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!
05-13-2021, 12:48 AM (This post was last modified: 05-13-2021, 12:53 AM by Aisha.)
AISHA
Before Stormbreak was the easy part, a little vacation and adventure with friends by her side. Aisha had met with Deimos early that morning, purple feather wrapped up neatly in her pack and of course her sword in the shifting sheath at her side. Together they'd headed into the Oerwoud with the intention of a hunt, to test the toxicity or lack thereof of their cargo, but things seldom ever went exactly as planned.
"What do you think we should test it on?" she asked as they set off, pressing into the thick foliage and colorful fronds. At least here in the jungle it was cooler and more shaded from the long heat sun, but the humidity was disgusting. Even tied back her hair was wild and frizzed, more than she usually liked.
With Hotaru content with her own wiles and Deimos not wanting to be accused of being an overbearing, hovering monolith, the General snagged the opportunity and invitation Aisha bestowed all in due time – the pieces firmly in place for testing out his venomous theories. If he was right…he’d probably be smug, and intend to claim the insight and information in her journals for the guild (credit to Deimos inscribed below), and if he was wrong, he could shrug his shoulders and they could hunt more of them down. A win, truly.
So he came with weapons tucked along his person, blade on his belt, other supplies within his bag of holding placed on his shoulder. Belial swept along the outskirts of the jungle as if it were his newest playground, another set of eyes and ears when the peryton wasn’t fully distracted. Zuriel came right along behind, her features rendered completely indifferent and unimpressed as a whole.
By the time he’d drawn alongside Aisha, the Sword had stripped down to his thinner garments too, long hair tied back and off his neck, wrinkling his nose at the humid, oppressive air. It was nothing like the coolness of the sea breeze, or the frigid, glacial aspects of Halo. Maybe they’d spent too long in the chilling depths – but he didn’t particularly care for this weather. Regardless, his head tilted at Aisha’s inquiry, staring into the trails and figments of fronds, ferns, and vines. “Whatever we can find. Something small?” Poison might act faster in a tinier frame. A mouse. A bird.
under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed
Aisha nodded, giving a smile as Zuriel neared. The unicorn's mane was give a quick stroke, "Maybe we'll find more of those birds, those angry ones," she replied. Not the possibly poisonous beast but the fowl they'd hunted, they'd seemed foolish enough to walk into a trap. So they set out into the jungle for the second time together, this time with more supplies and two companions worth of backup.
At some point Aisha got a bit tired of walking, at least with boots and human heels. The leopard paced restlessly in her mind, she glanced to Deimos with a smirk, "You wanna take a break?" she asked, though it was a simple question she was sure he could deduce the mischief intertwined. A game maybe, something to make this hunting mission more exciting, and a chance to stretch her other forms.
Zuriel leaned into Aisha’s light touch in appreciation, while the Sword surveyed the grounds they emerged themselves in, this time voluntarily. Birds were an option, and likely plentiful in the undergrowth. A suggestion flickered to his mouth, rallying through the ferns, leaves, and fronds. “Belial would probably enjoy flushing them out.” With the deer’s bizarre contempt for other flying animals; especially fowl – whether it was some form of jealousy, or plain wrath conformed to the young deer, Deimos remained uncertain in regards to pressing it. The peryton’s inclinations had been helpful in regards to hunting and defending; so perhaps it was best not to scorn the predilections away.
But they’d walked and walked, and neither bonded had signaled or become alarmed. His own Attuned senses had shifted and found nothing in particular – brows furrowed in the humid haze, slightly irritated and irked by the lack of fundamental prey. So he swung his head and arched a brow at Aisha’s expense; uncertain if the question was a jibe in his direction (since he tended to loathe or avoid any form of a break unless forced).
Then he saw the mischief and pondered further; the rise of a slight smile beginning to manifest. “What would you prefer instead?”
under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed
Of course Deimos shot her an almost suspicious look at first, Aisha could expect no less from the man. But when he saw her expression, the jump of her brows and the fire that sizzled in the hazel of her gaze, his own smile broke through. "A game of some kind?" she offered, grabbing hold of a small tree and swinging around it, going tense for a moment as she stretched before relaxing into the step.
"Hide and seek?" she asked after giving a moment to think, teethed bared in a broad grin. The jungle would be such a great place to do it, especially for an animal borne from it's colors. Maybe for once she'd have an advantage against her titan of a friend.
“A game.” He repeated, tone flattened, as if the notion was ludicrous. Except they both knew better – he could be easily persuaded, coaxed, invoked, or provoked into even the mildest of competitions. Worn and lacquered straight into amusements within the blink of an eye – for his grin curled back into place, mischief contorted anew. It’d been a long time since he’d played any manner of cat and mouse; most of his entertainment venues had come from throwing things at people. “Do you want to start?” Presuming that was the point; her jungle adornments and shifts would be far better suited to these conditions.
Unlike his massive, predator proportions.
He was onto her, but he’d let it slide for now. “I will give you thirty.” Then he mustered a Cheshire length grin, before placing his hands over his eyes. Zuriel and Belial watched on, mildly perplexed, head tilts, as he proceeded to do just as he’d foretold. “One, two, three…”
under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed
