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!
Before departing to Halo with her father, Seren made a quick stop in Torchline. With a purpose this time, rather than mere frolicking. Having left Umbra on the beach to mind the boat, Seren swam out a ways from the shore and dove beneath the surface. Salt water stung her eyes as she spied around in search for a suitable reef, but she did not mind the discomfort.
Blue depths and a multitude of fish darting away from her like colorful birds was worth every second of it, not to mention the elaborate structures built by coral. That was her target, and though it hurt her to mar the spectacular creations, Seren hardened her heart and knocked off a section with a stone.
Carrying the piece of coral with her, Seren returned to the surface and swam lazily back to shore. It was a gorgeous day, sunfilled and windswept; there were hours left before the ship to Stormbreak departed, which meant she could affort to be lazy.
Her dragon's idea of a free day seemed to involve the chasing of crabs; he kept annoying them with flicks of the tail, and when they retaliated a spout of blueish flame he made quick process of them by turning them into a gourmet lunch. The scent of cooked seafood wafted far across the archipelago, and before long the sky was teeming with Hels.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
It was amazing how many things she could accomplish when avoiding her family.
She’d assisted in restocking and resupplying the Ark without too much hassle. She’d swung by the markets for some haggling after catching some fish, just to see what was available. She made several wishes at the Miana Pool, dropped off some toys alongside Ludo’s shrine, and overall danced and skirted along the shorelines as if there was nothing else to be done. With her bag bouncing over her shoulder, variety of weapons instilled upon her person, the youth felt a bit untouchable, daring, bold, and quite pleased with herself.
Fangorn, bounding at her side, made a few grumbling noises. Her eyes lifted to where his own eerie set pinpointed: beholding a dragon up ahead. Melita had seen her fair share of the companions, though never their massive counterparts (her uncle didn’t count), but it seemed the little thing was wholly occupied by crabs. Her stare went and roamed further, intending to see if there was someone it belonged to – and sure enough, another individual rose out of the ocean.
Well, no need to go and antagonize then. She offered a little wave, before sauntering further, expecting nothing in return, making her way through the sand, borne to it on her bare feet.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
The wave caught her eye and drew attention to the other person on the beach. Seren smiled and waved back as she waded up onto the shore, headed for a towel and her clothes. Umbra perked up as well, in the midst of cronching through a seared crab. But his focus was not on the young woman, but on the pumpkin. Or gourd? Squash? Blue-scaled nose slits flared as the scent of strangeness came drifting on the wind, and before Seren could do anything, the dragon was shooting off across the beach.
"Umbra, NO!" the girl shouted, half alarmed and half amused. Dropping the collected coral hastily into her pocket realm, she came charging after companion. He looked so ferocious with wings spread wide and the claws glistening in the sunlight; it would be so very easy to misunderstand and take his exuberant interest for an actual attack.
Which was a silly idea to anyone who knew him; he hated vegetables.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
The sound of the shout hastened all the tension, all the wilderness, straight into her bones. Her head lifted, and her hackles raised, much like a menacing, savage beast from the woods, from the sea, from whatever unearthly element she raised now. Wings unfurled from the creature, with his claws, with his ferocity, only hastened her own – and Melita ran rampant, snagging at Fangorn, pulling him violently into her chest, while the staff once over her shoulder was now drawn steadily, firmly into her hand.
Fangorn grumbled and screeched and she had no idea what he was saying. It didn’t matter once her blood was pumping in its seditious haze anyway; a snarl laying unbidden, unfurled across her mouth. “Back off,” she warned the dragon, the armament solid before her, a warning before any potential strike. But no one would be harming her companion today.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
A pulse of magic erupted from the starchild and lightened her weight against the sand. With strides lengthened into floaty, ground-swallowing leaps she quickly caught up to Umbra and caught him just as he tried to jump up after the gourd in the woman's arms.
"No," she repeated sternly, embarrassed and disappointed by the unsightly display. The dragon didn't care; he scrabbled and strained in her arms and stretched a long neck as far as he could to sniff at the strange plant-creature. It might have been cute, if not for the claws that gouged red lines in at her arms or the bared fangs, and she only tolerated it for a few moments.
When quiet soothing didn't connect, the raven-haired girl's expression darkened and with a determined set to the mouth she knealt to place Umbra down on the ground, and shifted the focus of her ability. The blue dragon squawked in protest when gravity suddenly pinned him to the sand. No amount of straining would let him escape from there, and his companion would not let go before he began to listen.
"I am so sorry about that," Seren said as she looked up on the other person. "He is young and overeager, but that is no excuse for rudeness. It doesn't look like it, but he really mean no harm. Are you two alright?" With some curiosity she looked over the muttering vegetable, but held back on questions; this had not been the best introduction.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
This had not been the first time, and likely not the last, that Melita had to defend her companion. Often in the stokings of the Grounds, where the vampire gourd had originated, there’d been inklings of hisses and lackluster demeanors, with credit given, considering how much irritation the pumpkins brought. But Torchline seemed to bask in the wake of potential destruction of those bonded and loved too – which the youth found ridiculous, considering Fangorn had never shown any inklings towards calamity, torture, or terror. That was usually her.
She’d tolerate curiosity, because he was a living, breathing gourd with fangs, but not outright violence.
So he huddled in her arms, screeching and grumbling, as the dragon was finally corralled by its keeper. Melita still held out her staff, in case something else occurred. In case the beast broke free. In case she too had to unleash and unfurl treachery and disaster. “How can you tell?” Her eyes went to leathery wings; once such a prized thing back in her old land. “We’re fine.”
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
Looking down on her hissing, snarling dragon, Seren realized that it might not be an easy claim to believe. Umbra had yet to give up, and his scrabbling claws were digging pits into the sand. Not that it would lessen her hold on him; he was not getting away. "Well, because of the soul bond? You should know what your companion is thinking too, right? Roughly, at least." It was the difference between a companion and a pet, and Seren looked a bit surprised that the other girl had to ask.
"What he really wants to do is make your friend roll around like a ball on the sand. Which is... perhaps not the most pleasant thing, admittedly." Raking the dripping mane of dark hair back from her face, Seren's smile was rueful. "All the snarling is just for show. I promise."
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
The question had been facetious: Melita and Fangorn had been bonded for quite some time now. But the youth knew the fabrications and the contents of her companion, and certainly not this other one – with his claws, with his might, with his obvious power. The fight was obviously there, and she pondered over the ramifications if the fledgling should become free and liberated once more – for Melita wouldn’t be holding back from protecting one of her own. So she didn’t answer, wrinkling her nose, brows furrowing, nearly unhinging a snarl, while her arms remained wrapped and tight around the gourd.
The admittance was strange too, and only made her clutch harder. “Well, he won’t be doing that,” was all she could surmise from the strange encounter. Wondering if this would be the proper time to part ways, to continue going along, as one might do with opposing, walking dogs, the youth clambered onward, forward. “Sorry if we disturbed you,” with half a shrug notched and nestled, and her limbs began to maneuver, intending to round them back along and curve across the beach.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
That could have been that. Ships in the night, parting without ever truly meeting. That would be the expected outcome. The normal path to take.
But Seren was not bound by customs and common sense, and she didn't want this person to leave just yet.
"You didn't, not at all. Oh - are you going somewhere special? Can we come along? You'd be free to teach Umbra every lesson he needs, if he tries anything!" There was a slight pleading, or perhaps an offer there. Temptation? If this fierce young woman had ever desired to battle a dragon, here was a golden opportunity. Even if it was a diminutive one.
Either way, the expectant look on her face practically begged for continued company. Forgotten were the boat and the discarded clothes; they held no temptation compared to a red-headed girl and her gnashing gourd. "I'm Seren; it's nice to meet you!"
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
Ordinarily, the meeting would have commenced and ceased, each to their own boundaries, a name not known, a face likely to be forgotten. Except this stranger didn’t seem to barrel onwards in the same nuances, leaving Melita to arch a brow, and tighten her grip around her staff. “Nowhere special, just wandering.” Avoiding. Her eyes went to the dragon, a warning established within them, and then pondered over the notions of company. “But if you want.” It might give her one more excuse for not going home, and if the dragon tried anything, there’d be another storyline to establish into the void.
The honeybee placed her companion down on the sand, and Fangorn hovered instinctively around her ankles as they began to walk further upon the sands. “Melita.” A pause, nosey demolition sinking inward as her hands twirled the staff, more for the companion than anything else. “I haven’t seen you before. Are you new to Torchline?”
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
A bright smile lit up the young demigods face as permission was given to stay, and when Melita began to wander, Seren fell in beside her. She mercilessly left her companion behind, and he was released only when the reach of her magic ended. Immediately there was an attempt from Umbra to rush forward, to invade the space of the gourd; but as soon as he came close the gravity pulse would strike once more, and press him into the sand.
'I can keep this up all day, until you behave', she warned through the link, and was met only with stubborn determination; Seren suppressed a shrug and sighed. Did stubbornness run in his family? At this rate he would be running into the rude end of Melita's staff, and it would be his own damned fault.
"Mh, not really? I grew up here. Used to live in a house near Aumakua, with my family. Ronin and Remi Taliesin?" Glancing over at the other girl, she was curious to see whether the names rang any bells. "Right now I live in Stormbreak though, so I'm not around as much. Are you a local then?" Seren was sure she would remember a person like this; between the fiery hair and feisty nature, Melita was not easily forgotten.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
Melita watched the dragon from the corner of her eye while they continued and persisted up the beach. Even if it seemed there was no need for her own attempt at menace, the threat and warning was still there; ominous and foreboding. The staff swung along with her arms, a parallel beat of potential demolition, as Fangorn warily bumbled and rumbled along, making slight bounds and extending his vines to grapple at rocks they passed by.
That Seren had grown up here gave the youth pause – how she’d managed to miss someone in all the time she’d spent here was disconcerting. But she’d always tended to the Ark for some time now, and intervals, happenstances, circumstances, might not have lined up in proper conjectures. “Oh, yes, I know them well!” A bright grin furnished – mostly from days before, before, before – but she still considered both of them friends. The notions of Stormbreak gave her a little bit of an edge though, pondering over what she’d heard from different means and measures, from people who were wary of the expanse – and for good reason. “What’s Stormbreak like?”
At the inquiry though, she nodded her head. “I live with my uncles Sunjata and Nate.” And whatever colossal wake they’d distorted in the meantime. “I work on the Ark too.”
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
The bright smile on the other girl's face brought out a happy grin on Seren's own lips, and it only widened as Melita elaborated. "They're your uncles? Then we're almost family! Sunjata is my sister's dad - have you met her? Kamaria?" Almost skipping with excitement, Seren tumbled about and walked backwards ahead of her newfound friend - cousin? - so she could see her more clearly. "Do you know Saiden, too? He said he worked on the Ark... It's been a while since I saw him, though."
In comparison to these marvels, Stormbreak seemed a very dull and unimportant topic. She made a vague gesture; "Oh, Stormbreak is alright. A lot of stone houses, prim and proper people... It's alright, but not Torchline." Expansive arms illustrated everything around them; the vast horizon, the arcing sky and rolling tides that whispered freedom, freedom with every cresting wave.
Seren
✰ Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
yes, yes, I am wild I am the wind that makes breathing hard
Ohhhh here was where all the connections were spiraling. Seren was the daughter of Safrin then, considering Kamaria. The alignments began to click and pierce together in Melita’s brain, and she wasn’t certain she could ascertain the same level of excitement; mainly because of all the dramatics behind existences. So she hid and tucked away the sigh threatening to flicker out of her chest, and instead pinned a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “We have.” With competitions over sand castles and other manifestations a five year old shouldn’t have had to process.
As for Saiden – her smile registered a bit more fleeting. “He is the cook, yes. But he’s been busy.” And so he hadn’t gone on the other missions with them lately; which was a shame. Last discussion they had involved discourse over his missing eye – and somehow she doubted anything had altered since then.
Hearing that Stormbreak was simply all right caused the honeybee to tilt her head, continuing to slide her bare feet through the sand, extending limbs over rocks and broken shells. “Oh. A bit stuffy, huh?” But that was true – Torchline simply wasn’t like that at all – liberating, in many, many ways. Like from laws. “What’s your favorite place there?” Just so she could have some semblance of a clue.
I am the ocean and the battered shore I will be the passion of thunder, a howl of fury
