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!
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Though the Tower was a rather oppressive and gothic structure, Tobi's warm smile seemed to permeate the gloom well enough that in the areas she breezed through, some of the weighty secretiveness was lessened. Indeed, despite the clinical and sterile exam room and the stark whiteness of Tobi's coat, the doctor's dark gaze was warm enough to offset the harsh glare of the lights above, such that the room somehow seemed inviting. Having been told that there was a new demigod had understandably given her butterflies, but it was with an utmost air of professionalism that she awaited her appointment with...Noah Olsen, her clipboard read. Demigod of Vi.
Questions of where was Amalia? could be pondered later. For all that Tobi was and wasn't, she put the wellbeing of her patients at the forefront of her mind. Unless Noah supplied the information or it in any way seemed relevant to her exam, she would keep her questions to herself.
Noah had never been seen by a doctor before. There weren't doctors, per say, in Halo. There were mages who were bolstered with healing magic, his own mother included in their ranks in her lifetime, but they weren't doctors. Climbing the stairs and following the instructions given seemed so foreign to him.
Phoebe was the one who directed Noah to where he was now. She insisted that he needed to be checked out, despite him telling her that he felt fine. Better than fine, physically speaking. But, he almost knew better than to argue with a woman who's training and career involved bringing babies into the world. She was as determined as steel was strong. He knew that. So he went, and he waited patiently, until he was called back to where the doctor would see him.
When his name was called, finally, he stood and brushed the wrinkles out of his shirt. Glacier eyes met her warm, soft gaze, and part of him did relax. "Hello." He said, quietly and almost awkwardly, as he reached his hand out to shake hers.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
Beckoning Noah in, Tobi has to roll her eyes as she stifles a small laugh. Apparently being handsome was one of the criteria for becoming a demigod, because thus far there wasn't a single one of them who couldn't grace the cover of those trashy romance novels found in the library. More than that, this one—and Ronin—looked like they could be the heroes of any epic she might read as well. Too professional to blush about it, Tobi just shakes her head slightly as she closes the door and reaches for his hand.
Noah's is stronger of course, but he'll find the doctor's grip is perfunctory and her hand soft in his. "Now, I know what you're thinking." Tobi begins cheerfully, beckoning toward the bed that he might take a seat. "I'm a demigod now. I'm so strong. What do I need to be here for." She sings as she puts her clipboard down and turns to face him. "And I"ll tell you. This is more of an...introduction to things, dressed up a bit like a physical exam. The physical is important too, if only to provide a baseline. You will become stronger much more rapidly than ever before, and because demigods don't quite...work the way others do, this can help in the future if anything does happen to you." Pausing, she flashes him a bright and sunny smile.
Everything about her warm, soft eyes was also true about her. When she reached for his hand, her skin was warm and soft. Her words, as she spoke, were warm and soft, and even bright. It made Noah relax some, his shoulders sinking and the muscles releasing in his back as he sat on the bed of the exam room. He folded his hands in his lap as she talked and nearly whirled about the room, merely watching her. His eyebrows lifted some when she finally stopped, her smile brightened everything around them. "Yeah, that makes sense."
He smiled, too, a gesture mostly made from inside of himself to break his own tensions. While October's aura and way of operating had helped crack some of the ice around him, it was still present and holding strong. But he could trust a doctor, right? He wanted to. Even though he was thrust into so much unknown after Vi brought him here, he knew he needed to trust at least someone. He had Phoebe, but if he could bring October into that trust, too, then he would be better off. "So what exactly will we start with? I've never been to a doctor before. Halo doesn't have them."
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
"Mmm." Tobi hums agreeably. "Well, what I'm going to do first is take a few measurements of your vitals. Your blood pressure, your temperature, things like that." Waggling her fingers almost apologetically, the doctor shrugs. "No magic, so I'm afraid all of this will have to be done the old-fashioned way." Lightly said, it was true of Stormbreak as a whole; there was no magic here, save for the demigods.
Turning, Tobi pauses mid-spin, before turning back toward Noah with an apologetic and crooked smile. "I'm sure they told you, but I'm October Hart. You can call me Tobi." Okay, so perhaps Noah's cool blue eyes had flustered her just a touch if she'd forgotten to give her own name. Turning around again, Tobi reaches for a few items with which to conduct his exam.
"How are you finding Stormbreak so far? Must be quite the change from Halo." She wonders conversationally, while nodding for him to roll up his sleeve that she might attach a cuff with which to take his blood pressure.
It was obvious that, even as Noah attempted to relax, he was still uneasy about this whole experience. The changing, the moving, all of it, let alone seeing a doctor for the first time. {sat}"Tobi, then. Nice to meet you." He smiled, genuine. "The snow is nice." He almost laughed at the statement, the glint in his eye easily enough interpreted as jest. "But no where is like Halo. I'm sure you feel that way about Stormbreak. It's where my heart is. Stormbreak is...nice. There is a lot to get to know, though." He was simply not used to the technology or advancement of society of Stormbreak. It was an adjustment that would come with time and exposure, and eventually he was sure he would be influenced here by the people that loved this place as much as he loved his tundra.
As she gestured for his arm, Noah considered rolling his sleeve up for a moment before deciding instead to unbutton it and pull it half off. He knew the thickness of the wool was too much to roll up and further than halfway up his forearm. "Let's hope I pass the tests." He smiled again, this time chuckling as he spoke.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
"I agree that nowhere is like Stormbreak." Tobi says with a smile, though a strange sort of sadness tinges the brightness around her eyes. "But...I am here more out of obligation than anything else. My work is here. My family is here." And so she was here, as well. Shrugging her shoulders easily, Tobi retreats a step to give Noah room as he removes half of his sweater. Though the file she'd received about him from the Order mentioned he'd been a hunter, she wasn't quite expecting the show of strength of scarring that she was suddenly privy to.
"Oh trust me, you already fit in with the rest of them." She replies with a laugh; them, of course being the other demigods. Wrapping a black cuff around his upper arm, Tobi places an object in her ear that's connected to a round flat disk that she presses against his forearm. Cocking her head to one side in an unmistakably canine gesture as she listens, Tobi reaches for her clipboard to record his blood pressure, before removing the cuff.
"Stormbreak can be a bit..." Biting her bottom lip as if that might help her find the words she was looking for, the doctor lets her head tilt from side to side for a moment. "...stiff." She decides at last. "The rules are rigid, the people can be rigid, and the Order..." Whistling on an inhale of breath, Tobi shoots the newest demigod a crooked smile. "Have you had the pleasure of meeting Cian yet?" She wonders, before reaching for a thermometer.
"I think there are only three ways of thinking of the place you've known and lived your whole life. Either you want to get out of there and never look back, you love it endlessly, or you are obligated to be there." He almost shrugged with the comment, but the test she was performing on him made him stay still. He did not want to mess anything up, or alter any results unnecessarily.
"I haven't met them, yet. Not all of them, at least." The demigods Noah knew well were Seren and Wessex. He knew little of Ronin other than his accomplishments, and that he was Seren's father. Remi he knew from another life, and only by the stories Delphine told him over and over again. With Remi in the stories, and what Remi stood as in his role under Ludo, Noah suspected they were not the same man. There were others, surely, but the hunter couldn't even recall their names in the moment.
As she remove the cuff, Noah pulled his shirt back on over his arm. He left it unbuttoned for the moment, unsure if the doctor would have further instructions for it to come off. "I can understand that. Halo is not unlike that. The people are gruff and untrusting." He shifted some, brows furrowing at her question. "No. I suppose he should be my next stop, then."
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
"Mmm, you will soon. I think only Ronin is officially part of the Order, but Cian has a way of gathering everyone together often enough." What for, the doctor has no idea; her standing in the Order isn't high enough for that. "Do you think you'll join them?" It might be too personal of a question, or perhaps one that Noah hadn't considered yet, but Tobi found herself asking before she could think better of it.
"Say ahhhh." So saying, she'd pop the thermometer under Noah's tongue and indicate that he needed to keep his mouth closed. "Don't ever lie to him." Tobi says of Cian. "He has this...book with him. Chances are he knows things you can't even imagine are possible. So if you lie, he'll probably know." In or out of the Order, the Eye was not one to be messed with, demigod or not.
Pulling out the thermometer after a moment, Tobi notes the numbers written on its face and logs them on Noah's chart. "Do you have any questions for me? Medical, or otherwise?"
Noah was obedient to all of what the doctor needed him to do. He figured with the way Tobi moved, she seemed to be finishing up. Noah took the time that she took his temperature to button up his shirt. As she took the thermometer back from his mouth, Noah ran his hands down his thighs and rested them on his knees. He nodded at her comments about Cian, taking them carefully and storing them away. Noah was not worried about having to shield himself from lying to the man -- in Noah's life, he had always been an honest man.
Making a brief hmm sound, Noah thought about her question. He had plenty of his own questions, swirling behind his forehead. Questions along the lines of: what can I do now, I feel different but can't describe it do you know what that means, will they accept me here, and so on and so forth. None of them really felt palatable, except one: "What else can you tell me about the Order?" Noah tilted his head slightly and lifted a brow, wondering what information the doctor would give him. There was little that Noah knew about the Order, having been stored away in Halo for so long. There were plenty of rumors surrounding them, plenty of fear, plenty of wonder.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
"Alot, in some ways. Not much in others." Tobi answers, setting down Noah's chart and then folding her arms comfortably over her chest. "The Order was founded just before the first war, as a response to what the Voice was doing. They are always run by a leader called The Eye, who has a notebook of...information." At this, the doctor can only shrug to indicate that where the notebook is concerned, Tobi doesn't know much more than what she's said.
"Some members, like me, are nothing more than just warm bodies. I don't go on missions, I'm not normally around for important briefings. Sometimes I am, but mostly I'm here in the Tower. But the others..The Priest, that's Gideon, the Spyglass, that's Finn, the Fixer, that's Falke, the Architect, that's Seraphina—though right now she's living in the Greatwood, I believe—and now one of your fellow demigods Ronin, who is leading the Dragoons...they are the ones who get things done, so to speak."
Unfolding her arms and pushing her hands into the pockets of her scrubs, the doctor gives Noah an almost apologetic look. "The Order...are...the good guys." This is said neutrally, on her part. "Dedicated to keeping Caido from whatever the Voice is looking to do next. For decades nothing much happened, but now that the barrier has fallen and war is on the horizon its more active than its been in my entire lifetime."
"Mmm, that makes sense. So, the Order is the responsible for the rigidity in Stormbreak, too, I assume?" It only seemed natural -- to keep the people in line and in order so that none of them ever had inklings or desires to reach out and create the power for themselves that the Voice had, all those hundreds of years ago. It made sense to Noah. He grew up in a world of people who trusted no one, because you never would know what people would do in the line of danger or in the face of starvation. There were extreme consequences to actions against fellow Halovians, the least of which being banishment to the tundra. Governments acted in ways that they thought would be best for their people, even if sometimes it was too far.
"If you were in my position, and needed to meet with Cian, what would you discuss? What do you think I should know?" The questions came easier as the hunter sat longer in her exam room. The warmth she continuously emanated seemed to melt the ice around him. He tilted his head some, watching the doctor with curious eyes. He wasn't trying to pry, but there was something about the way she answered his question before that felt like she knew more than she let on. It was not in a deceitful way, by any means, Noah thought, but more out of caution than anything else.
when the night falls on you & you don't know what to do
"I...suppose so? I think it came about more naturally than you'd expect." Tobi says thoughtfully, though her lips do tug down slightly. "Crimes here are tried and punished for all to see...there is no leniency but nor is there any vindictiveness. Stormbreak has experienced first hand what the Voice can do, and so we don't let things get lax here just because it might be convenient." Rigid Stormbreak was, certainly. But it was also safe, and secure and without the sort of drama that every other governed land seemed to possess.
Unlike Noah, Tobi had been in Cian's orbit for years before she met him such that there really was no initial meeting or summons. That mean there was no opportunity for her to make an intentional first impression, which was both a blessing and a curse. "I...think I would ask him what he expected of me. Ronin is part of the Order, but when Amalia asked to join before, he refused her. Twice, I think." Tobi recalls. "It might also be good for you to have some idea of what you want as well. The Order as a group are more powerful than any one demigod, and new as you are, you'll not hold much sway in Cian's eyes, even handpicked by Vi as you were." The doctor continues, her dark gaze seeking out Noah's that he might take her words for the earnest warning they were meant to be.
Noah had no intention to try and impress anyone. He wasn't here to be flashy and proud, to stand on the fact that Vi had chosen him. Noah was mostly here to seek answers, to understand what the Order understood of his role, and perhaps what the other demigods might think of it. He did not know them well -- save for Phoebe -- and knew he needed to gain their trust. They would be who he stood shoulder to should against for this war against the Voice. Noah nodded and let all of her words, and the warning they were, sink in. "Thank you for your time." He shifted, then, his feet moving just barely the inch they needed to meet the ground once more and lift him from her examining bed. "There is lots I need to consider and think about before I go meet with Cian." He smiled at her, his sentence meant to reassure her of part of who he was -- he was no rash man who ran headlong into things. He was a hunter, carved and molded by his time on the tundra. He was deliberate and calculated. He took all options into account before he made a decision. He had to -- if he wasn't that way, he wouldn't be here today. Noah reached out to shake her hand again, "Thank you, really." And then he was off because i need to end threads before spring, to deal with the matters at hand.
