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!
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Wincing a bit, Wessex isn’t insulted so much as reminded that things she’d once enjoyed doing had fallen to the wayside. She’d traded one set of responsibilities for another, and while some might excuse her by saying she can’t do it all, she should have tried harder. Been more open. Sent a note or something. “I’m sorry about that,” she murmurs. “That’s never been how I’ve wanted to come off. My door is always open to Ascended, no matter what position I hold.”
Not that Nikolai would have known that, but he does now and Wessex hopes he’ll use that information. “But that should change soon. I’ll have more time.” Flashing a small, fanged smile, she looks at what she thinks was his trajectory. “Where were you headed? I’ll walk with you.” So they can continue to talk and Wessex can prove she’s invested in him - in all of them - no matter what their ability or age.
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai was stunned into silence for a moment. He truly hadn't expected that the Queen cared so much about them all. The concept of being family was still so new to him, it would take time to fully accept it. So even know, a few months after Ascending, such shows of support, of genuine care, took him off guard. Nikolai gave a small, timid smile. I'd like that." Maybe he could get to know his family more, starting with Wessex.
Glancing at the path he was walking, Nikolai grew a bit shy. "I was headed to the Atheneum. I uh... really like reading and studying old books. And linguistics." The last bit was nearly whispered, as it felt weird to admit his interest to a near-stranger. In his life, only his mom had been supportive of his 'nerdy' hobby. But the new Ascended found the topic incredibly interesting. He loved to learn new languages so that he could read even more books. Nikolai had even put his knowledge to use and developed his own secret codes before. He had entire notebooks of these homemade languages at his disposal.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Wessex gestures for him to lead the way, falling in beside the younger Ascended as if they hadn’t just quarreled. All is forgiven and forgotten and she would much rather talk about mundane things with Nikolai than whatever it was they were doing before.
“Have you met Sam yet?” she asks, after hearing that he’s headed to the Atheneum. It might be a stupid question, he might be very good friends with the bookmaker already, but Wessex doesn’t know that and she is going to make every effort to bring him into the fold. And Sam is the only other person besides Jigano who spent a lot of time in the old library. The drizzle abruptly stops and Wessex looks up, holding out a hand to see if it really, truly is done.
Not that it matters to her, wet is no longer uncomfortable, it just is. “Linguistics?” she repeats, curiosity piqued at his area of interest. "You'd be thrilled with one of my optical upgrades, then."
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Walking along with the Queen still felt weird, but Nikolai was easing into it. At her question he shook his head. "I haven't. But I'm pretty sure I've seen him there. I tend to just find a corner and keep to myself there." The new Ascended hat noticed the man who was always there. But Nikolai mostly just wanted to read and study at the Atheneum, not chat. So he'd usually grab a large stack of books for the day before disappearing somewhere within to read. When he and Sam did sometimes cross paths, Nikolai would just give a nod before vanishing.
When Wessex didn't mock him for his interest, Nikolai further relaxed. The mention of her upgrade had him eyeing her with open curiosity. "What is it? What does it do?" The new Ascended hadn't even begun to think about upgrades. But if there was one that would help with his studies, he wanted it.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Wessex hums quietly before replying. “Well, if you ever need anything in the Atheneum, I think Sam might know the most about everything there. I don’t know if you remember, but there used to be a group called the Loreseekers - they might have extra books still hidden away or something.” It was worth an ask, in her opinion, and a meeting, but she isn’t going to push the two of them together. But just how she feels far more comfortable with Cal than anyone else, she imagines that Nikolai might feel better with someone who is more academically inclined.
“It can read any language. I’ve been able to read some things in Fae, some things that… aren’t in Common. Not sure what they were, but they were definitely pre-war inscriptions.” Hesitating a bit, Wessex doesn’t want to come off as pushy, but there might be some advantages to having yet another person who can read sEkRiT info. “It was fascinating. Im sure the Voice could make you something similar, if you want.”
07-01-2021, 09:44 PM (This post was last modified: 07-14-2021, 07:22 PM by Nikolai.)
Nikolai
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
"The Loreseekers? I've never heard of them." The idea of hidden books belonging to an extinct organization sounded incredibly. Nikolai would absolutely go looking for such treasures when he had the chance. As for Sam, maybe Nikolai would actually talk to him at some point.
As Wessex described her upgrade Nikolai's eyes grew steadily wider. "That's incredible." The upgrade, what she'd been able to read, all of it. His tone was hushed with obvious wonder. He'd love to have an upgrade like that one day. And if what Wessex said was true, maybe he could. Nikolai felt a surge of determination. "Do you know how I could go about asking that?" He fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket for a moment before continuing. "I've never asked for an upgrade before."
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Maybe he was too young to remember the Loreseekers, or they hadn’t been on his radar back then. It all seems so long ago, honestly. And once Jigano had left the guild had really fallen apart. Probably for the better in the Ascended’s case, she can’t imagine anything headed by the bard to be anything other than pro-Old Gods. “They were big for awhile,” she replies with a shrug. “But the Outlander who ran it disappeared, and if I’m honest, it’s probably for the best. He wasn’t a fan of the Voice.” If there’s any hint at how Wessex feels about that particular person, it’s in a flat tone adn the way she quickly moves on to more pleasant topics.
“Oh, you just go to a shrine. It might take a few attempts, not because she doesn’t care about you, but because she’s busy.” Even Wessex had been let down a few times in the beginning. Flashing him a reassuring smile, she continues on as the wind picks up, driving the clouds quickly on. “You just tell her you want to help and how. She’s just wants you be your best self.”
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai nodded, catching on that it was a topic that Wessex would rather drop. But he did make a note to himself to look further into the Lorekeepers. The organization sounded fascinating, their hidden tomes even more so.
The idea of receiving a similar ocular upgrade had Nikolai nearly vibrating. Internally of course. He had some self control. Wessex's reassuring smile does wonder and he finds himself returning the look with a grateful one. "I'll definetly do that. I'd love to be able to read more of what's in the Atheneum. Having to repeatedly teach myself a new language just to read a single book has been a bit tedious." He shook his head in mild exasperation as he recalled the many hours spent trying to pick up the vocabulary and grammar of long since passed cultures. Nikolai had no idea that most people didn't go to such lengths, or pick up languages as easily as he did.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Teaching herself a whole new language immediately sounds way beyond her abilities; Wessex shakes her head to herself, marveling at their good fortune to presumably have someone quite smart on their side. Books aren’t her thing. Real life, practicality, and fighting are her things and rarely do the two intersect.
“I can only imagine,” Wessex replies, agreeing whole-heartedly with calling that kind of learning tedious. Pausing for a moment, the Queen searches for the right way to bring something important up without being quite so clumsy and direct. “So is it safe to say that you’re more of a thinker than a fighter?” she asks, trying to smoothly redirect the conversation for a minute.
“You know, if they had to be mutually exclusive. Which they don’t have to be.”
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai caught on to Wessex's angle and nodded. "My natural aptitude is certainly more towards thinking then fighting. But I'd like to learn how to fight as well." His eyes grew steely with determination. "If the rising tension does lead to conflict, I want to be able to help defend our home however I'm needed. If that means thinking, or it means fighting, I'll do what I have to. I'm sick of the Old Gods bullshit."
The young Ascended wasn't sure if a war would actually occur or not, but things had been tense lately. Regardless, newly Ascended as he was, he'd only just escaped from the grasp of the Old Gods. Nikolai had no intentions of going back or letting them control his life any longer. He was an Ascended now, and he would defend his new family.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
Nodding along, Wessex is clearly happy with his answer - though even if he’d said no, he wasn’t a fighter, she would have accepted it without comment. Though his job isn’t to please her, she is pleased. “I think that can be arranged.” The tips of her fangs show through a smile, as they continue on and his comment and tone have her thinking again.
“How bad was it, here, for you? Growing up, I mean. And I’m sorry, but I can’t quite place your family name…” Pursing her lips together in a silent apology, the Wraith falls silent, giving Nikolai the space and time to tell her about himself - or not - as much as he likes.
07-09-2021, 08:44 PM (This post was last modified: 07-09-2021, 08:55 PM by Nikolai.)
Nikolai
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai returns her fanged grin with a small one of his own. "Awesome." The clear approval has the very tips of his ears just barely blushing. The young Ascended really wasn't great at dealing with compliments or even mild approval. Hopefully he'd one day be able to accept a basic compliment without floundering.
But Wessex's inquiry turns his mood on it's axis. It has Nikolai grimacing, and he has to bite his tongue to keep himself in check. Though the anger must have been clear on his face. "Bad." He summarizes, hands curling into fists. "My father is an avid follower of the Old Gods. A fanatic, even. He had countless opinions on everything. What was moral, what a proper hobby was, how a 'man' should be, etc." Nikolai stated the word 'father' with loathing as if it were a curse.
Humorless laughter escaped him as he continued. "Growing up, it didn't affect me so much. I just thought it was normal, that my mother's silence was just her silent agreement. But one day, my mom finally spoke up. Said that she was considering Ascending. He flipped." Nikolai was nearly trembling with suppressed rage as he recalled the events of that day.
"Words were exchanged and my father forced her to leave. Said that she wasn't welcome, that her being there would corrupt his son." The young Ascended snarled, a vicious grin forming. "When she stormed out, I rounded on him. Broke his jaw, and my hand. Then I followed my mom out and went straight to the Voice. Both my mom and I Ascended that day, bought our own house the next. I'll never regret it." It had been the best decision of his life. Both he and his mom were far happier now, their house filled with laughter and love.
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
empires fall when we move the unmovable, so tell me all of my secrets, tell me all of my lies,
It’s an atypical story she hears - well, atypical and all too familiar. The fanatic part, that - that makes her lips press together in contained anger, and the mother part - that has her looking obviously surprised. She thought he might tell her of a life of hardship, the kind many of the other Naturals had, but it appears his family was probably one of the luckier ones.
She tries to place his father in the Grounds’ social circles. One or two men come to mind, but she doesn’t remember if they had a son or not. Or a wife. Maybe that’s where the silent part comes in. “Your father sounds like a cunt and someone who’d be happier elsewhere. Is he still in the Grounds?” She’d be surprised if he is - surely a slew of abominable Queens, Abandoned, Abandoned, Ascended, then Ascended, then Abandoned would rub him the wrong way.
And Gods, what she wouldn’t give for another day with her mother, even if it was like this, even if her mother said all the shitty things to her… Wessex would kill for that. She tries not to envy Nikolai too much.
We are only haunted by the things we refuse to accept -Bridgett Devoue
Nikolai's family had been lucky in terms of stability and having what they needed to survive. All of his hardships stemmed from within that house. He was aware of that at least, thankful for it. That at least food hadn't been a constant concern. The young Ascended wasn't naïve or ignorant enough not to recognize how much better off they'd been then so many of their neighbors. They hadn't been rich, but they'd been safe.
Wessex's question brings a fanged grin to Nikolai's face. "No. After I broke his jaw and we moved out, he skipped town. Claiming that a place so tainted wasn't worthy of his time." A harsh snicker left him. "I think he was scared."
Nikolai had been lucky as a kid in terms of stability, but he was far luckier now. A new family but still having his mother. A mother who was happier now more so then ever. The harsh expressions faded away into a soft smile. "I'm incredibly lucky with how things turned out. The Voice gave me so much more then just a fresh start."
Resilience is born even when we feel like we are dying -Alex Elle
