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!
Like a Cheshire cat I think that you are just a grin
Mildew beamed, clearly happy to have gotten herself a drink and a chance to show off her skills. So often, people dismissed the mystical and esoteric, reduced and dismissed her wisdom as backwards swamp idiocy; it was good to see that even in a city, she could find an open minded soul. "Wonderful, darling. Lead the way."
Given Frey's tendencies, she wasn't surprised they'd made some negative impressions, but Mildew was sure it was nothing that couldn't be sorted out with a good conversation and some humility. "Husband? Is he here too?" She asked, beginning to make connections in her head to the young man she spoke to on Torchline's beach; he'd mentioned being married to another Demi-God, one with a name like Ronin's...
As they went down the stairs, Ronin's tone of voice told her all she needed to know. It had been years since she'd seen Safrin, but Mildew was sure the Goddess would still be up to her old tricks. "I'm sure you're aware. How is she?"
And so Ronin does. They head down the steps and into the underbelly of Stormbreak - a louder and much more colourful place, arguably, with silk ribbons hanging from windows, street food of all kinds and merchants in scattered stalls offering wares that might not be all that legal. Eventually, though, they come to a door crowned by glowing luxere antlers, and Ronin opens it for Mildew to go inside first. "After you," he says.
At this time of day the tavern isn't empty, but it certainly doesn't hold the buzz of the evening, and an empty table is easy to find. "Hm? Oh - yes, he does," he says with a smile. "His name is Remi - he owns an alchemy shop in the Pacifist Plaza."
Oh, he is very much aware, and Ronin's smile is a mix of sweet and crooked. "She is lovely as ever," he says - because woe betide Ronin to sully his goddess's name in the presence of others.
Like a Cheshire cat I think that you are just a grin
The busy tavern was certainly different from the wide and empty spaces Mildew was used to; once in the door she stopped and looked around the room for a moment, taking in all the voices and faces in one small space. After adjusting, she went to an empty table, assuming Ronin would purchase drinks - she had no idea what they offered in the city, but it probably wasn't the swamp brews she made out of leaves and berries back home.
"Remi! I met him on the beach. He was gathering shells for your child...ah...Mateo." She smiled, glad she could remember the name. "Is the boy here with you as well?"
Now that she was sat down, Mildew began to shuffle through her bag for her cards. "Do you have any specific questions about your future, darling?"
Ronin does indeed get drinks, though he isn't sure what Mildew might like. So he settles on a light Longheat wine - it is not the season for ales and mulled ciders - bringing a bottle still frosted by ice to the table she's seated at, along with two glasses. "I hope this is alright for you," he says with a smile, pouring them both a drink as she speaks. Ronin's eyes light up to hear the names of his husband and son, the Star nodding to her.
"Yes, he is. We live in an apartment above the alchemy shop, though Mateo likes to sneak into the florist's next door a lot of the time," he says, fondness threading warmly through his words. But then Mildew is searching for her cards, Ronin peeking curiously at the bag as if wondering what else it might hold.
"I think I just want to know what everyone wants," he admits with a smirk. "Will I be happy? Doesn't matter what kind of trouble blows my way as long as I can smile about it."
Like a Cheshire cat I think that you are just a grin
Mildew took the glass and gave it an experimental sip; finding that the liquid within was in fact far nicer than most things one could make with swamp mud, she nodded and smiled. "That's lovely." Much the same sentiment could be said for his husband and child and their domestic lives; it was nice to hear of people achieving some kind of normalcy.
After she'd heard Ronin's question, Mildew nodded and shuffled her cards, hands moving quickly to split and add cards to the deck over a minute; once they were mixed she held them out to Ronin and asked him to pick three. Those three were placed on the table, to be turned one by one.
The first, flipped over with a delicate hand, caused her to smile warmly. Glad she had good news to give first, Mildew turned the card so Ronin could see: A couple held eachother, looking out onto a beautiful view, while children played nearby. "This tells me that you are very happy in your family, your marriage, and that you will continue to be. Stay by your man through whatever comes." With a twinkle in her eye, she moved on, hoping the rest of the fortune would carry such a positive tone.
The next card when turned showed a smiling man sat on a bench, arms crossed in contentment. "Ah. This is an interesting one." Mildew said, tapping the card twice with a finger. "You have achieved a great many things. Your family, your powers, your home. You should be grateful for these things, as I'm sure you are. But remember that the years to come will be hard. You may lose everything...so you need to be sure of your value internally. To know and love yourself first and foremost."
The final card depicted a man sat in a warchariot, guarded on either side by a black and a white sphinx. Mildew nodded and met eyes with Ronin for a moment, as if checking something, then spoke again: "This is a very positive fortune. I am seeing that you are a great, determined man of importance. All the cards have for you is gentle warnings and reminders. Not to lose your direction or drive. Mostly though, they speak of your values." With a little laugh, she pushed the cards towards Ronin to look at if he wished and shrugged. "They do say these arts are most connected to Safrin, so perhaps it is no surprise you have been favourably judged."
It's a different kind of magic to the sort he's become used to; no fireballs or supernovas, no healing waters or phoenix flight. And yet Ronin is transfixed, the Star leaning forward as if trying to see the fortune that Mildew draws out of her cards, his blue eyes soft, expression boyish. "And I was thinking it would be all doom and gloom," he admits with a smile, glancing up at the woman opposite him and shifting a bit closer to look at the cards as she passes them his way.
"Are you sure those cards aren't all very complimentary?" He grins. "I don't think I have been flattered quite so much in a while. Not that I don't appreciate it." Perhaps he has Safrin to thank for his fortune, Ronin growing quietly pensive and nodding to Mildew, belatedly remembering to take a sip of his drink. "Thank you. I daresay if you offered these fortunes to the people here, you'd end up quite popular."
Like a Cheshire cat I think that you are just a grin
"Not always. I have given some grim fortunes lately." A lot of it was down to the cards in combination with each other, the order of them, the story it told to her; Mildew knew that her own perception of the person ahead of her factored in too, but after 500 years of assessing people she met, she felt she was good enough at it for it to be a decent source of information.
As for compliments, Mildew took a drink and smiled, shrugged with a twinkle in her eyes. "You're in good esteem at the moment. It's just important you don't get too used to it. It's very easy to have the next fortune be, as you said dear, doom and gloom." It only took a step in the wrong direction, a second of self doubt, to change ones path and alter their good fortune. Setting the glass down, she laughed. "Also, I did used to do this for a living...people generally do not like to hear negative things about themselves."
Not she lied, exactly, just...softened the truth.
"I probably could, but that's not the life for me, love. I'm here for a visit, but I yearn for my swamp and isolation already." The people around were interesting, but she found them so loud, so overwhelming. "I don't know how you live in all these crowds all the time."
"Oh believe me, I have fallen from grace so many times it's becoming something of an inside joke as to when it will happen again." Ronin grins and lifts his glass in a toast. "So here's to good esteem for now, hm?" Cheersing, he takes another sip of his drink, letting the cool tang of the berries wash over his tongue. "You did? I bet they didn't. I imagine people can take it quite personally when you are telling them some home truths."
Whether she's an actual fortune teller or just good at reading people is irrelevant - it's still true enough when it comes to most. Raising his eyebrows, he finds himself admiring Mildew for her ability to be comfortable in her own skin, with what she likes and what she wants. "I suppose I must be a people person," he says. "But for what it's worth, I hope you decide to visit again once this one is over. Maybe I'll show you to another bit of Stormbreak next time."
Like a Cheshire cat I think that you are just a grin
Gladly raising her glass to his (it had been so long since she'd done that, the action brought a bright smile to Mildew's face), she drank and laughed. "Mmm, she can be fickle. But you're handsome and charming. I think you'll be fine - I see some people, they tell me they want to talk to the Gods, and I think.." She shook her head, gesturing a shuddering motion with her fingers. "They just shouldn't."
Too crass, too skeptical, not enough respect; she could tell when someone was going to get themselves cursed. They usually didn't listen to her anyway, though.
She nodded as for seeing more of Stormbreak; if this was a place favoured by the Gods like they said, it had to have more to it, and she did always like new experiences, even if they didn't stick. "Oh, of course. I doubt you've seen the last of me." Mildew said over her glass with smiling eyes.
Ronin might have something to say about that - handsome and charming certainly didn't stop him from getting into trouble with Safrin, because boy oh boy did it go deeper than that - but something something he doesn't know Mildew quite well enough yet for those sorts of confessions. So he smiles his gratitude for the compliment, taking another sip of wine and tilting his head as she speaks again. "I guess some people just need to learn that for themselves," he says with a wince. He'd never condone anyone getting cursed, but sometimes it just... happened like that.
Settling in his seat, he nods to Mildew with a smile that's growing warm and crooked. "I certainly hope not," he says. "Hopefully your stay here encourages you to come back." He'd quite enjoy having his fortune told again - perhaps Remi can come along next time too. For now, though, they settle in with good conversation and a better bottle of wine, and the afternoon passes in what feels like mere moments.
