, to physicality, to wit, to grappling, rather than strategy, tactics, and history. They were combined efforts of a people, rather than a brutal force. Either way, it could be barbaric, she supposed. “Is Ronin enjoying himself then?” She could imagine it was what he’d wanted before anything else – like days of sovereignty.
The honeybee pondered what she would’ve been like – growing up in structure, rather than absolute chaos. If she would’ve been able to protect others far better, far greater, or if in the end, it didn’t really matter. If she would’ve faltered somehow, someway, and the ferocity would’ve been all the same.
The other notions caused her head to tilt upward though. “We could always use more medics and healers. Don’t we have enough brutal people?” She laughed; as if she wasn’t one who went in full force and bombarded every step of the way.
As for asking Ludo questions? A subject matter loomed in the back of her mind – days of the blight, when she’d quietly asked a shrine if she was awful, if she was horrid, and the resounding silence there-in. From then on, she hadn’t really pressed, entirely afraid of the answers. “Maybe,” was a hint and naught much more, a tightening to her jaw that she didn’t bother suppressing, hands going back to the shells she’d collected in her palm.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
Seren laughed. "He is! Strutting around and giving orders, barking at slow runners and all that. He is a good teacher, and the work isn't all that demanding from what I can tell. He looks very happy, most days." Leaning down to fish up a small conch shell, pink hued and mottled with darker spots, Seren considered it and popped it surreptitiously into her pocket space. She didn't need more shells there, but simply letting it lie was no fun either. "Have you ever thought of joining?" she asked, and flashed a smile at Melita. "It's probably not as fun as ships, though."
Throwing a glance at the pumpkin and the dragon, she noticed that Umbra had taken to running higher up on the beach, where the sand was looser. With the poorer footing, his speed was almost equal to Fangorn's. It made her wonder... was he doing it on purpose?
"I suppose so. It certainly sounds more interesting with swords and battles than bandages and herbs - maybe that's why." More active a role, offering the kind of glory and repute that lived on in legends. How many nurses and field medics had their names passed down through generations?
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
At the news that Ronin had indeed found some place to call home, to gather himself, to weather the battles, to assail and call out orders, caused the grin on her features to brighten. “Good. I’m glad. He deserves to be happy.” After all the pain, loss, and torment, and Melita was certain she only knew about half of those perilous endeavors, didn’t the Dark Star warrant some happiness into his life? She kicked on ahead, eyes watching the pumpkin and dragon interact with some new foundations – Umbra seemed far gentler, and Fangorn seemed far keener – but the gourd was rolling along at a decent speed for his abilities. Another challenge?
As for notions of joining dragoons, to be fair, she hadn’t. A shake of her head ensued, long crimson locks dangling down in hurricane knots. “I haven’t, truthfully. I do enjoy the sea a lot, even if the captain is a giant pain in the ass.” Then she brought her voice low, as if enjoying a conspiring whisper amongst comrades. “I get to shoot cannons.”
But the intrigue beyond swords and battles into herbs, medicines, struck a chord with her. She managed to soften a little, brows less furrowed. “My mother was a healer. Knew all kinds of herbs, how they could benefit someone.” And Melita had gone an entirely different route – but could remember the vegetation hanging, drying, from the ceiling, as she and her twin chimed along to some new song under their breaths. “I don’t think we should take anyone with those skills for granted. After all, when the soldiers fall, where do they need to go?”
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
Ronin's daughter couldn't agree more, and beamed happily in the knowledge that her father had a supportive friend even here. She looked properly astonished under Melita's confession about cannons, and tossed her head back with laughter at the complaints.
"Most people with titles seem to be," Seren speculated, still grinning toothily. "I think it weighs too much on their brains, and squishes them so there's no room for proper thinking." Glancing from Melita to the the vast horizon over the Arclight ocean, she made a slight gesture. "Have you been to all the spots, then? The Maw, and such - I've always wanted to see it, but I'm not good enough a sailor to manage more than a dinghy on my own." She would never dare venture beyond eyesight of the coast.
Agreeing completely about the healers being more valuable than they were given credit for, Seren hummed in thought.
"Do you know anyone around here who is good with that sort of thing? They have healers in Stormbreak, of course, but I doubt they know everything." She wanted to pick and gather knowledge from all kinds of sources. "I've talked to a woman named Ray, and she offered to teach me some things... but more is better, right?"
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
“That must be it,” she wrinkled her nose and considered; though honestly it seemed like Jack’s mind was always doing something. At least far more thought patterns and contorting than she’d ever committed to. He could have that lot in life.
Her eyes went to the horizon, following Seren’s trail of sight, smiling warmly at the ocean, at the waves, at the sea. “Not all of them. We had some issues with ghost whales a couple times. But we went to King’s End in the spring.” Which had been glorious to behold – beautiful, fertile fields, meadows upon meadows of flowers, rich and vibrant in hues. Her head turned back over her shoulder. “Do you sail a lot around Stormbreak?” It sounded as though the coasts would be difficult to maintain a boat around. Maybe she’d been wrong.
Healers though? Her considerations slid through, noted in the furrowing of her brows. “My uncle, Nate, has the Wren Society. Which is supposed to be for healers,” and dumbasses like herself, willing to help whenever needed. And when it wasn’t being burned down.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
"That sounds lovely!" Seren sighed wistfully. "I don't, sadly. The waters are too rough, with all the cliffs. And the skyboat captains are stingy with their ships, I think I'll have to do something fairly major to get anyone to teach me there. Unless I ask daddy dearest, of course." But the roll of her eyes spoke volumes about how little Seren wanted to do that. She could live the life of a spoiled princess so easily, floating along in the wake of her parents renown - but that wasn't her.
The mention of Nate had Seren perk up; she had almost forgotten that he was a healer. Or medic, or whatever it was he had called it. Doctor?
"That's true! I can try asking him -" she started eagerly. But then she faltered slightly, and added, " - if I get the chance. I'm... not sure how happy he would be to see me." Her mother's shadow was long, and there was no denying that lines were being drawn. Us, them, friend, foe - Old gods, or New. Would Safrin's daughter be welcomed in his house? Seren was not Kamaria, mortal and altogether innocent.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
No flaunt of power then? Melita might’ve laughed. She’d never done the same either, even with Nate or Sunjata’s influence. Never had to, really. She preferred the cataclysms to be orchestrated by her own merits, her own efforts. Likely Seren was the same. “Ah well. It would be worth it though.” Or perhaps the daughter of Safrin could float along the skyport lanes for a bit – which seemed like a keen adventure all on its own.
Uncertain why there was faltering when it came to Nate (he was undoubtedly the favorite and she liked to pretend, gloss over, the difference and impacts of gods between them), and then – some lines forged across her face. “Hm. You might be right.” Everything was so convoluted and chaotic presently, and not in the way that Melita preferred. “Perhaps just stick with Ray for now?” The honeybee wasn’t entirely sure how to bridge those overwhelming gaps, when it was no fault of Seren’s for her bloodlines, and a series of mistakes made by stupefying men.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
"It would be," she agreed, her own thoughts diverging in the same directions as Melita. Maybe if she littered by the docks long enough, something might happen...
It was tempting to take the easy way out. Merely turning to Ray and the promised lessons, and keep ignoring the problem glaring her in the eye. But Nate would not simply disappear with the setting sun - and Seren had a rather compelling reason to at least try speaking to him.
"No, I have to talk to him," she decided, jaw working to undo some tension that was already building up. "I have still not seen my sister... We are going to have to speak at some point, medicine aside." Even though he had promised to teach her, once. Even though her mother would frown upon it. Even though all the skies were crashing down and Torchline was the last place she wanted to linger in when it broke out.
Squaring her shoulders with a bit of a sigh, Seren looked out over the sands to see what had become of the companions. She found Umbra happily chasing after the pumpkins trailing vines, as though he was a cat rather than a dragon; he seemed to have forgotten all about winning races.
Airhead.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
See, Melita had already tried the confrontation levels on her uncles. While they certainly weren’t over the realms of heralds entirely, it had been spitting vitriol and hard, difficult conversations. Nate had been far more receptive than Sunjata; the former seeming to listen, the latter caving inward. But nothing altered or changed. Breaks were had and then they clambered back together as if everything was fine and dandy. And that was why she couldn’t venture willy-nilly home, frolic in and out of the hallways, and put on some pretenses and airs. She couldn’t fake her way through a world notched and lined with so much tension, heartbreak, misunderstandings, and beleaguered lies.
So the youth frowned and kicked at more rocks along her feet, with far more force than necessary. The stones bounded and rolled, and she didn’t really care. “Kamaria’s fine.” He wouldn’t do anything to the little girl. “But I’m not sure how safe it would be for you. Or him.” Either tempers flaring – considering his experiences with Safrin, embroiled along the manipulation of it all. Mistakes had and held by each member of the party, and instead of mending they seemed to flare up in between the dregs and crags.
Fangorn seemed content anyway, which was more than what she could say in her blood and bones.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
The lighthearted mood was slipping away, and Melita's words made a lump form in her belly. Heavy as led, not the kind that could be swallowed away or ignored. Did the girl really mean that? Seren wouldn't be safe while talking to her sister's step-father? That Kamaria was fine had never been a doubt in her mind, but the thought of not being allowed to go near her was painful.
"I would never hurt him," she protested, misunderstanding Melita's words. "Why would I? I just... want to talk. And maybe get to see my baby sister. Is... is that wrong?" Biting her lip, Seren didn't feel at all as confident about this as she had been a moment ago. Staring down into the sand, her thoughts spun furiously. Could she just give up though? Not trying seemed the worse crime here. To simply let it lie... that would mean severing a connection before it could ever be allowed to take form.
She did not want to lose another sister without getting to know her.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
And here was the issue. How did one explain impacts of heralds to their children? How did Melita – who only understood the bare minimums? Who was really trying, striving, to protect both Nate and Seren? Would her uncle be angry enough to do something? Would it backfire and ripple across already colossally bad events? The honeybee wasn’t certain, and the more she stayed away, the more she wondered. She shook her head, the long, wild locks flowing like embers, like some bizarre fire she’d unintentionally started. “I didn’t say you would. It’s because of Safrin.” She paused, uncertain how to even explain. “It’s not wrong to want to see your family.” Even if Melita avoided hers like the plague.
Her brows furrowed, hands wringing together, the whole matter a blown-up cataclysm. For once, she hadn’t wanted to add to the flames. “Just be careful.” A shrug of her shoulders, a touch into the sand, as if to ground herself in the melee.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
Ah, yes. Safrin. Her mother... might not make things easy, in any way. But as someone recently had told her, Seren was not her mother. Maybe Nate could see that. Hopefully he would remember that they had been able to talk like friends, once. In her mind, it was only yesterday... but time had flowed like water under bridges since then, and she knew very little of all that had gone down since.
"I promise I will be," she replied softly, extending a hand to touch Melita's arm briefly. Not sure if she was one for physical contact or not, unwilling to intrude if this was going too far. But the flame-haired young woman looked so depressed, and Seren felt bad for bringing her troubles onto the other. "Thank you for the advice, I really do appreciate it."
Turning the conversation to lighter topics - the raising of companions, seashell collections and the worthiness of rocks as birthday gifts - there were some idle moments left to spend in the sun. Before long, Seren recalled that her skyship would be heading for home without her if she didn't get a move on. The goodbye was hasty, but she had hopes that they would meet again before too long. Too many relations tied them together for that not to be the case - and if nothing else, she knew how to write letters.
- FIN
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
