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!
With Ronin off Ronining in Torchline, and Mateo in daycare, the alchemist was left with an entire afternoon ahead of him with nothing planned. For one with such a creative mind who now owned an alchemy shop that was in desperate need of items to sell, Remi should have had any number of things planned, and yet...here he was, aimlessly walking through the city streets.
The balls of his feet itched and there was a tickle in the back of his skull that continuously twanged something in his spine. Remi felt off and uneasy with Ronin away, though he couldn't quite explain why. Perhaps that's why, with his hands buried in his pockets, and his eyes never seeming to linger on any one thing for long, he paused in front of a man shuffling a deck of cards.
A man he recognized despite the fact he was fully clothed. "Oh." If there was a rule that said you didn't address men you saw naked in brothels, Remi didn't know of it. "It's you." He adds incredibly unhelpfully.
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
He's got the afternoon off, or that's what he's going with at least. He's skipping more and more training sessions and it's probably going to bite him in the ass but he's hoping to be gone before Ronin notices. If he plays his cards right (hah), he will be. He shuffles them again before a voice catches his attention. Locke looks at the man for a moment, trying to figure out where he's seen his face before.
Another second and his lips curl into a catlike grin. "Aww, c'mon, is that all you got to say? It's you." He mimics Remi's tone, raising an eyebrow. "No 'hey man, nice ass' or nothin'?" He has to tease him a little bit because like, Remi totally interrupted and kind of ended his second round. (And then Maeve didn't even get laid. How rude.) Plus, he's maybe got a little bit of booze in his system. It's fine. Remi won't care.
Locke deals out the cards, setting the deck firmly in the middle of the table. "Sit. Play a hand or two. Maybe we can make a bet."
The alchemist raises a brow as his words are lobbed back at him, and Remi is all the more tempted to thicken his accent just to prevent the man from being able to do it again. But, he supposes he is right. Ruffling a hand through his curls as the beginning of a contrite smile tugs at his lips, Remi snorts and fixes Locke with a pale stare. "Well, I would not want to lie to you right off the bat." He replies with a crooked grin.
Sinking down into the chair, Remi looks at the cards on the table and then back up at Locke. "What are we playing?" He wonders, pulling the cards toward his edge of the table but not flipping them or looking at them. It might be one of those games where you weren't meant to look at your cards right away.
"I'm Remi, by the way." He offers, a slight flush dusting his cheeks as he looks up across the table. 'Sorry for interrupting...before." Remi adds with an unsteady smile.
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
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 man clicks his tongue in response, scowling just a little. What is with everyone dissing his ass lately? "I think I've got a great ass, honestly." It's more muttered than anything, not wanting to push the issue too much. He doesn't really care what Remi thinks of his ass. Well, maybe a little but not really.
He shuffles the cards in his hand around, like he's thinking. "Nothing fancy. Just five card draw. You know how to play right?" It's like the easiest version of poker but still. He lays down two cards and waits for Remi to lay his down as well. They're not betting, not yet, so he's not too worried about his hand.
"Locke. And we were finishing up so it's fine. Kind of sad I wasn't invited to stay but it might've made things more confusing for you." He says it casually as he leans on one hand, regarding the other man. Maeve had told him about why Remi was there and how it had gone down, for the most part at least. "Been a minute since I've been with a man."
'Well, then why do you need me to tell you that?" The alchemist wonders in return, his smirk colouring his words just as much as his accent.
Frowning at the cards, Remi nods slowly in response. 'I do. Vaguely, anyway. Ronin has tried to teach me a dozen times or more.' Has the Star been teaching him the wrong rules? Does Remi simply let his husband win? Does he get distracted by other things such that he utterly forgets where they are in the game or what he's supposed to be doing? 'Ahh..' Twitching his lips, Remi lays down two cards as well. High cards both, which is perhaps a rather poor strategy, if it is one at all.
"W—" Despite who and what he is, Remi's blush is still instant. "I did not go to see Maeve for that." But then, given how long Locke had remained in the room, he'd likely heard more than enough about what the alchemist had gone to that room for, and why he ended up staying. "Surely in a place like the Halenani you could change that anytime you wanted."
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Locke just rolls his eyes, content to ignore him. Just because no one else will admire his ass, doesn't mean he can't. He watches Remi look at his cards, trying to figure out what he's doing. He lays down two and Locke deals the new cards out to both of them, seemingly content with his hand. It's just two pair but that's not bad. Especially when he's not trying to win. "Well, can't promise I'll go easy on you.." Once again, they're not betting anything so it doesn't really matter. Maybe next round.
He lays his cards out, showing his two pairs and waiting for Remi to show his hand. "I know it wasn't just for that. Just.. Wish I had been invited, is all." He leans on one hand, taking a drink of a drink that was totally there a minute ago. "I don't pay for sex. Maeve and I were sleeping together casually. Or whatever." It's not so casual anymore but he's not going to tell Remi that unless he asks. "I guess I could if I were desperate though."
A strange expression comes across Remi's face as Locke mentions going easy on him; he looks boyish and amused, but also softly surprised as well. His green eyes seem to narrow thoughtfully for a moment as a bemused smirk tugs crookedly at his lips. There isn't a way of saying, There are few things it's possible to go easy on me, with, that doesn't sound horrifically egotistical, and so he says nothing. Still, he finds himself amused by Locke just the same.
Grumbling, Remi sets down what could have been a straight, but isn't. "Well, having you there would not have helped." He admits, biting the inside of his cheek as if that might dampen the blush creeping onto them. "You...likely heard most of it—" He can't quite remember when Locke had left, but it had been after what he'd told Maeve, he thought. "—but having a man in the room, an attractive and naked man, would not have helped much in figuring out if I was attracted to women." Glancing across the table, taking in the strong line of Locke's jaw and the scars that sliver his skin, his hazel eyes and untamed curls, Remi just chuckles under his breath. "I very much doubt you would have to resort to that, if a man was who you wanted to find in your bed." He notes. Perhaps not here in Stormbreak, but in Torchline? It would be an easy enough thing.
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
He doesn't miss the hint of flush coloring Remi's cheeks. It's kind of cute really. Especially since the cards he plays aren't much of anything. Locke clicks his tongue, taking the cards back and shuffling them again. "Oh now I'm attractive huh? Or do I have to be naked to tickle your fancy?" Should he be flirting with his superior's husband? Probably not. It'll be fine though, they're just messing around. He deals the cards again but doesn't bother to look at his, instead running his nail along the already mangled edges.
Locke tilts his head a little, eyebrow raised as he listens to Remi talk. "I must not be trying hard enough then." He's always had a soft spot for green eyes and Remi's are no different. But again, this is just flirting. Nothing more, nothing less. Just some fun while they play. "Maybe you can give me pointers." He still doesn't pick up his cards, waiting for Remi to look at his first.
"I did not say you weren't before." Remi interjects with a tilt of his head and a boyish shrug. More cards are dealt, and unlike Locke, the alchemist does pick his up, shifting their order without even thinking about it.
"Maybe casually sleeping with someone like Maeve scared everyone off." He suggests, running a hand through his curls and leaning back in his chair. At the notion that Remi might at all be helpful when it came to bedding anyone, the alchemist can only laugh. Dimples appear in his cheeks as he shakes his head. "Oh I very much doubt that." If Remi is handsome or charming at all, it is only accidentally so.
'Sure. Did you have anything in mind?' He asks of what they might bet. Stormbreak ran on favours, just like Torchline did. Though anytime Remi actually played cards it was normally against Ronin, and there the stakes always had to do with the amount of clothes they wore.
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Locke pouts again, finally picking up his cards. "Why would sleeping with Maeve scare them off? I mean, yeah, she's amazing, that's for sure. But she doesn't have a dick." And boy does he miss dick. That's what this is really about. Romance and love really aren't for him. Sure, he's trying with Maeve but.. He's more of a one night stand kind of guy, most of the time.
"Don't sell yourself short, you bagged Ronin didn't you? Or was that the other way around? He is a pretty charming guy, isn't he? Swooned you right into bed maybe?" At this point he's just goading him, trying to see what buttons he can push to get a reaction. Blushing is cute but he's feeling feisty today.
He sets down two cards, barely having looked at his hand. "Loser owes the other one a favor? I typically go with more.. Horizontal suggestions but you're a married man." And he knows Remi will lose. Or he's pretty sure anyway.
"No but...I think it says something about a man, to be sleeping with the Madame of a brothel and not paying for it." Remi replies with an easy shrug that turns into a slight roll of his shoulders, as if he might dispel some of the tension he feels building in his muscles.
Snorting under his breath at that, Remi's brows raise as he nods with an air of conciliation. "The trick is, I proposed while he was concussed." He recalls, scrunching his nose as he glanced at Locke and offering the other man a sheepish nod. "Had Ronin not died and had I not been looking after his daughter when he came back from the dead...who knows what might have happened. I was dating someone else the first time he kissed me, so...maybe it was him."
Putting down two cards as well, this time looking as though he was paying more attention, Remi raises a brow as he looks Locke over from across his cards. "Is that your way of saying you find me attractive, then?" He wonders. "A favour? Dull, but alright." Remi shrugs casually; Locke wasn't the only one who could be a shit.
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
"Oh? Does it? I doubt I'm her only casual lover." He knows he isn't but he's curious what Remi knows. Or if he'd even tell him. He puts their card away and deals them new ones, finding himself content with his new cards. It's nothing to write home about but if Remi is as bad as he says, it'll be fine.
Locke runs his free hand through his hair as he listens to Remi. The expression on his face is schooled neutrality, casual. He's always in the best frame of mind when he plays games like this, even if it's not really the focus. "Oh? How scandalous of you. But it seems to have worked out, for the two of you, right? Not to pry but things seem well enough on my end." Not that he spends a lot of time with either of them. He hears things though, or doesn't. And the latter is often better than the former.
"I never said you weren't attractive. I said I wanted to join you all along, didn't I?" His lips curl into a Cheshire grin, "Do you want it to be more than just a favor? I have other ideas." If you asked him how he saw his day going? This wouldn't be on the list but he can't say he's not mad about it.
'The only one I know of.' Not that that meant much, Remi supposes. "I think it would be bad for business, for the Madame to be...entangled, shall we say." He adds with a shrug. "Even casually so. I think that says something." But then, Remi was a rather naive idiot when it came to such things, so perhaps he hadn't any clue at all.
"Mmm, very." Remi says with a smirk. Indeed, Ronin reminded him on any number of occasions just how poorly timed his proposal had been. "We have had our ups and downs." The alchemist acknowledges with a nod. Affairs with goddesses, ascended encounters, near-break ups. The usual. "We nearly ended a few months ago, but I think we are stronger for it." Smiling at his cards as thoughts of the Star and all his impossible charm dance before his eyes, the alchemist has to blink at the numbers and shapes on the paper he holds that he might remind himself that they're playing a game.
"I assumed that more had to do with Maeve. Then again, you'd very recently finished, if memory serves." Indeed, when Remi had entered the room, Locke had literally been balls-deep in the Madame, the pair finishing up just as Remi was awkwardly backing out.
"Have you? I only meant...Unless you need something very strong lifted, or want to go traveling about in a dream, I am not sure what good a favour from me would be to you."
Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
His jaw clenches and his grip on his cards tightens. If they weren't already so bent, he'd be more worried about it. "What makes you say that?" There's just the barest hint of anger to his voice, just the tiniest clenching of his teeth as he eyes the other man. He doesn't want to hurt Maeve's business, doesn't want to hurt Maeve. Would their being together mess something up? That's the last thing he wants.
The bubbled up anger in the pit of his stomach doesn't go away as he talks but he manages to mostly ignore it. "A good relationship usually does come out on the other side, I think." What would he know? Nothing really. But he's seen the kind of flash flame romances and how poorly they go. Been in one himself. "Glad you two are doing better though." And even if its dripping with something between jealousy and anger, he means it.
His eyes flick from his cards to Remi, eyebrow raised, "What, can you only go once? Surely you've got better endurance than that. You're a demigod right? Or did they take away your dick ability like the Voice does?" Locke and his terrible, inaccurate understanding of the gods.
"That's all you have to offer? Dreaming and lifting heavy shit? I can lift heavy shit." He scoffs, "Thought you had god magic or some shit." So much for flirting.
