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!
“Sure. Let’s do it with the shift to Leafchange.” It’ll give her time to wrap anything up, and new leadership time to sync up on anything important. Wessex has no doubt that leading will bring both Isla and Bastien closer to the Voice and some responsibility will be handed to them, so that the team can become a larger group of cogs all working together. There is, however, some internal balking that comes with now needing to answer to more than just their Goddess. She tries not to let it show, accepting the necessity of the string handcuffs that seem to have magically appeared on her wrists.
“In that case, I’ve been tasked with setting up some defenses against those who live in the Greatwood, and will need to do that soon.” She hasn’t the foggiest idea what kind of defenses to erect yet, barricades seem useless, flying-traps likely to catch more wildlife than potential invaders, who could just as easily fly over the trees of the Outskirts rather than through them. “Not sure what would be most effective, though, so that’s still up in the air.” Ha ha ha.
And a separate meeting for the Ascended is likely to be necessary too, but that can wait a bit.
"That works fine with me," Isla says softly, though of course it isn't just up to her. The medic has been the last to join this little group, and arguably Bastien is the one who will want to take the lead on much of this. To hear about defences, though, she raises her eyebrows, surprised but not in a bad way.
"I think that will reassure a lot of the Ascended who live here," she says with a nod. "I am no tactician, but if you need any help with resources, or to arrange a meeting about it or anything, I'm sure we will be able to help arrange it."
The fact that she is now a part of something much larger than the confines of her little infirmary has not escaped Isla, either, and it's with a soft laugh that she shakes her head to the Wraith. "It's strange, how quickly things can all change, isn't it?" she murmurs. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
Things have always changed quickly for Wessex; one minute she’s fighting her way through a portal, the next she’s a demigod and can teleport. One day Clem is alive, the next he’s not. Ascending thrones and stepping down, some are quick and some are planned, but always, always, the change seems to come too quickly. There’s never enough time to prepare, or perhaps it’s just that humans really do tend towards either staying in motion or staying still and the magnitude of the impetus for change is always underestimated.
“It is,” she agrees, scooting to the edge of her chair. “And you never really get used to it.” For just a moment more, Wessex stays sitting, reaching out to touch the edge of the desk as if she wants to reach across to the Medic, but isn’t sure if it’s appropriate. “So thank you for doing this. For what it’s worth, and it may not be much, I really appreciate the help and how big of a step it may seem.” She pulls her hand back to her lap and shrugs.
“I think that’s it for me. Unless you want to talk about the fire.”
"No, I suppose you don't," Isla agrees, smiling softly to herself. From Northaven to Caido, Accepted to Ascended, alive to dead. She still hasn't gotten used to those changes, never mind the whole unicorn debacle, dying again, coming back and becoming queen. (And at the realisation that this is what Isla's life has been so far, she wisely puts that in a mental drawer to deal with another day, lest it drive her mad).
"It means a lot," she advises Wessex, her smile a little brighter now at least. "Hopefully together we can make the Grounds a lot safer." However that might look.
Letting out a sigh she absolutely doesn't need, the Wraith's offer is appreciated, but Isla regrettably doesn't have much to contribute. "There isn't much to say," she says. "We still don't know how it started, or who was responsible. The only thing I know is that it had to be intentional." She shrugs. "But if anything other information turns up, I'll be sure to share it with you, General," she murmurs, shooting a playful smirk the other woman's way.
sooner or later, we all have to wake and try forgetting everything
Of course the fire was intentional. It hurts to hear it, but in the back of her head, Wessex knew it had to be true. Even though there had been a lot of fires - both in Torchline and the Grounds - she didn’t think it likely that Isla would be so careless as to leave something flammable out and about. Given the whole… Ascended + fire = bad thing.
“I’m not surprised,” grim, but taking it in stride, Wessex figures it’s useless to apologize for not being here to help, so she doesn’t. Instead, she rises and smoothes out her clothes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and nodding to Isla. “Alright. Well, if you think of anything between now and Leafchange, let me know. I’ll just be wrapping up any loose ends until then.” Given that Leafchance was (at this point), just around the corner, there’s only a few things left to do in an official capacity. Let Daphne know. Find Azrael and see their plans for the Barracks. Talk to Morgan.
“I’ll let myself out so you can get back to your day. See you soon.”
