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.
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06-19-2021, 08:33 PM (This post was last modified: 06-22-2021, 07:07 PM by Safrin.)
"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.
Her basket is heavy with everything she's been tasked to bring to the shrine, proof that she's completed what Safrin asked of her along with her offering, of course. Maeve climbs the last step, Aidon trailing behind her quietly, curiously gazing about as she kneels to place her items before her. First is the gift, a perfume she made from the flowers she collected with Seren in the Glade and surrounding wood, sweet and floral with a faint woody undertone that the Madame thought Safrin might like. All held within an intricate glass bottle.
Beside that are the two pendants made by Hotaru, sent in a letter and filled with lavender from her garden. The knife used to slaughter the goat and one of its horns lay next to it along with the notes from Isla and the wraps from her training session with Sunjata. All placed carefully on the cloth they were wrapped in. Maeve takes a breath, lighting a few candles, "Hello, Safrin... I'm sorry it took me so long to return. There has been much happening around me lately and I've found myself pulled every which way, but I completed what you asked of me and learned so much in the process." She licks her lips, heart hammering in her chest, the sound echoing in her ears. "There is something else I wish to speak with you about... I have some concerns if you will hear them."
The shrine glows with starlight as the air seems to grow heavy and humid with Safrin's presence. Rather than the heat being oppressive, it instead is like a thousand little fingers that work to dismiss any tension that lingers in the Madame's body. Lilac mingles with the scents that rise from the perfume bottles and pendants.
"All things take time." Safrin says with a warm smile and dismissal of Maeve's apology. Seating upon her shrine, the goddess looks at the things the Madame has brought. Reaching for the pendants, she turns one over in her hands, inspecting the quality of Hotaru's work.
"Concerns?" Glancing up through lashes thick with galactic dew, the herald tilts her head to the side. "Go on. Tell me what is on your mind."
"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.
Maeve relaxes instantly as Safrin dismisses her concerns for taking so long, settling her nerves with the calming presence that wraps around her, running through her and releasing the tension from her muscles. She draws a breath, smiling softly in response, "I tried to do it in a timely fashion. I didn't want to keep you waiting." Maeve tells her softly, eyes dipping to her hands as she picks up the pendant, turning it over in her palm.
"It's about Sunjata and Torchline as a whole... Since he got back he's been different. Paranoid, angry, and he's never without Nate. He's gone so far as to promote him into a governor position too. I- I'm worried what it might mean for us." Maeve begins, chewing on her bottom lip, peeking back up at Safrin as if to gauge her reaction. "I think Nate could sway him away more than he already has. If that happens..." She blows out a breath, pursing her lips and taking a moment to let her words sink in so the herald might have a chance to speak.
'You have had a lot on your plate, and your mind.' Safrin says with a warm and understanding nod. Gesturing that Maeve should come and take a seat next to her, the goddess continues to turn the pendant over and over in her fingers as she hears the Madame out.
When she finishes, there is no change in Safrin's expression. The room remains pleasantly warm and fragrant, but when she looks up, there are flecks of gold and silver in the depths of her gaze. "I too have noticed. Sunjata is not thinking clearly...Never would I try and stop the love between he and Nate..I even vowed to help Nate, on more than one occasion. All my efforts have been spurned, and now? Now I can only think that this is just another way the Voice aims to take control."
Looking to Maeve, the apples of her cheeks dusted with crimson, Safrin purses her perfectly painted lips. "Tell me. What else do you think?"
"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.
Maeve nods slowly in confirmation before she's pushing up from her spot in front of the shrine, carefully moving to sit beside her, but not daring to touch her without permission. She's warm and cool at her side, like the stars that shine on Seren's beach, seeming to bathe her in a gentle light that's invisible to the naked eye. It's easy to find herself at ease by the herald's side.
"I know. He is told me what you did. How kind you were to try and help keep Nate safe. Except then he went to the Voice and he left Sunjata all alone." Her shoulders slump to remember how broken the Flood had been. How concerned she was for his wellbeing and for Kamaria. "I know I can't sway him from Nate and I wouldn't dare try. I'm just worried about him. I think you're right too. I feel like the Voice might use Nate's new position and the hold he has on Sunjata. Torchline could shift favor from the Old Gods." All of this Safrin probably knows and as much as Maeve doesn't have a personal vendetta against the Ascended, she doesn't wish to lose the war, fearing what that would mean for her and the others she cared about so dearly. Locke, Seren, Ronin... So many people could be lost.
The words sit heavy on her tongue, bottom lip caught between her teeth as she considers them, knowing it could change so much. "I think them remaining in the position they're in would be dangerous. I know he cares about Torchline, but he's so caught up in everything else and Nate."
Safrin nods. That Maeve's retelling is likely slanted to please the herald's ego doesn't go unnoticed, but nor is it unwanted. Such is Safrin's pride and vanity. "It all could have been so easy for them. I even vowed that I would never ask Sunjata to attack or put Nate in any harm.." Her sigh is wistful then, clearly disappointed in the choices Sunjata had made.
"Did you know that the Voice can take over the minds of the ascended? At any point they become nothing more than pawns to be moved about as she sees fit. With Nate as Governor...can you imagine what she could do?" It's rhetorically said of course, but even so, Safrin pauses that Maeve might interject if she sees fit.
"Tell me Maeve...you who have seen the inner workings of Torchline for so long.." Reaching out, Safrin curls her finger around a strand of Maeve's raven hair, regarding it with a smile. "Who would you see ruling Torchline?"
"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.
Maeve knows this too. They had been given a chance, a gift, to move through the war with little else to worry about other than surviving. Whether or not Maeve was retelling things to cater to Safrin didn't matter because the point still stood. Safrin had made a deal with Sunjata. A good one. It would have been so simple and easy. "I just don't understand why Nate would throw it away. Why Sunjata would let him." She sighs softly, unaware that Nate had already been turned into a demigod at the time the deal was made, but that wasn't for her to worry about. Safrin had given them a way out and they let it get away from them.
She blinks, eyes going wide as she shakes her head, brows drawing together in concern. "I didn't know that. Seren told me that the portals were dangerous and that I should stop using them... I didn't know that she could gather information about us when we did go through them." Maeve confesses, bottom lip back between her teeth as she looks up at the herald from beneath her lashes, a faint flush on her cheeks. "She could do a lot of damage if that were to happen." What would the Voice even attempt? Maeve can't fathom it, but she doesn't want to see if come to fruition either way.
Unable to help herself, Maeve leans into her touch lightly, lips pressing into a thin line of concentration. "I thought before that Sunjata was doing a good job, but now... A lot of people consider Jack the unofficial governor of Torchline, but I don't know that he's aligned with a specific herald. I don't know if he could really be trusted in the official position. There isn't anyone else that comes to mind." Except herself, but could she even manage it? Is that what she wanted? She knew that she would be more than happy to carry out what Safrin wished, to keep Torchline safe, unwilling to let them suffer in a conflict that will be unavoidable. Maeve falls quiet for a moment, dropping her gaze to her hands in her lap, taking a deep breath. "I've been thinking about what I want since we last spoke... I don't just want to be the Madame of the Halenani. I want more than that, but governor? I'm not sure I'd be the best fit. Seems silly to think about, no? Former whore turned governor." She huffs a soft laugh, shaking her head before flicking her eyes back up to the herald.
"Because he is selfish. For an ascended, he is still wildly emotional and irrational." The goddess replies with a scowl. "Indeed. That's how the Voice learns about the accepted and the attuned and even the hybrids. But the ascended? Their minds are all connected to hers. She can see through their eyes, hear everything they are saying...and if she needs to, she can control them utterly." A lot of damage didn't even begin to cover it. "Nate could kill Kamaria in her bed. Could slit Sunjata's throat. Could overthrow Torchline in a heartbeat, or worse."
Allowing the Madame to lean and shift, Safrin gathers more of her hair in her fingers, tugging and combing it softly. "I thought so too. But nearly a year has passed and had he finished the regional quest I gave him, your brothel would still be standing. No one would have been hurt." Safrin sighs. "I adore Sunjata of course. But I worry that, as you've said, his personal life is interfering with his leadership."
Smiling to herself, able to see many of the thoughts that buzz in Maeve's mind, Safrin chuckles. "It doesn't seem silly at all. You have always been far more than a whore Maeve, no matter your profession." She says gently. "As for Jack..? I think he would be easily bought, no matter what allegiances he previously held."
An idea occurs to her then, and it's with a curious glint in her gaze that Safrin tilts her head slightly to the side. "If Sunjata could be persuaded to have Nate step down..he might still need someone to oversee things with him?"
"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.
That's something the Madame could agree with wholeheartedly. Nate was quick to anger, barely thinking of anyone outside of those he considered important, unwilling to give anyone a chance. Whether that opinion was made worse by her own personal dislike for Nate was neither here nor there. Especially when he had proven that true. Maeve listens to Safrin closely, concern filling her eyes as she considers all the possibilities, having never really known the true danger they could be in if that were to happen. "Does Sunjata know? How could he let Nate stay? Especially around Kamaria..." His own child could be in danger. Did that not ever occur to him? So much bad could come from this and they've barely scratched the surface.
It's a sore spot for her, what happened to the Halenani, the Herald knowing just where to poke and prod to stir up Maeve's hurt over it all. "It's taking us ages to get rebuilt... So many of my people without a home. I know I could have done more too, but it wouldn't have been a problem if he'd finished things. I know he had a lot happen, but we suffered horribly this monsoon season." It's a hard truth to swallow. That Sunjata might be too caught up in his personal life to properly take care of Torchline. Much like Safrin, the Madame adores the Flood, despite the fact that she really shouldn't. Thus her unwillingness to turn against him, but it isn't just him that could be in danger. It's all of them.
"You're so kind to say so." Maeve murmurs, cheeks flushing as she smiles, eyes closing for a moment as she enjoys the herald's fingers in her hair. "He likes making deals. Especially ones that benefit him. I've met with Jack before and we have a working agreement. If you have something he really wants, then I think you'd gain his fealty." Not that she has any doubt of Safrin's ability to do so. She know that she could sway the stubborn Captain to do what she wanted.
Her eyes open, head cocking to the side at Safrin's question, considering her words, "I think that he needs help... Perhaps if he had it, he could focus on the big things that need to be done. Instead of being tugged every which way by all the little things. How will you convince him that Nate should be removed from his position?"
"I have mentioned it in the past. I thought he would be able to keep his personal feelings for Nate aside. Having them remain together was one thing...but governor?" The deity sighs unhappily as she nods when Maeve mentions her daughter. "The Voice is not above killing children. She never has been. The ends always justify her means. It is why she's so dangerous. Why she must be stopped."
Safrin nods, her fingers teasing away knots and snarls in Maeve's hair. "There was more you might have done to be sure, but it is ultimately the governor's responsibility to make sure the people of Torchlined are protected." The Madame was like a child trying to take responsibility for something that had parental oversight. Ultimately, it was the parent to blame for all that went wrong. Such was the burden of leadership.
"Convince him?" Safrin laughs, shaking her head. "Sunjata has promised both himself and Torchline to me. I'm sure once he sees the error of his ways, he will ask Nate to step down."
"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.
Maeve's lips purse and she lets out a breath, "I didn't know that she would be willing to do such a thing..." She mutters, feeling sick to her stomach at the very thought of it, finding it hard to wrap her head around. There were ascended she'd met that had been nothing but pleasant to her. Hell, Adam had offered to help take care of her and a potential child should it ever come up. Except Adam wouldn't be Adam if the Voice took over. None of them would be themselves. They'd just be vessels.
She nods, careful not to move too much as Safrin continues to play with her hair, gently brushing it out the way a mother might. Maeve lets the last of her guilt slip away, soothed by her words, "You're right... He apologized for it, but that doesn't change that it happened. Torchline should come first, shouldn't it?" She muses softly, glancing back over her shoulder for confirmation, eyes expectant as she looks up at her.
The laugh startles the Madame into letting one loose, cheeks flushing pink, "Of course. But once Nate does? What then? If he needs help still who would step in?" She asks, curious as to what the herald has in mind, wondering if she plays a part in it herself.
'She has before. She will again.' Safrin replies with a dismissive shrug. "Her cruelty goes farther than that—" Seeing Adam in Maeve's thoughts, the goddess sighs sadly. "She steals souls and creates her ascended...friends, lovers, family...and then she uses them as her shield. Stopping the Voice means letting all those you know die...That is her ultimate sin. It is why she must be stopped, before she can ruin any more lives than she already has."
Softly, Safrin frowns. "An apology does not unbreak a building. It doesn't heal all those hurt in the storm, or whose livelihoods were ruined." The goddess agrees with a small nod.
Smiling warmly, Safrin merely raises a brow and lets her shoulders rise and fall. "Who indeed." She muses. "Best it be someone with a level head on their shoulders...a native to Torchline...someone who knows Sunjata well and could work with him..."
"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.
It's clear to her now why Sunjata made the deal in the first place. To save Nate from death, but he was going to lose him anyway. Everyone the Voice has claimed thus far will be dead should she be stopped. A sad outcome and one Maeve wishes they could avoid, but to not fight at all? What would that mean for them? The accepted and attuned and the abandoned too? It's all so grim. "It's awful..." She murmurs, wrapping her arms around her middle and letting out a shaky breath, a frown playing on her lips.
"I know it doesn't. He's helped with the rebuilding, but it doesn't change that it happened. That my people were hurt and displaced. I'm fixing it, though." Maeve has been working hard to fix it, pulling help from everywhere she could, creating a new safe haven for them once more. A place for families to grow and work to be done.
Her own brows lift, chewing on her bottom lip as she considers the conditions that Safrin is laying out, knowing she fits the bill. "I could do it.." Maeve offers softly, shyly meeting the herald's gaze, unsure if it's what she was hinting at but deciding to take the chance anyway. "I've lived here my whole life. Sunjata and I are close. I like to think I know him rather well. He trusted me before he left. He doesn't seem to trust anyone now, but maybe if it came from you?"
The goddess's smile is slow but ravenous as she nods. "You let me deal with Sunjata. For all his strength, his heart is so easily led astray, and with it, everything he holds dear." Twining Maeve's hair through her fingers, eventually Safrin pulls her hands back and looks down at the glass pendants in her lap.
"So fragile.." She muses, but then, perhaps that was the point. The glass and lavender within begins to pulse with starlight as Safrin pulls in a deep breath. A flash of light fills the room, and when it dulls, the pendants reach radiate with a soft glow. "This one is yours." She says, holding out one of the glass shapes to Maeve. "The other, can be given to whomever you see fit. If they hold it tightly with thoughts of you, yours will begin to glow. You will have only a matter of seconds to remove it, or else you will be instantly transported to their side."
Maeve's has received:
With Me Now Pendant | Two glass pendants filled with lavender that will never wilt. When the recipient pendant is tightly held, Maeve's pendant will glow with purple light. She has 5 seconds to put down the pendant, or else she will be instantly transported to wherever the recipient pendant is, regardless of location. (Made by Safrin)
