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!
07-05-2021, 12:49 PM (This post was last modified: 07-05-2021, 12:49 PM by Nephele.)
and like a book cover, I am what I hide
Nephele wouldn’t consider it a lack of interest, but most humans weren’t interested in lovers that would long outlive them (or that had wings) and Fae often felt the same way about humans. It was simply a sad inevitability of life. “Then by the grace of your happiness, it shall be a joyous affair.” The firm nod of her head has crimson hair flowing back across her shoulders. She commits the name to memory, trying to do so more often with the humans that find their way into the Greatwood.
Nephele blinks slowly, like a cat, as Maeve offers her assistance. “I only have one pan,” she states outright, prompted by being caught off guard. “But your assistance is welcome.” Turning, she wastes no time wading back into the river, bending to begin sifting for the smaller stones with her pan again. “Have you met Ludo, then?” Or was her familiarity more theoretical?
The Madame's smile stays in place, finding she likes the way the woman speaks, her words reminiscent of those in the poetry and plays she often found herself reading. They were melodic and formal all at once. She's already feeling fairly good about this little outing, but there is something satisfying about the way Nephele blinks at her in surprise, as if she wasn't expecting a human to offer their assistance a all.
"That's alright. I can scoop into it at least." She offers, lowering herself onto the shore to take off her boots and roll up the hem of her pants until they're resting at her shins. Maeve shakes her head, pushing up from the ground and wading into the water, hissing out a breath at the coolness of it. "I haven't met them yet, no. I've heard about them, though. A mix of things." She tells her, scooping up a handful of silt and sediment from the bed of the river, depositing it into the pan so that she might sort through.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
Nephele stands deeper in the water to allow for Maeve to not have to stoop so low or enter so far, watching her face as the chill of the water registers. It’s a warm day and the coolness is nice, but the initial shock is still present. It doesn’t seem to dissuade Maeve however.
Holding the pan out to catch any falling sediment as Maeve deposits it, Nephele hums contemplatively. “Ludo does not abide stupidity, which Caido has in excess. It is a complex herald - but if you seek them honestly, with intent instead of vague questions and aims, they will give you so much more than you expect.” Her voice is rhythmic but soft, lost in memories of the times she’d knelt in Ludo’s shadow. “When I first met Ludo, I cursed it out. And still I received its rags and a weapon, a purpose that I’d been searching for. But it does not appreciate fickleness or uncertainty.”
Nephele sorts through the larger stones left in the pan, plucking only two and securely tucking them in her pocket for later review before discarding the rest and holding the pan out for more silt.
There isn't any reason to keep Maeve from going deeper or stooping, but she appreciates the gesture anyway. Her muscles haven't started to ache and she definitely doesn't have a belly in the way just yet. It's only a minute before she's adjusted to the water, digging her toes into the bottom of the river with a little hum as she scoops up little handfuls to place into Nephele's pan so she can get rid of the silt.
Maeve hums softly in consideration, weighing this against what she heard from Harper and from Wessex, knowing to take one of those accounts with a grain of salt. "I see... You'd describe your dealings with them as positive then? Despite the fact that they don't leave room for uncertainty." She imagines that if she'd gone to Ludo the first time she sought out a god, she would have been sent away disappointed and discouraged, unwilling to try again. Maeve knows she'll likely have to meet them again and she can only hope that she'll be ready that time. "What have they taught you?"
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
Positive? Nephele cocks her head in a bird like manner, considering. “Yes, I would definitely say it was positive. They challenged me, yes, but how else can one grow? And we are but their seeds; they want to see us flourish.” As Maeve adds more to the pan Nephele sifts it again, though finds nothing but plain rocks and quarts. “I never was a follower of Mort you see. Most Fae worship Rae and their herald. Now I have walked in Ludo’s shadows, however, I cannot imagine how I did not see our compatibility before.”
Reaching the pan for more, she waits for Maeve to deposit it before going through the motions once more. Ludo had not specified the amount of stones, but Nephele has so far gone above and beyond each time she has returned to the herald’s woods. She will not stop now. “For all Ludo has my allegiance, it is important to meet as many as are willing to answer you. Humans believe they know themselves so well as to presume to understand their harmony with certain deities, but you live such short lives. It is presumptuous.” Nephele had not found her path with Ludo until she was in her fifties after all.
"I like that. I've only met two of the heralds and Safrin has always seen more than what I am. She sees a potential greater than I could ever imagine for myself. Without her I wouldn't have done half the things I've done in my short life." The Madame admits honestly, scooping another large handful of sediment into her pan, going so far as to add another before she starts to sift through it. The water whisks away the sediment and dirt to leave behind trash and treasure for Nephele to sort through herself.
The Fae is speaking sense and Maeve can't help but agreeing. Despite how she feels about Safrin and how close she is starting to become with the goddess, it would be silly not to speak to the others when they all are looking for balance in the coming war. "I have plans to eventually meet all of them. If only to show my gratitude for what they have done for me as an Accepted." How strange to think that she used to be so scared of them. The Madame wouldn't have ever approached them willingly, but look at her now. It was growth.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
“I have not met Safrin, but I have heard contrasting reports of her as well. Is that not further proof that the gods we believe for us best are not always so?” Dainty freckled shoulders shrug in a loose manner that doesn’t fit her eloquent word choice and refined manner of speaking.
This new pan is a far better source, and Nephele gives a pleased hum as agile fingers dance their way among the rocks and stones to find the gems that shine within. These too are gently deposited in her skirt pocket, which darkens with the dampness of what it holds.
Though Nephele shoots a curious look at the woman at her next words, crimson brows quirking. “And what is it they have done for you? You could have just as easily been born Abandoned. It is what you do with the life they’ve given you that they want to see - not praise for something beyond their control when you were in the womb.” Despite the content of the words there is no cruelty to them, only perhaps a bewildered curiosity at the odd sentiment.
A huff of a laugh pushes past her lips and she nods, "She is complex as well. I've found that if you truly give yourself to her, she will move the stars for you, but should you upset her then the consequences are great." Her expression softens, daring a glance up at Nephele, "She's understanding, though. Gentle and warm. It's all about how you approach them, isn't it? You said as much in regards to Ludo." The Madame's own shoulders lift in a shrug as if to mimic the Fae, waiting for her to sort through the stones in the pan before adding another handful of silt.
The question causes her to pause, blinking a few times as her own brows draw together, seaglass gaze regarding her thoughtfully. Maeve looks away, trying to find the words to explain what she means by that. "No one taught me about the gods when I was a child. I didn't know that they had been locked away from us for so long. I had cursed them for not answering my prayers and despite that, they've accepted me back into their embrace. They've given me chance after chance to make something of myself. That's what I mean." It isn't spoken very eloquently, but it's the truth and how she feels on the matter.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
Humming quietly, Nephele keeps her attention on the silt and sediment in her pan. "Yes, though I'm unsure she would like me if she is...gentle and warm." Nephele is not that way. More creature than woman at times, and callous in the wake of losing her twin. "I do have to meet with her soon however. I appreciate the insight into her character." Perhaps it would ease the way a little into finishing the quest Alina had started.
Hair cascading over her cheek, the slitted angle of her eye is turned Maeve's way, calmly watching as the woman tries to find better words. When they come, they shed better light on the sentiment. "Imagine how many lived and died never knowing, as you discovered, why their prayers were never answered." Her voice is like wind through empty, burned trees. Brittle and dark. "All because of The Voice."
"That's how she feels to me. Almost like... a mother." This was the Madame's own experience, of course. It varied from each individual. She knew that the Star and the Flood didn't share her same sentiment, having a completely different kind of relationship with Safrin than she did. "She likes gifts. Even though she says she doesn't need them." Maeve informs her softly, offering that little bit of information, hoping that it would at least assist the Fae in her task.
It was only a matter of time before the Voice came up and Maeve draws in a breath, brows pinching together as she nods, bottom lip catching between her teeth nervously the way it does every time the Voice is mentioned. "I didn't know how dangerous she was before. Not until Safrin told me." The Madame admits, bending to scoop more silt and dirt into her hands, putting it into her pan to sort through.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
"I have little experience with such maternal overtures," she admits plainly, clearly pondering the information with no real regard for the strange gravity of her own words. "But gifts, yes. It is only appropriate. We have always worshiped in that way." Though it seems many others in Caido willfully forget the Fae are an ancient race. Despite not having met Safrin, Nephele at least was conditioned to know the basics should she ever encounter a deity. It had simply only been a few years since the barrier fell and even gave her the opportunity in the first place.
Maeve's nerves make her appear weak, which is not precisely an insult - merely evidence of her innocence. To Nephele, the woman is hardly a woman at all, more child than adult. It softens the blow of her words a little when they come. "She nearly killed the Mathair, the goddess of our forest. The Voice's Ascended killed many Fae warriors who tried to defend her, and even now we search for her to bring her home. Yet they were never brought to justice." The next handful of silt is roughly shaken through the sifter, anger pouring through the motions and making them stilted and rushed. "They constructed their portal in our woods, without a care for how they tainted the forest, allowing intruders to pour through at every opportunity. We have been the favored victims of their poison for too long." Scowling, she stands and plucks the last precious stone from the sifter, running a damp hand over her face to try and cool the bubbling fury inside her.
It wasn’t that Maeve thought Nephele didn’t know how to seek out a god, but Safrin wasn’t like the other heralds when it came to her likes. She didn’t desire food like Frey or games like Ludo. Her offerings were always different from that. Sentimental. Maeve normally made her something. Perfume, jewelry, potpourri, and the like. All put together lovingly for the goddess. She merely wanted to help ensure that Nephele had good luck with her too.
”Oh… I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you’re able to find her again soon and that she might return to your wood.” Maeve offers softly, sincerity in her voice as she dared a glance up at the Fae, watching as she shook out the silt in a way that made water splash and slosh around them. ”Do you have plans to fight? In the war?” She asks, scooping up another large handful and placing it into the sieve, hoping that they’re close to being done. Maeve straightens up, rolling her shoulders and rubbing at the slight ache in her back with a small wince.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
It’s not that Nephele is unappreciative, not in the least. She is merely blunt and direct, sometimes to the point of miscommunication where one would assume it couldn’t occur. However, Maeve does not clarify what she meant by gifts, and so Nephele has no way of knowing. The aura between them is still peaceful, perhaps even friendly, and tainted only by the sour memories of what the Ascended had done.
Pausing at Maeve’s sincerity, Nephele breathes slowly through her nose, and forces the grip of each finger to loosen one by one, focusing on smoothing out the cramps to retain her composure. “Thank you. We get closer every day; it will not fix or excuse what they did, but at least we did not lose her entirely.” If they had, Nephele is sure she would have been dead by now, and have taken down quite a few more Ascended with her.
Maeve’s question makes her pause internally, even as her hands never pause. It’s a dangerous question to answer, one that could reveal far too much if she isn’t careful. “My twin was always the fighter of the two of us, but without her, and with Ludo’s guidance, it seems that shall be my path yes.” Taking up weapons instead of vials, fate turning over fifty years of personality on its head. “And you?” Glancing at the woman’s stomach, despite there being nothing to see, Nephele adds, “After the child is born, of course.”
Of course it wouldn't change things, but it was a step towards restoring what was taken from them in the first place. That was what mattered. At least in this instance. Maeve nods in understanding, another soft smile curling on her lips, "That's good to hear. Even though it doesn't take away what was done, I'm glad that you're healing." The woods, her people, and everything in between. It was a start.
As always, mentions of the war sour the air, making it heavy as she helps the Fae continue with her own work. "I don't think it can be avoided. If it means keeping myself and my child safe, then yes. I will fight." That's the long and the short of it. Of course, she doesn't know what lies in her future. The fact that she is destined to share the title of Queen with Aurelia. None of this is something she can see coming, but all she can do for now is be ready.
Honey, I'm on fire, I feel it everywhere Nothin' scares me anymore Kiss me hard before you go
Summertime sadness
