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!
"Oh, I imagine the gods are qualified. But," and here Ronin's voice lowers playfully, as if what he's about to say is traitorous and wrong, "if you ask me, I think they need therapy too, before they can even start dishing it out to us." Smirking out at the moonlit expanse of the Tundra, his opinion can stay between them and the snows.
The smile fades a touch, of course, to hear Hotaru's story, and he glances sidelong across to her with a gentle nod that contains equal part grief and agreement. "Mm, me too," he says simply, though that is not a book he feels either of them will want to open. Too many wounds had closed up that will reopen by talking about it.
Seizing onto the new subject, he nods his confirmation. "A burning bird that burns his own clothes off if I'm silly enough to partial shift too much," he says, raising his eyebrows to hear that she also has a shift these days. "I would hardly say that's not impressive. I have no predator shifts - just a stag that takes over my head at Leafchange, and a fiery bird."
I lend everyone my ear, but nobody my heart and I sure would like to change that, but I don't know where to start
A strangled snort of laughter escapes her, shocked out of her by his boldness once more, and laughter cascades in its wake. "Ronin!" the scandalized tone is weakened by her amusement, hand coming to pinch the bridge of her nose in a futile attempt to stop laughing and assume a feigned measure of seriousness. "I'll pretend I didn't ask you then, so your opinion is safe with me." Mirth dances in contrasting irises, lit by distant stars that pull her attention back to them with time. It is easier to bear his agreement that way, by seeing his grief only in the corner of her eyes. Not so bold as to reach for him fully, she instead brushes her fingertips against the outside of his thigh in silent unity in their mourning.
"As a seamstress, that hurts my heart to hear," Hotaru delivers in dramatic seriousness. "Are the urges still so bad even with time? I stole a fish from a very angry vendor a few days ago," she admits, smile sheepish. "At least she didn't ban me entirely, or I'd have to learn to fish myself."
Hotaru
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
"I very much appreciate that," Ronin says with a boyish flash of a smile, glancing across at Hotaru before he lets his gaze return to the stars. He isn't sure what to do with the touch, however brief, however seemingly platonic, and so he does nothing at all, instead chewing on his lower lip as he considers the constellations. And he's rewarded with further lightness, Ronin chuckling and nodding to her.
"I imagine it does. It isn't all that fun to be the one randomly naked either, even for me," he points out. "And I wish I could say that they got better, but if anything they are worse, once you really start leaning into your instincts. For instance - you probably could learn to fish, if you let yourself." Grinning, he lets his shoulders relax. "Thank you for bringing me up here."
I lend everyone my ear, but nobody my heart and I sure would like to change that, but I don't know where to start
Ultimately this is a better experience than Hotaru had anticipated in the wake of her and Remi's thing. She might even go so far as to say she's close to charmed by him. Ironic, considering where life will take them - most of it a path he will tread without her knowledge, and only this memory to sustain her.
"I'll have to give it a go - maybe somewhere a little warmer than the Sea of Glass though," she allows with a grin, settling back against the pallet and looking up into the stars. His gratitude is unexpected - perhaps even undeserved, for so very man reasons - but it warms her as efficiently as the blanket around her shoulders. "You're welcome. Thank you for joining me." And until he must depart, at least she's not alone on the roof this time.
- FIN
Hotaru
Hotaru has a passive magic that makes her glow with an internal golden light; it makes her appear youthful and her hair seems to look like moving sunlight. Can only subtly illuminate dark spaces.
