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!
Between the two of them, they're able to create the drawing, adding the patterns to the wings before Paige used some of the pink rocks to make little hearts around the butterfly. "What else should we draw?" She asked the older girl, head cocking to the side as she looked up at her, eyes bright.
The reassurance was appreciated and she smiled at her, "I hope so! I want to be able to do things like other you can!" Like Mr. Locke and Mr. Jata and now Miss Ray. It was all so cool to her. The suggestions make her brows lift, eyes going wide, "A spider? Those are so little! Wouldn't I just get smooshed?" She asked, unsure that would actually be a good shift to have. A weasel on the other hand? That's something she could maybe get behind.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Ray hummed as she looked at the butterfly proudly. "It came out great. Super pretty." She eyed the area around them. "We could do more butterflies and make a whole group of them? Or we could do some other animals?" Ray grinned down at Paige. "How about we do animals that you think you'd like to have a shifts one day?" The child seemed to like the idea of Attuning, so maybe she had some other animals in mind?
Ray couldn't help but chuckle at Paige's enthusiasm and slight horror over potentially being a spider. "There are big spiders out there but you do have a point. And there are other cool animals that aren't spiders that would make great shifts." Ray winked at the child. "Personally, I hope my next shift is a snake. I love climbing trees as a panther but as a snake I could go even higher." A bird would also work, but something about being a snake appealed more.
The suggestion is a good one, but there are so many choices and Paige doesn't even know where to start. "Oh! What about the pink uhm.. uhm.. the En-can-tados?" She slowly pronounced the word, brows drawing together in concentration before she finally got it all out, grinning proudly at managing it. "It would be neat to breathe in the water." And to go swimming where all the mermaids were. Paige hasn't ever met a mermaid, but she really wanted to. She heard one of the men that came to their house say that they had a whole city in the ocean, but Paige was pretty sure he was telling a fib.
"How big..?" She asked slowly, eyeing the other girl curiously, not sure she even wanted the answer. What if they could be as big as her head? That would be terrifying! "Do you get to pick your shifts? Does your herald pick them? Who do you follow? Do you follow Safrin?" Paige spouted off a series of questions, not seeming to care that she was going a mile a minute and hardly giving Ray the chance to answer.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Ray chuckled slightly at the clear to pronounce the creature's name. "Encantados? Sure! We have plenty of pink stones. What color do you want the eye to be?" She asked as she began to make the outline of the aquatic creature, nodding her head as Paige spoke. The barrage of questions had her lips twitching slightly in amusement. Ray had to pause in placing the stones to answer them.
"Big." She said mischievously. As for the rest, her tone was patient and kind. "I chose my shift, but I don't know if it works that way for everyone. I've never met Safrin actually, but I have prayed to her. I actually follow Rae. They are the one who attuned me." Ray explained, doing her best to answer the questions.
"Uhm... Let's make it blue!" Paige said in response to the question about the eye, turning to stick her hand back into the pool, fishing around for a blue stone. It took her a few tries, pulling one after another up, but eventually she found one to set to the side for the eye. Paige sorted through the stones they did have, picking out the pink ones to start filling the inside of the drawing with, using the darker ones of the belly and the lighter ones for the top.
"You met Rae? What are they like? I didn't know you could meet Rae!" Paige gushed, eyes wide as she looked up at the older girl in awe, not believing that she actually met them herself. "Are they nice?"
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
"Blue is perfect." Ray agreed as she too continued to fill in the shape with stones. This whole activity was far more fun then she had originally expected. Very satisfying and relaxing too. It was an almost therapeutic process, placing the stones.
At the inquiry to her Attunement, Ray gave a warm chuckle. "It was more of their voice and presence. They didn't appear physically so I don't know it really counts as meeting them. But it is possible to meet them, if you're lucky. I hope to truly meet them one day." Ray explained as best as she could. "As for their personality? Rae is unique and very smart." That was probably the best she could do given her limited experience with the deity.
"If you wanted to Attune, I think you could try to ask any of the Old Gods or their heralds." She added after a pause.
The Old Gods and the heralds were something of a mystery to her. Not because she didn't know about them or because her mother didn't teach her, but because they were so different. They were here but not. Some of them changed shapes and others lived in the stars. Some were spooky and some really pretty. Some you could only see as an adult and others liked kids. It was just so much. Paige pursed her lips in consideration, "My momma follows Frey. She said that they're nice. I haven't met Ria's momma, but I bet Safrin is really nice too." She had to be if she was Kamaria's mom, right? That just made sense to her.
Paige kept placing stones in their little drawing until it was done, straightening up to regard her finished picture, "I think it looks good!" She declared just as her stomach growled, making her frown as she looked down at her tummy, "Do you have any snacks in your bag? I forgot to bring some with me."
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Ray gives Paige a warm smile. "I don't know much of Frey, but I've been told that Safrin is generous towards those she likes. If you're Kamaria's friend then I'm sure she'd like you too." Ray isn't certain, but she highly doubts that the goddess would have an issue with an Accepted childhood friend of one of her daughters. Especially if that friend was looking to Attune.
The final drawing is certainly beautiful, and pairs nicely with the butterfly. "It does look good. We make a great team." She gives Paige a kind smile. At the child's stomach's rumble Ray chuckled. The question of snacks already has her reaching for her bag. "I do actually. I like to bake so I made scones this morning. They're chocolate chip. Do you want some?" The Attuned hands one of the scones over wrapped in a napkin.
It hadn't occurred to the girl that Safrin might not like her. Of course she would like her! She was Kamaria's best friend. The two were inseparable when given the chance to get together, but lately the adults were keeping them apart. Which was very rude in Paige's opinion. Not that anyone bothered to ask her. "I think she will too!" The girl declared before her tummy started to growl and she aired her question about snacks.
Her eyes lit up, nodding eagerly as she hopped on the balls of her feet, "I love chocolate chips! Can I have one please?" Paige remembered her manners and everything. Her momma would be proud. Eagerly, she took the napkin, biting into the scone and getting crumbs all over her face in the process. "This is really yummy!" She managed through a full mouth, munching away happily at her treat.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Ray gave a laugh as she began to enjoy her own scone. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it." Nothing made a baker, even a hobby one, happier then seeing someone enjoy their treats. And Paige's enthusiasm for the scones had Ray filled with warmth. "Maybe one day I can teach you how to make them, if you'd like?" It'd probably be a messy venture, but baking was fun.
Ray eyed the sun's position, the two had been out here for a bit. Though sunset was still a little ways off. "What time do you need to be back home?" The Attuned didn't want to keep the child out here too late if she needed to be back soon. Ray really didn't need a worried mom coming after her.
"You're welcome!" Paige chirped happily, finishing off the last of her scone and licking any melted chocolate off of her fingers, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. The offer had her nodding excitedly, "That would be fun! When our new house gets built maybe you can come over to play?" Nevermind that it was a brothel that she lived in. It was still a house all the same. She lived there after all.
Paige followed the woman's eyes, squinting at the sun as if she knew what Ray was actually looking at, "Uh, by sunset. That's the rule. If the stars are out and above me then I'm not where I'm meant to be." She repeated the words her mother said to her many a time.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Ray knew that it was the brothel but she nodded nonetheless. "Of course! I'd love to. Maybe Kamaria would like to learn too? You could invite her." That way Paige could see her best friend as well. It was clear that she missed the demigod and Ray wouldn't mind helping rectify that.
Hearing the child's curfew, Ray nodded. "Well, then we should probably start getting you home. The sun is beginning to set and if you want to be home before the stars show up, we should leave now. Want me to walk you home?" She hoped Paige would say yes. The Attuned didn't feel comfortable letting a child walk off alone so close to dark. It'd set her at ease to see Paige back home safely.
That seemed like an absolutely great idea to Paige. "Oh! Maybe I can write her a letter! We could have a tea party!" With little cups of stars and chocolate chip scones and tiny little sandwiches. That would be so much fun, wouldn't it? Maybe Mr. Sunjata would let Kamaria come over to play this time.
Paige nodded in response to Ray's question, reaching up to take her hand, letting the older girl help her across the stones back to the path that led back to Haulani proper. "Yes please. I wish my momma coulda seen the pictures we made. I bet she would like them." The girl sighed wistfully, looking up at Ray for confirmation, head cocking to the side curiously. Surely the girl would agree with her.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Ray gave Paige a warm smile. "A tea party sounds perfect for scones. We could even make different types so that it was really a party." After all, what kind of tea party only had one kind of sweet?
When Paige offered her hand, Ray took it and slowly helped the child down to stable ground. Eyeing their stone pictures, Ray nodded. "They are beautiful. And the good news is that they're made of stone." She gave Paige a wink. "Unless there's a massive surge of water or some other disturbance, the pictures will likely be here tomorrow. You could show her then."
Eyeing the setting sun, Ray then began to lead Paige down the path. Soon enough they reached home and Paige was safely returned to her family. Afterward, the Attuned left for her own home, but not before promising to come back soon for the tea party and scone lesson.
