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!
This is the long forgotten light at the end of the world
Soft and open ended the question may have been; it made Seren flinch a little all the same. An arrow striking more true than Haper perhaps realized himself, and she had no response. No defense. He was right, and it cast everything in a completely different light.
With a feeling that this was starting to become more tangled than it had been, Seren looked down and bit at her bottom lip, teeth worrying the tender skin until it became painful. Feeling as though she ought to keep backing away, even though it helped so much to be close. "I've never met anyone I didn't feel I could trust," she said quietly. Honest, helpless; was that on her, or had she been lucky? Wasn't all people inherently good, with beauty in their souls? "I don't know where the monsters are supposed to be. I never saw any. Only people in pain... Are they the ones I should hide from? Will they use me to hurt my parents? I don't know."
Her limbs felt numb and prickly all at once. Carefully Seren disentangled herself from Harper's grasp, and backed away. One step, two; she was forgetting about the edge of the roof behind her. "I.. appreciate it, Harper. I really do. You are kind... I wouldn't want to get you in trouble with your Phoebe though." Off in Stormbreak to do something that dragged out in time, him left here alone - it was a situation rife for misunderstandings, and the kind of entanglements that Seren desperately wanted to stay out of.
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.
Harper gives a quiet, rumbling laugh, though he tries not to disturb where her head rests by doing so. "Seren have you considered perhaps you have not met someone untrustworthy then?" Blue eyes look to the horizon, and he prays he's right. "I have been here for a few years now, and even I have yet to encounter anyone who has wished me harm or done more than say a few mean words to me." People - as Oliver had put it when he first arrived here - simply liked to be kind. It was why there was no currency, no capitalism, and open borders. Far beyond anything Harper had ever known in his home world. "I don't think you should hide from them at all. I think you should make a list - on paper - of the secrets you think you need to keep from biggest to smallest. The small ones are okay to share when you feel it's right, and the big ones...well, perhaps for now Ronin can be your Remi, or Safrin, and they can help you figure out if the person can know those. It's okay to look to your parents if there's nobody else to step into that trustworthy role, no matter how old you get." Harper envies her for the ability in fact. Though he'd lost his parents young, there isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't miss them and the wisdom they could have given him. "But people cannot prove they're trustworthy if we do not first trust them with something. It's scary, and daunting, but we have to give them a chance to prove themselves - at risk of ourselves."
Harper lets her go, refusing to keep trapped anyone who didn't want to be near him, but he tracked her with a worried frown. One that only grew deeper as she moved too close to the edge for his comfort. And then more puzzled by her words. "Oh. That's...I didn't have any kind of romantic intentions in hugging you, Seren. And frankly Phoebe would sooner hit me with a spoon if I didn't offer someone comfort when they were upset." He tries to put her worries at ease with a small, warm smile. "But if it makes you feel more comfortable, I understand. I'm a touchy guy, it's who I am." Unwilling to make her feel ashamed or embarrassed, Harper directs it upon himself, cheerful and disarming. Then his face softens and he taps his thumb against his fingers in turn to prevent himself from moving closer, still uncomfortable with where she's standing but unwilling to spook her further. "I just hope you feel a little better. And if not, well...rooftop tag is a time-honored tradition back home that's sure to make you smile." Present her with an escape to take from the conversation - and his space, if she desired - wrapped in a neat package of lighthearted games.
if brokenness is a form of art I must be a poster child prodigy
This is the long forgotten light at the end of the world
She had considered it. Counting off the faces, the conversations, random encounters with people that stretched back to her first footsteps upon Caido's soil. Her judgments had been put into question by the reactions of others, however. A scowling Sunjata facing off against Loren for daring to speak with her, Remi chasing after the same Loren in a towering rage one Leafchange festival, her father's tense expression upon hearing of portal travels and cautions about being snatched away for some insidious reason never elaborated upon. Sah's most recent cautions, on what might happen if her trust was exploited and used to harm her family, her friends - sentiments Harper had elaborated upon. The only logical conclusion she could see was that somewhere, somehow there must be a lapse in judgement. Hers? Theirs? Seren had no idea.
Feeling a pounding headache begin to set in, she pressed the balls of her hands into the eyes until they stung. It was a never-ending loop, and the more she stared into it the worse everything felt. "I don't mind risking it myself," she answered him weakly, "but I will not risk my family. Or my friends. The consequences if I screw up..." With war brewing and her loved ones about to step onto front lines and into fire, it could not be allowed to happen.
So how did she stop being herself? How could she ever open up to a stranger again, if she didn't dare trust in her own judgement? It was a horrible slippery slope that would turn her bitter and lonely - "Gods, I want to stop thinking!" she half growled into her hands; this was becoming ridiculous.
Harper's reassurances made her blush, on top of everything else. He might know exactly where he stood, but how was she to know? "Sorry. I'm just not used to - anything like this." A hug could just be a hug, or have a thousand implications, and the lines where something innocent bled into nuances was a foreign script to the young girl.
Quickly growing fed up with herself, with the hopelessly tangled thoughts and the growing tightness in her chest, Seren backed up even more. Needing space, needing to breathe - she wasn't running from Harper, exactly, but from herself. The heel of her boot knocked a pebble over the edge. It tumbled soundlessly into the void, but the girl didn't seem to notice.
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.
He longs to pull her hands away from her face, to ease the tension that pulls her shoulders higher, but his eyes track every backward movement with growing trepidation. He’s certain he can catch her - ego aside, it’s what he was trained to do, but he doesn’t have his normal gear either. Which means if he can prevent it instead, that’s the preferable outcome.
He waits, tense and worried, until the words ebb and flow, leaving him an opening to risk everything with. “Seren, there a solution,” he says, voice firm but gentle, reaching out to her where his arms cannot. “Where I came from, there was a machine that could detect when humans lied by the rhythm of their heart. But Caido is full of magic beyond my wildest dreams.” Harper carefully inches forward, footfalls utterly silent so that he could be closer if she toppled over the edge. “I think it would put your mind at ease to have something like that. Something that lit up or turned warm if someone lied to you, so you’d know without a doubt if someone wasn’t trustworthy.” He’s sure Safrin alone would support the idea. She’d given him his staff after all. “And if you’re given a quest, I can teach you what I know in the meantime. How to read faces, habits, tics, to tell when someone is being evasive.” Again he closes the distance, every shift of weight subtle and slow as to mimic natural movement. “It’s not easy, to realize there are people who might want to hurt you. But you’re not the first to have that realization, I promise. And you’ll make it through.”
if brokenness is a form of art I must be a poster child prodigy
This is the long forgotten light at the end of the world
Having pushed herself to a mental brink, Seren was teetering on the edge in more ways than one, and it was a terrible place to be. Reeling from thoughts unleashed into freefall, she was trapped in a vortex of contradicting statements - be you, be this, do that - while the heart raced and her breath came in short, panicked gulps.
He stopped it. By offering a solution, rather than feeding into the frenzy he was able to make himself heard through the buzzing in her ears. Seren needed that. Her hands came slowly away from her face, and red rimmed eyes rose to search Harper's gaze. Did he mean that? The offers to teach, to guide - was it just placation, or something he would live up to? Even if he didn't, she couldn't tell the difference. Those blue eyes only spoke of honesty to her, and concern.
Steady course to the haven. The phrase popped into her head, and she had an insane wish to sing. So completely ridiculous was the impulse in the midst of this madness that her mouth was tricked into a smile. Flickering and fragile, even this ghost of laughter was better than despair.
"Really?" she asked, hoarse and ashamed of being so needy. "You would teach me that?" Magic items were good and well, and Safrin might provide if she asked. Harper's offer was here and now, and Seren desperately wanted to cling to it.
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.
It’s a sweet relief to see her pause, unfurling slowly like a tentative blossom. Harper waits her out, patient as ever, until her red-rimmed eyes find his once more. Then he offers her an encouraging smile, keeping his body language loose and unobtrusive. The hope in her expression is heartbreaking, but with how she has begun to doubt everyone around her it’s not exactly unexpected either, and Harper can’t conceive of being offended by her skepticism.
“It would be my pleasure,” he assures, accentuating the surety with a nod of his curly head. “I used to teach students regularly. Not something so focused and singular, but it would make me happy to be able to teach someone again.” Proof that it would not only be her to reap the benefits of the sessions, cutting any worries off at the pass with his forthrightness. “And if it makes you feel safer, it’s worth doing regardless.”
if brokenness is a form of art I must be a poster child prodigy
This is the long forgotten light at the end of the world
Whether it was other people she doubted, or her own ability to see clearly what others were truly like was hard to say right now. The distinction was fine, and it bottled down to the same thing, in the end. The tools Harper offered were ones of clarity and insight; it mattered little if those were later used to confirm innocence or fish out the betrayers of trust and good will.
His reassurances saw some tension bleed from her shoulders. Seren appreciated that there might be some benefit for Harper too; it made her feel less demanding. Like the needy child she so adamantly wanted to step away from. Inhaling a full lung's worth of breath for what felt like the first time, the young woman unfurled from the hunched over position.
"Then... alright. I would like that... very much." she said, the smile becoming steadier. More embarrassed, as the chaos ceded its grip on her thoughts; stars, if she wasn't overdramatic today.
A dragon's cry on the wind made her look up quickly, twisting to see the large blue shadow come swooping in, worry blooming through the bond.
The motion jerked her off balance, and automatically Seren stepped back to catch herself. Only... there was nothing to step on, and with a horrible, lurching and swooping sensation in her stomach she began to fall.
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.
There's no room for embarrassment here, only support and encouragement, and a relief that flows through his veins when her smile gains ground and turns from tremulous to burgeoning surety. His own only does the same, exuding warmth to try and help chase the chill of doubt and anxiety away. As she straightens he dares to venture closer, careful not to intrude upon her space too boldly after her reaction to his hug but still concerned about her chosen perch. All seems well for a moment, but Harper isn't willing to take the chance of being too far to help.
"We can start whenever you like. And if you want to do lessons regularly, I can go to Stormbreak as well." Even if the prospect is intimidating, his singular visit to Gideon had helped break the ice; though he hadn't found Phoebe, which only made the burden on his shoulders heavier.
Any darkening thoughts are swept aside when a cry is uttered from the heavens, and as she spins Harper already sees the inevitability of her actions. "Seren!" it's a sharp warning, but even as he snaps it he's moving - lunging forward to wrap an arm around her waist as she falls. There's too much momentum, too little room to correct and pull backwards, and they're in freefall. The wind through his hair is nothing he has ever learned to fear however, and the amount of times he has been knocked from roofs and perches mid-fight is too numerous to count. There is no space for fear or orders, only reaction. Only the unavoidable, looming demand that he keep Seren safe.
There is a laundry line between the two roofs, and his free hand reaches to grab it as they fall; it rips through the skin of his palm in short order, the braided strands coarse and domestic as they shred his flesh and coat their fibers in blood, but his grip is strong and sure even through the pain. The brace that had been on their side of the alley snaps, and they're dropping, free-falling anew. Harper wraps his forearm in the rope, praying the other knot will hold or at least slow their fall when they hit the limit of the rope, grunting as it sears against his skin and tightens down around the muscle with bruising force. The other side holds however, and he spins to keep Seren tight against his body away from the wall as they approach it, kicking out with his legs to keep their conjoined forms from hitting the building. It is a hard impact on his joints, but they bend and capitulate to distribute the shock. As he breathes out for seemingly the first time, Harper takes stock of the situation quickly, unwilling to trust the anchor to hold their weight much longer. Seren dangles in his grasp at his hip, and the rope is a brand of agony from palm to elbow, but the strain is barely visible on his face as he looks down at her from where they dangle. "Are you okay? Can you float down if I let you go?" The huff of his breath is the only sign of physical burden from holding her up, the brace of his legs against the wall the only counterpoint that keeps him from having to hold her entire weight centered on the rope around his arm. It is still quite a lot of weight to be put on the limb, but the pain is secondary to his concern. Harper's arm is surely a close to bruising grip around her waist, but at least she is safe.
if brokenness is a form of art I must be a poster child prodigy
This is the long forgotten light at the end of the world
For Seren, it was over in the blink of an eye. Her training never covered swan-diving from rooftops, and so the descent was a blur of color in her eyes, a mad caleidoscope where the only two things she remained firmly aware of were Harper's arm around her waist - oh stars, he was falling too! - and Umbra's panic drowning out all her own thoughts.
The fall came to a halt with a jerk that drove the air from her. That same strong arm that kept her from dying a very embarrassing and unfortunate death also almost crushed her ribs. That pain was bearable, though. A welcome reprieve from the emotional turmoil - this was fixable.
Gazing up, wide eyed and pale, Seren found Harper gazing down at her. Strained and unsmiling, but alive. He looked okay, mostly. A question - he had asked a question!
Oh.
"Float? Ah. Yes, I can do that." she replied, dazed and slow to comprehend.
When her gift pulsed out, it reached not only herself but everything around them; falling clothes, the coiled line, a pot of flowers left forgotten on a barred up windowsill. The weight of the girl became as nothing, and Harper too was free from the insistent pull of the ground.
"You can let go."
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.
It's clear she's rather dazed, surely winded, but at least she is safe. While her magic could have surely saved her, it would only have done so at her command, and Harper doesn't believe he's too far off the mark in assuming she wouldn't have had the wherewithal to do so.
The strain makes it difficult to smile, but Harper has believed for many years that it is the one thing he was made to do, and so he forces it upon his face to try to put any nerves at ease as Seren's pale face gazes up at him. The pull lessens immediately after, and Harper carefully unwinds his arm from the rope that entangles him, only then casting his gaze around at everything that hangs in the wake of Seren's power around them. "You can lower us," he assures, still keeping his grip on Seren instinctively, unwilling to release her until the earth was beneath their feet once more. Blood streaks down his skin in uncomfortable rivulets, like water trailing down your forearm while washing dishes. Harper has experienced far too much to liken it to anything more serious.
if brokenness is a form of art I must be a poster child prodigy
This is the long forgotten light at the end of the world
It was an afterthought, the way she wrapped her arms around Harper's chest. Something she should have done the moment she realized they would be plummeting together... but hindsight always made you wiser, and in her defense, Seren had never done anything like this before.
The blood dribbling down Harper's arm worried her far more than it did him. Up here, suspended in mid air, it was not something she could do anything about however. Soft tremors threatened to overwhelm her as shock came creeping in - the girl pushed it back. Back, back, as she slowly reversed the effect of her magic. When gravity reclaimed them, it was a gradual thing. Slowly, like feathers drifting on a warm updraft they and all the items made their way towards the ground.
Not until her feet felt solid ground - rough, pebbled, strewn with debris and all the waste humans inevitably chucked into alleys - did the magic fade.
Only then did she realize that her knees were not in any condition to keep her upright. For all that Seren wanted to be strong, and capable and helpful in a moment like this, she slumped boneless against Harper. Hands shaking, tears streaming - she'd almost gotten them killed.
"Sorry. Sorry, I'm so sorry, Harper, are you okay?"
He was not. He was bleeding, how could that ever be okay? Her dragon's panicked screaming somewhere above echoed down between the buildings; he was too large to fit into the narrow gap.
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.
It is clear she is shaken, which isn't unexpected. Harper has dealt with many victims of shock and trauma, and already old habits are resurfacing as he contemplates the right way to ease her from the throes of it. Pain has so long been part of his daily life that even now, after years without it in Caido, it is easy to push it away into a corner so that he might focus on the girl in his arms.
They float down, and Harper spares a moment of delirious thought to mentally apologize to whoever now has to re-wash their laundry before Seren is collapsing against him, and everything else is summarily forgotten. His gut twists immediately at the sight of her tears and he curls her close with the arm that was around her waist, lifting it so that it lies across her shoulders instead. Only just barely recalling the blood on his arm and keeping it at his side so he won't stain her clothes or hair with it.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Are you okay?" Gently he begins to lead them out of the alley, staying as close as she needs but all too aware of the panicked cries overhead of a distraught companion and unwilling to keep them parted for long. "There's nothing to be sorry for, it was an accident." Squeezing her gently, Harper's eyes go to the sky overhead as they stumble to the entrance of the alley, wanting to get out of the way in time depending on the dragon's size and insistence on physical comfort.
if brokenness is a form of art I must be a poster child prodigy
This is the long forgotten light at the end of the world
Falling apart would be so easy. This shitty day had gone from bad to terrible, and it was only Harper's grip around her shoulders that kept it from being the absolute worst she'd ever had. There was a slight temptation to just bury her face into his shoulder and weep, like she'd had the chance to before - only that moment was gone. Now she had to walk, and think, and pull herself together just enough to breathe and answer his question.
"Mhm, I'm fine. Not hurt." The bruised ribs begged to differ, but Seren had already forgotten about them. A nice surprise for tomorrow. "I should have been paying attention, should have been careful..." What she really wanted to say was thank you.
The relative shade of the alley gave way to blinding light as they emerged onto the street. Startled people gave them wide eyed stares, but before anyone could offer to do anything, the rush of beating wings and another shrill, piercing shriek made everyone scurrying away.
Umbra was not only worried, he was furious where he descended. The vast membraned wings kicked up a storm of dust and wind, and through eyes that had narrowed into needle-thin slits he took in the man, and his bonded. As his jaws opened it was with blueish white flames licking the teeth, a blue-tinted shadow of threatened violence against anyone, anything that had the audacity to get near his human.
Realizing the mistake, Seren turned her back to Harper but stayed close, spreading her arms wide to shield him as much as she could.
"I'm alright, Umbra! Harper saved me, so calm down. Please, tiny. Take it easy."
Soothing thoughts were difficult to summon right now, and the dragon was just as overwhelmed as she was. Her words made him hesitate; the fire died away. Only when Umbra landed did she begin to relax a little - it always shocked her to realize how big he was growing. So quickly too; already the navy scaled shoulders reached her upper thigh.
The tiny dragon did not take its eyes off Harper, and slitted nostrils kept flaring and closing as he stalked forward; a sound like distant thunder rumbled in the deep chest, somewhere between threatening and concerned.
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.
Words trail off distantly, and Harper squeezes gently at her shoulder where his fingers rest to pull her into his side. "Mistakes happen, it's okay." And though she had seen he was at least injured, Harper intends to try and make her overlook and forget it if he can, if only to spare her any further misplaced guilt. He was merely grateful to have been there to save her when it was needed. Though he is not without his own guilt, for having aided in any way to the distress she was feeling that had made her fall in the first place.
The blinding sun has him blinking rapidly to adjust his pupils to the input of light, only to stiffen as the dragon he'd been looking for comes swooping down like an avenging creature of the night, flames licking at teeth. Harper steels himself, teeth gritting for pain that doesn't come as Seren throws her arms wide. He would not hurt a companion, even to defend himself, but he's grateful when her intervention at least seems to force the dragon to hesitate.
Smiling wanly, Harper stands awkwardly beside Seren, bloodied arm tucked slightly behind himself and out of view. He's not quite certain what to do now. What purpose he is supposed to serve. Ironic really; it's a thought that keeps him up at night in a grander way. The growl of distrust only makes him feel so very tired and alone. "She will be okay after a good night's rest," he assures in quiet, soothing tones, though the sentiment is partially aimed at Seren as well. The girl has experienced enough excitement for the evening. "You should apply bruise salve on your ribs just in case, even if it doesn't hurt now it might later. You might not feel it because of the shock." Harper isn't sure where she lays her head these days, but sending her off semi-injured to Stormbreak again feels wrong. And it makes him feel quite sick, to think that she has become injured in his presence for a second time. Like the worst kind of bad luck charm. He valiantly keeps it from showing on his face, but the least he can do is walk her home if it comes to that.
if brokenness is a form of art I must be a poster child prodigy
