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!
honey, i rose up from the dead. i do it all the time
“Well I’m glad you’re enjoying the show.” It’s half a laugh, half a muttering as he slips the last bit of clothes off and shakes his head, the metal hand rising to run through his damp hair. Her smile doesn’t clarify how she means it, but that’s fine. Varus’ mood has infinitely improved, and the grin he shoots back at her is amused as it is soft.
But he does want the demonstration, his eyes slipping along her figure as she pushes off the wall and comes toward him. Her hands drift along his skin and while he can’t feel it as he once did, he can pretend to at the very least. And he practically leans into her hands where they find a home on his chest, his dropping to her waist, anchoring him as much as it is to keep her close. “Ready.” He winks to her.
But he isn’t at all ready. She activates the upgrade and Varus’ systems flex and jolt, adrenaline and energy coursing through him in a way he hasn’t felt since his time following the Voice in the war before. He visibly shudders with it, fingers digging into her hips as he sucks down a breath of surprise, his pupils flaring for a second as it evens out. “Gods, you weren’t kidding.” And because he can’t help himself, the added boost, it has him tugging her against him, lips seeking out hers in a bit more of a greedy kiss than he has ever before.
05-28-2021, 11:57 PM (This post was last modified: 05-29-2021, 12:02 AM by Isla.)
Isla
As with all upgrades, Isla has an innate understanding of what she's capable of doing - but it's another thing entirely to see it in action. Her eyes flicker over Varus, curious and captivated, a smile playing across her face to see the positive effects shine through. "Pretty useful, right?" she begins, before he's drawing her close and she's swept away in the press of his lips and tongue and the suddenly greedy touch of his hands.
Not that Isla minds at all, the medic humming a note of surprised encouragement and trying to walk him back a short couple of steps, to where the backs of his legs will hit the bed and they can both tumble down onto it. She drapes herself over him quite without thinking, one hand still lingering against his chest while the other braces against the bed. "See?" she mumbles, "you're not the only one with a few tricks hidden away."
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
honey, i rose up from the dead. i do it all the time
“Mmhmm,” it’s a muffled admission as he dives into the kiss with all the greed of a teenager. He’s distracted enough by the extra rush, even as it subsides, to let her walk him back, his legs hitting the back of the bed and he’s helpless to stop the tumble back. His arms wrap around her as he goes, taking her down with him with a light bounce as his back hits the bed, as they part just enough he can scan her face, a silver flush crossing his cheeks and neck.
The metal hand rises to run his fingertips along her side, before he’s readjusting them so that she fully drapes over him, before he’s pushing up onto his elbows a fraction, a fanged grin shot her way. “No, I suppose I’m not.” He agrees, a hand rising to tangle in her golden hair. “I do have to say that this is a beautiful view, by the way.” He’s playful, now, all the shadows tucked away as he surges up to pull her into another kiss, one that’s chaste as he can’t stop himself from trailing it to her neck, before he breaks away to press his forehead against her collarbone, still pushed up on an elbow, his other hand raking through her hair to trail down her back to her hips and the outside of her thigh.
"This view isn't so bad to look at either," Isla shoots back, though she's cut off by the press of his lips again, the medic smiling as she feels his kisses drift onto her neck, however muted the touches may be. Her fingers slip into the back of his short crop of hair, her eyes slipping shut to simply enjoy the closeness of the moment for however long it lasts. Eventually, of course, she has to move a bit, for no other reason than because he's still very naked and even his smiles can make her stomach flutter, so this is just unfair.
"Are you feeling a little better?" she asks as she draws back enough to sit up, reaching over to snag a red sweater and a pair of sweats from the growing pile of clothes that they're slowly cobbling together for him. "And I suppose I can ask now - that mask... is that how you spoke into my mind, earlier?"
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
honey, i rose up from the dead. i do it all the time
The pulse of energy wears off yet Varus still carries a hint of that flush within him, even as she draws away to grab the clothes she’d suggested. He’s nearly forgotten he’s completely nude, if he’s being honest, though it isn’t like he has anything to hide really. A few scars, not unlike the slices from blades dot his skin, but that’s essentially it. Still, he’s reluctant to let her slip away from him so easily, at least until he sees the red sweater and a far easier grin spreads across his face. “I do feel better.” His voice is warm and far more normal for him.
Taking the wool sweater from her, he slips it on easily, shifting to stand so he can slip the dry sweats on, before he’s reaching over to grab the mask. “Yeah, it’s a trinket I got. Helps me sneak in and let the other Ascended I’m around know what’s going on without me saying anything.” For a split second, he sits back on the bed, tucking a leg under him as he tries to draw her to face him and sit with him again. The mask is slipped on, covering his nose and mouth so only his eyes are seen. Works a bit like what Wessex has. He sends over, winking to her. What do you think of it? She could even try it out if she wanted to.
She lets him go with just as much reluctance so he can pull on some clothes, and something in her seems to unknot to hear that he's feeling (and sounding) so much more like himself. "Good," Isla murmurs, her head tilting at the mask and a familiar sort of curiosity lighting up her expression. Varus sinks back onto the bed and Isla shuffles to sit with him, itching to examine the piece of tech but knowing better than to be so rude. "That's very clever," she remarks softly, a brow raising as he slips the mask on.
His voice purrs through her mind again and she can't help the silvery flush that rises against her cheeks as she looks him over. "It makes you look very brooding and mysterious," she informs him. "But I think it's amazing. And this was buried away all this time...?"
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
honey, i rose up from the dead. i do it all the time
It is clever, and it had helped keep him going so long. It had given him the ability to become good at what his role in the war was, had kept him from getting caught and destroyed, it had also benefitted at keeping him hidden, blocking out his face from the majority of eyes. If any remained to see him, that is.
I can give you a mysteriously brooding look. He doesn’t know if how he’d looked before had counted as that, given how pissed off he’d been at himself. But he plays the part now, a quirk to his brow, a forlorn look in his eye (which is incredibly easy to draw up but we won’t go into that) and a tilt to his chin that blots out the angles of his face in such a way that his eyes are the most distracting part. Used to put some kohl around the eyes so I’d blend in more. It’s said offhanded, before that switch is pressed within him and he’s back to his normal self, flashing a wink her way.
But then he’s reaching up, pulling it off of his face to hand to her for her to try. “I've been snooping around the ruins of my old house. Found it hidden in a box in my parents room. I think someone must have brought it back after I went missing.” It’s the only logical explanation he can come up with at the very least.
"Oh I think I got plenty of those just now. But please, do go on," Isla remarks with a sly grin, tilting her head as if waiting for a magic trick. And honestly, Varus delivers - which is the worst part - and Isla is left rubbing at her cheek which is the silvery equivalent of fuscia right now. "Alright, it's a decent brood, I'll give you that. And kohl around the eyes, you say? Forgive me for saying so, but I don't think you can blend in all that much with those bright blues."
She shifts a bit closer, accepting the mask with a murmur of thanks, inspecting it with all the reverence it deserves before she slips it on. With a cascade of golden hair and admittedly much softer features, the medic looks nothing like an assassin as she gazes across at Varus. I was going to ask how it ended up back at-- oh! Can you hear me?
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
honey, i rose up from the dead. i do it all the time
She rubs at her cheek and he laughs softly, before the mask is being tugged off of his face. “I can’t, can I?” He jests, as if it’s a challenge he’s accepted for another time, a later date where he might be able to show her a trick or two if he ever manages to compartmentalize what happened. For now, though, she’s pulled him out and he’s handing her the mask, watching as she slips it on. It’s stark in contrast to her golden hair, a brutal edge to an otherwise soft, stunning face, and Varus’ smile has tilted a bit crooked and boyish with the flush that crosses his cheeks, dappled silver.
“I can hear you, yes.” He assures her, leaning forward toward her, setting his weight on his metal arm. “Give me your best broodingly mysterious look.” He suggests, already knowing how it might turn out. Still, she looks ruggedly charming in the mask, so at odds with the softness and glow around her, and if he didn’t already know what other things they had in common he might be asking himself why she’d picked him when she looks nothing short of heaven.
There's something so strange about being able to project out her voice and have others hear it, Isla touching her fingers to the mask as if that will somehow let her find out how it works. Her expression is nothing short of perplexed, which isn't really the vibe he's asking her to give off, and Isla glances up at his request, eyes crinkling at the corners. I don't think I have ever looked broodingly mysterious, she protests - but if this is the game they are playing - and if it keeps the monsters from the door of his mind - then Isla's in.
However, broodingly mysterious ends up being vaguely pouting and maybe about to sneeze, Isla blinking her expression clear when she's done and tilting her head at him. There. Do you think I'll pass in assassin school? she asks, carefully slipping off the mask. "How did you learn all of this anyway?"
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
honey, i rose up from the dead. i do it all the time
“No time like the present.” He hums, waiting with nothing short of electric excitement in his bones to see what she comes up with. And honestly? It’s not at all what he’s expecting, and he tries to keep his amusement to a minimum, though it glimmers in the blue of his eyes. “Hmm, maybe a bit more practice and you’ll get there. You’ve got a teacher, at least.” There’s a wink and an amused fanged grin that crosses his face, before he’s taking the mask from her. “For now I suppose you can keep killing them with kindness.” His gaze lifts from the mask to scan her face, before he’s setting it to the side and focusing on her more attentively.
“Well, I was a soldier for a while. And when I ascended and started training with Aamu, everyone thought I’d be a good fit as an assassin.” He nibbles on his lower lip for a brief moment as if he’s trying to recall how it happened. “I had a habit of sneaking around, anyway. Made it easier being Ascended because night was often the time we’d have our missions.” And as they both knew, under the cover of night was when they had a decent amount of enhancements. “So I learned and practiced and got very good at it. Started sending me out as a scout at first before I started taking out targets.” Is it strange to be talking to idly about murder and missions and who he used to be? Absolutely. But he’s doing his best.
Isla narrows her eyes at him a fraction, her smile turning a little sly, and she nudges him gently. "That is a very tactful way of saying it was terrible, and I appreciate it very much," she murmurs to him. "And I do my best not to kill people at all, Cal. It sort of flies in the face of being a medic, don't you think?"
As he begins to talk about his past, Isla belatedly realises that she might accidentally be forcing him back down a path he wants to avoid, but it's too late to stop it for now. So while Varus explains, she shifts to move under his arm, tugging them back so they can lay down and talk. "I still find it hard to believe that Aamu was ever a soldier," she murmurs - the Ascended she knows seems very much like a peacekeeper.
"You could just be a scout now if you wanted to, you know." It's quietly said, but it's an option for him. Murder is never easy, after all.
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
05-29-2021, 10:24 PM (This post was last modified: 05-29-2021, 10:39 PM by Varus.)
honey, i rose up from the dead. i do it all the time
“I guess it does.” Varus murmurs with a laugh, passing quickly by his tact in telling her she wasn’t very good at pulling a brooding look out of her sleeves. That’s fine, though, if he never has to see it truly on her face, he’d be glad. As it stood now, though, she’s brought up his past and he clings to her like an anchor as she guides them back to lay in the bed properly, and Varus nestles in easily with his arm wrapped around her, head sinking into the dull comfort of a pillow.
“He was very good at it.” Varus comments offhandedly. Aamu had been smart, calculating, only punishing those who deserved it. “I think… In Aamu’s case, he had a skill and the cause was worth it to him.” It had been worth it to Varus, had him focus his life in ways he otherwise wouldn’t have. But his other hand rises to her golden hair, running metal fingers through it to drape it behind her, before the cold metal brushes against her cheek. “I could. But I know myself well enough to know that if an option is open to take, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself rather than letting someone else take over.” He wonders if she understands that same reasoning, a hint of how he liked to control the situations he found himself in, slowly leaking out.
"Mm, I definitely noticed that much," Isla agrees with a nod and a warm smile. These days, then, it seemed that Aamu's cause lent itself more to living peacefully, and honestly the medic is just fine with that. (A thought that surfaces at the same time as she settles down in bed with a literal assassin, good job Isla). Her head turns to press a kiss against cool metal fingers, the Ascended clearly not caring what Varus is made of - it's all part of him in the end.
Humming out agreement that is a little sad, but accepting nonetheless, she shifts to get a little more comfortable against him, one of her arms draping across his chest to rest over the near inaudible thrum of his heart - or whatever counts as it, these days. "Then we ought to work on getting you something sturdier to wear," she decides, leaning up to press a kiss against the side of his neck.
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
