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!
Sah stretched his arms over his head, enjoying the breeze that came off the water. The sound of the rushing waves was incredibly soothing. A constant whisper in his ear as he walked. Spotting a dry, moss covered rock a small distance from the bank, Sah sat down. Closing his eyes with a contented hum, he simply let the sounds of the water and wildlife wash over him. The past few weeks had given him far too much to consider. Too many possible paths to take, each with potentially dire consequences. It was overwhelming to be honest.
Surrounding himself in nature was helping though, clearing his mind and allowing him to think. But before he could really begin to contemplate his choices, the sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention. Turning his head, Sah eyed the newcomer with a raised brow. "Hello."
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
There's a small stretch of the Stonesong that's perfect for lazing the day away. There's a large, dry rock that gets the best of the sun, and when one gets too hot, the rushing, refreshing waters are only a dip away. So after a morning helping out Vai with her cottage and her herb garden (it's more for his son, honestly, but the break is still welcome), Ronin is rather looking forward to his break.
Only, when Ronin emerges at the riverbank, there's already someone in his spot - he inwardly smiles and chastises himself for not being a little earlier. Still, it can't be helped, and he offers the stranger a wave in greeting. He's already shirtless, the garment tucked down the back of his pants so he doesn't lose it, and he heads towards the bank so he can sit and unlace his boots.
"Afternoon," he greets sunnily. "Sorry if I'm interrupting you. I won't be much of a bother - just going to take a dip."
Sah returns the wave, not even batting an eye when a half-naked man emerges and begins stripping further. The whole 'human modesty' thing was still a bit too abstract for him to comprehend. Yet. And so, fully content in his spot, he simply nods. "You're not interrupting. I was just taking a moment to think."
A slightly playful grin stretches across his face. "As long as you don't start screaming we should be fine." He adds. Though he does glance at the water, noting the strong current and sharp rocks that dot the area. "Be careful by the way." Sah sends a nod towards the most dangerous sections. "Might want to avoid those spots."
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
"Any interesting thoughts?" Ronin smiles playfully, pulling off his boots and setting them along the side of the bank with his shirt, before he moves to his pants. Ronin's standards of human modesty have always been on the mostly naked side, and strangers make very little difference to him. Letting out a soft laugh, he tips a wink to the other man. "I'll do my best, but if the river is especially cold or if I start especially drowning, I can't make any promises," he quips.
Stripping off entirely and getting back to his feet to stretch, the cool waters of the Stonesong do seem very inviting, though it's lucky he has a spotter to stop him from plunging straight into the most dangerous parts. "Ah, thanks," he says with a small chuckle. "I'm Ronin, by the way. Do let me know if I start accidentally getting in trouble, yeah?"
"Just debating my options in the war to come. How to protect the ones I care for." Sah stated bluntly, too tired of the situation to sugarcoat his words. He did however raise an eyebrow at Ronin's list of possibly scream-worthy situations. A playful smirk came to his face. "Cold and drowning? Those are just excuses. Surely you can do better than that?"
Sah relaxed on is rock without a care as Ronin practically flashed him while getting in the water. He nodded at Ronin's request to watch his back, having already planned to do so. "Of course. I'll let you know." Sah would never sit by and just let someone die like that. But Sah's relaxed stance tensed when Ronin dropped his name. It was familiar, and the second Sah placed it his eyes widened. "Wait. You're Seren's sire?"
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
"Eesh. Nice little bit of light daydreaming, mm?" Ronin winces, though he can very well understand how one might drift into such deep thoughts next to the steady drum of the river's pulse. Still, he does laugh at the other man's remarks, wading into the shallows and inhaling sharply, before slumping down up to his chest. The cold water is remarkably soothing in the Longheat air, and he has no intention of going for a full swim just yet; not mid-conversation, and not when he is so relaxed.
"Alright, maybe I'll scream if I feel an eel swimming by my legs, or if a bit of river moss clings between my toes," he suggests, glancing back up only to see that his new acquaintance is not nearly as relaxed to hear his name. Tilting his head, the Star nods slowly. "You mean her dad? That's me, yeah - have you met my daughter?"
06-13-2021, 08:37 PM (This post was last modified: 06-13-2021, 08:37 PM by Sah.)
Sah
Only in the dark of night
Sah gave a low chuckle, smiling cynically. "Light as a feather." Perhaps he should try just daydreaming, it'd be less stressful. Especially when Ronin asked the inevitable follow up question. How did Sah know Seren? Sah bit his lip a bit nervously, trying to figure out how best to go about this. It wasn't that their budding friendship was scandalous. It was just...Sah was an Abandoned Outlander. Seren was a demigod of Safrin. And Ronin was her dad. And Sah? Sah did not want to die.
And so he settle don going with his usual route when it came to delicate situations. Brutal honesty. Finally responding after a pause, "We met in the forest while she was looking for peppermint bark. I helped her look. We talked about how we don't understand the concept of casual intercourse." He made the statement bluntly, meeting Ronin's eyes. "I think we're friends now."
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
Sah looks nervous and Ronin, in turn, looks nervous; his brow furrows, as if he's waiting for the other man to tell him that he's kidnapped his daughter or that they're together or something even more outlandish (is it, though?). What he gets is not as bad as what he imagines, granted, but neither is it what he would expect for a first meeting with a relative stranger. "Uh," he says, rubbing at the back of his neck with a wet hand. "Oh. Well, good then." Because what else is he supposed to say to that?
"Seren could use more friends," he continues somewhat belatedly, though he's undecided right now on whether she needs more friends like Sah. That, it appears, remains to be seen. "How did she end up telling you about me, if you don't mind my asking?" Given the whole casual intercourse discussion that preceded it.
Sah sighed, focusing his attention on Ronin. "Well first off, I'm Sah. As for your daughter...." Feeling like it was only right that he introduced himself. Still feeling a little on edge, Sah ran a hand through his hair. "The trek to find the peppermint bark was long. We ended up swapping stories and the like to pass the time. The stories somehow got more personal as we went." That was a severe understatement. "Very personal."
Sah rubbed his temple contemplatively. "Ronin, your daughter is horrible at keeping secrets. I had to stop her a few times before she told me too much." His expression turned grim, guilt eating at him. "I may have given her a lecture on how and why certain things needed to be kept secret. And the consequences should they get in the wrong hands." Sah let out a sigh, a sad smile on his face. "I think I got the message through to her. Seren promised not to keep telling strangers such things, but she...it shook her up a bit." He grimaced. "A lot." Granted that was fair. Sah had told her a painful secret that if used against him, would gut him. And then promptly explained what could happen if it was used against him as an example.
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
Ronin can only really give a nod in response to Sah's name, before he's launching into much more of a detailed response than expected... without actually answering his question. "Uh," he says, frowning a bit as he sits up in the water, leaning against the bank and letting a small smile spread across his face. "I'll be sure to take that on board," he says slowly, "but might I suggest not opening with criticisms about my daughter in future?"
Especially when those criticisms involve lectures and Seren saying too much and it shaking her up a lot. "For what it's worth, I apologise if she was too open with you. She is new to being on the ground. She's still finding her feet."
Sah paused, biting his lip slightly in embarrassment and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, glancing away from Ronin. "Yah...I'm sorry. Still getting used to human customs and the like. I'll try to be more tactful. Sorry." He grimaced a little, eyes meeting Ronin's. "I'm making the worst first impression here aren't I?" Sah really hoped that he could shut up and not make this worse. He also quickly noted that he would not be telling Ronin about that hug he and Seren had shared. Or Umbra's reaction.
Sah waved off the apology. "No, it's alright. She just... she scared me. It was like looking into a mirror to the past. Realizing that she might be heading straight to the same mistakes I made? I might have overstepped but I felt like I had to do something before she... before she went through the same things that I did. It wasn't my place to do so, I know that. But I panicked." Sah admitted quietly, letting out a heavy sigh.
"She'll find her feet quickly though. I have no doubt that she'll excel at whatever she puts her mind to." A small, fond smile stretches across his face. That first meeting with Seren had been a whirlwind, one that Sah couldn't have predicted if he tried. But the demigod had quickly wormed her way in and become a friend to the Outlander.
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
"Human customs?" Ronin asks slowly, as if not sure what to make of that. He isn't to know that Sah is an Outlander, of course, or that he hasn't been walking on two legs for all that long. As for first impressions, Ronin flashes a crooked smile to the other man. "You could have made worse," he assures him, "but you're certainly going the awkward route, especially if you're trying to tell me my daughter is friends with you."
And the longer time goes on, the less Ronin thinks he understands Sah, tilting his head slowly to see such fondness suddenly bloom across his face. "At least we are both in agreement about that," he says of Seren excelling at things. "And I appreciate you looking out for her, but... we can't always protect people like that, Sah. If I could shield her from all the mistakes I made, I would. But... some things you really need to learn on your own. And sometimes those things hurt."
Sah grimaces, ears turning red. "Yes. I was a magical beast in my world to put it simply. I've only been in Caido, been human, for around 6 months. A lot of this is new to me." And clearly he was not doing a great job today. This might be the most painfully awkward conversation he'd had since Noah had to explain to him what a wardrobe was. Or the impromptu human sex-ed that his neighbor had forced upon him.
The crooked grin Ronin gives him does reassure the young man somewhat, but the words do the opposite. "Fair enough. We had a bizarre first meeting, but yes we're friends. We kind of bonded over our shared awkwardness and ranting about how odd some human customs were." Sah finally gave some context to the interaction. He probably should have started with that. Oops.
Sah let out a sigh at the slight reprimand. "I know. In theory, I know. In practice it's so easy to forget. Personal life experience is the best teacher. I just hate having to sit by and watch others suffer if I know that there's even a minuscule chance I could have done something. But you're right that some things need to be learned firsthand."
I shouldn't laugh, but I know I'm a failure in your eyes
Ronin's expression blanks as things finally seem to make some degree of sense. "Oh. Oh. Well, that... I don't blame you for being confused," he says with a smile that inches more towards boyish now. "How are you finding things, other than painfully awkward at times?" With a small chuckle, Ronin disappears briefly beneath the cold water before emerging again, feeling all the better for dipping his head under.
"Mm, I imagine you and Seren have quite a lot in common in that regard. At least you can be confused about it together, I suppose," he says. "I am an Outlander myself - arrived in Caido about four years ago, now. It's hard to believe it's been that long." And look at him now, cosied up to Safrin with a daughter by her to boot.
He nods his understanding of Sah's considerations, the Star letting out a sigh and sliding further into the river, nodding. "Mm, believe me when I say I feel the same way. But I guess that's something we need to keep learning, I suppose."
