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!
09-23-2021, 01:22 AM (This post was last modified: 09-23-2021, 01:23 AM by Paige.)
Paige
It was perhaps a silly idea to think that Mateo and Ever might want to come her in Torchline. After all, Stormbreak was their home and Mateo can pretty much go anywhere with his dads. Plus, Ever didn't really seem like the type to want to travel or break his routine. Paige knows how much it comforts him to keep to them. He's very meticulous in that way. In a way that Mateo and Paige are not.
Still, she has the thought to try and plan a bonfire for them. It might be fun. They could roast marshmallows, tell stories, and look at the stars. She could show them Rainbow Road. It could be a good time if they wanted to come.
Which is why she was out here, collecting wood and building her own little pile before all the other Torchers came to get it for themselves. Paige picks up another few pieces, adding them to the pile growing that's growing steadily, humming a soft song to herself.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
At first, she thinks the girl might be Seren (because she has forgotten that demigod children age different and she hasn’t seen the daughter of Safrin in… at least a year). Brown hair. About the same size (but then all children seem small until they aren’t). Living in Torchline (ah, but that, too, would be wrong, because her fathers are in the Greatwood. Wessex, you aren’t doing great here). And that flash is enough to make the blonde demigoddess raise her hand and call out to the girl who is so studiously gathering driftwood. “Seren?”
As if they aren’t clearly on opposite sides on a conflict.
As if the girl would remember her from their singular encounter.
Well, she might remember Loki, larger now but still unmistakable. The dragon flits above the Grounds’ General, taking advantage of the breeze off the Ocean to go on her own version of a roller coaster.
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
Paige has never met a stranger. The girl is always quick to start a conversation, but this stranger catches her off guard. She spins quickly, losing her grip on the small bundles of sticks she's collected thus far, blue eyes wide as she stares up at the Wraith. They quickly flick to Loki and she can't help the curious, bright eyed gleam that lights up her gaze, but she's still a bit confused. Seren? She looked nothing like Seren. The Demigod is fully grown and doing whatever Demigods do. Paige was just Paige.
"Uhm... No. My name is Paige. I know miss Seren, though." The young Attuned finally manages, crouching down to start picking up her dropped sticks, eyes darting back and forth between Wessex and her companion. "I like your dragon. What's their name?" Paige offers with a tentative smile.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Shaking her head at herself, Wessex finds that she can indeed now tell the difference between the Seren she had in her head and the little girl here. “My mistake.” Wishful thinking, she tells herself, not that the General is disappointed by the turn of events. In fact, she quickly tells herself it’s better this way as Paige’s attention turns to Loki.
“Yeah?” The Wraith twists to look up at her companions and then puts a hand up, gesturing for the dragon to come down. Trilling an acknowledgement, Loki also seems to know that she has an audience and pulls into a tight, elegant spiral that ends in fanned wings and a small spray of sand at her bonded’s feet. Wessex squats down and runs her fingers over the shiny black scales before looking at Paige again. “This is Loki. You can pet her if you like. She really loves being scratched on top of her neck.” Demonstrating where, it’s a moment before she adds, “And I’m Wessex. It’s nice to meet you, Paige.”
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
Her shoulders lift in a small shrug, clearly not too worried about being mistaken for Seren. There were worse things than that. "It's okay." Paige replies easily, setting down her bundle of branches in her ever growing pile, bottom lip drawing between her teeth as Wessex approaches. Her attention is quickly stolen by the dragon, eyes widening as Loki spirals and trills, putting on a show before she lands at Wessex's feet. A soft sound of awe pushes past her lips and she bounces on her toes, clearly eager to approach, but knowing better than to rush a dragon. Companion or not.
As the invitation is extended, Paige steps forward with an outstretched hand, running tentative fingers along Loki's neck before growing bolder with her attentions. Her smile grows larger, lighting up blue eyes with an excitement that seems to only be found in children these days, turning her attention to Loki. "Your scales are very pretty, Loki." Paige tells her, following the Wraith's example and scratching the top of the dragon's neck as she does so.
"It's nice to meet you." The girl chirps, seeming to remember her manners for once, flicking her gaze back up to the older woman. "Are you looking for wood too? I'm trying to get some before everyone else takes it all. I wanna have a bonfire with my friends during Longnight."
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Loki, like any vain creature (and if you didn’t know that dragons were vain, well, now you do. They’re quite similar to cats in this regard), practically purs under all the attention. Wessex already knows the spots her companion likes best, but the girl doesn’t, so Loki undulates subtly under the inexperienced hand.
Wessex grins, fangs hidden behind pressed lips, amused by the simple, non-war focused activity. How nice it must be to just have to think about what you want to do with your friends.. “I wasn’t… but I can help if you like. How about a log for you and your friends to sit on?” A big piece of wood that the girl certainly wouldn’t be able to get all by herself, so they don’t have to get sand everywhere. How long could it possibly take?
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
Paige follows Loki's silent instructions, petting and scratching in each new spot that Loki's shifting directs her to, smiling at the dragon's antics. She was very different from Aidon. Her Auntie Maeve's dragon had a different nature compared to Loki. Not that Paige minded. She was simply happy to be able to pet the creature.
She looks up at Wessex, not seeing her fangs, having no idea she might need to be cautious around this woman. Paige wasn't as scared of Ascended as some people were, but she knew tat there was reason to be careful. She doubts that this woman, Ascended or not, would hurt a kid. The offer has her nodding quickly, adding her sticks to the small pile she made before straightening up completely. "That would be really nice! Thank you, Miss Wessex."
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Miss Wessex makes her smile, this time unrestrained as she rises and looks at the seaweed and driftwood strewn shore, remnants of a more dangerous and active sea-season. “Loki, why don’t you go with Paige and help her carry some firewood and I’ll go look for a log, hmmm?”
The dragon trills an agreement and looks up with an expectant head tilt towards the the girl while the demigod turns in a small, tight circle, trying to locate the best option. Once she’s found it, she actually heads away from the water, towards a bunch of rocks, which have managed to stop a good little mini-canoe sized piece of debris. Grabbing for a protruding little nubbin, she heaves backwards and pulls the log free, easily dragging it behind her and back towards the designated bonfire-place.
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
The fangs surprise her and she blinks, but manages a smile back after a moment, not wanting to be rude. Paige nods at her suggestion, looking down at Loki as she straightens up, pulling her hand back. "That sounds like a good idea. Thank you." She says to both Wessex and Loki. The Attuned sets off with a skip in her step, checking over her shoulder to make sure that Loki is following behind her, stopping occasionally to bend down and snatch up a stick or two that she finds along the way.
Paige pauses as she comes across a black shell. Not big enough to be conch. What were they called again? A lightning welk! That was it. She pockets that for later, thinking it might make a good thank you for Wessex, knowing that simply saying thank you wasn't enough. You had to trade too!
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
Loki bounces on alongside Paige, picking up a stick to carry on their way out - and then trying to pick up another one on their way back in. She carries it proudly in her mouth before dropping it and scooting the two sticks together with her nose so she can carry both - sand and all.
It isn’t much in the grand scheme of stick-collecting, but she’s helping any way she can.
Wessex, in the meantime, has dragged the log into place and is just trying to make some final adjustments because she really has no idea how close they should be to the imagined bonfire. Honestly, she probably wouldn’t let them be alone out here, but she isn’t Paige’s parent. “How’s this?” she asks the girl lightly as they return, leaving it open for her to test the log and its ‘comfiness.’
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
While it might not be much in the grand scheme of stick collecting, it does plenty to make Paige giggle as Loki gathers the sticks and a mouthful of sand, snagging a few of her own in the process. "That can't taste good." The young Attuned giggles again, wrinking her nose at the dragon as they skip along back towards the ever growing pile Paige had started on, adding her own sticks to it.
It wasn't that Paige's momma didn't watch her because she absolutely did. They just had an understanding. Don't run off with strangers, stay out of the Wilds, no going to Stormbreak alone, and come home when they stars were above her. Admittedly Paige didn't follow too many of those rules, but she did her best. Besides, her momma would likely be close by when they had their little bonfire. Who else was going to make sure they had snacks?
Paige gasps in delight at the log, hopping up onto it and walking across it in a little balancing act before she plops herself down, testing how it functions as a seat. "Perfect! Though, maybe a little further back? Don't wanna be too close." She stands again, moving to were where she thinks they'll put the bonfire, starting to dig out a shallow pit for it.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
The sand doesn’t seem to bother Loki, the dragon just holds her head up high to make sure the sticks don’t drag on the ground and make the bundle even more difficult to carry. She follows with a bounce in Paige’s wake, following suit by depositing the sticks on the pile.
“Oh of course, very smart,” the older Natural readily agrees and waits until Paige dismounts before easily tugging the log back about foot or so. She then walks to the other side and tries to gauge how she might feel being that close to the fire and determines that it’s probably okay. Turning to face the young Torcher as she digs (and Loki is on the other side, widening the shallow pit with scoops of her claws), Wessex gestures. “How’s that?” wondering to herself if rocks to line the pit might be a good idea, she nevertheless leaves the directions to the boss.
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
Oh, if Paige doesn't beam at the praise. Yes she is very smart. Thank you for noticing, Wessex. The girl does put on a show of tilting her head back and forth, hands on her hips, lips pursed as she considers this new placement of the log. Finally, she gives a firm nod, grinning brightly up at Wessex as she bounces on the balls of her feet, "That's great! I think we'll be close enough for marshmallows, but far enough away we won't get any embers on us." Paige finally determines, turning back to the pit she's digging, doing a good job of making sure it's large enough and need enough to contain the eventual bonfire.
"Should we do rocks too? I know that sometimes people put rocks." The young Attuned looks up at her, brows knitting together, clearly waiting for the older woman's judgement on this.
Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind They count me out time and time again
“Yeah, sometimes people put rocks around the edges to keep embers from popping out and burning them or the grass around them.” Humming to herself, Wessex takes a look at the surrounding beach for any sign of sizeable rocks that might do. There isn’t much to be found upon first, quick glance.
“I don’t think the sand is in any danger, but… what about your friends?” Adopting a ‘thinking’ pose, Wessex looks from the pit to Paige and then back again. “Are they… accident prone at all? Or clumsy?” Because Paige couldn’t possibly be any of those things. And though the Grounder has no idea who her friends are (and even if she did, she wouldn’t wish them harm), she gives the girl the option to ponder and determine what might be best.
Loki, for her part, is done with digging (and all of this, really, she’s helped quite a lot) and sits back, now looking for a nice place to sun herself.
No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all
