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!
Longheat is drawing to an end and with it, Wessex’s reign, though the for-now-Queen is still unsure whether or not she’ll let Sunjata know what’s going on. The only solid reason her feet carry her to the Governor’s door is because she’s been told to do so, otherwise the Wraith might have kept her distance. The betrayal of Hotaru, the child with Safrin, a lack of anything regarding the Order, it all swims distastefully in her head and leaves a sour film on her tongue, like she needs to brush her teeth.
This can probably be kept short, she thinks, as her knuckles beat out three sharp raps on his door. Glancing away from the building, she looks out to sea and finds herself rather relieved and forcing herself to believe that this might be the last time she has to do this kind of thing.
It won't be. But the possibility of it carries her on.
all the drinkin' and the druggin' and the black and the red the achy skin and all the sweat in my bed
There is one thing Sunjata’s grown quite tired of, and that is surprises. Whether it be news over what’s happening (such as burned down buildings, such as Remi breaking Hotaru from jail) it’s all settled quite heavily on the Flood’s shoulders, and between his love for Nate and his ties to Safrin, the Governor is stressed far past what he ever thought he’d be capable of being.
And still, still, Sunjata answers the door – hand lingering on the door frame while the other lingers on the door itself, bags beneath his eyes and exhaustion lingering heavily in every bit of his bones. His silver gaze scans Wessex, lips quirking into a slight frown as he anticipates what kind of terrible news Wessex brings – because of course, that has got to be it.
Everyone else hasn’t had any news that’s good, why start now?
It tugs at his scar, the way his lips pull downward, but it’s the sigh that he inhales slowly and exhales with a raise of his shoulders as he steps aside to allow the Wraith in, waiting until he’s closed the door behind her before his back presses against the door and he folds his starry, tattooed arms across his chest. “I’d say it’s nice to see you again Wessex, but given the current state of things am I correct in assuming that you come bearing quite the opposite of good news?” Cut to the chase, as it were.
i think i'm losin' too much but there's just never enough
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
That makes two of them, then. And luck is on Sunjata’s side this time, because Wessex does not come bearing news. She should, for all the restructuring that will shortly be going on, but she won’t, because - well, because.
In fact, she doesn’t even want to step inside the house. But after a moment’s hesitation, she does, with the tiniest of steps to clear the doorframe - and then another because it seems the Flood is going to stay there, she turns after a third step, making it clear that she won’t be sitting down for this round. “No news” she offers briskly. Efficiently.
“But I need to know - officially - where Torchline sits when it comes to the war.” Maybe that’s bad news for Sunjata, but for her, it represents a relief, no matter what answer he gives. At least they’ll know.
all the drinkin' and the druggin' and the black and the red the achy skin and all the sweat in my bed
She seems to hesitate when she slips in through the door and Sunjata’s partially confused but partially understanding all the same – his mind not quite set on how to take the hesitancy. But she steps in and he clicks the door – remains with his back against it to appraise the Grounds Queen, awaiting some terrible news that’s come from her side of the world.
It doesn’t come, though, and she might notice the way his shoulders slump in relief when she mentions there’s no news.
For the first time it sounds like a blessing.
A blessing that doesn’t last long as Wessex dives into the heart of the issue, of something Sunjata’s had been trying to deal with. She asks it bluntly, something he’s always appreciated about Wessex, but in an instance like this?
Well, it feels like an arrow to the heart.
His shoulders tense again and his gaze leaves her to look at the ceiling, to draw in a sharp breath that’s exhaled slowly from his nose. “It…” He works his jaw, tries to loosen his throat around the rock that’s suddenly found a home there. “It’s with Safrin. I don’t have a choice.” If the whole 'get Nate to step down because this land and you are mine' was any indication.
i think i'm losin' too much but there's just never enough
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Sunjata’s hesitation tells her all she needs to know. Whatever remaining warmth she has for the Flood begins to evaporate slowly, pooling beneath her feet and running out the door as he gives his excuse. She says nothing for a moment, just looking at him, in what she hopes is an expression that can contain a fraction of her glittering, glacial disappointment and ice-cold disdain.
“And the Ascended who live here,” she asks before finally moving on. “Do I need to pull them out?” Adam, Peter, Nate. If Torchline is for Safrin, they surely are not safe. Even Nate, who is much, much too close to the fire for her liking.
“Though I suspect the question is actually when should I pull them out?”
all the drinkin' and the druggin' and the black and the red the achy skin and all the sweat in my bed
She can show all of her disdain and her loss of trust for him, he’s used to it at this point. He’s been walking the tightrope for so long now that it was inevitable he would fall. And he certainly feels as if he’s diving down and down into the abyss with no one to blame but himself. He can accept that, at least.
Her question, though, has him shaking his head — his gaze dropping from the ceiling to the Queen, Sunjata working his jaw hard enough that it tugs at the scar that twists and warps the side of his face. “I will talk with Adam and Peter. I don’t know if you’ve heard or not but the Advocates burned. Apparently it was Deimos, though Hotaru had a hand in it some way.” He shakes his head. “They did it while we were searching for the Prince so luckily Peter was safe there. Adam wasn’t there when it happened but until I repair it, they have no home.” There’s a slow inhale, one scarred hand rising to run through his longer, grown out hair. “I’ll suggest the Grounds to them and explain, but I won’t force them out Wessex.” He pauses to make sure his point is across.
As for Nate? That’s more like taking a bullet to the chest over and over again. “I’ve spoken with Isla and… We’re concerned, obviously—” a trademark statement from Nate that Sunjata’s absorbed, “about Nate, so. At the start of Leafchange we’re going to the Grounds. I’ll spend a day with him and he’ll spend time with Isla. I plan to talk to him about everything when we go.”
He levels his gaze with Wessex again, hand resting on the nape of his neck, the bags beneath his eyes are dark and heavy as is the weight he feels crushing his shoulders and spine.
i think i'm losin' too much but there's just never enough
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
She’d heard, and hadn’t been too distraught about it, since the reports had said there wasn’t any loss of life. It had been a long time since she’s felt part of any guild and the destruction of the building itself was probably as good an excuse as any to leave it. Wessex is quiet until he mentions Hotaru and then her eyebrows shoot up halfway to her hairline, and she does her best to hide a bit of amusement.
Huh. So she’d gotten her revenge after all. Good for her.
“I’ll talk to them too,” she says. Maybe between the Wraith and the Flood, they can convince the two Ascended they’re safer in the Grounds.
As for Nate, she is entirely unsure what everything means or what he and Isla are planning, and she is visibly confused. Their relationship is none of her business, really, it’s only important to her when it affects how Ascended are perceived but he’s talking about Nate almost as if he’s dropping off a pet for treatment. “I’m not following.” Shaking her head slightly, Wessex trails off to see if Sunjata will fill in the blanks.
all the drinkin' and the druggin' and the black and the red the achy skin and all the sweat in my bed
A small nod is given to Wessex – agreeing that perhaps both talking to them might get them to find a new place to stay, a place that’s safer for them. But when the topic turns to Nate and the Queen is visibly confused, Sunjata works his jaw quietly, trying to figure out where to start among the rest of everything.
So he steadies himself, takes a deep breath, lowers his arms back to his sides and meets Wessex’s gaze. “Nate hasn’t been dealing with everything very well. And with the Wren Society burned and the attack on the Slagveld and the Advocates, it’s just piled on. I… Made him Governor. Safrin reamed me for it.” He pauses, swallowing against the soreness of his throat. “Isla noticed how off he’s been so we thought it would be best to give him a break of all of the shit happening here.” He pauses to chew at his cheek.
“So we’ve planned to go at the change of the season to give him time to kind of process everything.” So many things had happened to them when it was supposed to be a good season. And now it’s just pressing on the cracks more and more – fracturing them and crumbling them.
i think i'm losin' too much but there's just never enough
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
She can’t imagine why Nate hasn’t been taking it well; being muzzled would be enough to make her want to rampage through the streets of Haulani, and Nate has to deal with Sunjata’s Safrin bullshit too. Wessex’s eyes narrow slightly, however, when she hears that her brother was made Governor. “Wait -” she interrupts, “You made him Governor? You called him your equal and now in a few days, you’re going to go tell him that he isn’t really your equal?”
Shaking her head, Wessex’s mouth tightens. “No wonder he’s not taking it well, all these mixed signals flying around.” Gesturing violently in the air, the Wraith motions for Sunjata to stand aside so she can access the door.
“You’ve always had a choice Sunjata. And at every turn you’ve chosen the power she gives you - your shifts, I guess - or sex - over the people you claim to love. You’re not helpless. You’re not forced to do anything, you’re just a selfish asshole who’d rather watch a whole race of people - including the man you profess to love more than anything - get killed than say no to your cunt of a sugar mama.”
Throwing her hands in the air, the Wraith doesn't wait for Sunjata to move or not, she teleports out, but not before one last word, "And I quit the DA."
all the drinkin' and the druggin' and the black and the red the achy skin and all the sweat in my bed
“He is my equal.” Sunjata replies swiftly – because he’s certainly entertaining the thought that they both step down, but of course it’s something Wessex hasn’t stuck around to hear. But for her to point it at him? When he was drowning just as much, when he was trying to keep it from Nate’s plate as much as he could? It burns.
His lip curls a fraction as she goes on her tirade. And the truth is that he doesn’t want anyone to die, certainly least of all Nate, but his hands are tied by Safrin – because she could easily strike him down and take everything away from him if he so much as pulled away from her starlight.
His lips part to begin to say those things, but then Wessex is gone and Sunjata’s left there in the foyer of his and Nate’s home, a hiss of frustration and exhaustion tearing out of him as he runs his hands through his hair, works his jaw to contain his frustration and anger, before turning to the door and locking it to stalk back toward the upstairs to sort himself out.
- FIN <33
i think i'm losin' too much but there's just never enough
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
