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!
There’s something about being burned to a crisp (practically) and murdered (technically) that makes one want to get checked out. Especially given that, even with Ascended healing, Neron is still feeling crappy and his systems seem burned out, though he can’t tell properly. But as luck would have it, apparently the new Overseer of the Hollowed Grounds is also a doctor capable of looking at their family and diagnosing them, all proper like.
So long story short - off Neron goes to the Infirmary in the Grounds, having written ahead in good time - he’s not rude, gods - for Isla to know he’s coming and why. And when he does walk in through the doors, he wastes little time in approaching the reception area, pressing the little bell to let the nurses and whoever else Isla has working for her know he has arrived.
Emergencies have a habit of being just that - an emergency - and as her patient appears, Isla has been called in to supervise a very nasty break to a farmer’s leg. They are still trying to set the bone when the bell goes, but it looks as though it’s all in hand, so she moves out into the reception area whilst drying her hands on a paper towel.
”Mr Launceleyn,” she greets, having seen her fellow Ascended around (especially throughout all of that LongNight business) but not having the opportunity to really exchange words or ideas with him. ”If you’d follow me through - there’s a room already set up for us. You said you had been burned during the situation with Halo…?”
passing by, you light up my darkest skies you take only seconds to draw me in
”Neron, please.” A catlike smile spreads across his face as Isla appears, and he ducks his head in a nod and follows wherever she might want him to go. He still moves gingerly, though compared to some of the poor saps in the Infirmary, he’s doing just dandy. ”Yes, that’s right. We did manage to get the Citadel back, though, so it isn’t all bad.”
Heading into the examination room, Neron sinks down onto the bed and carefully shrugs out of his coat and unbuttons his shirt. A former duke he might be, he is nevertheless not one for modesty, and besides, Isla will probably want to see what she’s working with. The burns are mostly healed - mostly being the operative word - but a few still look pretty nasty. ”Is it normal for it to take so long?” he wonders.
Straight to the point, this one, and Isla can’t say that she doesn’t appreciate it. With no rest for the wicked, as Neron takes a seat, the medic gets her gear together. A glance over her shoulder shows her the extent of his injuries without needing to ask any questions, and besides that, she doesn’t really need it anyway. ”At least you can say it was worth it?” She smiles a little. ”Both Bastien and I were glad to hear that no lives were lost.”
Grabbing up her pen light and preparing a few bandages and some salve, she moves to sit before Neron on the bed, turning on her light with a quick click of a button. ”I have heard that burns are particularly nasty for our kind, so that might explain the long healing process. If you could just look straight ahead, please?” she asks, before holding up the light.
passing by, you light up my darkest skies you take only seconds to draw me in
Well, isn’t this fancy? Neron can’t stop himself from glancing around the examination room, watching Isla as she prepares her tools and her remedies, and he wonders whether Halo might not benefit from something like this. For Ascended and others, obviously. (Obviously). As she comes to sit before him, he finds himself entranced by the fun little stick light thing she’s got, nodding absently at her initial diagnosis.
”That makes sense,” he agrees, holding still and staring dead ahead with the sort of quiet compliance that speaks of years being trained for it. His pupils react as expected to the light, though he isn’t sure what exactly this is all for. ”Is this going to help you with the burns?” he asks dryly.
”Actually, yes.” Isla’s smile is one of unfettered fascination as she flashes the light between his eyes and makes her observations, able to see much and more thanks to the benefits of the item. His most recent scans show no sign of infection or difficulty in healing - only the extent of the injuries are causing it to take so long. There’s something else, too, and as she lowers the light and turns it off, she can’t keep from mentioning it.
”You are an Abandoned as well,” she says softly, moving now to examine the worst of the burns that she might clean and bandage them up for him. ”An Ascended with an innate use of magic…?” It’s a rare thing indeed; Isla can’t say that she has ever met someone with that sort of a gift.
passing by, you light up my darkest skies you take only seconds to draw me in
Either Isla has a very good sense of people, or her fun little light thing has the ability to peep at other Ascended. And don’t get Neron wrong - the medic is probably a veritable socialite compared to some of the people the Launceleyn has met in his time - but he knows which he thinks is more likely. And so as she straightens up to examine his burns, he gives her a small nod and shifts on the bed to let her better bandage him up.
”I am,” he says. ”I was an Abandoned when I first came here to Caido, and the Voice was able to keep the magic intact when she Ascended me. Is that why I’m taking so long to heal, do you think…?” Were his Abandoned half and Ascended half at war with one another? Neron could absolutely do without that, so he sincerely hopes not.
Isla falls silent for a few moments whilst she cleans out the burns and applies the salve, examining them closely before covering them in fresh dressings. ”That is amazing,” she mumbles, and though her voice is quiet her tone is no less awed for it. As for whether it is playing a part in how his burns are reacting? She shakes her head slowly, stepping back once she has finished and gesturing for him to get dressed again in his own time.
”I don’t think so,” she says. ”I’ve looked closely at your most recent scans - that’s what the light does - and your systems and your magic work perfectly in sync. It’s just the fact that the burns were so severe that is making it take so long. It takes a lot of energy to be able to heal that up. It’s not like it was a small cut.” She smiles. ”Have you considered getting some rest, making sure your fluids are replenished more often? You know, that boring basic self care?”
passing by, you light up my darkest skies you take only seconds to draw me in
Oh. Well. That’s good to know then. Neron murmurs a thanks as he’s mummified and taken care of (burns-wise, anyway), and as Isla gives him the all clear, he busies himself with getting his clothes back on, listening in the meantime to her prognosis. And at the idea that he rest, he scoffs and shakes his head, like she’s just asked him to stand on his head for the duration of Longnight. ”That is in rather short supply these days, don’t you think?”
Rising to his feet, he nonetheless offers a respectful nod to the medic. ”I will do my best. Thank you,for making time to see me today. And for putting my mind at ease.” And, not wanting to waste either of their valuable time any longer, Neron allows Isla to do whatever else she deems necessary, and then gets himself on his merry way once more.
