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!
Walk me home in the dead of night, 'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind
Were it anyone else, not that anyone else would have reached for his hands in a moment like this, Remi might have sliced through their palms with talons he hadn't realized he'd extended. Instead, Ronin's presence like no other stills him enough that the Huntsman will only feel the barest trembling of his husband's fingers, rather than deadly claws.
"We are...how many seasons from war now? 7? There will come a time that it looms so large that we won't be enjoying much of anything, and our family will be in danger." He remarks, doing his best to hold his husband's gaze without collapsing into uncontrollable shivers. "Better a little be done now, our borders be made strong, then to wait and have to give up all our happiness at once." Pausing, he tilts his head. "Isn't it?"
Gods but it's cold. All the way into Remi's soul, it feels like. "If Safrin had set you with this task...what would you do?"
So say you'll stay with me tonight. 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Ronin inhales deeply and lets it out again, letting his thumbs run across the back of Remi's hands. His jaw feathers even as he tries to put on a smile for his husband, because like it or not, the idea of war coming to ravage his home and his family is not an easy to pill to swallow. "I agree with you," he says simply. "It is better. And it's what I would do as well, if I were in charge of the Greatwood."
But as for what Ronin would do if he had been the one with this task? From Safrin, no less? The emotions that roll from the Huntsman are almost dangerous in their subtlety, because his connection to his goddess has been growing more and more profound since it first began, and he is more aligned to her than he likes to think.
"I would do what you just did," he says softly. "I'd explain to the leader of the Grounds what needs to be done, and I'd give them the option to give it willingly, without violence, before it is taken from them." He shrugs. "So send them a letter and give them a time to come to you. And if they don't? You protect the Greatwood, like you always planned."
Walk me home in the dead of night, 'Cause I can't be alone with all that's on my mind
Pulling in a deep breath through shivery lips, Remi slides his cheek against Ronin's like some wild housecat grown too large. Nuzzling his nose down against his husband's neck, the alchemist nods roughly as his hands once again slide into Ronin's pockets. "I love you a thousand times over. And for what it is worth, I fucking hate this." He mumbles, and whether or not Ronin actually hears the words won't matter given how brightly outlined they are in his emotions.
"Deimos came to see me, too." He mumbles, this time pulling back slightly given how nuanced his feelings about the Sword were. "That was another conversation it both might and might not have helped to have Oria around for. In the end Deimos just walked away. I told him that were he to ever attack Halo again that I would not either help nor stop it, and that if he ever wanted to live in the Greatwood we would have to talk about it."
Feeling suddenly very tired for all of this, Remi smiles into his husband's scarf. "Carry me home? And cuddle me to sleep?" He asks sweetly, wanting nothing more than to feel Ronin all around him, and to ignore everything else for the rest of the night.
So say you'll stay with me tonight. 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside
Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!
Speaks with a thick Italian accent.
Force and magic can be used against Remi without permission.
Remi's nose is freezing cold, Ronin grinning even as he cringes against it, and he holds his husband all the closer regardless. "I love you too," he whispers, resisting the urge to sneak his hands beneath Remi's coat because it probably wouldn't make either of them any warmer. "I know you do. It will be alright." One way or another, between he, Remi and the rest of their family, he would make certain it was.
"Oh...?" He arches an eyebrow at hearing Deimos's name, unsure what to think given the Sword's recent ventures into the Greatwood. Honestly, he shouldn't be much surprised that the meeting didn't go well, but he still winces on Remi's behalf. "We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it, then. And I would love to carry you home and cuddle you to sleep. Hold on tight."
Remi really doesn't have to, given the strength that resides within both men, but it feels good to say it anyway. Scooping up his husband and shifting so Remi's head can loll against his shoulder as he walks, Ronin sets off back down from the Observatory. The night is black and freezing, but the light from their snow-dick leads him home without trouble. And so with the wood stove stoked to keep the heat rolling out until morning, the Huntsman tucks himself up among blankets and furs and keeps Remi cuddled close, until the only sound comes from crackling wood and the combined beating of their hearts.
