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!
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
Mateo doesn't believe Ever and his incredibly-good-at-lying persona, but he's absolutely smitten with the cake, so he can only offer a playful narrowing of his eyes around a large forkful of it. When does bring a real smile to his face, though, one that is probably captured by the photographer complete with a smudge of cream on his nose. After finishing his dessert, he lets out a dramatic sigh and sinks back in his seat.
"Well, the food was amazing," he says, having to give the merit where it's due. "And we didn't actually get assaulted. And we did get photographed and engaged. So I'd give it a solid 7/10," he says, folding his napkin and placing it on the table. "Do you want to walk home, though? I feel like I need to walk if we're going to stay awake."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Did he want to walk home? Unable to see why not, Ever nods before fishing his phone out of his pocket to cancel the car for their return trip. "How do you feel about.." Inclining his head without any subtly towards their photographer, Ever waits a moment to see if he will be dismissed or not. As they make their way out of the restaurant, there are a few congratulations! that echo in their wake, but nothing at all like what they'd experienced earlier in the evening.
Outside the paramedic seems to relax markedly. His shoulders sag and he feels as though he's able to take the first real breath since having left work that afternoon. "This was a good idea." He says to Mateo, though his tone and smile makes it sound as if he's actually thanking the florist for the entire evening. And in a way he is; without Mateo, he'd not have done any of this and would likely just be a traumatized ball of mental illness sitting alone on a couch.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"Oh no, I wouldn't want him to have to walk with us in the cold," Mateo says of the photographer, aiming the comment to both men with a bright smile that simultaneously says thank you! and that's enough please! The florist gives perfectly staged and bashful waves to those who congratulate them, managing to keep up the act as they get their coats and head out into the brisk January night.
Letting out a whoosh of a sigh and pulling up the hood of his coat so the bunny ears flop over his shoulders, he jostles companionably against the paramedic. "It was," he agrees. "You always have good ideas when it comes to celebrating. But I'm sorry if it stressed you out. What do you want to do this evening? It's your choice, after all of this."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Strolling along Ever feels full and sleepy thanks to the generous glasses of wine, and now with fresh air in his lungs he isn't quite so tense as he was a few moments ago. It would be wrong to say he was drunk, but certainly his posture and ability to abide Mateo's constant affectionate nudges suggested he wasn't completely sober. "There is a new movie on Netflix called the Hunt. It has that girl from Scream Queens in it. Or the new episode of Drag Race should be on." Ever suggests, before any further ideas are lost to the sort of obnoxious honking that NYC is known for.
Be that as it may, the sound of screeching tires and pulsing horns has a drastic and uncharacteristic effect on the paramedic, who suddenly stops dead in his tracks. With his eyes gone quite wide and his face gone quite pale, Ever seems to both hold his breath and shiver out small mewls at the same time. "No," he whispers in a pained voice, staring intently at something (not the cars, who, after having flipped each other off, drove harmlessly away). "No, please no."
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"So both," Mateo suggests with a grin. He's not drunk either, but he's comfortably on his way there, and he plans to make them cocktails when they reach the apartment. That basically guarantees he'll be alseep before the episode of Drag Race, but he's quite happy to watch it again in the morning. Neither of them have work, so why the hell not?
Unbeknownst to the florist, Everest is about to answer that question, but not in the way he expects. Furrowing his brow at the squeal of tires and angry drivers leaning on their horns, he rolls his eyes and has already walked a few paces further when he realises he's left his roommate behind. "Hey, are you..." Turning, Mateo blinks stupidly at the paramedic, trying to remember if he's seen this flavour of Ever before.
"No what?" he asks, backtracking to stand beside him and gazing out at the empty street where the cars once were. "Just assholes speeding. Nothing new."
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
If Ever hears Mateo nothing about his expression suggests that he does. Instead he's staring blankly at the intersection the way Danny stared at the elevator doors in The Shining, when they open to reveal a ridiculous amount of blood pouring out.
Slowly Ever looks down at his hands, which are trembling quite badly. He sees blood on them, both fresh and dried, and hears the final words that the now-dead woman had spoken to him as she laying dying in his arms. "I did everything I could." He whispers to his splayed fingers while his knees consider buckling. "I did." Tears form in the corners of his eyes and immediately fall onto his cheeks.
"I'm so sorry—" The words are hardly out of his mouth before he tears his gaze away his hands and begins to walk blindly into traffic.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"You... huh?" It's been hours since he'd waited for Ever in the hospital reception, and Mateo has no idea what's happening or what the cause may be. Already being several glasses of wine into the night isn't helping matters either, and he shakes his head slowly as he waits for the meaning behind Ever's words. It never comes, the florist reaching out as if to brush the tears from his friend's cheek, before he stops himself.
"Ever, what are you sorry abou-- whoa, hey, no--" He does reach out this time, lacing his arm quite firmly through the paramedic's as he tries to steer him away from the intersection, though of course Ever is all practical muscle compared to Mateo's aesthetic nothing, and should the other man try to break free, he won't have to put in much effort.
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Disoriented as he is, Mateo not only redirects Ever but actually brings the paramedic to his knees. All things considered, the sidewalk is probably the safest place for him despite the various cigarette butts and colourful splotches of chewed gum. Turning shiny blue eyes towards the florist, Ever blinks, both trying to focus as much as he's trying to erase the horrific images blurring his vision. "I couldn't save her." He whispers, before gasping in an abrupt breath of air.
"Mateo, I'm having a panic attack." Ever's voice is suddenly clear and rational, and for just a moment, there's understanding in his blue eyes. "Go inside and get me ice." He requests, before his knees begin to shake and his breathing borders on hyperventilating.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"Save who? Ever, what's... oh shit, did something happen at work?" Belatedly, images of a smudge of red on the other man's wrist flash through Mateo's mind. And Ever had been late, and god but the snow clogged sidewalk is cold as his knees meet the ground, because of course if the paramedic goes down, Mateo is right there with him.
He's about to goldfish a bit more and offer some further useless questions, but in that moment his roommate seems to come to himself, and the florist almost reels back with the sudden switch. He does latch onto it all, though, scrabbling to his feet. "Inside? I... we're between the restaurant and home. There's... oh, hang on, there's a corner store there. You... uh... stay here? There's snow if you can't wait for the ice!"
That's the last Ever will hear from Mateo before the florist is just... gone, disappearing into the corner store and demanding ice.
He gets some, too, but it's a flavoured snowcone (it's all they had ok), and he slips on some actual ice and falls on his butt and spills most of it, but he does get there eventually. "Now what?"
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Ever has no idea where they are; outside of the restaurant, back at the crime scene from that afternoon, the intersection where his mother had died. Belatedly the paramedic shakes his head, somehow able to instantly know that the slush around them would be no good. Blinking stupidly in Mateo's wake, Ever tries to pull in a deep breath. "Telephone pole. License plate. Sneakers. Storefront. Car." Car. Car, cars. Accident. Blood. Screaming. Shattered glass. Shaking his head and swallowing, Ever tries again. "Cigarette smoke. Pavement. Donair meat?" Meat. Burned flesh. Charred hair.
Snapping his eyes open, Ever sees Mateo fall but is helpless to do anything more than flinch. Expecting a bag of ice but seeing a snowcone, distractedly the paramedic wonders if this is just a second-dessert. "I need ice. Cubes of...okay." Reaching for the snowcone, Ever pushes up the sleeve of his coat and jams what's left of the frozen treat against his wrist.
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"I've got a wet butt," Mateo mutters belatedly, wincing and wondering whether he'll have a bruise on the outside of his thigh when he climbs into his pajamas. When they eventually get home. If they ever do. "They didn't have cubes of ice. Do you want me to crush the snowcone into... cubes...?" Before he's able to reach out and do just that, Ever is already pressing the cold treat against his wrist, which of course just confuses him more.
"Ever... is... can..." Not used to being the one to make decisions, especially of a medical nature, Mateo gives himself a shake. "We need to get home. I will hail us a cab. Please be okay." Scrambling back to his feet, the florist lets out a shrill whistle through his fingers and tries to wave down... a car, he guesses.
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
"It lowers your heart rate." Ever explains, able to understand and reply to Mateo's confusion even though he couldn't have stood up if he tried. The snow cone granules were too small, unfortunately, which meant the paramedic was just letting shaved ice and syrup melt all over himself, but sometimes it be like that.
Trying to focus on his breathing and not the pounding of his pulse in his ears or the way he suddenly felt hot and dizzy and weightless. "She's already gone. There was nothing you could do." He whispers to himself. "Her back was broken. She didn't feel any pain." Panic and wine made the lights all around seemed to blare and sparkle, which only served to disorient the paramedic even more.
"Mateo—" Ever calls, groping into the darkness for his friend. "I miss my mom."
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
Should'a seen what I wore I had a cane and a party hat
"Oh," Mateo says, and though there are a million questions buzzing on his tongue, he manages to keep his focus on hailing the cab. Whether or not he's got the attention of a vehicle is beyond him, however, because although he's been letting Ever ramble to himself (which, by and large, seems to be a very good idea), the sound of his name hitting the air and the whispered admission changes everything.
The breath shudders out of Mateo, and although a yellow cab pulls up beside them on the curb, he's ignoring it to kneel down before his friend. "Yeah... God, yeah, I bet you do," he whispers. "I'm sorry, Ever. I'm sorry she's gone. Do you want to talk about her...?" It doesn't matter that they're on the sidewalk in the middle of the night.
I was the king of this hologram where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Staring into dark eyes and perfectly styled curls, it doesn't occur to Everest to realize just how handsome his friend is, but only to find comfort in the familiarity of his face. 'She died in a car accident.' The paramedic mumbles, and though Mateo already knows this, it's just a way for Ever to get the linguistic ball rolling. "Tonight...at work...there was a car accident." Whereas his voice had been steady before, now it broke and wavered. "A woman died in my arms. She...she looked just like my mother. She..."
Hitching in a breath, Ever presses his teeth together to keep the sob that was trying to rattle itself out of his throat caged, he shakes his head once, and then again and again. 'She was about to get married. She asked....she asked if she would be able to dance on her wedding day..'
even if i had to lose you to know you, i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
