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!
I wanna make A color that no one else has seen before
Equipped with light clothing and her manta choker, Aurelia leads the way deep beneath the waves of the ocean. Exploring is kind of her thing. She's seen a little of everything Caido has to offer. Or, at least, mostly. But there is something so mysterious about the depths of the ocean, and the potential of seeing a mermaid city, that draws her explorational focus to Torchline's coast once more.
Behind her are Sunjata and Nate. She pauses beside a patch of coral, legs dangling beneath her as she waits for them to catch up. Sunjata, of course, has taken on a strange form she - once again - had never seen on him before. Partial shifting is still a bit strange to her, but over the course of her time here in Caido, time spent amongst the Attuned, she's gotten more and more used to it. To the point where she hardly batted an eye when he first shifted into a fucking merman.
As for Nate? She's glad he's back. This is her first time seeing him since his return - and since the anchors. She isn't so quick to forget the state Sunjata had been left in at the potential of his husband never coming home, nor the way Nate had been torn apart when they'd all thought Sunjata was gone. Dummies, the both of them. Not that she can say much...
Dummies, the lot of them!
As the pair of them swim over, she asks curiously, "How much further?" Her brows raise expectantly between them, "We're just taking a look, right? Not so sure they'll like us snooping around... Well, you might blend in but..." She hasn't the ability to look like a mermaid, which should be self-explanatory. How unfortunate.
Her gaze settles on Nate but, whatever she wants to say to him - being glad that he's here, that it's nice they're not having mental breakdowns for once - is an awkward strain on her throat. Instead, she offers him a small half-smile.
It’s the one place he hasn’t been… Ever. And this being a diplomatic mission, one to check in on the merfolk and see how things were, he imagines it’s going well at the very least. They’d tell him if it wasn’t, right? They mostly managed themselves as far as the Flood was aware. Regardless, he’s got Nate and Aurelia with him, the prior his husband and the latter one of his closest friends.
He drifts near the surface before they dive down, ensuring that the cloud manta crystal sits within the hollow of his throat, just beneath the adam’s apple, his mertail swishing in the water as he evens himself out. His elbow snakes out to nudge playfully at Nate with a small half grin, before his gaze lands on Aurelia. “Just below us. We’ll have to dive down a bit.” He informs her. “And don’t worry, they know me and my shifts.” He winks to her, trying to alleviate any of her worries with it.
“Before we go, though… Nate and I were thinking and had a question for you.” He reaches up to wrap his arm around Nate, letting his steel gaze linger on the smuggler as he waits to see what she thinks, whether Nate would be the one to break the news.
there is a world inside of me
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Unlike his companions, Nate wasn’t as keen on the exploration front, not really. As far as he was concerned, the bottom of one part of the ocean was the same as any other, and it hadn’t been all too exciting. But he’s out with his husband, with a good friend, and he’s dressed far more casually than a diplomatic trip necessarily demands in a pair of shorts and nothing else. He’s in heaven.
He doesn’t need a crystal to dive down, or the stolen whale tail (at least not yet) so it’s by the power of his own limbs that Nate keeps up, two sets of arms propelling him through the water, and gluing him to Sunjata’s side when they pause, despite the elbow. ”So we won’t be attacked on sight at least.” Nate jokes, utterly unconcerned about the possibility of angry mer.
The grin on his face doesn’t falter when he meets Aurelia’s gaze, if anything, it grows a touch, crinkling his eyes as he offers her an understanding nod.
We do? There’s no chance for anything else as he turns to furrow his brow at Sunjata, his silent question question written clearly on his face. Understanding clicks a half second beforeNate slapping his forehead with his palm. ”We do!” Turning back to Aurelia, Nate kicks his feet quickly in an excited beat, his smile brighter than any she would have seen grace his face before. ”We wanted to offer you a position in the Government. Arbiter, specifically. If you wanted it.”
Wonder if I held you Could you see past all my weakness
I wanna make A color that no one else has seen before
Her shoulders hunch and, then, reluctantly shrug. Sunjata would know more about this than she would, so she'll take his word for it. The last time she interacted with a mermaid, it... was strange. It was also nearly a year ago. Nate's joke doesn't go ignored, however, and Aurelia quickly adds onto it with a humored eyeroll, "Yeah, just after."
Nate's understanding nod is a silent balm to the awkwardness she feels deeper down. That stirring anxiety settles and the smile on her face feels more comfortable there. But her brows pinch, as it seems they have a question for her.
There's hesitation until Nate suddenly smacks his own forehead. They seem pretty excited about this, but Aurelia's expression is more nervous and concerned now. "You.. do?" She's completely unprepared for questions directed at her right now, but she'll try to answer as best she can.
At first the words are confusing and she stares at them blankly, but then the offer more fully registers and she points at herself, "... Me?" She's completely flabberghasted. "I- I mean of course? Obviously I want to help you guys in any way that I can," she blurts out, "But are-are you sure?" She glances between them, "I've never been an arbiter before..." Hardly knows the first thing about it, actually.
His arm wraps around Nate and Sunjata snorts to Aurelia’s eyeroll, unable to keep the crooked grin from his face as he bobs along the water with both her and his husband. Her surprise with the question as well as Nate’s own question (even if it’s mentally) has Sunjata sending a hint of amusement over to him through the bond as soon as it clicks. His arm squeezes around Nate and his gaze finds Aurelia once more as Nate asks the question.
She stares back at them blankly and Sunjata keeps the grin on his face. “We’re sure.” He assures her, a soft hum of a laugh leaving his throat at her worry. “And luckily for you, you’ve got someone to teach you.” A wink shot her way before he’s taking a deep breath. “More specifically, someone that was born and raised to be one, and one that was the Arbiter here for… Hm.” His head tilts back toward Nate as if he’s searching for the answer in his husband’s face. “A year? Maybe? I can’t remember.” He pauses to chew on his lower lip before his gaze flickers back to Aurelia. “I know you’re sailing part of the year, so you can find someone that’s here to handle it in the meantime, but I think you can do it. It’s easy once you get the hang of it and I think… You’d be good at.” Because they were so similar and this position wouldn't be too different from what she was used to, just... Easier. Better. Give her the opportunity to protect the people and home she cared about.
there is a world inside of me
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
“After gives us enough time to leave the big guy behind as a distraction.” Nate jokes easily, hooking a thumb in his husbands direction to really pile on. It’s funnier because they all know how utterly false a conviction it is.
A bright laugh leaves Nate at her confusion, the ascended nodding. “We do.” He can’t help himself, has to tease her just a little bit. It’s a true departure from the dark place he’d been in last teuf spoken. “We didn’t bring anyone else out here with us.”
A hand rises to smack at Sunjata’s chest in lieu of Nate rolling his eyes. No, the attuned has to know he’s being hammy. There’s nothing but warmth in his gaze when he catches stell eyes though, considering. “Yea, I think around that.” Though time seemed to blur, it didn’t stop everything else being true. Nate nods along to everything else Sunjata says, keeping an eye on Aurelia when he adds on. “You got a similar kind of experience, and we trust that you won’t be a dick about it.”
Wonder if I held you Could you see past all my weakness
I wanna make A color that no one else has seen before
Aurelia's gaze continues to dart between Sunjata and Nate, a palpable uncertainty written in her expression. Her lips purse together and quirk to one side, that is until she cracks a knowing smirk at Sunjata's joking hints and the way Nate silently calls him out on it.
As for being a dick? "Well, don't speak too soon," she quips back at Nate humorously.
More seriously, she takes it all in and then tilts her head a bit. Her brows raise in skeptical emphasis. "Telling Jack I'm leaving the crew to be an arbiter might not be received too well.." and, well, if she's honest, she'd prefer not to have to tell him that, "but if I can still sail, even if only sometimes, that might be better.."
But already her mind is made up at the idea of upholding the integrity of Torchline, of protecting it. This is her home now, after all, and she has no plans of leaving. Her sense of ambition is feeling pretty good about now, too. This is something she might just be good at - or could learn to be good at. "I'll do it. When do I start?"
“I do make a great distraction.” Sunjata comments offhandedly, another pulse of amusement shot Nate’s way through the bond, while a grin is shot in Aurelia’s direction. But that’s neither here nor there and Nate’s right in the fact that it was the three of them. Aurelia had put some sense in the Flood while he was spiraling with his husband gone, and he’d heard of what she’d done when those days of Sunjata’s disappearance had done to the demigod.
So yes, they’re sure. And when Nate’s hand comes up to smack at his chest, it does splash a bit – water sparkling through long lashes as he cuts a playful glare to Nate that softens with his question. Regardless, his arm squeezes around Nate’s shoulders, his head tilting back to Aurelia as she considers it, Sunjata shifting a fraction in the water so that his tail definitely smacks against Nate’s leg. “I owe Jack quite a few… Favors. But, when I was Arbiter I tried to stay out of his way. Turn a blind eye, all that. Might be easier given that the Arbiter is also a smuggler, hm?” A dark brow raises with this. “I’m sure you can come to some agreement.” He isn’t worried about it.
And if Jack’s upset by it, well… Jack would be Jack about it.
As for when she starts, the grin turns toothy and bright, tilting his head to look back at Nate with an amused grin. “Hmm.” He makes it out to seem like he’s unsure when the start date would be. And he leans in, a hand coming up as if he’s telling a secret to Nate, despite the fact nothing comes from his lips in secrecy other than a soft edged kiss placed to his husband’s ear, before he’s turning back to Aurelia with mischief in the stormy steel of his gaze. “Now seems as good a time as any.” Tipping a wink to her, he lets Nate go, pushes himself backwards into the water specifically so when he dives down the tail splashes Aurelia.
there is a world inside of me
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
“We can help deal with deal with Jack.” Nate replies immediately, quick to smooth away any worries. And look at him, he even manages to stay steady as a solid tail thuds against him, a good natured Hey! sounding through the bond. The furrow in his brow melts away to something warm though, glittering steel distracting him, making him stupid for a breath.
A bright huff of laughter leaves Nate as Aurelia agrees, his fist coming out of the water. “This’ll be great, you’ll see.” They’ll all see He’s excited though, glad to have one more support he can lean on when he needs it.
Oh, Nate plays his part perfectly, his gaze slitting and burning into Aurelia as his head tips towards his husband, into the soft lips. The grin spread across his face grows sharp, mischievous tongue just barely poking out between his lips as Sunjata turns and answers their newly appointed arbiter. “Congratulations.” He offers as a splash rains down upon them (but mostly her) his hand coming out after it.
As soon as she takes it they’re off under the waves, chasing off after Sunjata as quickly as three arms and two legs can chase after a Cheater!
Wonder if I held you Could you see past all my weakness
I wanna make A color that no one else has seen before
Aurelia tries to let Nate and Sunjata's words, advice get through to her, tries to latch onto those sentiments and assurances. They're her friends, after all, and she trusts them implicitly. Jack... as much as she's tried to be his friend, and still will try, she's never been sure where he stood with her. Whether he really only valued her because of her usefulness or if he actually cared, deep down beneath it all. Whether things would or could work out to where everyone in this situation could come out of it as winners remains to be seen. A lot remains to be seen, actually. As of right now, it can't be dwelled over for very long.
Not as Sunjata dips down into the water, making sure to splash water across her as he goes. She barely has time to block the majority of the wave as it jets across her face and shoulders. "Sunjata!" She yells out in protest, but a playfully determined grin weaves across her face.
With the manta crystal wound tightly against her neck, encased in its tooled leather, she confidently dives down into the water with Nate. Bubbles shiver through the dark depths in their wake, and Aurelia has to kick out her feet with even more vigor in order to catch up to the faux merman.
She attempts to reach out and catch him, though her plan doesn't have much more to it than that since she doesn't think she'll quite be able to. And that turns out to be the case, as his slippery tail escapes from her grasp.
Gods he loves the fact Nate always plays along. It’s rare when they get these chances to simply be stupid, ridiculous, juvenile. Rarer still when the future comes to bite them in the ass later. But for now? Now it’s blissful, amusing, playful as Sunjata releases his husband, offers his congratulations, and dives down – tail breaking the surface and splashing mostly Aurelia, but a few droplets fall upon Nate as well.
The demigod plays along, though, and before long Sunjata’s diving through the water, cutting through it as if he were made for it. Indeed, the fin helps, launching him deeper into the water, hearing Nate’s voice through the bond. He can’t help but to keep the grin on his face. Hurry up then! He calls back, spinning back in a loop to avoid the hand from Aurelia, even if it slows him down and his body crashes into the new Arbiter’s as he rises up, grabbing onto her and tries to speed them up to catch up to Nate.
there is a world inside of me
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Oh, we're coming. He growls through the bond, hanging back just a little to avoid the chaos he knows is imminent. A bubbled laugh leaves Nate as he watches his friend and husband crash into each other, his eyes glinting in the murkiness of deepening water.
As soon as he glides by Sunjata and Aurelia, Nate expects the retaliation. He has an edge the others don't though, in the seafloor rising up below him. With a quick move, Nate turns, bracing his feet on the ground and reaching up to meet one or both of them head-on. If he can get his hands on someone, he can flip them to the side, and a part of him hopes it's Sunjata who breaks away first, if only because he doesn't have to worry about accidentally hurting him quite as much.
Wonder if I held you Could you see past all my weakness
I wanna make A color that no one else has seen before
Even though his tail was her target and she misses it sorely, Sunjata seems ready to turn back on her. And the games suddenly begin as if it had always been their intent; to let go and have fun. Aurelia can get behind that, her gaze brightening with the mischief this invites. But Sunjata's a great deal stronger than her, so when he grabs onto her, she has little to do about it except try and keep up with Nate, as well.
Who suddenly turns on them, by the way. Her eyes widen a fraction with the realization, but then that spark of playfulness returns and a smirk lines her lips. She meets his gaze as he propels himself towards them, and she can see that he's set on Sunjata. All well and fine, she thinks. In fact, she twists in Sunjata's grasp. Her arms reach out to wrestle against him so that he might be the one to take the brunt of Nate's charge.
Only, Aurelia hasn't forgotten their goal, and so she tries to use this opportunity to free herself and kick out (against Sunjata/Nate) to get a head start. "Bet I can beat the both of you to the city!" She challenges, grinning back at them.
The last thing he expects is for Nate to pull basically the same thing he’s done. So it’s with a glimmer of surprise as he latches onto Aurelia, that he zips them toward Nate only to have the Ascended reaching up for them, dropping lower, with hands that immediately latch onto him. A stream of bubbles slip from his lips, though the grin is vibrant in comparison, and Aurelia’s positioned him in a perfect spot for Nate to grab onto him and for the Flood to lose his hold on Aurelia.
And truthfully? Her challenge is met with no attempt from Sunjata to beat her. No, because his attention is focused on his husband and the way he seems to handle him, letting go of Aurelia the second Nate slips him to his side, and the Attuned grins at Nate with mischief in his gaze as he spins around his husband, arms wrapping around wherever he can reach – hopefully his middle to try and take him off guard, to remove the slight balance he has with his feet planted on the ground.
Perhaps a tail to the leg might help too, who knows?
there is a world inside of me
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
