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!
The trio, the Sword and his companions, had taken the last few days to gather supplies amongst the Oerwoud: materials, animals, other flora and fauna they likely wouldn’t find within King’s End, and certainly not at this time of year. It was means to get ahead, to make attempts on salvaging what they could muster without any other assistance, and thus far the labor and walks had proved fruitful: Zuriel’s saddlebags full of preserves, and a flock of unfortunate guinea fowl found by Belial.
“No more,” he grumbled to the peryton, who’d found himself quite fit to snag and grab whatever he could. A greedy notion made by a predator’s young, ardent zeal – but not necessary by Deimos’ terms nor the rest of the refugees. “We have enough.” And so the peryton huffed and puffed, clearly pouting, offering the last bird in his jaws. He earned a pat and a few scratches for his efforts and ability to alter the course, though Deimos snorted at the temper, ignoring and not giving rise to his antics.
Tying off the last bird, figuring they could pluck them when they reached shelter, they rounded the next bend, when a curious section seemed to open up.
Tunnels.
Without thought he grabbed hold of Belial before the deer could saunter off with abandon, and had no need to do so with Zuriel, who was far wiser than the rest of them. The unicorn lifted her head and stared incredulously, an arch to her brow indicating something else, and Deimos chose not to read too far into it – simply standing before the series of apertures. He’d gone into enough caves to know better.
think about this you have the ability to survive anything
Why would you make out of words A cage for your own bird?
There was a strange urge to get out and test herself now that Edmund was born. An eagerness to hone her skills and provide. Be it through hunting or gathering or something else entirely. There was a restless quality to Maeve that she hadn't ever experienced before. Not in this way. It's what drove her to press deeper into the Oerwoud despite the fact that Edmund and Locke were waiting for her at home. It would only be a day trip. That's all it ever was. Plus, he needed time with their baby without her. It was only fair.
So she pressed deeper, whip on her hip and bow in hand, a pack strapped across her back for anything she might gather along the way. Aidon set off ahead of her, ember eyes always searching and looking ahead, ready to warn her in a moments notice should he spot anything that could mean danger. The thing he does spot isn't dangerous, per se, but it gave him enough reason to warn Maeve as she drew closer to the large man in the underbrush.
The Nightshade slowed her steps, taking in the mountain of a man ahead of her, gazing down into the Peepholes. Her head cocked to the side, recognizing him almost immediately. She had seen him around Torchline, knew of his relationship with Hotaru, and his role in Halo. He was one of Safrin's followers. Deimos. The Sword. Warrior, conqueror, protector. There was another to tack onto that, but her feelings regarding what he and Hotaru did weren't the same as Sunjata's. No, it was much less complicated for her. She'd sided with Hotaru then and a part of her still did. She missed her friend and Maeve considered reaching out to her if only because she was lonely, but that was a thought for another time.
"I never expect to run into anyone out here and yet that always seems to happen." Maeve mused in a way of greeting, jumping from one root to another, light on her feet as she balanced on the bough of a tree that hung low to the ground.
When it sings so sweet The screaming, heaving fuckery of the world?
They were not to be alone in their curiosity for long. There was a rise in Belial’s senses, in the shift of Zuriel’s ears, in the indication of movement and motion; enough to make him turn, head over brawny shoulders, to see the incoming stranger. Though, perhaps not one at all, given correlations and connections between Hotaru.
He’d never met the Nightshade; but the Valkyrie’s indications had been enough and stoked some manner of a picture. Enough that some respect was due and owed, if not for her sovereignty, then at least for her willingness to listen to Sah and Cordelia. So his spine was less ramrod straight and his frame less taut with predacious instincts; enough to denote the warrior offered no threatening stance. Instead, the Sword gave her a sweeping nod of his skull, before it tilted in a silent inquiry. Likely too many for the instant.
The statement was met with a brief snort, probably much in the way of agreement. With his arm still clutched around Belial (because the peryton had begun flapping his wings and wanted nothing more than to go towards the dragon), Deimos lifted his gaze back to the tunnels, to the hollowed out proportions of Stygian angles and pursuits. “The world is vast, and seemingly not at the same time.” Leagues and lands not yet seen, not yet touched, not yet known by these particular mortals, and still, they always managed to find others in similar parameters. “Have you been in these before?,” jutting his jaw towards the caverns.
think about this you have the ability to survive anything
Why would you make out of words A cage for your own bird?
Maeve also knew plenty of Deimos. From Hotaru and many others. Stoic was a word that easily came to mind. Protector was another. Loyal beyond compare. Maeve knew that having someone like Deimos in her corner would be beneficial. Thus she strived to make a good impression and to let sleeping dogs lie. The Nightshade wasn't concerned with the fire that he'd caused along with Ru. No, the woman always had a different point of view in comparison to Sunjata and Aurelia. Perhaps her still lingering feelings for Hotaru influenced her, but there was nothing to be done for it.
Belial wasn't the only one interested in the other. Aidon's clawed feet found a perch on a nearby tree, head cocking to the side curiously as ember eyes blinked, watching the unknown creature with great interest. Maeve found her lips curling at the trickle of intrigue along the bond and it only grew at Deimos's declaration. "What's the saying? Something about it being a small world?" She hummed, drifting closer to follow his eyes towards the cavern entrance, bending to scoop up a smooth stone.
"I haven't actually. Although, I have always been curious about what lies inside." Maeve finally stopped about an arms length away from him, turning the stone over in her palm, "No telling what could be hiding in the shadows."
When it sings so sweet The screaming, heaving fuckery of the world?
09-13-2021, 10:42 AM (This post was last modified: 09-13-2021, 11:07 AM by Deimos.)
DEIMOS
If the world was as small as statements given, the Sword wished he wasn’t so ignorant of it all the time. Stupid. Foolish. Naïve. Learned and experienced and still constantly bewildered by something; even his own actions. But if Maeve didn’t want to touch upon the layers in between, where Reaper and Valkyrie had imminently sunken into their rage and vehemence, then he would. He’d cut through it like a knife. It scorched in his shoulders and launched through his chest, and the fires from before were only a low grumble by the time they left his throat, as his piercing eyes flickered down, staring at the ground. “I wanted to apologize for my actions upon Torchline. It was not meant to be against the land at all.” Not the ocean, not the sea, but when one was embedded with vitriol and malice, strung apart by emboldened, weighted contempt, the control could slip. The composure could shatter – and then there was only loathing. He could recall, so many moments thereafter, how often he’d told Hotaru they hadn’t been worth it. “Just him.” His spy ring. His little schemes planted everywhere. His reach and stretch across places. His blunders.
While Belial continued to reel along his grip, Deimos remained otherwise unmoved, watching as she picked up a stone. For a moment he wondered if she’d hurl it into the cavern’s entrance; fold it into the darkness, break apart the mystique. But she kept it in her palm instead, and he quirked a brow, head raising one more so that his gaze could sweep along the inky outset. There was nothing to be said of her curiosity, preferring action and movement. Zuriel snorted from his shoulder, and he stepped forward, turning over one palm so that flames erupted from it – its light exposing the entryway for what it was worth.
Pieces of bone on the floor; small, as if haphazardly placed. Perhaps they’d been offerings for whatever lurked within, once having meat and then thoroughly picked clean. Left for whatever carrion figures surged from the layers of these parts. He crouched down to study them, turning the bits over, but nothing of value spurred. Not a great omen.
think about this you have the ability to survive anything
Why would you make out of words A cage for your own bird?
Just him. Sunjata. A sensitive topic for her as well. Complicated feelings surround him and Maeve understood easily where Deimos is coming from. She took a breath, nodding slowly, looking over to meet his gaze for the span of a breath. "I know. I tried to help Atlas that night. I found Ru on the beach... I- I wanted to help her, but she pushed me away. She was afraid of what my connection to her might do to me." She murmured, telling him something that very few people were truly aware of and the feelings that still stirred in her chest at the thought of the Valkyrie. "As far as I'm concerned, neither of you are barred from the land. Aurelia is... I don't know where she is, but Torchline is in my care and as long you vow that you broke no ill will towards the land I will allow you back in the region."
Deimos belonged to Safrin just as she did and Maeve wanted him on her side. It was just smart. Maeve turned the stone over in her palm over and over, looking deep into the darkness as she waited for him to answer only to be greeted by a flash of fire, lighting up the inside of the cavern to reveal nothing but bones. She sent her stone following the flame, listening to the distant clatter and dull thud that followed, echoing up towards them before it fell quiet once more.
When it sings so sweet The screaming, heaving fuckery of the world?
Unaware of just how deeply connections were lain and sewn, he remained in his crouch, studying, examining, as explanations rambled through. Atlas, Ru on the sands, a series of gestures from the Valkyrie, striving to protect and salvage, after characteristic cataclysms. “That sounds like Ru.” Before everything else forged along and fell apart too – and there was some bitter little sigh trapped in his chest; for so many rancorous edges, losses, and failures. “Thank you for trying,” Complications and devastations, so many nooses and snares made from one damned fire – and hopefully it’d be the last guildhouse he’d send up in flames. The last time Sunjata would ruin platitudes. The last time vengeance would have to be so complex. But maybe he knew better too.
His head did raise up in surprise – quick and swift, evidence presided and provided with the widening of his eyes, at her declaration. He tilted his skull a fraction, as if attempting to see through a margin he couldn’t quite fathom (a machination, a calculation), because it had been a rare occurrence for him to ever be forgiven. Blunder after blunder, flaw after flaw, stumbling and fumbling his way through lifetimes and legions – and still, he hadn’t expected so rapid an alteration. “I will vow it. I have no ill will towards Torchline.” A pause, and he found it even stranger that he continued to express gratitude towards someone he barely knew. “Thank you again.”
The information about Aurelia was puzzling though, and he arched a brow. “You have not heard from her at all?” From what he’d known and understood about the former smuggler, turned Arbiter, turned Queen, she’d had a heavy hand towards justice. It seemed unlikely she’d leave her post.
Deimos only rose once more, Belial still coiled in his grasp, when the stone flickered towards flames and light. He listened as the thud bounded and echoed off the walls, piercing gaze intent on the outer reaches, when another sound motioned through. His eyes narrowed, and the peryton began to bellow; cast off warnings. “Something is coming,” and he didn’t lessen the beams of flame, simply watching, waiting, and delivering that signal edge of caution; in case the Nightshade’s curiosity ended abruptly.
think about this you have the ability to survive anything
Why would you make out of words A cage for your own bird?
A soft huff of something pushed past her lips, tinged with a frustration and bitterness that can only come from caring for someone who won't let you truly be there, feelings slightly jaded despite her best efforts. "I've gathered that... She wrote me shortly after the assault on Halo. Things didn't end on the best of terms. I expressed Aurelia's distrust in her and Ru cut things off after that. Stating it would be the best, but now that Aurelia is gone." The Nightshade trailed off, thoughts that she hadn't dared to voice to anyone else coming out of her unbidden. Part of her felt that Deimos might understand. He had ruled before and hard decisions like that were a part of it. No matter how one might wish otherwise.
"I wish I could have done more, but I was at least able to be with him in those last moments." She murmured solemnly, jade gaze flicking up to where Aidon was perched, earning herself a quiet coo from the dragon in response. A flood of warmth filtered over their shared bond and she held back the sigh of relief at the feeling before shifting her attention to Deimos once more in time to catch his eyes as his head snapped up to her.
Her smile is soft, settling prettily on her features as she offered him a nod in return, "Of course. I have no reason to believe you will make me regret such a decision. Besides, I'm fairly certain Safrin would have something to say if you went against her chosen leader." It's said in a nonchalant fashion, but it's to serve as a reminder for what she is. How she came to be in this role. Who chose her.
The Nightshade shook her head, brows pinching together as she gnawed on her bottom lip for a breath, "No. She went missing in the desert. I've sent people looking, but the sands are vast. Any number of things could have happened, but I have no way of really knowing." Maeve didn't think that Aurelia would simply abandon her post. Something must of happened, but surely if she'd been hurt on her expedition with Remi the demigod would have mentioned it to her.
However there isn't time to linger on that further as Deimos's warning colored the air, drawing her away from her thoughts and to the mouth of the cave. Instantly her hand went to her whip, fingers curling around the soft leather grip as Aidon dropped from his perch to come before her, wings flaring in warning as a low rumble sounded in his throat.
When it sings so sweet The screaming, heaving fuckery of the world?
A convoluted and elaborate web – Hotaru had always been proficient in setting those. But sometimes they snared back, and she tripped on the wires, on the lines, and it would all come crashing down. He could see, could fathom, why the Valkyrie had bombarded on such a course: protection, Aurelia’s actions upon Atlas, and all the seething, molten lines in between. Where seeds had been sown. Where anger and contempt had gone too deep. And he couldn’t answer for Ru. “That will be up to you,” and his gaze settled upon her for a moment. Whether to try, whether to pursue, or whether to let it rest, meander in its own quiet. As a new sovereign, her thoughts should’ve been with her people first and foremost; and then how to extend, how to reach out, how to preside and provide without compensating her own land. “She has been hurt many times.” Sometimes by her own hand and decisions, and sometimes by the scorching choices of others.
His low rumble ceased at the solemn note, at the distinction of loss in Atlas. His gaze went to Zuriel in that instant, thoughts on bonds, on connections, on souls robbed of pieces and proportions all over again. The notion only ceased at her next words – garnering, instigating a snort. Chosen by Gods indeed. “I received a warning for my last incident,” he obliged with a touch of a self-deprecating smirk.
Aurelia missing in the desert was its own bizarre inflection, and his brows furrowed with it, immersed in the course of confusion and machinations. The usual worse-case scenario reeled through his mind, because that was simpler, easier to fathom – enemies found or dangerous creatures overwhelming, conforming, rushing around the former leader. “What was she doing in the desert?” And so far from her home?
But maybe all of that didn’t matter when the cave’s dweller materialized anyway. When Maeve made no motion to move, scatter, or leave, he took that as some sign of persistence, and watched as the predator came into view. A tiger; but some elemental cousin to his own shift – metallic, bronze-hued, irritated and annoyed at their existence. He released Belial, and Zuriel wisely shuffled out of the way, taking the peryton with her through sheer power of her glare. The piercing depths of his gaze went to Maeve’s whip, and then to the manner of the flames flickering around. “I can try to compel it away, or we can fight.” Because he had no intention of meandering away from the holes – not at the moment. He’d leave the options open.
think about this you have the ability to survive anything
Why would you make out of words A cage for your own bird?
Maeve knew that it was her choice. That she needed to decide whether she would let things be or if she would try to patch what was left of their relationship up to try again. Her sigh was soft, thoughts swirling around with possibilities before was focusing again with a shake of her head. It was something to think about later. When she didn't need to focus on her region and the things necessary to survive. "I know and the last one hurt in a wa rhar wasn't like the others." Maeve murmured softly, the toe of her boot scuffing into the soft earth beneath her feet, eyes flicking up to the opening of the cave.
She huffed a short laugh, the sound lacking any real amusement, "Safrin is particular about how things are done." Maeve said softly, wrinkling her nose as she drew closer, pausing at the rumble that started in the back of the cave, slowly growing louder. "She went there to help search for something. I don't know if she's simply lost or.." The rest didn't have to be said. They both knew what else it could mean. Death.
Before they could get further into it, the tiger approached, grumbling and growling at their intrusion. "If we linger it'll likely only come back." The Nightshade finally said, uncurling her whip and readying herself to crack it so it would ignite.
When it sings so sweet The screaming, heaving fuckery of the world?
The Sword had nothing else to say on the state of Ru’s pain – some he’d seen and witnessed firsthand, some had come after he’d perished, some had been on the cusp of moments potentially avoided. The rest would have to be sorted between the two of them. He offered a solemn nod, eyes on the cave, snorting too at the semblances of Safrin and the way she contorted and controlled – an awareness he didn’t need to hear; experienced all in his own flaws and blunders.
Aurelia’s notions were another unique puzzle though, and even as he focused on the approaching predator, his brows furrowed with the semblance of confusion and possibilities. “We have had many people simply disappear.” Leave. Wander elsewhere. Sometimes it was those with the weight of the world on their shoulders. Sometimes it wasn’t anything at all; called away. “Perhaps she will return soon.” And wasn’t meandering lost amongst the dunes, or carved away under its haphazard wakes. Reassurance, a rumble in his throat, perhaps, that either would signify nothing in the end or be buried under all the other rubble.
Thereafter though, at Maeve’s decision, he brought all his attention to the tiger. No use in compelling, not when it threatened, raised its hackles, signified its presence had no intention of faltering. Instantly, his fire became more than filaments meant for lighting; stoked and kindled, a warning, a declaration, of his power and presence before the animal – sending the sudden, rippling inferno towards the creature. Perhaps it would flee now. Perhaps it would foolishly stay and meet its end.
think about this you have the ability to survive anything
Why would you make out of words A cage for your own bird?
Maeve had her own thoughts about where Aurelia would be and if she would ever come back, but the Nightshade had been too recently abandoned by various individuals who claimed to be there for her to even consider that she'd come back. The woman grew serious as the tiger pressed forward, snarling and spitting, giving them no choice but to fight back. Maeve snapped her whip with a resounding crack, igniting the length of it with embers and flames, lashing out at the beast with a few quick strikes.
Not to simply stand by as his bonded fought for herself, Aidon reared back, unleashing a torrent of fiery breath to accompany Deimos's own flames with a roar. The Nightshade drew back as much as her reach allowed her, wincing at the heat that flashed across his skin at the torrents of flame.
When it sings so sweet The screaming, heaving fuckery of the world?
A predator’s instinct and drive were strong – but most knew and understood when to fall back. When to cut away from a chase they couldn’t win, when to cease and desist for another day. Perhaps this one was young, arrogant, overconfident. Maybe it’d never seen power and precision from humans, their weaponry, their incantations, or their companions.
For it tried – and that was something to be commended in the intervals thereafter. The tiger launched and leapt at Maeve’s whip, claws intending to scratch and maul into the device, to reach and scald her if given the opportunity. But the flames caught, and from thereon, it was endless infernos from every other angle.
A swept tide of power and might from distinct conflagrations; unceasing, unending, until the Sword pulled back, until the dragon had its own fill, and left within was a burnt carcass of the proud creature. Deimos frowned, but could surmise it hadn’t suffered; the death quick and efficient, for something that would’ve yearned and craved to riddle and rankle them apart. “All right?” He gestured with a head tilt towards Maeve, presuming the Nightshade was fine, before he advanced, crouching to inspect the large beast.
think about this you have the ability to survive anything
Why would you make out of words A cage for your own bird?
Part of her feels guilty for the hell they unleash upon the beast. It doesn't stand a chance with Deimos there. If it had only been her and Aidon it would perhaps have been more of a fight, but the tiger barely has a chance to lash out at her whip before it's laying in a burnt heap at their feet. Maeve drew a shaky breath, adrenaline coursing through her veins and prickling across her skin. Her hands are trembling as she extinguished her whip, coiling it back up to hook it to her hip, daring to take a step forward.
The question from the Sword earned him a nod as she took one more breath, centering herself and attempting to dismiss her nerves as she drew closer, curiosity urging her to examine the slain beast. "I'm okay.. I've never seen one of them in person before." Maeve knelt, brows knitting together as her head cocked to the side. She unsheathed her dagger, using the tip of it to lift the creature's lip, exposing a still intact took that she pried from its maw.
When it sings so sweet The screaming, heaving fuckery of the world?
