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!
A child's admiration should not be so gratifying, but it was. Seren preened for all of two seconds, until Mateo swiftly popped the self satisfaction again. "Eh, no, not yet. But I have an island!" she countered, as if it was a competition. One she would absolutely lose, alas.
The soft mess of hair made her fingers ache for a comb and a chance to sit down with the boy, just long enough to sort through it once. "Is that so? That's interesting. Did you know that some animals are poisonous too? Not just snakes but some birds too. I hope you're being careful with the dangerous plants?" She didn't really want to test the efficacy of his herbs on her own brother.
Upon reaching the Celestine, Seren let Mateo go first and followed into the twilight gardens with a long breath that spoke of relief. A tension the har not been aware off ran off the shoulders; here there would be no aura of night to set her apart. At least, not one noticeable to most.
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.
My spores been growing by the day; my days been shining bright
"An island?" Mateo echoes, his eyebrows rising up so far that they disappear into his curls. "Like a proper real island? Where is it?" Little does he know that his sister keeps a whole island in her pocket - and who knows, he might just require proof of such a crazy thing. He shakes his head as Seren delivers a tidbit of knowledge in return, heading down the main path of the Celestine before breaking off to the left, towards a dappled meadow of an enclosure.
"There are poisonous birds? Where do they live?" he wonders, glancing back over his shoulder at his big sister and smiling. "I'm careful," he promises. "I don't even have any dangerous ones yet, I just read about them in books. But one day I want to grow some, to see how they work."
Ah, what an excellent reaction. Seren grinned at the boy and wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "A proper island," she confirmed. "It's wherever I want it to be. No more than a step away. Sometimes it's even inside my pocket." Though where it actually was located, even Seren couldn't say for sure. Somewhere within Safrin's realm, perhaps... But then again, maybe not.
Following Mateo's lead, she looked around the enclosure he brought them to with bright curiosity. "That's good. The bird is called a Zhenniao. It lives in Ouerwood, I think. Never actually saw one myself. Say, do you know what creature is kept here?" Her quick glances around the meadow showed no obvious clues to base a guess on, just yet.
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.
My spores been growing by the day; my days been shining bright
Mateo makes the perfect audience for his sister's explanation of her magic, the boy looking around her as if he might be able to spot the island and wherever it might be hiding for the time being. "Are you allowed to bring visitors?" he asks, keeping his voice down for reasons that are only clear to the boy (he doesn't want to scare off the island if it is around right now).
Even the Zhenniao and the enclosure aren't as exciting as what he's just learned, but Mateo does his best to concentrate again regardless. He hums to himself, glancing around the enclosure before pointing out a small sign hidden behind a bit of leafy foliage. "It says these are... elephant beetles?" he murmurs, tilting his head. "But I don't see any around, Seren. Maybe they're sleeping."
"I am," Seren nodded, expression grave though her eyes were glittering. "Would you like to come visit sometime?" She said it like she wasn't ready to drag him off at a moments notice. It was hard to say who was more eager, the boy or herself.
Oblivious to such mundane things as signs in the midst of an enchanted garden, Seren took his word for it and looked around.
"Want to see if we can find one? I've never seen one of those." Whether the enclosures were actually permitted to enter or not she didn't know. But beetles couldn't be that bad, right? Even elephant ones.
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.
My spores been growing by the day; my days been shining bright
They'll have to call it a tie regarding who is the most excited, because Mateo's eyes grow round at the prospect of being able to visit Seren's island, and he nods enthusiastically. "Yes please," he trills. "Do we need to tell Pa about it? Or can I just go with you whenever?" Clearly he isn't worried about being plucked out of his classroom when it comes to visiting his sister's magic island, and as Mateo turns back to the not-there-elephant-beetles, he still can't wipe the smile off his face.
"I've never seen one either," he confesses, already clambering into the enclosure. "There's normally big signs with red stuff on if the animals are dangerous, and I don't see any here, so they must be okay, right?" Hopping down and into the meadow, Mateo is away, trekking in search of his beetles.
