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!
We can be the kings and queens of anything, if we believe.
Seren had not forgotten about her promise to come visit Ray. As soon as a moment was offered, she slipped through her brand new, shiny portal and emerged into the sprawl of a Torchline afternoon. It was growing late in the afternoon and the billowing heat of the day had burned off every last cloud in the sky, so that even the angled rays of sun beat down upon her like gilded hammers.
It was a relief to duck into the shop. The shadowed interior was cool compared to the street, and the tang of herbs that filled the air much more pleasant than the smoke from the perpetual bonfires along the beaches.
"Hello!" the young woman called over the clanking of the bell as the door fell shut behind her. Dressed lightly in a pale summer dress, with the dark hair spilled loose over thin shoulders - and barefoot as always - she looked the part of a Torcher, born and bred. Though... perhaps a little soft around the edges, still. Her blue eyes were only happy and curious as she looked around.
Seren
✰ 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.
Hearing her shop door open, Ray came out of the back where she was mixing spices. She had a work apron on that had small traces of herbs and spices on it. When she saw who had arrived, the Attuned grinned warmly. "Seren! It's great to see you. Here to shop?" Her smile turned mischievous, a little teasing. "Or are you here to learn?"
Ray hoped it was the later. She had a relatively quiet day ahead of her and could use the distraction. Teaching Seren the basics of healing would be a great use of time. The demigod certainly had the kind demeanor of a healer. Hopefully, she'd also have the backbone of one.
We can be the kings and queens of anything, if we believe.
Brightening at the sight of the other woman, Seren grinned back. "Hello Ray! It's good to see you too. I'm sorry it took me so long." Claiming to have been busy would be both an understatement and an excuse. While it was true that her schedule was always full, she had certainly made some prioritizing too... which left this encounter far later in the season than intended.
"A bit of both, actually. I was wondering if you might know where I can find some pigments, for painting? Or maybe show me how to make them myself... If you have time." Lessons on herbs and medicine were of course on the agenda too. Seren was nothing if not eager to learn everything she could.
Seren
✰ 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.
Ray waved off the apology without hesitation. "Don't worry. We've all been busy. I'm glad you're here now." Hearing what Seren was after, she nodded before gesturing for the demigod god to follow. Ray led the two to the back where she handed Seren an apron to wear. "Wear this so you don't get color all over your clothes."
One the aprons were on, Ray led them into the workshop area. There was a table, a cauldron, and all manner of vials. And the walls were covered in tools and jars of plants. The entire area carried the warm scent of spices. "Let's make those dyes. I'll show you how. What colors were you hoping to get?" Creating dyes was one of Ray's favorite things to do. Bringing out vibrant color from plants was fun, and low stress. Ratios and measurements weren't as vital with making dyes as they were with medicines or consumables.
We can be the kings and queens of anything, if we believe.
Accepting the apron with a grateful nod, Seren tied it about herself as she followed Ray into the workshop. She looked around with curious gaze, taking in everything she saw - and there was a lot to see, indeed. There was a warm, bustling atmosphere of productivity to the room that she very much enjoyed, induced perhaps by the homely clutter and sense of purpose to every object. Be it books or vials, jars, plants, cauldrons or equipment, everything belonged in a manner that made her fingers itch.
"Thank you! Well... I will need the base colors. Blue, red and yellow. White and black as well, if it can be managed." At least white she knew to be a little tricky to come by. "If I have that, I can mix the rest on the palette."
Stepping up to the table, Seren looked at Ray with an eager smile, keen to get started with whatever she would be set to do.
Seren
✰ 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.
Ray hummed as she grabbed base ingredients for dye creation. Mostly vials, jugs of water, vinegar, flour and the necessary plants. Once she had everything she placed them on the table. "So the basic idea is actually pretty simple. You boil a specific plant with one parts vinegar, four parts water to extract the color. After a while you let it cool, and bottle it up. When you want to use the dye, just heat it back up again." She explained. "You can actually make paints like this if you add a bit of flour to the mix." Ray added, gesturing to a shelf of labeled paints in a wide variety of colors.
Having set everything up, Ray began an introduction. "There are a wide variety of plants to use, each with their own shades of color, but I chose my favorites. For the yellow we'll be using marigold flowers and whole yarrow. For blue, indigo leaves. For red, madder root, and for black oak galls.
White is..." She grimaced. "White is a menace." Ray held up a vial of a dried white substance. "It's hel poop. But it's all we got since white usually involves removing already present color. This stuff works like any other dye, even if it's a hassle to collect. She gave a small chuckle. "Which do you want to start with?"
We can be the kings and queens of anything, if we believe.
Intrigued by the topic, Seren listened with rapt attention. The process of making white 'paint' had her giggling even as Ray grimaced, and hands were held up in a warding fashion.
"I have no intention of bothering Hel's today," she grinned. "Let's start with the yellow, maybe? Or whatever you think is easiest; I have never done this before."
It was certainly a fun introduction to working with plants, however. The step from nothing to brewing potions and tinctures might feel less daunting after this, where the biggest catastrophe would be a loss of some easily replaceable herbs.
"Where do we start?" Looking between the many jars of dried herbs, pots with fresh plants and numerous drawers and boxes, Seren looked hopefully at her friend for guidance.
Seren
✰ 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.
"Yellow is easy enough to start with." Ray poured water into the cauldron and with a quick strike of rock, started the fire underneath. "For one this big, it's eight cups of water and two cups of vinegar." She explained, pouring the liquids into the bowl. "While we let it boil, we can start prepping the plants."
Ray put a large bunch of marigolds and yarrow onto the table, pointing to each in turn. "This is the marigold, and this is the yarrow. We'll take flowers off the marigold and put them in the water. But the entire yarrow plant goes in." She explained as she began to pick the marigold flowers and drop them into the heating pot.
We can be the kings and queens of anything, if we believe.
"Sounds simple enough." Seren reached for a share of the flowers. It hurt her a little to pop the colorful flowers off the stem and so callously drop them into the water. They were beautiful, and destroying them for the sake of creating something else seemed... harsh. But it did get easier as she went on, and the task was hardly taxing.
"What have you been up to, since last time?" Smiling up at the other woman, she tried to recall what they had been talking about. "Did you ever visit a shrine?" Crushed petals were staining her fingertips, and as the water began to simmer a fragrant aroma rose from the cauldron. Equal parts fresh and pungent, it made her think of sunlight and her mother's laughter.
Seren
✰ 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.
Giving a quick glance, Ray saw that Seren was doing her part correctly. From there, she focused on prepping her own flowers as the water began to boil softly. Once they had all of the flowers in, they'd have to let it boil for a bit before continuing.
At the inquiries, Ray gave a small smile. "I did. I prayed to your mother actually. I didn't get a response but I imagine that's because she's busy. I might try again in a few months." She stated with no anger or annoyance in her tone. "So I've just been continuing as I originally planned. Prepping and stocking up on any and all essential herbs that might be of use in the future. Most will last a few years so it seems like a good idea to go ahead and start now." The herbalist was already preparing for war, should it truly come. The last thing she wanted was to fall short on supplies and not be able to help.
"What about you? Anything new?" Ray was curious to hear what the demigod had been up to lately.
We can be the kings and queens of anything, if we believe.
Even an unanswered prayer to Safrin earned Ray a dazzling smile of approval from the young demi-goddess. "I'm sure next time will be different," she encouraged warmly. "Even if she didn't reply, she most certainly heard you." Of that she was sure. Safrin had never once failed to keep track of what happened to her, after all.
"Oh? Did you find anything interesting? I had to find some plants myself, for something I had to do. Peppermint bark was easy, but the gilded lily was nerve-wracking. Other than that... I've been traveling, mostly. Meeting new people... Quite a few from Torchline, actually. Do you know Maeve, the Halenani Madame?" Her expression was open and innocent, clueless that most people might not be on first name terms with the owner of a brothel.
Seren
✰ 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.
Seren's clear happiness brings a warm smile to the Attuned's face. "Thank you. I hope so too." With the war looming, it would be nice to get her questions sooner rather then later. But that was a worry for another time.
Hearing about Seren's quest had Ray's eyes widening. "Gilded lily? I'm gland you're ok." That was certainly a risky plant to harvest, and the herbalist was glad that her friend appeared to have come out unscathed. As for the person she asked of, "Maeve? I know of her but I've never met her personally. What had you two crossing paths?" Ray asked curiously. She knew through her network of the Madame and couldn't quite picture what would have brought Seren to her. The demigod didn't seem like the kind to be a brothel's client. But looks could be deceiving, and who was she to judge?
As they spoke, she checked the pot, giving it a little stir as it boiled. The water was beginning to turn a vibrant yellow-gold.
We can be the kings and queens of anything, if we believe.
The surprise was hardly unexpected, considering how dangerous the plant really was. Seren nodded, expression turning grave for a moment as she recalled the event. Too close in time to be entirely comfortable - she quickly put the memories aside and launched into an account of how she got to know her best friend.
"You know how the Halenani was destroyed last season? Well, my father and his husband helped shelter some of the workers in Stormbreak until the monsoons were over. Maeve stayed with them for a while, and we met during that time. She flirted with me at first, and I almost leaped into a tree from surprise!" Laughing at her own expense, the gurl grinned at Ray. "It was just after I'd returned from a long stay with my Mother, and I had barely had any contact with people. Certainly nothing like that. Somehow we ended up becoming friends though."
Seren
✰ 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.
Ray nodded as she heard Seren tell the story of how she met Maeve. She had heard about the destruction and that the Madame had ended up in Stormbreak. As Seren mentioned how their first encounter went, Ray let out a chuckle. "Oh jeez. I can imagine. It's great that you were able to make a friend so fast after returning though." It truly was an interesting pair of friends, unexpected too. But from how Seren spoke, Ray had no doubt that the friendship was genuine.
Turning to the pot, Ray gave a nod. "Alright, the yellow is done. See how vivid the color is?" She gestured Seren to lean over and watch her mix the cauldron slowly. As the plants moved, it showed that the water/vinegar itself had turned a strong golden-yellow. "Next we're going to strain the flowers out and then let the mix cool down enough that we can bottle it." Ray gabbed the colander and placed it over another tub.
"Help me with this?" She asked the demigod as she moved to pour the contents of the pot though the strainer.
