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!
06-25-2021, 03:54 PM (This post was last modified: 07-08-2021, 06:57 PM by Seren.)
SEREN
For every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable In every lost soul, the bones of a miracle
Stormbreak had not changed since she left. Seren frowned at the thought, and counted off the days since she had her father had left for Halo, as she strolled along the docks where skyships lay anchored. She was shocked to find it was only a rough week she had been gone. So much had happened that it felt much longer, not to mention that she had once again grown too independent in her time away. The shouting voices of trainers and officers still rang in her ears, accented in the rhythmic cadence of local tongue. Not for the first time she questioned whether the soldier's life was truly for her.
A boot was already chafing sores onto her heel, unaccustomed to such constricting garb. Seren stopped and slumped down onto the docks, to let her legs dangle out over the edge while she undid the laces. One by one the boots came off, accompanied by one relieved sigh each.
As she looked around to see where her dragon had gone off to, Seren caught sight of a tumble of blonde hair that was curiously familiar. Umbra had marched straight up towards her, his silver-colored eyes looming wide and curious - like little moons against a midnight blue backdrop of scales.
Reaching up a hand, waving her boot back and forth to catch the woman's attention she called out a cheerful, "Hello, you! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Almost a season had passed since they last met, and Seren still didn't know this person's name.
In every dreamer a dream - we're unstoppable with something to believe in
✰ 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.
'Cause she's just like the weather Can't hold her together Born from dark water
Daughter of the r a i n and s n o w
At Gideon's pestering advice Amalia has agreed to spend the day outdoors, soaking in the sunlight and observing the people of Stormbreak as they come and go. Barefoot and almost ethereal, she floats along the edges of crowds, not quite part of this world, Jyoti leaving stars in their wake.
Their wanderings eventually bring them to the Skyport, newly renovated and bustling with travelers and ships. It is a warm and beautiful summer day, and the blue cloudless sky seems to stretch on endlessly, blurring with the sea at the horizon and creating an illusion of infinite space. It is into this infinity that the Archangel now stares, her long blonde hair thrown like a banner by a breeze off the water. Pensive, thoughtful, anxious---
--Interrupted.
It takes Amalia a moment to realize it's her being addressed. Eyebrows knit in confusion and surprise, the girl turns toward the waving boot.. and is met by a pair of silver eyes peering up from a scaled face. "Oh. Hello," the girl greets the dragon, blinking down as Jyoti trills a greeting of her own. "Are you...?" Her eyes flick back up to where the youth waves her footwear in enthusiastic greeting. A shy flush and almost-smile soften the angles of her gaunt face; "Hi, Seren," Amalia calls softly, even as her fingers reach for the dragon's crown. "A new friend of yours?"
For every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable In every lost soul, the bones of a miracle
Getting to her feet, the girl came skipping over with boots dangling from the shoelaces, one in each hand. While the woman's name had eluded her, the presence of the starwhale was jolting memories almost buried back to life, and her smile was perhaps brighter than it would have been otherwise.
"Yes. His name is Umbra. We've been together for almost a whole season now." Tucking her shoes into empty nothingness, in a gesture so everyday that it completely took the magic out of the miracle of a pocket dimension, the girl smiled at the other woman. "I remember why you looked so familiar, now. You're my dad's friend, right? I think we met when I was little. On a beach - people were bringing lanterns for Ludo."
Extending her hands and cooing a soft greeting to Jyoti, Seren tried but failed to mimic the starwhale song. She never had any knack for communicating with them, though it certainly never kept her from trying. Umbra meanwhile was making a complete fool of himself, arcing up on his hind legs to bump his head into Amalia's palm. He didn't have to reach far; the dragon was big, tall enough for navy blue shoulders to level with Seren's hip.
"I haven't seen you for a while. How are you?" The young girl's smile was open and warm as she looked Amalia over. Unaware that the gauntness was unnatural, not familiar enough with the relative stranger to read anything on her face but the timid welcome.
In every dreamer a dream - we're unstoppable with something to believe in
✰ 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.
'Cause she's just like the weather Can't hold her together Born from dark water
Daughter of the r a i n and s n o w
Almost a whole season. It's a strange jolt, a reminder of just how very young Seren still is, that a season is a significant stretch of time. Amalia's ghost of a smile fades; she remembers that night, when she'd first been heartbroken over the loss of Adam. Before she lost him a second time, to the cold clutches of a half death. "I know your mother, too," the one-time Shield murmurs fondly. "You look a lot like her."
Absently Amalia rubs her thumb over the bridge of Umbra's snout, her dark eyes flickering between the pair and back down to the dragon, the easier of the two to address. "You are very grown-up now," the Archangel hums perhaps to both of them, her hazy smile returning. Without thinking about it she reaches out through the Attuned bond, praising Umbra's handsome scales. Jyoti, meanwhile, has fully taken to Seren, and croons her own low harmony back, happy to sing as discordantly as the youth may enjoy.
As to how she's been? Again the smile fades away, replaced by a wistful, tired expression that tugs at the edges of her eyes. "We've been... busy. Especially now." With the war coming- but of course she isn't going to bring that here. Her company is dour enough as it is. Forcing herself to look back up, Amalia flashes Seren a warm yet weary smile. "What about you? How has it been, being back from the stars?"
For every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable In every lost soul, the bones of a miracle
Warmth flooded to her cheeks at the remark, and Seren beamed at the woman. To be likened to Safrin was perhaps the best compliment she had ever received, and it was all she could do not to giggle and twist in place like a little girl.
"Thank you," she breathed, unable to stop smiling like a complete idiot.
Umbra responded to the mental contact with widening eyes and a soft croon. Pleased with the praise, he sent images back. Of ocean and sky, blue overlapping with blue overlapping with blue until the color deepened so much that it could no longer grow darker. Blue enough for midnight, and little pinpricks of starlight to shine bright.
The girl shot a smile at her dragon, before turning her attention to the playful song woven with the starwhale. She could easily lose herself in it, and spend hours humming back and forth... it was with some reluctance she interrupted the choire to answer Amalia.
"Hm, a little overwhelming," she admitted, offering nothing but honesty. "I meant to become a Dragoon at first, and be a soldier like dad. But there is so much to see and do, and so many people to meet, and I just can't seem to stay in one place for very long without becoming restless." Admiring the trail of stars left in Jyoti's wake, Seren remembered something she had been meaning to talk to this person about.
"Father said I should talk to you. We look grown up, but there's so much to learn still. For both of us. He said you might teach me about fighting... without killing someone?" Glancing over a touch shyly, there was hope and anticipation bobbing in the blue surf of her gaze.
In every dreamer a dream - we're unstoppable with something to believe in
✰ 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.
'Cause she's just like the weather Can't hold her together Born from dark water
Daughter of the r a i n and s n o w
Broken as Amalia may feel, even she cannot resist the luminosity of Seren's smile, her own face carving into a faint echo of the youth's joy.
Then her attention shifts to the dragon's images, and without thinking about it she kneels down, bringing her face closer to the companion with a soft hum and an exhalation of breath more animal than human. Amalia's eyes flutter shut as lilac scales ripple and form over her shoulders and cheeks. She sends back pictures in response: of warm sunlight cutting through the trees, of endless skies that fade into stars, of the joys and trials that come with being bound soul to soul with abother.
Her eyes flutter open when Seren speaks again. Rocking back onto her heels, the Archangel looks up at the young star, he face still framed by pebbled scales. She listens attentively, head tilted to the side, eyes widening in bemusement when Seren mentions wanting advice from her. It's a topic that makes her grimace slightly, her gaze slipping away from the pair and towards the dark horizon.
"There are many ways to fight," Amalia murmurs softly, her brow creasing with thought. "I... Don't like to think of myself as a fighter. Not like your father, or a Dragoon. When I do fight, I try to do so to protect people from each other." She'd once been a Shield, after all.
For every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable In every lost soul, the bones of a miracle
Soft awe glowed over the girl's face as she watched Amalia interact with her companion. Umbra's joy at being addressed and understood by others than herself was like light over rippling waves. Beautiful as the Archangel's scales, and the visions she shared. The dragon's croon was gentle and solemn, responding with recollections of vows to a starlit goddess in fragrant twilight. To protect. And, perhaps a little surlier, the image of boys surrounding his bonded flashed past; holding and pawing at and being much too close. The faces of Sah and Harper and even Locke were brigth and vivid, overlaid with a caustic jealously.
"Umbra!" Seren protested, her cheeks turning decidedly pink. "Don't listen to him, it's nothing like that at all. They're just friends."
Twisting slightly where she stood, the conversation was not going quite the way she had expected. Not.. that she knew what she had been expecting, exactly.
"Well... do you think you could teach me that? I... I think I would like to at least have the option of holding back. Right now... I honestly don't know what I can and can't do. Mother said I should test myself against others... but it's one thing to talk about bar fights and chasing bandits, and another to just go up and start something."
Twisting a lock of hair around a finger, Seren tucked it behind an ear. Why was it so difficult to simply ask for a spar?
In every dreamer a dream - we're unstoppable with something to believe in
✰ 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.
07-02-2021, 01:42 PM (This post was last modified: 07-02-2021, 01:42 PM by Amalia.)
Amalia
'Cause she's just like the weather Can't hold her together Born from dark water
Daughter of the r a i n and s n o w
The shared images and emotions suddenly take a sharp, acidic turn, and Amalia cannot help it: she bursts out into a warm, sympathetic laugh at the young companion's protective distress. Her fingers curl soothingly over his scales in apology, of course, but the sweet jealousy is so earnest and pure. "I'm sure it isn't," she teases gently at Seren's denial, pulsing sympathy and agreement to Umbra. Men and romance only complicate things - and the demigoddess, beautiful and grown though she may appear, is scarcely more than a child.
But onto less complicated topics. Straightening back up to stand, the Shield tilts her head. "Holding back is a choice," she murmurs, "One that's not always easy to make. And protecting people - protecting life... It's sometimes even harder than taking it."
The flash of red as a boy explodes in her arms, feathers vanishing into magma, ice turning black hair and dark skin white---,
Amalia blinks rapidly, eyes refocusing from far away. "Um- sorry. I'd be happy to teach you some basics, if you want l."
For every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable In every lost soul, the bones of a miracle
Flushed and a little awkward at the turn the conversation had taken, Seren mumbled something inaudible, while Umbra basked and preened under the sympathy.
"They're just friends," she repeated, bemused. Why it had to be romance just because her acquaintances wound up being men she had no idea. Maeve was the hugging type too, but apparently the owner of a brothel was less of a concern than any of the others.
Taking a deep breath to shake off the weirdness, Seren brigthened at Amalia's offer. She looked around hastily, turning raven-locked head from side to side - there was quite a lot of room on the docks, and nothing brittle or valuable seemed to be in their near vicinity.
"Thank you," she said, and when she turned back to the Archangel it was with a smile that glittered mischievously. "Want to do it here? Now?" The logical thing to do was to relocate to the Nest and proper training grounds of course... but where was the spontaneity in that? Or the fun?
The pulse of gravity to lighten herself was a reflex as natural as breathing, and with surprising speed and agility the girl leaped over, hand outstretched to tag Amalia on the shoulder. Umbra squawked in protest; he'd been having a good time.
In every dreamer a dream - we're unstoppable with something to believe in
✰ 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.
'Cause she's just like the weather Can't hold her together Born from dark water
Daughter of the r a i n and s n o w
Still distracted by the flashback, Amalia does not anticipate Seren's sudden assault, nor is she prepared to counter it with much more than a bark of surprise and a quick retreat. One moment the girl is standing with her boots in her hands, the next she is flying through the air, lightless as the sky. Startled, the Angel barks a note of surprise as she dodges lightly to her left, her bare toes scrambling on the sidewalk as she maneuvers away from the edge of the Port. She hadn't expected an onslaught, and her heartbeat kicks up in instinctive response - but only for a moment, before rationality sets in and Amalia remembers she is in no danger here.
She manages, narrowly, to avoid the tag, sliding under Seren's fingers by the length of a hair. In a fluid movement the girl turns round, letting her momentum carry her back and into a knees-bent, ready position. "I guess now it is," the Shield murmurs, dark eyes glittering with adrenaline as she eyes the youth, waiting for the next move.
For every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable In every lost soul, the bones of a miracle
She missed, but only just, and Seren did not care that it might be the surprise attack that even got her close. With a laughter full of pure excitement, she landed and spun around on light feet to try again. She had come far in the season since their last encounter. The girl that had barely been able to do basic warmup exercises had gained a supple grace to her movements, and if she still lacked in raw strength, it was made up for in both endurance and dexterity.
"Unless you have strong objections," she laughed, and came charging again with a swift leap, reaching for Amalia head on with both hands this time. She wanted to land a score on the woman's shoulder - either of them - at least once. Or, even better, try to bring the woman down on a knee. That might be satisfying.
In every dreamer a dream - we're unstoppable with something to believe in
✰ 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.
'Cause she's just like the weather Can't hold her together Born from dark water
Daughter of the r a i n and s n o w
Seren may be quick and nimble, but Amalia is sprier and better trained, with an hunter's precision and a prey's self-preservation. She watches the young star with sharp, attentive eyes, the scales on her cheeks and shoulders now fringed by silver fur. A slight, fanged smile curves at her lips as Seren tenses to spring, but this time Amalia doesn't move away.
Instead, as the younger demigoddess flies toward her, the Angel simply blows.
A gust of warm wind picks up at once, surrounding the pair and pressing forward, directly into Seren. Even if she isn't weightless she will find herself thrown back - and healed simultaneously from any injuries she may gain along the way. Assuming Seren hasn't managed to dodge the attack Amalia will stand, straightening and tilting her head but remaining where she is. "You're fighting harder, not smarter. Being strong- it isn't about hitting as hard as you can. You have to be aware of your surroundings, and the life around you. Especially if you want to fight and protect at the same time."
For every tyrant, a tear for the vulnerable In every lost soul, the bones of a miracle
She had not expected to be huffed and puffed and blown away like some house in a silly children's tale. Even as Seren found herself tumbling head over heels several feet away from where she had been, she couldn't help but groan at the humiliation of it. Or stop the surge of reluctant awe that rose, by the time she had landed and was hauling herself back off the ground. This was the Archangel. Vi's own personal champion... and she was amazing.
Sucking in a slow breath between her teeth, attempting to quell both irritation and jitters, Seren suppressed the urge to prove the woman right and charge right back in. Instead she approached slowly, watching the older woman carefully in a search for weakness that yielded very little. She was thin, and looked a little tired around the eyes. Sleepless nights?
A quick prayer and a glance to the sky - cantrips, safety blankets and showmanship only - saw a pair of gleaming wolves take form on either side of the starchild. Made up of condensed stars, they were still very solid, and spread out to flank Amalia. Seren did look around them, at the bustling harbor and the dangerous edge of the dock where the ground ended and the sky began. A long drop, that. A place one would not like to go near.
So that was exactly where she meant to heard the woman. One wolf made a sudden charge towards Amalia's left side, meant to make her turn. The other followed, to distract and harry - even as Seren kept pressing in from the front. This time, she made herself heavy as she could, in the hopes that the divine wind would not be able to blow her aside again.
In every dreamer a dream - we're unstoppable with something to believe in
✰ 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.
'Cause she's just like the weather Can't hold her together Born from dark water
Daughter of the r a i n and s n o w
She's relieved to see Seren recover so quickly; a part of Amalia had clenched in sheer terror as the girl - Safrin's daughter - went tumbling head over heels. The last thing she needed was to wound her goddess' offspring, and that wasn't even considering what the weight of Ronin's wrath might be. Last time he had lost a daughter, the Dark Star's rage had snapped her spine. So perhaps Amalia's anxiety is well warranted, for once.
Which isn't to say she stands idly by as the girl attacks again, this time in the company of two creatures of starlight. Amalia's eyes widen a fraction in awe and delight at the appearance of the wolves, only to narrow back down as the beasts run toward her, beautiful and dangerous.
The first comes in on her left; Amalia extends a tawny wing in retaliation, attempting to slap it to the side (or cause it to dissipate? She isn't sure). The second is more troublesome, taking advantage of the Shield's distracted state. She stumbles back and spins around, her right wing now joining in the fray, snapping out with whip-crack speed to shield her from the onslaught and, hopefully, shove the wolf back. Summons the guardian of Life is less concerned in saving - though she still tries to pull her punches, waiting to debilitate rather than destroy.
All of this distraction works well in Seren's favor. It is only out of the corner of her eye that Amalia sees the girl press forward, toward the Angel and the edge. But the blonde does not retreat: rather, she throws her arms in front of her face defensively, for all the world appearing to have surrendered to her fate. But over her arms and before her chest a shimmering shape will form, translucent yet tangible, a shield of hard light held against the dark-haired youth. Thus shielded, Amalia digs her heels into the stone and braces for impact. What better way to teach defenses, than to become one herself?
