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 was a time when he didn't bother to celebrate how many times Caido has flung itself around the sun in his honour (does Caido do that? does he care? nope) but over the years it's become an occasion for Torchline as much as for himself.
They're not at the Hanged Man any more, but they're not at the beach yet either, though the merry bonfires in the distance suggest that they'll be on their way there soon. Nah, right now they're somewhere along the market streets, and Jack is propped up by is sitting between two of the Ark's crew to play dice along one of the alleyways.
He can't cheat at dice unless they're loaded, so he doesn't bother. He does know when someone else's dice are loaded though, so there's that. Around the group of gamblers there's music, drinking, drugs, and probably a fight going down somewhere. He's pretty sure there's a couple fucking in an alleyway across from them too, but there's time for that later.
(There's not, probably, because he'll be passed out by then, but he can dream).
like a secret or a sin
JACK
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
lions sit in solemn lines, drinking gin and dropping lines
The last thing he expects is an invite to a birthday party for Jack of all people. But it’s an offer and he doesn’t really want to say no, given the obvious reasons of his squirreling himself away. He doesn’t want to ruin the party either, well aware of Jack’s magic, so Sunjata arrives already a smidge drunk himself, a pregame ahead of time as he flits through the streets of Haulani on the wings of his bat shift, avoiding people where he can until he’s landed somewhere near the Captain, watching the events as they’re played out.
After a few minutes more, he leaves the eaves of the building Jack’s beneath and he slips toward the captain, shifting into himself way ahead of time to snatch the present he’d stashed away before. It isn’t anything fancy, but it is a bag full of a nice bottle of whiskey and a few silver and gold trinkets reminiscent of what Sunjata remembers within Jack’s quarters. He hands the gift to Jack and leans against the wall with his arms crossed, a crooked smirk crossing his face as he scans the Captain. “Happy birthday, old man.”
wasting beats in this heart of mine
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
Melita had long since begun the stretch of drinking required for these time-honored traditions. That it was Jack’s birthday (had they celebrated that before – or did it all blur together with the rest of the LongNight bonfires?) seemed to only heighten the melee amongst the rest of the Ark crew, and so by the time she’d managed to join them in the rousing game of dice (she’d lost already but the girl was no quitter), the honeybee was very tipsy.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” By way of announcing something, leaving her post entirely, and wandering over to her bag, she rustled through a few sets of favored weapons, before coming forward with the most ridiculous, green, oversized gloves in her hands. Skipping merrily back, and blinking unsteadily, wondering when her uncle had gotten there (hadn’t they moved? Was he a mirage? Neat), she merely waited her turn before presenting the gift towards the Captain. “Here you go!”
Being at parties where everyone was wasted and he literally had to stay sober was the fucking worst, so Adam had decided he was going to pretend he was drunk. At first it had been awkward, but over time he'd found it was kind of fun. It made a change from moping about not drinking in the corner, after all.
After a good while of bad dancing, he saw people begin to go up to Jack - oh yeah, he was the birthday boy. Even without actually being drunk, he'd forgotten that. He didn't have any kind of present, but that never stopped Adam. Confidently he strode up to Jack, stretching when he got there and being sure to allow his shirt to ride up an inch or so and show off his hips. "Heyyy Jack. I don't have like, a present, but I could get naked if you want? I've like, danced naked at people's parties before."
If he was going to act drunk, he may as well go all in.
It's hard to miss such an invitation for something like Jack's birthday. Not that Maeve would miss it. The Nightshade hasn't been out in ages and she's beyond ready for a break. She's got a bottle of something expensive, a few trinkets, and a hint of a treat for him to collect on tucked away in a pretty box for him to come and enjoy later. The festivities are already well on their way and Maeve has had a few glasses of something strong before she even left home.
She arrived just in time to hear Adam's offer, slinging an arm around his waist and leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek, "Adam, darling, that's meant to be my surprise for our beloved captain." Maeve purrs, tossing a wink Jack's way before she hums, "Happy birthday, love." She places the box on the table in front of him.
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
Jack rolls a win (he assumes) because everyone's cheering and cheers'ing him and shit, and as he lowers the bottle from his lips, why who is that he spies? "Evenin' Governor," he rumbles - because can Sunjata really not be the governor if no one technically took over that title? "Who you callin' old, anyways?" He narrows his eyes, patting the bag and knowing what's in it without looking. Giving Jata a grateful grin (because Jack knows he knows), he turns at the sound of another voice - and that's fine, because Seven has just come prowling up to wind herself through the Flood's legs.
Melita presents him with some ugly fuckin' gauntlets, the captain tilting his head. "I always wanted some o'these!" he announces to Mel, before leaning in towards her. "Th'fuck are they?" he whispers (without actually whispering). Doesn't matter, though, because Adam is offering to get naked and Maeve is there looking all ethereal and curvaceous and shit.
"Yes," he announces, pointing at Adam as if to tell him to commence stripping (and everyone in the market street is cheering him on too), then uncorking the nearest bottle of expensive to take a drink and offer it around. "You got me a box," he tells Maeve - then obviously he peeks inside.
like a secret or a sin
JACK
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
Maeve releases Adam so he may do what the birthday boy wishes, sauntering forward to take the bottle from his grasp as she perches herself at the edge of the table, seeming to ignore the fact that there is a game going on. She takes a swig, rolling her eyes at the captain, "Not just a box, love." Maeve urges, encouraging him to see what exactly she has tucked away from him.
There is a spyglass that's entirely more intricate than it needs to be, finished in gold and ornate carvings, the bottle of absinthe she collected from the Greatwood, and finally a strangely familiar shirt. How did she manage to find that, you ask? It seems luck was on her side. "I have no doubt you remember the promise that went with that."
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
She waved to Maeve and Adam, otherwise oblivious, maybe purposefully so, to the conversation at work. Tipsy and content with her own humming under her breath, the honeybee waited for Jack’s reaction to the gloves – that she’d been intending to be rid of for ages now. The stage whispering would’ve been enough to make her snort, if her mind wasn’t otherwise occupied in an altogether pleasant haze. “Gloves!” The announcement was also very loud, intentionally to be heard over the crowd whooping and cheering, hooting and hollering. “For crushing!” Or being mildly irritable and yearning to break fragile objects. She made several motions with her hands as if to signify something mauled and pummeled within their grasp.
As if this was explanation enough, the youth backed away, bounding off to grab another drink.
lions sit in solemn lines, drinking gin and dropping lines
“Hello Captain.” Sunjata rumbles a surprisingly chipper greeting, made better by the fact of the feline companion that curls around his legs. And while it pangs somewhere deep when it comes to the memory of Haai, he stifles it down for Jack’s benefit as he bends over to scoop up Seven and to press his scarred cheek into the soft fur of her side. “Obviously it’s you.” He teases lightly, stepping aside to lean against the wall, fingers curling into Seven’s fur as everyone else comes to offer their birthday gifts for the Captain.
His gaze lingers on Melita for a moment, before he dips his head in a quiet greeting toward his niece, before his attention flickers to Adam’s offer and… feigned drunkenness? A brow raises his way, a snort leaving him before his steel gaze lands on Maeve and he finds himself looking away, scanning the alleyway and comradery, resting a boot up on the alley wall behind him.
wasting beats in this heart of mine
SUNJATA
No permission needed for power play!
Feel free to use magic/force on Sunjata, without killing him <3
Sunjata speaks with an Australian accent and has a passive magic that makes him produce a subtle scent that matches exactly to whatever those around him most desire him to smell like.
how do you wanna face it? when the end is so close you can taste it
Her only job tonight is to keep the good booze flowin’... and maybe not die. Or drown. Both would be very bad and both are very possible.
But if Jack and Raza have kept themselves alive for this long, they can surely make it through another one of his birthdays. She is not so smooth as she makes her way back down the alley to where the group’s come to rest (and there had been a very firm don’t leave without me as she went back to get another bottle of something they can’t even taste anymore) for the moment. “I foun’ it!” she crows, brandishin’ the bottle like it’s a sack of the most precious gems.
‘Cept it’s not just for Jack, it’s for everyone. Raza rather deftly (in her inebriated state) peels the wax seal off and takes a swig, followin’ it up with a deeply contented sigh. “Fuck that’s good. Old Man Al’s girl does it better ‘n he does, I think.” Offerin’ it to Jack, she fully enables him tonight - cause that’s what old friends do. An’ tomorrow they’ll both be sick as dogs.
Jack leaves Sunjata to it without further teasing, if only because he's getting real party-pooper vibes from the Flood as it is. And the captain ain't got time for that right now, and besides, Seven is doing a good enough job taking care of him as it is. The seat cat is busy obnoxiously rubbing her head up and beneath his chin, and her purring is a rumble he'll be able to feel against his throat even if the world around is fairly loud.
Meanwhile, Jack has slipped on one of the GLOVES FOR CRUSHING and has the intricate spyglass to one of his eyes, seeming very impressed (read: fucking wasted) by all of it. "Oh, I remember," he drawls to Maeve (he doesn't, but he might when he's sober), offering Melita a really shitty thumbs up and trying to roll dice with her using the glove. It doesn't work, obviously, and so Jack smacks the table to make the dice jump instead.
He doesn't see the result, though, because his spyglass has spied Raza by now. "Oi!" he calls, grinning and trying to wrestle off the gauntlet so he can accept the bottle she hands to him. "Fuuuuuck, that bites back. Shall we go to th'beach?" It's a very unsteady captain who tries to wend his way to his feet, reaching for the nearest anyone to prop himself up with.
"And you still need t'get naked," he reminds Adam.
like a secret or a sin
JACK
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
You pump the blood so I can breathe, Don't let me go don't ever leave
Nate arrives fashionably late, though for once it’s for an actual reason rather than simple tardiness. He’d needed to drop off a package, and though the intended recipient is also at the party, it seems rude to bring a gift for someone other than the birthday boy. A wave is offered to Adam, and Nate sneaks a kiss to the crown of Melita’s head while he passes her.
He’s just in time to offer a steady hand to the Captain, a bright grin on his face. “You look like you’re having fun.” He chuckles, slipping a wrapped box into Jack’s pocket. The homemade chocolates have a telltale aroma to them, hopefully that plus Nate’s silent warning is enough to keep them from being devoured all at once. Not that it would be his problem, the ascended passing the Captain off to the next pair of hands willing to take him and beelining towards Sunjata instead.
A brow lifts at the cat held in his husbands arms, but Seven doesn’t stop Nate’s arms from wrapping around his husband, pulling him in close for a kiss. Are we following the party, dikbek?
The nearest anyone happens to be Maeve who is perched on the edge of the table he's just jostled with his hit from his gloves. He's reaching blindly with one hand and she's there to catch him. Jade eyes widen as he makes both of them sway and she laughs, managing to get her footing and keep them both upright despite the weight he puts on her, all loose limbed and pliant with his inebriation.
"Alright, everyone. You heard the captain! To the beach!" Maeve calls out to the bunch that's gathered, starting to make her way down the winding streets to the waterfront where more shenanigans surely await.
Baby I'm preying on you tonight and Hunt you down eat you alive
Adam was so surprised that Jack had approved of his idea that it took him a moment to realise he was actually going to do it (several posts, in fact). A grin slowly spread over his face and whenever they were settled, beach or whatever, he would find a good vantage point to stand over the crowd. Rock, stage, slightly raised bit of sand, whatever he could work with.
Who cared about the setting, when he was the main attraction?
He was already wearing a very low cut shirt, but he'd milk it for all it was worth. As soon as people were paying attention, he would begin to sway and pull at the edges of the neckline, revealing small glimpses of the most delectable nipples they would have ever seen. Whether anyone gave him music or not, Adam would move to a beat as he moved to hold the hem in his fingers and slowly raise the shirt over his head, tossing it into the crowd.
"I'd better get a promotion for this." He said to Jack, as if he wasn't enjoying himself, before bending down and snapping his head up, sliding one hand up a leather pant leg slowly with his eyes trained on the captain.
